50 Israeli hostages, mostly children, to be freed by Hamas amid 4-day halt in war; releases may start Thurs * How deal unfolded * Why Israel agreed * The hostage children

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Wednesday, November 22, 2023 Presented by [SAPIR Journal]( [Cabinet okays deal for release of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 4-day Gaza truce]( By Jacob Magid and Tal Schneider 150 underage or female Palestinian terrorists to go free in return for abductees; halt could be extended by a day for each additional 10 Israeli hostages, then war will resume [Inside story / Behind the scenes of the intense talks that led to the Israel-Hamas hostage deal]( By Jacob Magid [Families of hostages feel mix of hope and uncertainty as deal okayed for return of 50]( By Eliyahu Freedman Live updates [LIVE: Hamas says truce to start at 10 a.m. tomorrow as sides gear up for hostage release]( By ToI Staff and Jacob Magid Israel lists 300 Palestinian prisoners, mostly teens, eligible for release * Cabinet vows to ‘continue the war’ against Hamas after pause in fighting * IDF ground op toll hits 69 [The children believed held hostage in Gaza, many of whom could be freed in Hamas deal]( By ToI Staff Almost 40 children have been kept captive in the Hamas-run enclave since October 7, among some 240 hostages overall [Palestinian just convicted of stabbing her neighbor may be freed in Hamas deal]( By ToI Staff from our sponsor [Read Rabbi David Wolpe’s reflections on War in Israel]( “We are in the paradoxical situation, as a people who love peace, of saying to the world, ‘We must wreak more destruction.’” Analysis: Day 47 of the war David Horovitz [Why Israel agreed to the hostage deal, and how Hamas may intend to exploit it]( The cabinet’s 35-3 vote shows ministers believed there was no better arrangement, and were persuaded the war will resume afterward; Yahya Sinwar may have other plans [Most politicians welcome hostage deal; Smotrich explains why party ended up voting yes]( By Carrie Keller-Lynn and Amy Spiro Herzog, Lapid back cabinet-approved agreement; many lawmakers stress that initial deal must lead to release of all hostages, allow for IDF to continue fighting following pause [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Nov. 22: Day 47 — What we do and don’t know about the hostage deal]( By ToI Staff [Ahead of slated truce, IDF says it’s destroyed 400 Hamas tunnels, continues to fight]( By Emanuel Fabian Death of Cpt. Liron Snir brings the toll in the ground operation to 69; sources indicate that four-day pause in fighting will begin Thursday at 10 a.m. [IDF breaches blast door in Hamas tunnel under Gaza’s Shifa Hospital]( By Emanuel Fabian and Renee Ghert-Zand [Biden ‘gratified’ by Israeli okay of hostage deal; UK, France, Germany also hail it]( By Jacob Magid and AFP China, Russia applaud news of pause in fighting as Paris says it hopes French citizens among released; PA welcomes truce, calls for ‘comprehensive cessation of Israeli aggression’ [US officials laud hostage deal — but contemplate how much more war to support]( By Ron Kampeas Top Ops Erica Brown [Thanksgiving: This year in Jerusalem]( Anxiety about Israel at war, the hostages, antisemitism (the list goes on) makes it hard to give thanks, but it’s exactly the right thing to do Peta Jones Pellach [The deadly cost of boys’-club governance]( After this war, will we learn to honor and value the contribution of women to the country’s security, homefront, and recovery? Pazit Ben-Nun Bloom [The paradox of protest: How pain can be a catalyst for healing]( The demonstrators against judicial reform didn’t weaken Israeli society – they developed its greatest weapon Joe Wolfson [Extraordinary times call for… ordinary measures?]( If we hadn’t already developed our collective reflex of kindness, we wouldn’t have been able to spring into action when we did [‘This is my son. No arm — it’s been 47 days’: Mom shows pope image of her hostage son]( By Jessica Steinberg and Agencies Francis holds separate meetings with relatives of abductees and of Palestinian prisoners, decries ‘passions that are killing everyone’; crowd at Vatican waves ‘Genocide’ posters Inside story [Citing antisemitism abroad, Jewish students stream to Israeli university as war rages]( By Gavriel Fiske Though many academic programs have delayed their start dates, Reichman University opens its English-language tracks for an unexpected influx of visitors wanting to study in Israel [Day 47 — What we do and don’t know about the hostage deal]( [listen to the podcast]( Together, in limbo [For 46 days, a refugee Kfar Aza family ‘sits shiva’ for its dead and awaits its hostages]( By Jessica Steinberg Nadav Goldstein-Almog and daughter Yam were killed on October 7; wife Chen Goldstein-Almog and their three younger children were taken hostage. Her brother recounts Hamas’s brutality [Israel said to warn UN Security Council of regional war if Hezbollah isn’t disarmed]( By Jeremy Sharon and Emanuel Fabian FM Cohen reportedly calls for ‘totally different approach to end the dangerous violations’ by terror group; IDF airs footage of latest southern Lebanon strikes, as clashes continue [White House says intel shows Wagner Group preparing to arm ‘Hezbollah or Iran’]( By Jacob Magid and AFP Analysis Canaan Lidor [South Africa’s shift on Israel: From Mandela-era acceptance to ‘genocide’ allegations]( Unprecedented anti-Israel statements by the African nation’s head appear to be part of a broader geopolitical shift, but the country’s Jews report feeling safe and comfortable [South African parliament calls on government to shutter Israeli embassy]( By Canaan Lidor [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( [Agency drops Susan Sarandon for saying Jews ‘getting taste’ of what Muslims go through]( By ToI Staff Oscar-nominated US actress under fire for repeatedly accusing Israel of genocide, denying elements of Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and downplaying scope of antisemitism [After uproar, NY state senator fires staffer who endorsed Oct. 7 Hamas onslaught]( By Luke Tress Archaeology [Archaeologists find earliest evidence of mass weapons production in Stone Age Israel]( By Gavriel Fiske Huge caches of uniformly designed sling stones from 7,200 years ago indicate organized production of missiles, the earliest evidence of warfare in the Southern Levant [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Civilians and soldiers who have fallen since Oct. 7]( [Read Here]( Analysis Gianluca Pacchiani [Killings drop in Arab Israeli communities after October 7, but for how long?]( Increased police presence and wartime zero-tolerance policy for breaching social order are the most likely factors behind the drop in gang killings — which may only be temporary More Headlines [US said to delay shipment of weapons for security squads due to Ben Gvir’s conduct]( By Jacob Magid [Backed by Intel and Comcast, Israel’s AI21 raises another $53m at $1.4b valuation]( By Sharon Wrobel [US fighter jets strike Iran-backed targets in Iraq after repeated attacks on US bases]( By Agencies [Bahrain government websites briefly inaccessible in cyberattack over Israel-Hamas war]( By Agencies [The daily edition]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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