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Israel to let Palestinians move to northern Gaza on Monday after hostage deal crisis solved
Israel will allow displaced Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza strip from Monday morning after Qatari and Egyptian mediators managed to solve the crisis over the release of an Israeli held hostage in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister's office said.
Why it matters: The failure by Hamas to release Arbel Yehud, a civilian woman, on Saturday as the hostage and ceasefire deal stipulated created a crisis that raised concerns that the agreement could collapse a week after it came into force.
- The return of Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza is one of the key deliverables Hamas demanded as part of the deal.
- Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians have been waiting in the past two days along the Netzarim corridor south of Gaza city waiting for the IDF to withdraw its forces and allow them to move north.
Catch up quick: On Friday, when Hamas gave Israel the list of four hostages that were expected to be released the next day it didn't include Arbel Yehud. Instead it included four women soldiers.
- According to the hostage deal, civilians women are released ahead of women soldiers.
- The Israelis protested to the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, but didn't stop the implementation of the deal.
- On Saturday, after the four soldier were release Israel announced it will not allow Palestinians to go back to northern Gaza until Arbel Yehud is released.
- The Israelis also asked White House envoy Steve Witkoff to intervene and demand the Qatari and Egyptian mediators to press Hamas.
Driving the news: On Sunday night local time, after 36 hours of negotiations the Qatari foreign ministry announced that an agreement had been reached to overcome the crisis.
- According to the agreement, Israel will allow Palestinians to move to northern Gaza starting Monday morning, the Qatari foreign ministry said.
- Hamas, for its part, will release Arbel Yehud and two other hostages on Thursday and three more hostages on Saturday. This will double the number of hostages that will be released this week.
State of play: After the agreement was reached, Hamas gave Israel a document with information about the remaining 26 hostages it is supposed to release in the first phase of the deal.
- An Israeli official said the list didn't include names but only data about the condition of the hostages. The official said that 18 out of the 26 remaining hostages in phase one of the deal are alive β a similar number to prior Israeli assessments.
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Trump signs executive order to examine FEMA overhaul
President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at revamping the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in the latest sign he's seeking to change how the agency handles disasters that hit the nation.
The big picture: Sunday's announcement of the order comes days after the president said he was considering "getting rid of" FEMA altogether, as he and others in the GOP have in recent months complained the agency's disaster response has been biased against Republicans.
- Trump could significantly impact state and federal disaster response by withholding federal disaster declarations and preventing certain types of aid from flowing to states, at least for a time. He's threatened to do so in wildfire-hit California.
- He's yet to name a head to oversee FEMA.
Driving the news: Trump signed the order after visiting communities impacted by historic fires in Southern California on Friday during his first presidential trip of his second term.
- The order calls for the creation of a task force, dubbed the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council, to review FEMA and recommend changes in a report to Trump.
- The group will be composed of the secretaries of homeland security and defense, along with private-sector subject matter experts, per the order.
Between the lines: The task force could recommend getting rid of the agency.
- But only Congress can get rid of FEMA.
Our thought bubble: There is agreement among many experts in the disaster management community that some reforms to FEMA are necessary, Axios' Andrew Freedman says.
- However, governors are likely to push back against attempts to have them shoulder the full burden of disaster response given their comparative lack of resources.
Go deeper: Trump suggests states should handle emergency response instead of FEMA
Editor's note: The headline has been updated to clarify that the executive order calls for an examination of overhauling FEMA.Β
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Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extension announced by White House, avoiding renewed fighting
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon will be extended until February 18, the White House said on Sunday.
Why it matters: The extension was a result of mediation efforts by the Trump administration that were aimed at preventing the collapse of the ceasefire.
- The extension will allow another three and a half weeks for Israel's military to finish its withdrawal from Southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese army to finish its deployment along the border.
Driving the news: According to the ceasefire agreement, Israel had to finish its withdrawal by Sunday at the end of a 60-day period defined in the deal.
- On Friday, the Israeli prime minister's office said the IDF would not complete its withdrawal.
- Hezbollah warned that it would consider the ceasefire null and void if Israel breaches Sunday's withdrawal deadline.
- The White House said on Friday afternoon that "a short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed" and the U.S. will work with "regional partners" to secure it.
- The Trump administration has been negotiating with Lebanon and Israel in the last 96 hours to prevent the ceasefire from collapsing.
- A few minutes before midnight local time the White House issued the statement announcing the extension of the ceasefire.
What to watch: The White House said Lebanon, Israel, and the U.S. will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after Oct. 7, 2023. Many of these prisoners are Hezbollah militants.