chose to resign, calling the deal a surrender, one of the other far—right members of cabinet, mr smotriche finance minister, chose to stay in the government, and he claimed that he'd got a promise from netanyahu on the eve of the signing of the deal, saying that the war would be resumed and that, ultimately, hamas would be eliminated. how much do you read into that? well, number one, ithink the fact that a minister in a senior position, the minister of finance in a government, says that the prime minister promised him that he will resume the war after the completion of this agreement means, in my mind, two things. number one, that there is a likelihood that this agreement will not be completed. if hamas knows in advance that they are going to have to face the israeli attack at the end of this, why should they release all of the hostages that they are committed to release at this stage? that's number one. number two, i think that, er, this is something that i don't believe minister smotrich would have created had it not been true. mm. that doesn't mean that netanyahu will keep his commitme

previously, you know, ministers like smotrich who mentioned jared. jared mentioned smotrich. he's the treasury minister. he's from a religious zionist, very right wing party. it maybe can't be bought, but it could perhaps be rented. there are things he wants. he wants maybe more money for settlements in judea and samaria, in the west bank. and there it's politics. and, you know, israel is not the united states. the prime minister is not the commander in chief. he has to get approval, approval of an inner cabinet and then a broader cabinet in order to make this decision. and there's going to be a lot of horse trading going on. but at the end of the day, the majority of israelis want the deal as painful, as conflicting as they are, because we know we're going to be releasing palestinian terrorists from jail who have killed israelis. you have to go to those families and say, listen, you know, this guy is going to get a hero's welcome home, but your loved ones are still on the ground and they're going to go off to be terrorists again. we know that people who orchestrated october

smotrich. >> and if there is an agreement and the timetable moves forward, when would the first hostage be released? >> well, sunday is the implementation date that they've been targeting right now. there is a possibility that it could slide to monday. however, given the fact that the israeli supreme court is going to need about 24 hours in order to process any opposition petitions to the release of the palestinian prisoners who will be released in exchange for those israeli hostages. so a little bit of uncertainty about the timing. but one thing that's really important to bear in mind, anderson, is that until that ceasefire agreement goes into effect, the war in gaza is very much still continuing. since this ceasefire was announced, gaza's civil defense says that 83 people have been killed by israeli airstrikes over the course of of that period of time, 23 of them children. so the suffering and the killing is very much still continuing in gaza right up until the moment that that ceasefire actu

minister smotrich. >> who i'm sorry. >> smotrich. >> this is. >> the israeli finance minister. >> smotrichvir, who. >> believe that. israel has a biblical. >> right to the. >> entire west bank. >> and in that conversation. >> you told. >> me that, yes, you shared that view. >> is that your. >> view today? >> yes. >> what a. shocking statement. >> well, as concerning as it is that trump's un ambassador nominee wants u.s. foreign policy to be determined by the bible and aligns herself with two extremist israeli settlers, stefanik actually acknowledged that palestinians exist in her testimony. trump's pick for ambassador to israel, mike huckabee, on the other hand, once said this. >> basically, there really is no such thing as i have to be careful in saying this because people. >> really. >> get it. there's really no such thing as a palestinian that is not. >> there's not such a thing as a palestinian, according to huckabee. well, huckabee and stefanik are not the only ones in trump's administration who share these extremist views that align with the israeli settler movement across the occupi

smotrich has yet to decide if he wants to take it that far. so far, he has said that he is seeking assurances from the israeli prime minister that he will go back to fighting the war in gaza once the first phase of this agreement is complete, meaning that six week ceasefire, during which time will see 33 israeli hostages come out. you know, if they do indeed choose to move forward with that threat, it doesn't mean the israeli prime minister stops being prime minister all of a sudden. he's also been offered a lifeline by the opposition leader, yair lapid, to come in. but that would effectively be handing the fate of the next elections to his opposition. so the israeli prime minister really doesn't have a lot of great options right now. his best hope is to find some kind of agreement with smotrich. >> and if there is an agreement and the timetable moves forward, when would the first hostage be released? >> well, sunday is the implementation date that they've been targeting right now. there is a possibility that it could slide to monday. however,

why don't you call smotrich and ben-gvir terrorists?se people are fascists and and the and the smotrich did not shy away from calling himself a fascist homophobe. but i tell you what. what is the solution? hamas said to us very clearly that they don't want to be the government. they don't want to be even in the government. but the solution is a national unity. palestinian government, a national consensus government that could be accepted by everybody, could be cooperated with by everybody. this is what we are calling for and which would open the road for having free democratic elections for palestinians, something we didn't have for 20 years. we need elections. we need to have the right to choose our leaders, like people do in israel or the united states or britain. and what we choose should be respected and accepted. we don't interfere in british elections and say we don't like this person, or that if if the world accepts the principle of democracy, the principles of democracy for every country in the world, including israel, and that'

that's because smotrich has been demanding a commitment from the israeli prime minister that he will go back to war, go back to fighting in gaza after the first phase of this agreement is concluded. after 33 israeli hostages are released over the course of six weeks, effectively derailing any possibility of this deal reaching an end to the war, which is exactly what the united states and the mediators are hoping will happen. and as of now, it does not appear that the prime minister and smotrich have reached any kind of resolution to that, and therefore that puts the prime minister's position in charge of his governing coalition as prime minister of the state of israel. very much in peril and certainly in a state of uncertainty. and so that that political issue has yet to be resolved. and that's what we'll be watching closely today. but as all of that is happening, john, it's important to note that the war in gaza is still very much continuing today. according to the civil defense organization in gaza, 77 people have been killed in gaza since the announcement of this agreement, includ

. >> subscribe to the views of finance minister smotrich. >> who of who? i'm sorry. >> this is. >> the israeli finance minister, smotrich, and the former national security minister ben-gvir, who believe that israel. >> has. >> a biblical. right to the entire west bank. and in that conversation, you told me that, yes, you shared that view. is that your view today? >> yes. >> while the fighting in gaza has stopped israel now launching a major military operation in the west bank, at least ten palestinians, including a child, were killed overnight in the city of jenin. cnn's max foster joins us live now from london, with more. max, good morning to you. of course, the view that elise stefanik expressed there, one that you do hear from the right, but it does not align with what have been the international norms around this. um, what do you think trump taking office means for the west bank in israel, as, of course, many jewish settlers have moved in there again, something that's extraordinarily controversial. but the right wing in israel seems to think that the t

ultra nationalist minister bezalel smotrich, that said publicly that they have commitments from netanyahu, that he will not continue to phase two, that he will end the deal after phase one. and they raised those concerns with waltz. and one of the things that waltz tells them is that trump is committed to implement all phases of the deal and bring back all the 98 hostages until the last one of them, meaning that he wants to see phase two being implemented. >> that is, that is really worth noting, and a good window into how they're thinking about this. i also want to ask you about what prime minister netanyahu said earlier today. he said they're still waiting on this final list of hostages from hamas before they can move forward. we spoke with the former ambassador, israeli ambassador to the u.s., michael oren, in the last hour. he thinks this is, um, this is going to move forward as planned, kind of downplayed that this is any sort of major issue. what is your understanding of that? and do you agree? >> yeah, i agree, um, i think that a it would have been great if hamas delivered the list

and this just seems to me that netanyahu is caught between the ben-gvir, smotrich, you know.alition leaders, but and also his own desires for a broader peace and besides which, any palestinian leadership that could be developed with some of the really extraordinary palestinian people, as i say, who are in the diaspora, you know, fayyad and others are well known to you and to people around the world could not possibly be engaged in gaza if the west bank has been taken over by the palestinians. yeah. exactly. >> right. and we haven't even mentioned really the third piece of all this, of course, is in tehran. and this is why, from the perspective of the trump administration, it is so important to build on the abraham accords from the first trump administration and turn it into kind of an abraham alliance. my words, not theirs. but security guarantees between jerusalem, washington and riyadh. that triangle saudi, israel, the united states that presents the best bulwark and threat to iran, which could deter them from moving toward a nuclear weapon. i think that's the grand strateg

but for now at least, it seems that smotrich will stay in the coalition. but that doesn't mean that the prime minister won't have problems ahead. >> wolf. >> important points indeed. everyone, thank you very much for joining us. we're going to have much more on the breaking news coming up, including my interview with the lead u.s. negotiator for this cease fire and hostage deal. brett mcgurk. we'll be right back. >> kobi, the making of a legend premieres january 25th on. >> really the bird? >> i'm aches and i'm pain. >> and we keep you up at night because we're aches and pains. >> you think you're sore in the morning because of your age. >> you don't hurt because you're old. >> you hurt because your mattress stinks. >> which makes our job a lot easier. oh, that's gonna hurt in the morning. >> herbal is proven to help you rise refreshed, which is awful for us. >> it's very good news for you. >> do not go to purple.com. >> do not visit a purple store. >> and my progressive rep was super helpful. >> tom hayes is passive progressive the way kevin says he alway

bella smotrich and itamar ben gvir.pond to nbc news request for comment regarding trump's remarks, the president's sentiments were welcomed by ultra nationalist israeli politicians, including the aforementioned smotrich and ben-gvir. smotrich called the idea of finding new homes for gaza residents wonderful. telling israeli broadcaster channel 12 on sunday that only out of the box thinking and new solutions will bring peace and security. ben-gvir congratulated trump on his initiative on a post on x twitter. so the two people who the icc views as potentially war criminals as well, or at least supporting it, they love this idea, right? >> and it was actually. >> reporting from early. >> not long after october. >> 7th, that benjamin netanyahu himself was trying to get egypt to open the border so that there would be. >> a mass forcing. >> of palestinians out of. gaza and they would not be allowed to return. i mean, israel has never allowed. >> palestinian refugees who were. >> expelled to return, so there's no reason to bel

whether smotrich will stick around through the first phase of the deal and then make a decision once those six weeks are up. what is very clear, though, is that the israeli prime minister is under enormous pressure to go back to the war in gaza once those six weeks are complete. and if he does so, that would be sabotaging what the united states and the qatari and the egyptian mediators, mediators have been trying to build in here, which is that this six week ceasefire would ultimately turn into something more enduring, would result in a permanent ceasefire and an end to the war in gaza. if the prime minister listens to his far right political allies here, he will be cutting that entire process short altogether. >> kate jeremy diamond in tel aviv. jeremy, thank you so much for bringing us the breaking news. john. >> all right. we've got new reporting just in to cnn. new details about donald trump's planned immigration crackdown on the very first hours after he is sworn into office on monday. sources tell cnn the plan includes targeted ice sweeps in major metropolitan areas, including

so right now it does appear that bezalel smotrich would stay through at least phase one of this deal. he's argued that he would leave if, after phase one is implemented, the idf is not allowed to go back into gaza. and it's also worth reiterating, jake, that this deal, as it stands right now, does have majority approval with the cabinet. so it does seem highly likely that we will see it pass, though a day later. >> bianna, you spoke with the brother of american-israeli hostage keith siegel. he's still presumed alive. he's expected to be released in phase one of this deal because he's. he's older. what did the brother have to say? >> yeah, i spoke with his older brother, lee siegel, just a few hours ago, and he is hopeful, finally, that he could possibly be reunited with his brother. he knows that his condition would be would be horrible, given that the hostage video released of his brother a few months ago just showed how weak and feeble he looked. he said that that is my younger brother, and he looks like he is a few decades older than me now. given what we saw a few months ago. that

smotrich will resign, in which case bibi netanyahu does not have a majority. is it inevitable that we will never get to the second phase because of that complexity? pres. herzog: no, i believe that there is a clear potential of getting to the second phase. there is a a desire to get to the second phase. we meant it when we signed the agreement. we know that there are challenges and arguments. israel is a democracy and you want, you know, you want to know something. i truly understand those who have reservations and fears because we are going to release terror role terrorists. -- terrible terrorists. this is the whole equation. we are asking to release women and children, and for that we are paying with terrorists, cruel barbaric terrorists, but we all agree that this has to be done. we want them home. it's top priority of the nation of israel. we will have to deal with the real question of the day after in gaza. how do we make sure that this does not recur. how do we make sure that it's not hamas who dictates and leads that place? we have to learn from histori

we're looking at a very tough next 42 days here in israel. >> do you support smotrich's demand? >> i don't want to get into the political ultimatums of these parties. you know, it's always easy to look from the outside. would i have done things differently? yes, fundamentally differently. but now it's 14 months in. we are where we are. and the last thing i'm going to do is run around the world and criticize my own government, even if i, um, you know, i'll hold that criticism in my heart at this time. >> hamas releasing a few hostages each week for six weeks, and this would start on sunday, which i think is, uh, for people to imagine that beginning here in just a few days is really something that would, uh, take place each week for six weeks. negotiations on the second phase, beginning less than halfway through that first phase. what is the effect of that hostage release pattern on israel's negotiation, negotiating position, and also hamas negotiating position in the second phase, in your view? >> well, i think the process of releasing the hostages is going to be an incredibly pa

the the message to his coalition, by the way, one of his ministers, the bezalel smotrich, the finance minister, said that he got a promise from netanyahu that gaza will be made uninhabited, uninhabited. first of all, i must say that is an outrageous statement. but netanyahu say everything to his coalition just to be to remain in his position as a prime minister. so i'm not sure that he really wants that gaza will be uninhabited in the next month because, as we said, we have trump that pushing to go forward with the deal. but he must promise to his coalition that he is taking gaza to a war and a deal, releasing the hostages. this is a game, the political game that netanyahu plays with his government, with his partners, in his government, the rightist government that ever had in israel since it was established. >> well, i just learned a lot from that. i really appreciate it. shlomi eldar live in tel aviv. thank you. this is a night of breaking news. we're going to keep on going. we'll be back with more news in just a moment. you are watching cnn. >> after a big comeback, donald trump be

relatives of israelis held hostage by hamas confronted the country's far right finance minister, bezalel smotrichg on monday for his opposition to the deal. but the former defence minister, benny gantz, said his party would give its full backing to an agreement, and that failing to free the hostages would be a "catastrophe." 0pposition leader yair lapid also said he'd back a deal. hamas is sending positive signals in a statement on monday, the group said it is quote �*keen�* on reaching a deal. joining me live is hussein ibish, senior resident scholar at the arab gulf states institute. lovely to have you with us. is there really a breakthrough coming? if you look we have been at this point of an eminent deal a few times before. , ~ ., before. -- it feels like. now we are basically _ before. -- it feels like. now we are basically there. - before. -- it feels like. now we are basically there. it - before. -- it feels like. now| we are basically there. it has been coming for many weeks now. we are at the last tipping point to deal with probably, counterintuitively, the downfall of the regime in syri

smotrich. uh, smotrich doesn't want the ceasefire. smotrich wants more war, more bloodshed.s you said before, hamas is recruiting, so it will never end. and probably that's what smotrich wants. but as for the deal, we are looking for the point zero which will be on sunday, 1215 noon israel time. and for us, well, let's say nothing changed because we have to keep on fighting. first of all, that this phase one will go through in parallel, counting 16 days. we need to see that details on the second phase are starting to be built, starting to be negotiated. and then of course, the more difficult thing, as you said, getting the second phase, going through, going out, my son nimrod, soldier, young, healthy and will be probably one of the last one in the second phase. so we're looking at at least three months of continuing to fight to make sure our government will be focused on one thing getting the deal through, making sure they won't look left or right, finding excuses to sabotage the deal. we know the government did it in the past. it's officially been announced by ben-gvir that

you also had the finance minister, bezalel smotrich, also saying that netanyahu had committed to himinhabitable. we've seen the prime minister take the potential cease fire deals repeatedly by tanking them. how do statements like these impact the cease fire deal that's supposed to start in a few hours? >> so what we're seeing is netanyahu putting out contradictory messaging to his own coalition partners, especially those from the far right who hate this deal and voted against it, even though it is supposed to bring us back. if it works out, all of our hostages from gaza, and if only the first phase comes through, then 33 of those hostages, which i think we should strive and work very hard to get everybody out of there and to get this deal implemented in full. but they voted against it, even though they think that just in the first phase you could get 33 hostages. so to these people like smotrich, who you mentioned, netanyahu is saying this is a temporary cease fire, will get however much hostages we can get, and then the war will be renewed. but to the hostage families at the same ti

smotrich himself also said that he was leaning towards voting on this deal.r phase one, not really possible, and that he would only do so if he had an overt public promise from the prime minister that there would be no phase two. that war would be relaunched on day 42, meaning the end of phase one. netanyahu is basically trying to square an impossible circle. he has promised all of the mediators, and he has promised both presidents biden and trump that he will sign this deal and implement it. and he has promised his cabinet and his base, his in israel, that he will do the opposite, and it's not clear how he'll get out of it. i don't think he'll be toppled. it's certainly not immediately. the opposition has promised him what's called a parliamentary safety net. as long as hostages are being released, they will not try and topple him. they will not bring votes of no confidence against him. >> haaretz writing if the war against hamas resumes with full force towards achieving its decisive goals and objectives are met, we will return to the government. that's ben-

, finance minister smotrich has been talking about concessions that he's received from prime minister netanyahu about that second phase, being able to return to war after the first phase is done. at the same time, the u.s., through the new special envoy for the middle east, steve witkoff, they are trying to project this image of concern, of commitment to the cease fire deal. wittkopf has said, in fact, that he will be traveling to the region, that he will be at some of those areas where palestinians are going back to their homes in gaza to make sure that the cease fire deal is being implemented. he has talked about how this ceasefire deal should be the beginning of a peace process that eventually spreads throughout the whole region. i mean, the words that we're hearing from the trump administration and from particularly steve witkoff are encouraging. but, you know, the parties are so entrenched, both hamas and prime minister netanyahu and the right wing in israel, they are so entrenched in their positions. as i said, each side is going to be trying to portray this as a victory for the

he's trying to persuade smotrich to do the same. you know, this is you've had pressure from them that has prevented a deal up until now, and that all this is going to play out in the coming days. this is, as you said correctly, this is a very intricate document that has been negotiated. basically since at least last february. so we're is the phrasing is clear. you know, you're going to wait 48 hours before anyone's release. it's going to be three who will be released initially, seven within the first week, and then the remainder who will be released. it's the number 33, but that will include live as well as dead. one of the big issues was israel, for completely understandable reasons, trying to maximize the number of live hostages who were being released, and hamas trying to minimize that as a way of retaining their leverage. >> no, exactly. and i did talk last week with ruby khan, whose son is one of the hostages, and he and other parents want the remains of their children back, and they want a proper burial and proper prayers. and

ben-gvir and smotrich. together, they have 13 seats. and so if both of them choose to leave the government, netanyahu's coalition could indeed collapse. if it does collapse, that means that elections will need to be held in order to replace to choose a new israeli prime minister. the prime minister has been offered a lifeline, however, by the opposition leader, yair lapid, who said he would come in to provide a safety net, effectively keeping the prime minister in power in order for the ceasefire deal to be implemented. netanyahu doesn't seem keen to do that, to hand over the keys of declaring the next election to his one of his primary political opponents. and so this does put him in quite a pickle. and he has been backed into a corner in some ways by these political issues, and also by the fact that he has faced tremendous pressure from the incoming president, donald trump, to go forward with this deal. reneging now would be a major problem, and probably not the way he wants to start off his tenure with with the incoming american pres

you've got the finance minister, smotrich, saying that this is a really good thing, and you've got otherat it's excellent news that president trump is effectively speaking their language, because a lot of the far right here have this dream, as they put it, to see jewish settlers move into gaza and set up homes there. now, for the palestinian families, hundreds of thousands of families, they, i guess, like all of us, will be interpreting president trump's comments, because just a few days ago, he was talking about gaza in terms of being prime real estate. he said it had fantastic weather, it was a superb location by the sea. but now his latest comments have had him describe it as a wasteland, saying it's over, that it needs to be cleaned out. and as we've been hearing, that's prompted accusations from some that this suggestion he's come up with, without saying whether it's a temporary or a permanent solution, is tantamount to giving a green light to ethnic cleansing. the president says that he wants peace in the middle east, he wants to do deals. so it may well be that people who are conc

the israeli prime minister over the weekend meeting last night, in fact, with bezalel smotrich, thatar right finance minister who in the past has threatened to pull the rug out from underneath this coalition government if indeed the israeli prime minister reaches out and agrees to a deal? today, in less than 24 hours after smotrich met with netanyahu, he took to twitter to lambast this draft agreement that that appears to be nearing potential conclusion, calling this deal on the table a, quote, catastrophe, describing it as a surrender deal and urging the israeli government to continue fighting in gaza until hamas fully surrenders to israel. so a lot still at play here, casey. certainly some positive momentum, but uncertainty still remaining as always. >> and of course, looming over all of it. the inauguration of president-elect donald trump, set for a week from today. jeremy diamond, thanks very much for that report, i appreciate it. all right. let's turn now to this. >> so is the message i want the world to hear today. america is back. america is back. diplomacy is back at the cent

relatives of israelis held hostage by hamas confronted the country's far—right finance minister, bezalel smotrichet commitee hearing on monday, for his opposition to an agreement. but the former defence minister, benny gantz, said his party would give its full backing to a deal, and that failing to free the hostages would be a "catastrophe." 0pposition leader yair lapid also said he supports an agreement. hamas is sending positive signals. 0na on a statement on monday, it said it was keen to reach a deal. i have been speaking to a former adviser to president biden. we heard those words from president biden, and national security adviserjake sullivan saying there is a distinct possibility that a deal could be done this week. it feels like we have been here this week. do you think it's something different now? yes, i think there _ something different now? yes, i think there are _ something different now? yes, i think there are several- something different now? yes, i think there are several things i think there are several things that are different now. circumstances, both for israel and for her ma

smotrich, will resign, in which case bibi netanyahu does not have a majority. is it inevitable that we will never get to the second phase because of that complexity? >> no, i believe that that there is a clear potential of getting to the second phase. there is a desire to get to the second phase. we meant it when we signed the agreement. we know that there are challenges and arguments. israel is a democracy and you want, you know, you want to know something. i truly understand those who have reservations and fears because we are going to release terrible terrorists. this is the whole equation. we are asking to release women and children, and for that we are paying with terrorists cruel, barbaric terrorists. but we all agree that this has to be done. we want them home. it's top priority of the nation of israel. we will have to deal with the real question of the day after in gaza. how do we make sure that this does not recur? how do we make sure that it's not hamas who dictates and leads that place? we have to learn from historic lessons and from all our experien

it's not even the policy of the israeli government other than two ministers, smotrich and ben-gvir. so somebody was parroting really radical ideas there to the president, apparently. in any case, joining us now is michael levy and his brother, or levy is being held captive by hamas. he was kidnaped from the nova music festival on october 7th. his wife anna was murdered by hamas. so, michael, thank you for joining us. so much tragedy in your family, so much pain for more than 15 months. and now, what is your hope that he finally might be released and you might see your brother? >> after so. >> so much time, it feels. >> for the. >> first time that we had hope that we. >> have something to. >> to live for, to. wake up in the morning. >> and. >> and expect. >> but at the same. >> time we are worried sick about this deal falling through and being disappointed again. it happened. >> so many. >> times before and we cannot rest until we actually. >> hug. >> all, you know. >> with our own hands. >> what do you know about his condition? >> yeah, we know that he was. kidnaped alive. as you ca

he basically said that me and smotrich have successfully prevented any ceasefire deals for the last year, and we still want to prevent this one. how do you react to that? and are you willing to agree that also israel has held up what could have been the biden ceasefire, which could have saved many lives many, many months ago? >> so should this have happened months ago? yes. could it have happened months ago? yes were there occasions when each side did things that made it more difficult to get this over the finish line? yes, including israel, but predominantly it's been hamas, and certainly in the last few months, hamas had refused to engage. look, i think what the basic dynamic has been this first, what was so important was that there had to be an agreement that this would proceed in two phases, that we'd have these six weeks where everyone stops firing, israel pulls back, hostages come out, prisoners are released, humanitarian assistance goes in, and final arrangements for an enduring ceasefire are made. for months, hamas wouldn't accept that the president went forward, went public in m

ben gvir, the minister of national security and radical right wing minister of finance, bezalel smotrich, both of them said that this deal is a disaster. they will most likely vote against it, but also most likely stay in the government. >> um, well, that is definitely something we're going to be watching. thank you so much for that, barak. appreciate it. i want to go now to alayna treene, who is in west palm beach near donald trump's mar-a-lago home. alana, we have been talking about some of the statements we've seen coming onto donald trump's social media feed. uh, claiming credit, saying that this is, uh, this is because he was elected his incoming national security advisor. mike waltz just retweeted, or we retrieved one of his statements saying that this is the trump effect. and, you know, uh, i'm sure they're they're saying that. and, you know, as i said to barack, i'm sure that this is something that the biden administration might not be thrilled about just on the raw politics, giving them some credit. but it's pretty clear that they work together on this phase very, very closely.

from all the politicians, even the far right politicians, itamar ben gvir and the finance minister smotrichimportant for hamas to be eradicated, as mr netanyahu has vowed, have issued again, as they did last week, their sense of pleasure and joy at what has happened. but in each case mingled with a sense that they feel that hamas, as i was saying a moment ago, has been making as much as they can of this and that that is something that they find unacceptable and a humiliation, one of them described it, as for israel. police in the netherlands are on hunt for thieves who broke into a museum overnight, allegedly using explosives, and stole priceless ancient artefacts. local police say there were multiple perpetrators and the heist was well—prepared. translation: we are deeply shocked by the events of last| night in our drents museum. in its 170—year existence, such a major incident has never occurred. a number of objects have been stolen, including the masterpiece the helmet of cotofenesti from the fifth century bc. 0ur europe regional editor danny aeberhard has been following the story. about

the right wing government of bibi netanyahu, especially ben-gvir and smotrich, are in favor of annexinge another attempt, which is many israelis abhor, to politicize the israeli supreme court. so this is bad news. where will bibi be? why doesn't he take advantage of the opportunity to change his coalition? and i'm guessing if he would do that, a pardon might be in his future as well. he would then go down as a peacemaker, and instead we may be going right back to war. unbelievably, right back to war and endangering. for example, jordan, the neighbor of israel, which has made peace with israel for decades, but which has a huge palestinian population, which will be destabilized if there is a move to annex the west bank. >> now, congresswoman, you lay out the stakes here, and sunday is one step. it is a very important step. it is a step that many people skeptical that would ever come to, we would ever come to see. but there are many more steps after that. in the absence of a partner in the united states that is willing to, you know, have a tough conversation with our friend and ally, the s

the finance minister, bezalel smotrich, who has expressed his opposition to this deal. netanyahu is trying to convince him not to topple the governing coalition over it, and we are also being told, jake, that the israeli prime minister will not address the israeli public until after that process is completed tomorrow. once this deal is fully approved by the israeli government. we also expect that after that, the israeli supreme court will have to hear petitions from individuals who want to block the release of the palestinian prisoners who will be exchanged, hundreds of them, in exchange for these 33 israeli hostages. but once all of that is done, jake, we expect that someday the this ceasefire will go into effect. the first israeli hostages will cross into israel, and then we will go through a process of six weeks, a process that will likely be agonizing for many of the families of these hostages. it will also be a process, of course, that will bring much needed calm and peace to the gaza strip. after 15 months of this unending war of ceaseless bombardment. finally, a

bezalel smotrich, the finance minister, and itamar ben gvir, the national security minister.ow we know that netanyahu has held meetings with both of these ministers over the weekend, that he has pushed forward with mediators on the israeli side to move forward with those negotiations and talks. and, of course, in that call with the u.s. president, joe biden, it's understood, according to the white house, that biden reiterated not only the need to get hostages out as soon as possible to secure a deal that ensures this, and also to ensure a ceasefire in gaza, but also underscored the changing situation in the middle east that we have seen over recent weeks and months. of course, the ceasefire agreement between israel and hezbollah in lebanon. of course, the collapse of the assad regime in syria and what that will mean for regional dynamics and iran now being in a weakened position. so these are all factors that will come under consideration in these negotiations and discussions going forward. and of course, there has been pressure not only from the biden administration, but als

neither he nor finance minister bezalel smotrich, who also opposed the deal, were able to thwart it. the cease fire, now set to take effect on sunday, with scenes like this from 2023 of hostages being released from gaza expected as early as sunday afternoon. on the first day, hamas will release three female civilian hostages like other civilian hostages, each one will be freed in exchange for 30 palestinian prisoners from israeli jails. five female soldiers held by hamas are also set to be released during the six week ceasefire, in exchange for 50 palestinian prisoners each, including 30 who are serving life sentences. after 15 months of war, a ceasefire could not come soon enough for the people of gaza, who have stared down starvation and faced unending food insecurity beyond a reprieve from israeli bombardment, the ceasefire is also expected to deliver a surge of aid 600 trucks per day. i pray to god that this will be the last day we need to use this kitchen and that we can eat comfortably in our homes, this man says. i don't want to ever come back to this soup kitchen, young talli

the other, bezalel smotrich, is threatening to resign, uh, if at the end of phase one, the war does not resume. and this is why, um, february 4th, which is what, 12, 12. >> days. from now. >> or so. >> that the negotiations are over, phase two are going to begin, and it's no wonder that benjamin netanyahu is seeking a meeting with donald trump in washington. before that, um, that fateful phase two is put on the table. >> yeah, i did want to ask you about that, because what do you think that meeting is going to look like? because we get the news that he's seeking that meeting. we also learned today that the trump administration has lifted the biden administration's hold on those heavy bomb deliveries to israel. >> you know, donald trump. >> and trump. >> fashion themself as the most pro-israeli history in the history of the relationship, if not in the world. um, i think that the choices for. >> the trump. >> administration this time around are much difficult, much more difficult. remember, donald trump deployed his key negotiator before he was even inaugurated, who had a significant impa

when the foreign minister is ben-gvir and smotrich object and we'll hear them eject. they're already objecting. well, netanyahu can call their bluff and say, you can leave the coalition if you want, but i have the support of enough members as well as a soft cushion from the opposition for this. so in the near term, he has that space. the big, hard question, of course, is what's he going to do with it and what president elect trump going to do with it? you know, president biden is handing off an opportunity for him now with a calmer region. no assad in power, iran defanged, hezbollah decimated now a cease fire. well, president elect trump really lean in and try to make sure with the credibility he has and he has a lot inside of israel to try to ensure that this process goes forward peacefully. so i think the prime minister, he does have some space. he does need to take advantage of it. >> you wrote something interesting in the lead up to this, joel. you wrote success has many fathers and it's time to share credit. talk a little bit more about that. >> yeah. you know, c

today, another minister, minister smotrich, has threatened to leave. leave the government.ahu's government hold? >> he thinks he has the votes and the american officials i've talked to and the israelis i've talked to believe that the government will hold. but this deal is not very popular in israel because, of course, you know, so many palestinian terrorists are going to be released. and these hostages have been held in such terrible conditions for more than 460 days now to this point, that this deal is not very popular. >> in touting the cease fire deal, as secretary of state antony blinken said that this this cease fire deal created, quote, a credible pathway to a palestinian state. given what we've heard from prime minister netanyahu and from incoming president trump, is that wishful thinking? >> the first trump administration tried to pursue some sort of peace agreement between israel and the palestinian authority. the palestinian authority rejected it outright because they didn't like the map, they didn't like the borders. and so i'm pretty skeptical that we're going t

saturday, something certainly has been embraced by two israeli far right ministers, ben-gvir and smotrich. but this is not even prime minister netanyahu's policy. >> a couple of things. one, it's a nonstarter. it will be accepted by no palestinians. obviously, it doesn't satisfy any dimension of palestinian nationalism. it's already been rejected by jordan and egypt. those are the first two countries, as you know better than. >> anybody. >> that made peace with israel. the last thing they want is a large influx of palestinians, which could be domestically destabilizing. the only people who will welcome this are on the right in israel, because this is their agenda to transfer it, to use the technical phrase, palestinians out of gaza and out of the west bank in the hopes that it would be settled by israelis. and i think it raises real questions, andrea, about the lack of formality or rigor in the policy making process. i can't believe that anyone who had any experience with the middle east, or any knowledge of it, would have recommended to the president that he go ahead with such a pronounc

. >> we always talk about ben-gvir and smotrich, these two other parties that are part of the coalition being problems, but actually there are ten members inside of netanyahu's own government who have warned him on this deal. and so the only way we're going to have this deal continue and not break down from the israeli side, there's the hamas side that might break down, too, is if trump really holds his feet to the fire because politically, netanyahu doesn't want to get to phase two. in my view, it's going to be fascinating to watch with only, of course, 16 days after next monday to see what that looks like. >> beth sanner, thank you for that. and of course, really, it's the families here who are at the center of this. and we do know that at least two americans who are being held by hamas in gaza are expected to be released this sunday. our sources tell us that keith siegel and sagui dekel-chen will be those two names that you'll see on sunday. and of course, that's going to be a joyous return for them and for their families, but also a bittersweet one for those who know that their love

he has another minister, bezalel smotrich, who said that he will quit if they do not resume the war and destroy hamas. so we're in a very precarious situation where netanyahu might lose power. he he has, um, support from the opposition, from people like yair lapid to to keep his government going for as long as the hostage deal can be implemented. but ultimately, even before the ceasefire, he was having coalition issues. now it seems like it's a real crisis, so we'll have to wait and see what happens. um, and it's it's very unclear how long this is going to hold. netanyahu will do everything in his power to try and break the ceasefire and make it appear as if hamas is the one that violated it. that is going to be his m.o. going going through now. >> yeah, we've certainly seen that before in terms of how he does survive it. i mean, would netanyahu have given any promises or assurances to those in his coalition to to stop them from leaving the kind of narrative acrobatics that have been going on in terms of how his office has been releasing statements? >> by the way, netanyahu has not addr

. >> far right israeli lawmakers like bezalel smotrich, the finance minister, and the former nationalsecurity minister, itamar ben gvir, they are welcoming these comments by president trump with open arms. and that's because they've been advocating for exactly the same thing for months and months now. for them, it's with the aim of israel ultimately settling the gaza strip, something that the former the biden administration. opposed ardently, which we haven't heard the trump administration weigh in on yet. and ultimately, what trump is saying here is indeed taking a page from the right wing in israel. it raises questions about the mass displacement of palestinian people. it also raises questions, even about notions like ethnic cleansing. and while trump is saying here that, you know, it would be about incentivizing people to to leave and go to other countries, that he even suggested that it could even be long term. what is important to note here is that this is being roundly rejected by the two countries that he mentioned would potentially take in these palestinians, and that is egypt

into this ceasefire agreement, he nearly faced another defection from the finance minister, bezalel smotrich. and so a strong relationship with trump certainly gives him bonafides with the right wing in israeli politics. and then, of course, there are foreign policy goals that the israeli prime minister wants to achieve, such as perhaps carrying out strikes against iran and trying to get the u.s. green light to go after iran's nuclear facilities in the future. but president trump is also going to be looking to gain something out of this meeting as well. and one of those aspects, of course, is questions over the future of the cease fire agreement. we've heard president trump in the past raising questions about whether or not the cease fire agreement would actually be able to last past the six weeks of this initial first phase of this agreement. we know that president trump's envoy to the middle east, steve witkoff, is going to be in israel this week, tomorrow, in fact, meeting with the israeli prime minister, laying the groundwork for that potential visit, but also laying the groundwork for w

coalition altogether if indeed this cease fire agreement passes the government vote and then bezalel smotrich, the finance minister who has instead sought assurances from the israeli prime minister that israel will go back to war at the end of this six week ceasefire. and so it appears that, at least for now, everything is on track for this deal to be approved and for the ceasefire to go into effect this coming sunday. if indeed that happens, we will see three female civilian israeli hostages be released from gaza sometime as early as sunday afternoon. they will be released in exchange for 30 palestinian prisoners each, who will be released by from from israeli prisons. we will then see the much needed entry of humanitarian aid into gaza. as many as 600 trucks of aid per day over the course of those six weeks. but then, of course, there is now this major question mark that has been thrust into the public by the demands of these far right ministers about what happens after those six weeks beginning on day 16 of the ceasefire. israel and hamas are supposed to go back to the negotiating table to