Photo Credit: Chaim Goldberg / Flash 90
Families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip hold a press conference outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, Feb. 17, 2025

Israel is reportedly preparing to allow the entry of hundreds of trailers and heavy equipment into Gaza from Egypt.

The move comes in direct defiance of a plan by President Donald Trump that would enable Gaza residents to voluntarily leave the enclave and re-establish their lives elsewhere abroad ahead of its takeover by the United States for future rehabilitation.

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Israel has already begun preparations to enable the implementation of the Trump Plan for Gaza, despite fierce opposition from Egypt, which has arranged the delivery of the heavy equipment and caravans for Gaza.

In exchange, Hamas has agreed to free the six remaining live hostages that were to be released in Phase I of the hostage release and ceasefire deal between Israel and the terrorist organization.

The six living hostages, who will reportedly include Israeli civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed — both held in Gaza for more than ten years — are to be returned to Israel on Saturday.

Hamas announced that it will transfer to Israel on Thursday the bodies of four hostages killed in captivity, including those of baby Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother Ariel and their 33-year-old mother Shiri Bibas as well as one other.

The Bibas family in Israel has told reporters they have received no official notification from the government indicating their loved ones are no longer alive. Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and the father of their two young sons, was freed from Hamas captivity earlier this month.

In addition to allowing the entry of caravans and heavy equipment into Gaza, Israel has agreed to release 47 incarcerated terrorists who were re-arrested after returning to their bloodthirsty activities following their releases during the 2011 swap for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

More than 1,000 terrorists were released from Israeli prisons in exchange for Shalit, including Oct. 7 architect and Gaza-based Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar along with hundreds of other operatives with Israeli blood on their hands.


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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.