Inside the secret White House effort to secure the Hamas hostage release
World News
Hamas agrees to release 50 hostages, temporary cease-fire with Israel on November 22, 2023 at 2:17 am
A deal has been reached to release 50 women and children that were kidnapped by Hamas and is set to go into effect sometime on Thursday, following intensive international negotiations over the course of a month and a half, according to U.S. officials and the Israeli government.
Israel and Hamas agreed to implement a temporary cease-fire for four days to allow for the safe transfer of hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The release of hostages is expected to trigger the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, per a Hamas demand.
The U.S. believes that there are more children and women beyond the 50 that Hamas had identified for release, with a senior U.S. administration official telling reporters in a call on Tuesday night that Hamas has not been able to provide a comprehensive list of all the people who were kidnapped from Israel.
The U.S. expects Hamas to work throughout the pause in fighting to identify additional women and children to be released.
“The deal is now structured for women and children in the first phase, but with an expectation for further releases and the aim, the clear aim, is to bring all hostages home to their families,” the official said.
The cessation of fighting, what the administration is calling a “humanitarian pause,” can be extended beyond the four days if Hamas identifies and shows a willingness to release more hostages.
The Israeli government early Wednesday morning, local time, said in a statement that “the release of every additional 10 hostages will result in one additional day of the pause.”
Hamas kidnapped more than 200 people on Oct. 7 as part of its unprecedented terrorist attack against Israel — where at least 1,200 people were massacred, the vast majority civilians.
Along with women and children, other hostages include men, Israeli soldiers, dual nationals and foreign nationals. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier this week released a video that it said showed Hamas forcibly moving at least two hostages, a Thai civilian and a Nepalese civilian, through al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip.
At least three Americans are expected to be released in the first phase of the deal, including two women and a three-year-old girl, Liz Hirsh Naftali, whose parents were killed amid Hamas’s assault on their community of Kfar Azza. Naftali is believed to be turning four this month.
The Biden administration has said there are 10 unaccounted for Americans, but has not said that they are all confirmed as hostages.
The pause in fighting is also expected to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries to be scaled up through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, with thousands of Palestinians having been displaced from the north of Gaza to the south amid intense Israeli air bombardment as part of its war aim to eliminate Hamas. Civilians are lacking adequate access to water, food, medicine, shelter and more necessities and what international aid organizations have decried as a desperate humanitarian crisis.
Brett McGurk, Middle East Coordinator for the National Security Council, had earlier said that Hamas’s “bargain” for releasing the hostages was to increase aid to the strip.
Among the other terms Hamas asked Israel to agree to, include allowing Palestinian women and minors held in Israeli jails to be released to their hometowns, mostly in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the Times of Israel reported, citing an Israeli government source speaking with reporters.
The deal was reached through intensive mediation by the government of Qatar and Egypt, which served as intermediaries between Hamas military leaders hiding out in Gaza, to their political offices in Doha, Qatar, and on to U.S. and Israeli officials.
The senior U.S. official, who spoke with reporters on Tuesday, said a secret cell working to secure the release of hostages was established shortly after Hamas’s attack on Israel, and the extent of its kidnapping of civilians began to unfold.
Qatar initiated discussions with Israel and the U.S. to work toward the hostages’ release.
Calls between the U.S., Israel, Qatar and Egypt have taken place daily, sometimes hourly over the course of the month and a half of the ordeal, with Biden “directly and personally engaged in this process,” the official said.
“In fact, I just came from the Oval Office about half an hour ago… We are cautiously optimistic here that we are in the final stages of what has been an extremely excruciating five-week process.”
The deal marks an extraordinary development in the war between Israel and Hamas nearly seven weeks since Hamas shocked the world by breaking down and through Israel’s barrier with the Gaza Strip. Hamas fighters massacred and murdered civilians in their homes, at a music festival, and on the street under the cover of rocketfire across Israel in an attack they have failed to fully explain, other than what they view as their ultimate goal as to destroy the state of Israel.
Among the more than 200 kidnapped from southern Israel during Hamas’s terrorist attack include Israeli civilians, soldiers and people of dozens of other nationalities taken by Hamas, and some are also believed to have been taken by other designated terror groups, like Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Gazan civilians.
White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday that the U.S. does not have a full accounting of the exact number of hostages and who is holding them.
“I think it’s important to remember that other groups also likely hold some hostages… that Hamas may not have access to, or even immediate knowledge of with any great specificity,” he said during a call with reporters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to end Hamas, and Israel has carried out a punishing air campaign across the Gaza Strip, targeting what they said are Hamas combatants and their military infrastructure. But the devastation has led to the death of approximately 13,000 people — according to estimates provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is under control of Hamas.
While Hamas does not disclose how many of those killed are its own members, more than 5,000 children are believed to be among those killed, and a senior U.S. official has said it is likely the death toll is higher than is currently being reported.
And Israel alleges that rocketfire from Gaza — by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad or others — has at times fallen back on the strip into civilian areas.
Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would not abandon its war against Hamas, even as it agreed to a pause to allow for the release of hostages.
President Biden has backed Israel’s military campaign into the Gaza Strip, saying that he supports Israel’s goal of dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure to prevent the terror group from being able to carry out, again, an attack like that which occurred on Oct 7.
But the president and his senior officials have increasingly raised concern that Israel can do more to protect civilian life in Gaza.
Kirby, on a call with reporters on Tuesday, said that the administration has said they don’t support an expanded Israeli military ground campaign into southern Gaza “absent a cohesive plan by the Israelis to factor in how they’re going to be able to protect what is now mathematically a dramatically increased civilian population.”
“It’s even more incumbent upon the Israelis to make sure, before they begin operations down there, that they have factored in ways in which they can protect those civilians who moved at their urging to the South,” Kirby continued. “And I think that’s really about where I need to leave it.”
A deal has been reached to release 50 women and children that were kidnapped by Hamas and is set to go into effect sometime on Thursday, following intensive international negotiations over the course of a month and a half, according to U.S. officials and the Israeli government. Israel and Hamas agreed to implement a temporary…
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President Donald Trump says the United States might one day get rid of federal income tax because of money the government collects from tariffs on imported goods. Tariffs are extra taxes the U.S. puts on products that come from other countries.
What Trump Is Saying
Trump has said that tariff money could become so large that it might allow the government to cut income taxes “almost completely.” He has also talked about possibly phasing out income tax over the next few years if tariff money keeps going up.
How Taxes Work Now
Right now, the federal government gets much more money from income taxes than from tariffs. Income taxes bring in trillions of dollars each year, while tariffs bring in only a small part of that total. Because of this gap, experts say tariffs would need to grow by many times to replace income tax money.
Questions From Experts
Many economists and tax experts doubt that tariffs alone could pay for the whole federal budget. They warn that very high tariffs could make many imported goods more expensive for shoppers in the United States. This could hit lower- and middle‑income families hardest, because they spend a big share of their money on everyday items.
What Congress Must Do
The president can change some tariffs, but only Congress can change or end the federal income tax. That means any real plan to remove income tax would need new laws passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. So far, there is no detailed law or full budget plan on this idea.
What It Means Right Now
For now, Trump’s comments are a proposal, not a change in the law. People and businesses still have to pay federal income tax under the current rules. The debate over using tariffs instead of income taxes is likely to continue among lawmakers, experts, and voters.
Former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to declassify all government files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier whose death in 2019 continues to fuel controversy and speculation.
The order, signed Wednesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, instructs the FBI, Department of Justice, and intelligence agencies to release documents detailing Epstein’s network, finances, and alleged connections to high-profile figures. Trump described the move as “a step toward transparency and public trust,” promising that no names would be shielded from scrutiny.
“This information belongs to the American people,” Trump said in a televised statement. “For too long, powerful interests have tried to bury the truth. That ends now.”
U.S. intelligence officials confirmed that preparations for the release are already underway. According to sources familiar with the process, the first batch of documents is expected to be made public within the next 30 days, with additional releases scheduled over several months.
Reactions poured in across the political spectrum. Supporters praised the decision as a bold act of accountability, while critics alleged it was politically motivated, timed to draw attention during a volatile election season. Civil rights advocates, meanwhile, emphasized caution, warning that some records could expose private victims or ongoing legal matters.
The Epstein case, which implicated figures in politics, business, and entertainment, remains one of the most talked-about scandals of the past decade. Epstein’s connections to influential individuals—including politicians, royals, and executives—have long sparked speculation about the extent of his operations and who may have been involved.
Former federal prosecutor Lauren Fields said the release could mark a turning point in public discourse surrounding government transparency. “Regardless of political stance, this declassification has the potential to reshape how Americans view power and accountability,” Fields noted.
Officials say redactions may still occur to protect sensitive intelligence or personal information, but the intent is a near-complete disclosure. For years, critics of the government’s handling of Epstein’s case have accused agencies of concealing evidence or shielding elites from exposure. Trump’s order promises to change that narrative.
As anticipation builds, journalists, legal analysts, and online commentators are preparing for what could be one of the most consequential information releases in recent history.
What Happened at the United Nations
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, defending Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza. As he spoke, more than 100 delegates from over 50 countries stood up and left the chamber—a rare and significant diplomatic walkout. Outside the UN, thousands of protesters gathered to voice opposition to Netanyahu’s policies and call for accountability, including some who labeled him a war criminal. The protest included activists from Palestinian and Jewish groups, along with international allies.
Why Did Delegates and Protesters Walk Out?
The walkouts and protests were a response to Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in widespread destruction and a significant humanitarian crisis. Many countries and individuals have accused Israel of excessive use of force, and some international prosecutors have suggested Netanyahu should face investigation by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, including claims that starvation was used as a weapon against civilians. At the same time, a record number of nations—over 150—recently recognized the State of Palestine, leaving the United States as the only permanent UN Security Council member not to join them.
International Reaction and Significance
The diplomatic walkouts and street protests demonstrate increasing global concern over the situation in Gaza and growing support for Palestinian statehood. Several world leaders, including Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, showed visible solidarity with protesters. Petro called for international intervention and, controversially, for US troops not to follow orders he viewed as supporting ongoing conflict. The US later revoked Petro’s visa over his role in the protests, which he argued was evidence of a declining respect for international law.
Why Is This News Important?
The Gaza conflict is one of the world’s most contentious and closely-watched issues. It has drawn strong feelings and differing opinions from governments, activists, and ordinary people worldwide. The United Nations, as an international organization focused on peace and human rights, is a key arena for these debates. The events surrounding Netanyahu’s speech show that many nations and voices are urging new action—from recognition of Palestinian rights to calls for sanctions against Israel—while discussion and disagreement over the best path forward continue.
This episode at the UN highlights how international diplomacy, public protests, and official policy are all intersecting in real time as the search for solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains urgent and unresolved.
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