PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli aircraft launched airstrikes on the large town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip.

STATEMENT: The Government Media Office in Gaza announced that the number of martyred journalists in the Strip has risen to 215 after the martyrdom of journalist Hassan Islih.

The Media Office added that journalist Islih was martyred while receiving treatment inside the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli Channel 13 reported that government ministers criticized the administration of US President Donald Trump during a security meeting regarding the agreement to release the captured Israeli-American soldier, Idan Alexander.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Yedioth Ahronoth reported, citing American officials, that Steve Witkoff’s message is that the United States will not tolerate Netanyahu and is determined to stop the war.

Netanyahu under Fire as Israel Debates Priorities after US-Hamas Deal

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli occupation forces shelled the southern part of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, located southeast of Gaza City, with artillery.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The Israeli occupation army is shelling the southern areas of Khan Yunis city with artillery and is also conducting airstrikes on the city of Rafah. The occupation forces also shelled the eastern areas of Gaza City with artillery and launched an airstrike on the south of the city.

AL-JAZEERA: Three Palestinians were killed and others were injured in an Israeli bombardment that targeted a tent for displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Yedioth Ahronoth quoted US officials as saying that Stephen Witkoff’s message was that the United States would not tolerate Netanyahu and was determined to stop the war.

AL-JAZEERA: Released prisoner Idan Alexander thanked US President Donald Trump.

WHO: The World Health Organization stated that the blockade on Gaza must end, adding that people are dying while supplies are minutes away, ready to be distributed, and called for the release of all hostages and a ceasefire

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israel’s Channel 13 quoted an official as saying that the possibility of expanding the military operation in Gaza has receded following pressure from Washington to return to negotiations. The same source added that the release of Idan Alexander has created momentum, noting that Israel is trying to exhaust all options in the coming days.

AL-JAZEERA: An Israeli airstrike and artillery shelling on the northern part of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

WASHINGTON POST: The Washington Post quoted the Deputy Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization as saying, “We are closer than ever to the brink of famine in Gaza since October 2023.”

Hunger, Malnutrition ‘a Daily Reality’ for Gaza’s Children amid Risk of Famine – UNICEF

AL-JAZEERA: Israeli artillery shelling targeted the Al-Tuffah and Shuja’iyya neighborhoods, east of Gaza City.

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the captive Idan Alexander refused to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Secondo KAN (canale pubblico israeliano), il soldato Israelo-americano Edan Alexander, rilasciato oggi da Al-Qassam, avrebbe rifiutato di incontrare #Netanyahu. pic.twitter.com/vImzf95rcU

— Palestine Chronicle Italia (@PalestineItalia) May 12, 2025

KAN: The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, citing sources, reported that the United States is urging Israel to enter into talks with the Hamas movement to end the war, adding that this is the message Witkoff seeks to convey during his meetings in Israel.

AL-JAZEERA: The Israeli occupation carried out artillery shelling on the eastern areas of Gaza City.

CLASH REPORT: The “Clash Report” website stated that former Israeli security officials called on Trump to use his visit to the region to stop the war and return the abductees, adding that more than 550 former Israeli security officials demanded that Trump pressure for a ceasefire and the return of the abductees.

ALESTINE CHRONICLE: According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) snapshot released on Monday, 470,000 people in Gaza are facing catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5), and the entire population is experiencing acute food insecurity.

Hunger, Malnutrition ‘a Daily Reality’ for Gaza’s Children amid Risk of Famine – UNICEF

AL-JAZEERA: Red Cross vehicles carrying the released captive Idan Alexander have reached the Kissufim crossing.

HAMAS STATEMENT: The Al-Qassam Brigades released Alexander after contacts with Washington as part of mediators’ efforts to achieve a ceasefire and allow aid entry, adding that Alexander’s release comes after important contacts in which Hamas showed high positivity and flexibility.

Hamas urged the Trump administration to continue working to end the war waged by war criminal Netanyahu against children, women, and civilians, affirming their readiness to start negotiations to reach an agreement that leads to the occupation’s withdrawal, the end of the siege, the exchange of prisoners, and reconstruction.

Hamas emphasized its readiness to immediately begin negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement for a sustainable ceasefire, noting that serious and responsible negotiations achieve results in releasing prisoners, and continuing aggression prolongs their suffering and may kill them.

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israel has killed an average of 21.3 Palestinian women per day, or approximately one woman per hour, through direct bombardment of the Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

This does not include those who have died “due to the siege, starvation, or lack of medical care,” the Geneva-based organization said on Monday.

Israel Kills One Palestinian Woman Every Hour in Gaza – Euro-Med Monitor

AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: We released Edan Alexander.

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli coordinator of prisoner affairs, Gal Hirsch, and US envoy Stephen Witkoff are en route to the Re’im military base in the Gaza envelope.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli Channel 12 quoted officials as saying that representatives of the Red Cross are en route to the release point of captive Idan Alexander.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold consultations today with leaders of security agencies and ministers to brief them on his talks with US envoy to the region Stephen Witkoff.

⚡️🇮🇱JUST IN:

Israel is preparing a site in Re’im to receive soldier Idan Alexander.

The Red Cross will transfer him to the buffer zone and hand him over to the Israeli army. He’ll then go to the Re’im base to meet his family before being flown to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/sgtJCiCFle

— The Resistance (@TopGResistance) May 12, 2025

NETANYHAU’S OFFICE: The Israeli Prime Minister’s office stated that Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that negotiations will only take place under fire.

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli Prime Minister’s office stated that Benjamin Netanyahu directed the sending of a negotiating delegation to Doha tomorrow, adding that he discussed with US envoy to the region Stephen Witkoff and US ambassador to Israel Michael Huckabee efforts to implement Witkoff’s plan for the release of prisoners.

ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: The army is preparing to receive the American-Israeli captive Idan Alexander, starting at 6:30 PM in the Khan Yunis area, southern Gaza Strip.

AL-JAZEERA: A military helicopter carrying the family of the American-Israeli captive Idan Alexander arrived at the Re’im base in the Gaza envelope.

AL-JAZEERA: A leader in Al-Qassam Brigades told Al Jazeera that the timing of the release of the American-Israeli captive Idan Alexander was coordinated with the Red Cross today.

UNICEF: The Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that children in Gaza face the risk of famine with the cutoff of food and aid and the collapse of health systems, adding that the crisis in Gaza is man-made and they need a ceasefire, access to aid, and the release of prisoners.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Channel 12 quoted the family of the Israeli-American captive Idan Alexander as saying that the latter will head to Qatar after his release from Gaza, where he will meet with the US President and the Emir of Qatar.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated that they must not stop the war on Hamas, adding that as long as Hamas continues to hold prisoners, they must not allow any aid to enter until it kneels and begs to leave, and that they must work to encourage “voluntary migration” from the Gaza Strip.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that the Americans are tired of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that there is a political failure whose consequences threaten the security and well-being of all of Israel.

AL-JAZEERA: The bodies of three martyrs after an Israeli bombing of the Sheja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli army spokesperson announced that a soldier was injured by sniper fire in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. Earlier today, Al-Aqsa TV quoted eyewitnesses as saying that two Israeli helicopters landed in the vicinity of the Al-Sha’af and Al-Sourani areas in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, amid reports that the invading Israeli forces there were attacked.

AL-JAZEERA: Two Palestinians were injured as a result of a bombing carried out by an Israeli drone in the vicinity of the Friday market in the Sheja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing growing criticism at home following the announcement of a deal to secure the release of American-Israeli prisoner Edan Alexander.

While one of Netanyahu’s allies defended the agreement and claimed that the war on Gaza will continue, others questioned the government’s priorities and commitment.

Netanyahu under Fire as Israel Debates Priorities after US-Hamas Deal

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli Channel 12 reported that the government failed to pass its proposal in the Knesset’s Security and Foreign Affairs Committee to call up reserve soldiers, adding that the government needs the votes of the Haredim to pass the draft resolution to call up reserve soldiers in the Knesset.

OXFAM: Oxfam stated that famine in Gaza is deliberate and planned and has created the largest population facing famine in the world, adding that silence on starvation in the Gaza Strip is complicity

AL-JAZEERA: US President Donald Trump said that the Hamas movement will release the Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander, adding that the latter thought he had died. Trump’s statement comes after the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they would release Alexander today.

GERMAN GOVERNMENT: The German government stated that Chancellor (Friedrich Merz) did not extend any invitation to Netanyahu to visit the country, adding that the Chancellor will discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza with the Israeli President.

AL-AQSA TV: Israeli artillery shelling and heavy gunfire from an Israeli drone targeting Palestinians while they were returning to inspect their homes in the Al-Nasr neighborhood of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

AL-AQSA TV: Al-Aqsa TV quoted eyewitnesses as saying that two Israeli helicopters landed in the vicinity of the Al-Sha’af and Al-Sourani areas in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

Israeli sources reported that an army force operating in the area was attacked.

AL-JAZEERA: Israeli helicopters and drones have stopped flying over the Gaza Strip. This comes after the occupation army announced a temporary ceasefire in preparation for the release of the Israeli-American captive Idan Alexander.

WASHINGTON POST: The Washington Post quoted an advisor to US President Donald Trump as saying that Trump’s treatment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “one degree better” than his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the White House.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli media reported the landing of a military helicopter in Reim in the Gaza envelope in preparation for the release of the Israeli-American soldier Idan Alexander, whose release was announced by the Al-Qassam Brigades today.

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that US President Donald Trump’s envoy Stephen Witkoff’s visit to Israel “will discuss negotiations for the release of the hostages and Iranian nuclear talks.”

REUTERS: Reuters quoted German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as saying that “the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza must resume immediately.”

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Hamas has agreed to release American-Israeli prisoner Edan Alexander, with a temporary ceasefire in place, as negotiations for a possible ceasefire continue amid ongoing military operations in Gaza.

Israel Orders Temporary Ceasefire as Hamas Moves to Release Alexander

PALESTINE CHRONICLE: Do we employ Occam’s Razor and assume the obvious, or is the American President up to some broader agenda that is being shrouded in obscurity?

Read the latest analysis by Robert Inlakesh.

A Historic Hamas-US Deal – What are Its Potential Implications?

GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: The Gaza Ministry of Health reported 33 martyrs and 94 injured by occupation fire in the past 24 hours, announcing a rise in the death toll of the Israeli aggression to 52,862 dead and 119,648 injured since October 2023.

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that Stephen Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in preparation for the release of Edan Alexander, who is held captive in the Gaza Strip.

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli Radio reported that the release of soldier Edan Alexander will take place in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, while the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that the army is reducing its activity throughout Gaza to facilitate the safe execution of Idan’s release.

GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip stated that operating rooms, intensive care units, and emergency departments are operating with depleted medical equipment and tools, urgently needing mobile X-ray machines, anesthesia machines, and assistive devices for emergency surgical interventions, noting that specialized surgeries lack the necessary instruments and equipment.

KAN: The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that an Israeli reserve soldier was jailed for 5 days after refusing to participate in fighting in the West Bank. The punished soldier reportedly said that he does not want to participate in military activities in the West Bank and that the Gaza battle is illegal.

PRCS: The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that the number of martyrs among humanitarian and medical personnel in the Gaza Strip has risen to more than 1400, clarifying that since the beginning of the year, it has lost 8 paramedics in Rafah, bringing the number of its martyrs since the start of the aggression to 48.

AL-JAZEERA: The bodies of two martyrs following an Israeli bombing of the Sheja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that US envoy to the Middle East Stephen Witkoff is considering, during his visit to Israel today, accompanying the captive soldier Edan Alexander, after his release from Gaza, to meet President Donald Trump during his visit to Qatar.

For its part, the Maariv newspaper quoted Israeli officials as saying, “We are unaware of any plan to transfer Edan to Qatar to meet Trump there.”

ABU OBEIDA: Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, stated that Al-Qassam “has decided to release the Zionist soldier holding American citizenship, Edan Alexander, today.”

Abu Obeida: “The Al-Qassam Brigades have decided to release the Israeli soldier, Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, today.” https://t.co/UPgJdohPdP

— Resistance Freak 🔻 (@Al_Maqdisi__) May 12, 2025

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli Channel 12 reported that Stephen Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, will arrive in Israel in hours, adding that Israeli media reported a meeting is scheduled for this afternoon between Witkoff, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and other Israeli officials.

https://twitter.com/PalestineChron/status/1921826106614689830

ISRAELI MEDIA: Israeli Channel 12 reported that the army received instructions to ceasefire in Gaza starting from 12 noon to enable the recovery of soldier Idan Alexander, according to the current time in Tel Aviv.

REUTERS: Reuters quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that Israel is not committed to any ceasefire or prisoner release, but only to providing a safe passage for Alexander, adding that the expected release of Idan became possible due to military pressure on Hamas, and negotiations for the release of other hostages will continue while preparations are underway to intensify the fighting in Gaza.

AL-JAZEERA: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, announced that it has sold all its shares in the Israeli retail and energy company Paz due to its ownership and operation of fuel supply infrastructure for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

AL-JAZEERA: A series of intense Israeli airstrikes are targeting the northeastern neighborhoods of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

ISRAELI MEDIA: The Maariv newspaper quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying, “I believe we will reach a stage where we can dispense with American military aid as happened with economic aid.” The newspaper added that Netanyahu’s remarks about US military aid came during a discussion in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

STATEMENT (US Special Envoy Adam Boehler – cited in Al-Jazeera):

• The plan announced by the Hamas movement to release American captive Edan Alexander is a positive step forward.
• I am heading to Israel with Edan Alexander’s mother to attend his return from Hamas.
• I thank President Donald Trump for his commitment to bringing all Americans home.

Hamas to Release Alexander in ‘Goodwill’ Ceasefire Gesture ahead of Trump Visit

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The death toll from the Israeli bombing of the Jabaliya Girls’ School in the northern Gaza Strip has risen to 15, including children, in addition to a number of injured.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA: A child, Rimas Samir Obeid, was killed in an Israeli strike that targeted a mosque west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.