Hamas released 8 hostages from Gaza Strip on Thursday, IDF says

Fox News' Greg Palkot reports the latest from southern Israel after the temporary cease-fire expired at 7 a.m. local time.

The Israel Defense Forces have declared Khan Younis – a Hamas stronghold in Gaza acting as a temporary headquarters – a war zone and warned residents in the nearby areas to evacuate south toward the Rafah crossing.

The United Nations office in Geneva removed multiple photos from a pro-Palestinian exhibit after several critics, including the Israeli mission, noted that dead Israeli children had been included.

The mission first flagged the misinformation on Thursday after identifying 5-year-old Ido Avigal among the pictures of Palestinian children allegedly killed by Israel in Gaza.

"Hamas killed Ido," the Israeli mission to the U.N. in Geneva posted on X, formerly Twitter. "We call on [U.N. Geneva Director-General Tatiana] Valovaya to immediately remove this exhibition, which spreads misinformation and is part of a propaganda campaign."

The mission said Avigal died in 2021 when a Hamas rocket barrage hit his house in Sderot, calling his inclusion in the exhibition "despicable."

"While some people may indeed have seen [the photos] as the exhibition was in a public area, our colleagues were notified very quickly and very quickly put them down," Alessandra Vellucci, director of the United Nations Information Service, told Fox News Digital.

Vellucci acknowledged that multiple "images" were included in the exhibit but insisted they "were not there for long." She said that no one saw who included the images. 

Click here to read more on this story by Fox News Digital's Peter Aitken.

A rocket being fired from inside Gaza toward Israel as battles resumed between the Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists on Dec. 1. (JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said negotiations remain underway between Israel and Hamas with the goal of "returning to a pause" hours after the temporary cease-fire ended.

In a statement Friday morning, Qatar said it "expresses its deep regret at the resumption of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip" and that it is "committed, along with its mediation partners, to continuing the efforts that led to the humanitarian pause."

"The Ministry stresses that the continued bombing of the Gaza Strip in the first hours after the end of the pause complicates mediation efforts and exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip, and in this context calls on the international community to move quickly to stop the violence," the statement read.

Qatar said it will continue to condemn "all forms of targeting civilians, the practice of collective punishment, and attempts to forcibly displace and displace citizens of the besieged Gaza Strip."

The state also demanded an "immediate" cease-fire in order to meet the humanitarian needs of Gaza residents.

A woman smiles as she is welcomed after being released from prison by Israel, in the West Bank town of Ramallah, early Thursday. International mediators on Wednesday worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel's air and ground offensive. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners Thursday as part of another exchange for hostages with Hamas.  

A bus filled with the prisoners was welcomed in the West Bank early Friday when it arrived in the city of Ramallah. The release came hours after the release of eight hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza.  

Dozens of men, some holding green Hamas flags, greeted the prisoners. The men were hugged and the crowd chanted, “God is great.”

The exchanges have been taking place each night since last Friday as part of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. 

The cease-fire is set to expire Friday morning, but international mediators have been working to extend the halt in fighting. Israel has vowed to resume its offensive against Hamas once the truce ends.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In an effort to end the war in Gaza, Hamas leaders should be allowed to leave peacefully as part of a “free pass,” a New York Times columnist told CNN.  

New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman made the suggestion during an appearance on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360. Israel has pummeled Gaza with airstrikes since the terror group’s Oct. 7 attack.  

"Maybe Israel says ‘Look, here is a free pass for all of the Hamas leadership. Go to Turkey, go to Qatar, whoever wants to leave, turn in your weapons, return the hostages, we will give the Palestinian prisoners a release,’" Friedman proposed. 

"I think we have to really get out of this ‘cease-fire or no cease fire,’ and think about something that gets Hamas leadership out there, puts in a new Palestinian leadership, and partnership with Arab countries, and gets reconstruction going in the world bank," he added.

"I just cannot imagine this going on for more months. And I can’t imagine the United States and President Biden being able to tolerate that politically." Cooper asked, "Why would Hamas’s leadership agree to that? I mean, a lot of them are held up in nice hotels in Doha, and even the ones in Gaza, I mean they are the ones who perpetrated this terror attack on October 7th. What’s in it for them in that, beyond their personal survival?"

Friedman suggested they would be motivated by the "survival of so many people in Gaza," but hedged his statement by arguing, "We know that they don’t really care about them, they never would have started this war."

Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

Liora Argamani, mother of hostage Noa Argamani, 26, who was filmed as she was being abducted during the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, arrives at a gathering held to honor her daughter, in Tel Aviv, Israel last week. REUTERS/Shir Torem

The terminally-ill mother of a China-born Israeli student who was kidnapped from a music festival in Israel by Hamas terrorists pleaded for President Biden to help free her daughter before she dies from cancer. 

In a video posted online , Liona Argamani said she was dying from brain cancer and wanted Biden and the Red Cross to do whatever’s possible to free her daughter, Noa. 

Noa Argamani, 26, has not been released in any of the waves of hostages freed by Hamas as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Israel. 

“I don’t know how long I have left,” Liona Argamani said while sitting on a brown chair with a missing persons poster featuring her daughter’s image in the background. “I wish for the change to see my Noa at home.” 

“I call upon President Biden and the Red Cross to bring back my Noa as soon as possible so that I get a chance to see her,” she added. 

Noa was among multiple music festival-goers attacked on Oct. 7. In a video that has been shared to social media, Argamani is seen crying for help as her boyfriend, Avi Natan, remained defenseless, surrounded by several men, with his hands held behind his back as she was taken away. 

Argamani’s mother ended her brief message by re-assuring her daughter that everything was done to free her. 

“Noa, I want to tell you if I don’t get to see you, please know that I love you very much,” she said. “Please know we did everything  we could to get you released. The whole world loves you.”

Fox News Digital's Ashlyn Messier contributed to this report.

Emily Hand, 9, poses with a missing persons poster of herself from when she was held in captivity by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (X / @Israel)

A 9-year-old girl who was released by Hamas days ago from captivity was photographed holding a poster pleading her safe return during her time as a hostage.  

Israel's official account on X, formally known as Twitter, posted an image of Emily Hand smiling in a bedroom while holding a poster with her face that read “Bring Her Home Now!” 

“This beautiful girl is back home with her family,” the post read. “Thank you to each and every one of you around the world who shared Emily’s story and advocated for her release.” 

Hand, an Israeli-Irish citizen, spent 50 days being held by Hamas following the terror group’s deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israeli communities. She spent "her birthday in the tunnels of Gaza," her father told Fox News Digital earlier this month.  

"No party. No friends. She won’t even know if it’s day or night,” he said. “There’s no light down there. So she won’t know it’s her birthday."  

After waking up at a friend’s house in the kibbutz of Be’eri in southern Israel on Oct. 7, Hand, her friend, Hila, and her friend’s mother, were all kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Hand was still wearing her Disney pajamas.  

Her family believed she had been killed. She was among 13 hostages released Saturday.

Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

Yuval Doron Castleman, 38, died after being shot Thursday during a Hamas terror attack in Jerusalem (WhatsApp)

A fourth person has died after a Thursday morning attack at a Jerusalem bus stop that killed three others and injured several more.  

Yuval Doron Castleman, 38, was shot while trying to “neutralize” the Hamas terrorists who committed the attack, his family said in a statement. In a news release, the Shaare Zedek hospital said Castleman died “after fighting for his life throughout the day.” 

Friday was his birthday, his family said. Castleman was an attorney at the Civil Service Commission and noticed the attack happening from the other side of a road as he was driving to work, they said.  

He stopped his car to try and stop the attackers when he was injured. His family said Castleman previously served in Israel’s security forces. 

“He was always a hero and the first to jump to save lives, and so he did this time as well,” the statement said. 

Israeli media outlets have reported that Castleman was killed by security forces by accident.  

The attack occurred when Palestinian gunmen opened fire on people waiting for buses along a main highway entering Jerusalem, killing at least three people and wounding several others, according to Israeli police. 

The two attackers, brothers from a neighborhood in annexed east Jerusalem, were killed. After the attack, six other members of the family were detained, and the government ordered their house be demolished.  

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, casting it as retaliation for the killing of women and children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and other Israeli “crimes.” 

The attack didn’t threaten the temporary truce as Hamas released at least eight hostages Thursday in exchange for 30 Palestinians jailed in Israel.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser for strategic communications for President Barack Obama, appears on "Meet the Press" in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2018. (Getty Images)

Ben Rhodes, a former deputy national security adviser to former President Barack Obama, criticized the Biden administration’s support for Israel's right to self-defense against the terrorist group Hamas in a New York Times guest essay.  

The piece, titled "Henry Kissinger, the Hypocrite," was published a day after the former American diplomat and presidential advisor died at the age of 100. In it, Rhodes lashed out at Biden over Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.  

"In Gaza, the United States has supported an Israeli military operation that has killed civilians at a pace that has once again suggested to much of the world that we are selective in our embrace of international laws and norms," Rhodes argued. 

"All of this cannot be laid on Henry Kissinger’s shoulders," he warned. "In many ways, he was as much a creation of the American national security state as its author. But his is also a cautionary tale."

Rhodes previously called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy toward Palestinians “corrupt and cruel.”

He further criticized Biden pro-Israel approach, similar to fellow Democrats. The party has been divided, with the more progressive wing taking a pro-Palestinian stance while calling for a cease-fire. 

Fox News Digital’s Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.

Images of freed hostages: Ayesha Alzyadna, 17; Sapir Cohen, 29; Ilana Gritzewsky, 30; Nili Margalit, 41; Mia Schem, 21; Shani Goren, 29; Bilal Alzyadna, 18; Amit Soussana, 40

Six more hostages being held in the Gaza Strip were being released Thursday night, the Israel Defense Forces said. 

The IDF said it was informed by the Red Cross that the abductees were transferred to the organization and were on their way to Israel. 

“The abductees returned to Israel in Egyptian territory and on their way to the meeting point with our forces in Kerem Shalom,” the IDF posted to X. “The representatives of the security system will verify the identity of the returning abductees at the meeting point. IDF representatives update their families regularly.”

The six were identified as: Ayesha Alzyadna, 17; Bilal Alzyadna, 18; Nili Margalit, 41; Ilana Gritzewsky, 30; Shani Goren and Sapir Cohen, both 29. 

"An elite unit of the IDF and a force of the Shin Bet are now escorting the six abductees and the abductees back to Israel in Israel," the IDF said. "Those returning to Israel will be escorted to the Hatzer base where they will undergo an initial assessment of their medical condition. Our forces will accompany the returnees until they reach their families in the hospitals."

Those returning to Israel will be escorted to the Hatzer base where they will undergo an initial assessment of their medical condition.

Our forces will accompany the returnees until they reach their families in the hospitals

The newly freed hostages include a citizen of Mexico, Russia, Uruguay, a spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. In addition, 30 Palestinians, 23 minors and 7 adults, were released from Israeli detention.

Earlier, two women were brought back to Israel. Mia Schem, 21, and Amit Soussana, 40, were the first pair of hostages released by Hamas on Thursday.  

An IDF spokesperson said Thursday night that Israel expected more hostages to be released in the evening.  

Israel and Hamas are in the sixth day of a temporary ceasefire that is slated to end Friday morning. Israel has said it will resume fighting if another ceasefire deal isn’t worked out.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives to meet with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday, Blinken is reminding Israeli leaders of the need for Israel to comply with international law as it prosecutes it war against Hamas in Gaza. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel to take extra measures to ensure minimal civilian casualties and their protection when it resumes fighting against Hamas.  

On Thursday, Blinken said the Biden administration was calling for Israel to put plans in place to reduce harm to civilians before conducting military operations in southern Gaza. 

“The way Israel defends itself matters,” he said during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. “As I told the prime minister, intent matters, but so do results.” 

Blinken didn’t elaborate or disclose whether Israeli leaders made any guarantees once military operations resume. He said he urged Israel to let Gazans who fled south to be allowed to return to the northern part of the territory once conditions permit it so.  

“We know that every one of these elements is made more complicated by the fact that Hamas intentionally embeds itself with civilians,” Blinken said.  

The secretary noted that Hamas could end the fighting by releasing all the hostages and turning over its leaders who planned the Oct. 7 attack on Israel communities.  

He also called on the terror group to stop using civilians as “human shields” and said it can’t be allowed to retain control and governance over Gaza once the fighting stops.  

The terror group’s intentions were made clear, he said, during Thursday morning’s shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop that killed three people and injured 11 others, he said.  

Blinken said Israel is capable of targeting Hamas while minimizing harm to civilians.  

“It has an obligation to do so. Ultimately, that's not just the right thing to do. It's also in Israel's security interest,” Blinken said. “The prime minister, and members of the war cabinet agreed with the need for this approach." 

"We discussed the details of Israel's ongoing planning, and I underscore the imperative of the United States that the massive loss of civilian life and displacement of the scale that we saw in northern Gaza, not be repeated in the South, as I told the Prime Minister intent matters, but so does the result,” he added.

Mia Schem, 21, one of hostages released by Hamas on Thursday from the Gaza Strip reunited with her loved ones, Israel said.  

Video footage released by Israel showed Schem meeting with her mother and brother. Images showed Schem embracing her family during an emotional reunion.   

Also released Thursday was Amit Soussana. Images released by Israel show her being tended to in an ambulance. 

The pair were the first hostages released on Thursday.

Mia Schem meets her mother and brother in Israel following her released by Hamas on Thursday. (Government Press Office)

Israel's government has released images of Mia Schem and Amit Soussana -- the two hostages released by Hamas on Thursday -- back in Israel.

One photo shows the 21-year-old Schem embracing her mother and brother.

Another image shows Soussana, 40, being tended to in an ambulance.

The pair are the first hostages released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday that the U.S. is working "by the hour" to extend the Israel-Hamas cease-fire.

"We're going to continue our efforts with Israel, with Qatar, obviously, with Egypt to support and extend this pause as much as we can and to help secure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas terrorists," Kirby said at the White House press briefing.

"I know one of the first questions I'm going to get is what are the chances of an extension? And I just can't tell you that right now, except to tell you that we're working at it literally by the hour to see if we can get this seventh day turned into an eighth and ninth and tenth and beyond," Kirby continued.

"But all I can do is tell you where we are right now, and we're glad that we got a seventh day out of this. The IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, have noted that at least at the time that I came out here, two hostages had made their way back. I don't know if there'll be more. We certainly hope they'll be more," he added.

President Joe Biden speaks in Pueblo, Colorado, on Wednesday. (AP/Jack Dempsey)

The White House is not seeking to place conditions on U.S. military assistance to Israel, the White House clarified this week, despite President Biden suggesting days earlier that the U.S. would consider doing so.

Several Democrats have pushed conditions as the civilian death toll in Gaza from Israel's war against Hamas climbed but national security adviser Jake Sullivan told lawmakers on Tuesday that the White House is not seeking any conditionality.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who was among a group of about a dozen senators who met privately with Sullivan on Tuesday, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Sullivan "made it clear that the White House is not asking for any conditionality in aid. So I want to leave that very clear."

Last week, Biden told reporters that conditioning military aid to Israel was a "worthwhile thought" and suggested that had he intervened in negotiations by doing so, it would have been more difficult to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that the release of Mia Schem, an Israeli-French hostage, is a "great joy."

"Mia Schem is free," he wrote in a post on X. "It is a great joy that I share with his family and all French people."

"I also express my solidarity with all those who remain hostages of Hamas," Macron added. "France is working with its partners to obtain their release as soon as possible."

One other hostage has been released today so far, identified by the Israeli government as 40-year-old Amit Soussana.

The current cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas is set to expire at the end of today unless an extension is reached.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday. (AP/Nasser Nasser)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday where the two "discussed ongoing efforts to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including through maximizing humanitarian pauses," according to the State Department.

Blinken "condemned extremist violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and said he would continue to insist on full accountability for those responsible," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. 

"Secretary Blinken and President Abbas also spoke about the urgent need for measures to improve security and freedom for Palestinians in the West Bank," he added. "The Secretary reiterated that the United States remains committed to advancing tangible steps for a Palestinian state."

Blinken's meeting comes after he met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials in Jerusalem.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres talks to journalists at Chile's Eduardo Frei Air Force Base on King George Island, Antarctica, on Friday, Nov. 24. (AP/Jorge Saenz)

The United Nations will investigate sexual violence that Israel claims Hamas terrorists committed against Israeli women and girls during their invasion on Oct. 7, satisfying a long-requested plea from Israel.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said Wednesday that such reports of rape and sexual assault "must be vigorously investigated," breaking weeks of silence on the issue.

"There are numerous accounts of sexual violence during the abhorrent acts of terror by Hamas on 7 October that must be vigorously investigated and prosecuted," Guterres said. His statement added: "Gender-based violence must be condemned. Anytime. Anywhere."

The statement came as Israel has demanded for more than 50 days for the United Nations and its human rights groups to investigate the alleged sexual violence.

Pro-Palestinian protesters confronted Hillary Clinton outside her class at Columbia University in New York City on Wednesday.

Video shared on X shows Clinton walking past a common area of Columbia University's International Affairs Building as demonstrators chant, "Hillary, Hillary you can’t hide, you are supporting genocide." 

The protest, staged outside the lecture, was said to have disrupted a class taught by the former first lady and secretary of state called "Inside the Situation Room."

According to the video shared by BreakThrough News, Clinton, also a former senator from New York, does not appear to engage with the protesters, most of whom sat on the ground holding signs with messages such as "Columbia funds apartheid" and "Viva Viva Palestine."

The demonstrators – many wearing face masks – also chanted the name of Clinton’s co-instructor, Keren Yarhi-Milo, dean and Adlai E. Stevenson professor of international relations, saying, "Can’t you see you are supporting genocide?" 

An Israeli warplane circles over Rafah in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Nov. 30, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP/Hatem Ali)

Egyptian and Qatari negotiators are pushing Thursday for a two-day extension in the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, according to reports.

The extension would include more prisoner releases and an increase in the delivery of humanitarian aid, Reuters and the Jerusalem Post are reporting, citing Egyptian state media.

The current cease-fire, which went into effect on Friday, has been extended twice since its implementation and is set to expire tonight.

Hamas has been releasing hostages during the agreement in exchange for Palestinian prisoners that have been held by Israel.

The mother of Mia Schem holds up a picture of her daughter who was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip on Oct. 17. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)

Fox News Correspondent Nate Foy is reporting that Mia Schem -- a 21-year-old Israeli -- is one of the two hostages that the IDF says has been released by Hamas on Thursday from the Gaza Strip.

In October, Hamas released a propaganda video purportedly showing Schem in custody and making a statement asking for her release. 

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby later said there is "no question" in his mind that Schem was making statements "under duress."

"There is no question in my mind that that woman gave that video testimony under duress, probably forced to do it," Kirby told NBC at the time. "It’s a propaganda video much more than it is proof of life or certainly proof of concept for Hamas. It’s despicable, deplorable that they would take these hostages and then advertise how well they are treating them when they are the ones who hurt them in the first place."

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari wrote in a post on X Thursday that "According to the information provided by the Red Cross, two Israeli abductees were transferred to them and are on their way to Israeli territory" and that "In the coming hours, additional Israeli hostages are expected to be handed over to the Red Cross."

The other hostage who has been released was identified by the Israeli government as 40-year-old Amit Soussana.

The Israel Defense Forces say two more Israeli hostages have been freed Thursday by Hamas.

"According to the information provided by the Red Cross, two Israeli abductees were transferred to them and are on their way to Israeli territory," IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari wrote in a post on X. "In the coming hours, additional Israeli hostages are expected to be handed over to the Red Cross."

A Hamas source earlier told the AFP that 10 hostages are expected to be released from Hamas today.

The move comes as a cease-fire remains in effect between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The cease-fire went into effect Friday and is due to expire by the end of today if no extension is reached.

A mini-bus carrying Israeli hostages released by Hamas and Israeli military personnel arrives at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, early Thursday. (AP/Leo Correa)

A Hamas source tells the AFP that 10 more Israeli hostages are set to be released from the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

The move comes after Israel and Hamas reached an agreement late last night to extend their current cease-fire for one day.

Two of the hostages also hold Russian citizenship, the source reportedly said.

Around 145 hostages are still believed to be held inside Gaza on Thursday. Israel said yesterday that 161 hostages were remaining, before Hamas released another 16.

Since the war that began on Oct. 7 with a surprise attack on southern Israel, Hamas at one point was believed to be holding around 240 hostages.

The State Department says during Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet in Jerusalem, he urged Israel to conduct its war against Hamas “in compliance with international humanitarian law.” 

“The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ support for Israel’s right to protect itself from terrorist violence in compliance with international humanitarian law and urged Israel to take every possible measure to avoid civilian harm,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. 

“Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages. They also spoke about the need to accelerate the delivery of critical, life-saving humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” Miller’s statement continued. 

“The Secretary stressed the imperative of accounting for humanitarian and civilian protection needs in southern Gaza before any military operations there and urged immediate steps to hold settler extremists accountable for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank,” he added. 

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday, Nov. 23. (AP/Alaa Badarneh)

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that Netanyahu has “instructed Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen to summon the Spanish Ambassador to Israel for a reprimand following the shameful comments by the Spanish Prime Minister on the day that Hamas terrorists murdered Israelis in our capital Jerusalem.” 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told state-owned broadcaster TVE today that "The footage we are seeing and the growing numbers of children dying, I have serious doubt [Israel] is complying with international humanitarian law," according to Reuters. 

"What we are seeing in Gaza is not acceptable," Sanchez reportedly added. 

Cohen wrote on X that "Israel acts and will continue to act according to international law and we will continue the war until the release of all the abductees and the elimination of Hamas in Gaza."

The back-and-forth comes after Hamas terrorists killed three Israelis and wounded 11 others in a shooting Thursday in Jerusalem. 

According to Israeli police, the shooting was carried out by two Hamas terrorists who drove to the Givat Shaul junction on the outskirts of the Holy City in an armed vehicle and opened fire on unsuspecting victims standing there. 

Fox News’ Lawrence Richard and Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report. 

Freed hostage Raz Ben-Ami is seen embracing her three daughters in Tel Aviv following her release yesterday. (Israel Prime Minister's Offce)

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday has been releasing images of recently-freed hostages embracing their loved ones.

"Raz Ben-Ami who was released last night from Hamas captivity in Gaza, meets with her daughters Julie, Ella and Natali at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv," read one post on X.

The hostages were transferred out of the Gaza Strip to Hatzerim Air Force Base in southern Israel.

Around 145 hostages are believed to be still held by Hamas inside Gaza on Thursday.

With the extension of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, another release is expected later today in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the U.S. Thursday for its support in the Israel-Hamas conflict as he and his war cabinet held a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and an American delegation. 

“The Secretary and I had an opportunity to begin to discuss the many issues that we want to talk about,” Netanyahu said at the start of the meeting at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem. 

“But first, I want to express our appreciation for your support from the beginning: the President, you personally, the delegation, in the war of eliminating Hamas and releasing, securing the release of our hostages. You've been very, very helpful. We appreciate it deeply,” he continued. 

“And of course, I'd like to talk to you about the next phase,” Netanyahu added. 

Attending the meeting for the Israeli side were Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, amongst other top Israeli officials. 

Fox News’ Dana Karni contributed to this report. 

Israel’s military said Thursday that Ofir Tzarfati, an Israeli believed to be held hostage in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, is dead, according to the Associated Press.

Tzarfati was thought to be among the approximately 240 people taken hostage by Hamas since the start of the war, the AP reports. He had been celebrating his 27th birthday at a music festival with his girlfriend when Hamas militants stormed into Israel and killed at least 364 people there and kidnapped many others. 

Tzarfati’s family was originally unclear what happened to him, but a few weeks later, the army notified the family that they believed that Tzarfati was being held in Gaza, the AP said, citing media reports. 

The army did not specify Thursday where Tzarfati’s body was identified. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Israeli Air Force said Thursday that its troops have intercepted an “aerial target” from Lebanon. 

“A short while ago, following the sirens that sounded in the areas of Dovev, Mattat, and Sasa in northern Israel, IAF air defense soldiers successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory,” it said in a post on X. 

Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have been engaging in skirmishes along the border since the war against Hamas began on Oct. 7, but the fighting hasn’t escalated to the level of what has happened in the Gaza Strip. 

There, the IDF said Thursday that “As the temporary tactical pause continues, we remind the civilians of Gaza -- do not go north. Northern Gaza is still considered a war zone. For your own safety, stay in southern Gaza.” 

Israel and Hamas have extended their cease-fire agreement into Thursday. 

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that two soldiers have been lightly injured in a ramming attack carried out at one of its security checkpoints in the West Bank.

​"A short while ago, a ramming attack was carried out at an IDF checkpoint adjacent to Moshav Beka'ot, in the Jordan Valley area. IDF soldiers at the scene shot and neutralized the assailant," the military agency said in a statement. 

"Two IDF soldiers were lightly injured in the attack," the statement added. "The soldiers were evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment. Their families have been notified."

The IDF says forces are now searching the area for additional suspects.

The incident happened hours after a shooting carried out by Hamas terrorists in Jerusalem left three dead and 11 wounded.

Fox News' Dana Karni contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday morning that its temporary cease-fire deal with Hamas terrorists has been extended again. The announcement came minutes before the extended deal was set to expire at 7 a.m. local time.

"The operational pause will continue in light of the mediators' efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the framework," the IDF wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The pause in fighting has been extended for one more day, according to Reuters, and the original deal allowing one hostage to be exchanged for three Palestinians detained in Israel still stands.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. (GPO)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Jewish State since Hamas launched its terror attack on Oct. 7.

Blinken first met with President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv where they discussed Thursday morning's shooting by Hamas terrorists at the entrance to Jerusalem that left at least 3 people dead and 16 wounded. The two terrorists were also killed.

The two also acknowledged the death of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, with Herzog describing the powerful diplomat as a "giant" and a "titan."

"We are big admirers of Henry Kissinger, who laid down the foundations of so many great decisions of his and processes which he has led, which has brought results that we feel until today, peaceful results," Herzog said. "He laid the cornerstone of the peace agreement, which were later signed with Egypt, and so many other processes around the world. I admired Henry Kissinger."

Blinken followed up by saying Kissinger "set the standard" for everyone in the Secretary of State role.

"I was very privileged to get his counsel many times, including as recently as about a month ago. He was extraordinarily generous with his wisdom, with his advice. Few people were better students of history – even fewer people did more to shape history – than Henry Kissinger," Blinken said.

Blinken then went to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu privately.

Israeli police investigate the shooting on Thursday. (Police Spokesperson’s Unit)

Three people are dead and 11 others are wounded after two Hamas terrorists opened fire on people at a bus station near Jerusalem Thursday morning, according to Israeli police.

Police responded to the Givat Shaul junction on the outskirts of Jerusalem at around 7:40 a.m. local time after two Palestinians arrived at the area in an armed vehicle and began shooting in the direction of civilians at a bus station.

The three killed have been identified as 73-year-old Rabbi Elimelech Wasserman, 67-year-old Hana Ifergan and 24-year-old Livia Dickman.

The two shooters, who were from east Jerusalem, were shot and killed by Israel Defense Forces soldiers in the area and a civilian. Israeli media said the shooters were brothers and associated with Hamas.

"The initial investigation indicates that the terrorists arrived to the scene by car in the morning, armed with an M-16 rifle and a handgun," a Jerusalem District Police spokesperson said. "At a certain point, the terrorists began shooting at civilians before subsequently being killed at the scene. A police search of the terrorists' car revealed ammunition and weaponry."

The eleven people wounded in the shooting have injuries ranging from moderate to severe, according to Israeli police. Three of the victims are said to be in serious condition after medical evaluations and four victims have non-physical injuries. The remaining four are believed to be moderate.

The area of the attack has been blocked off and searches have been initiated to rule out additional suspects, if any.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew condemned the shooting on X, formerly Twitter, Thursday morning.

"Abhorrent terrorist attack in Jerusalem this morning. We unequivocally condemn such brutal violence. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and I offer my sincere condolences to all those affected," he wrote.

Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.