Morning Deif, Evening Hostages

The morning began with the emergence of footage showing Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif during October 7 operations, marking his first public appearance in years. By mid-morning, Al-Qassam Brigades handed over four Israeli female soldiers to the Red Cross in central Gaza, initiating the second phase of prisoner exchange.

Netanyahu's office then announced restrictions on Gaza residents' return north, conditioning it on the release of Arbel Yehud, creating tension with the existing agreement. The afternoon saw the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners, including several serving life sentences. Seventy of these were directed to Cairo for deportation arrangements.

Evening brought reports of Israeli violations near Jenin, resulting in two Palestinian casualties - one in Balata camp and another in Jenin. The White House announced continued pressure for hostage releases, while Trump overturned Biden's restriction on heavy ordinance transfers to Israel.