RETURN AGREEMENT 9️⃣4️⃣ HOSTAGES 🎗️Day 474 /

• Qatari Prime Minister that he is ready to start talks as soon as possible on the second stage of the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, even ahead of the deadline date for the discussions to begin. https://lnk.sk/qykp 
• A Hamas official confirmed Tuesday that four Israeli female hostages would be freed on Saturday as part of the ceasefire deal that will also see Palestinian security prisoners released. https://lnk.sk/ipe8 
• US President Donald Trump said Monday he was “not confident” the Gaza ceasefire would last, despite claiming credit for brokering the agreement between Israel and Hamas. https://lnk.sk/rfo2 

ISRAEL 🇮🇱 /

• Four people were wounded Tuesday evening by a terrorist who went on a stabbing spree in a trendy Tel Aviv neighborhood, emergency services and Israel Police said, before he was shot dead. https://lnk.sk/dafp 
• IDF on Tuesday slammed dozens of Jewish extremists for having attacked the Palestinian village of Funduk in the Efraim region of the West Bank on Monday night. “Any violent public disturbance harms security, and the IDF will not allow it,” he said. https://lnk.sk/wvz5 
• Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and the head of the IDF Southern Command said they would both be resigning from the military over their roles in the failures that led to the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught. https://lnk.sk/ycz1 

GAZA, JUDEA&SAMARIA (so-called West Bank) /

• Israel attempted on Wednesday to play down reports and speculation that the Palestinian Authority would play a larger role in postwar Gaza and that a deal with Saudi Arabia could include the establishment of a Palestinian state. https://lnk.sk/nwfn 
• Operation Iron Wall, initiated by Israeli security forces in Jenin in the West Bank on Tuesday, marks a shift in the military’s strategy in the West Bank, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday. https://lnk.sk/hup6
• The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said nearly 900 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the third day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas terrorists. https://lnk.sk/zay7 

IRAN 🇮🇷 /

• Two Iranian cargo ships are set to transport a key ingredient for missile propellant from China to Iran in the coming weeks, the Financial Times reports https://lnk.sk/lryi ; https://lnk.sk/tupz  

USA 🇺🇸

• Trump’s Day One Executive Orders Relating to Israel, Jews, and Palestinians: 

1) President Trump revoked Executive Order which had sanctioned certain Israeli settlers in the West Bank. 

2) Trump restored sanctions on the International Criminal Court, reversing their cancellation under Biden.

3) A 90-day pause was placed on all U.S. foreign developmental assistance programs to review their alignment with administration policy (e.g. UNRWA).

4) Trump authorized the deportation of visa holders who support hateful ideologies, terrorism, or national security threats, such as individuals involved in pro-Hamas protests, riots, or fundraising efforts.

5) The administration lifted restrictions on arms sales to Israel, to reaffirm U.S. support for Israel’s defense.

• US President Donald Trump says he’s thinking about visiting the Middle East but indicates the trip won’t take place in the immediate future. https://lnk.sk/lsls 
• Several hundred anti-Israel demonstrators rallied outside the gates of Columbia University in New York City on Tuesday, as student activists vowed to step up their protests with the start of the spring semester. https://lnk.sk/ybp8 

• Air France will resume flights to Tel Aviv this weekend following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The airline had suspended operations in September due to regional conflict. Lufthansa, Swiss, and EasyJet plan to restore service in February and June. 

Sources: Walla News, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Financial Times, Jewish Breaking News and Israel realtime 

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