Official describes talks as 'cautiously optimistic,' while senior US official says deal could come 'soon'; Saudi report highlights proposed Israeli revisions and 'unprecedented' Arab pressure on Hamas

Elizabeth Tsurkov, freed last month after 2.5 years in Iraqi captivity, recalled hearing of Hamas’s attack and appeared to criticize Netanyahu, saying Gazans and hostages 'pay the price for leaders clinging to power' 

Israel and the White House are preparing for the possibility that US President Donald Trump will visit for a signing ceremony marking a hostage deal and the end of the war, as Egypt’s Sisi voices 'great optimism'

Elizabeth Tsurkov, recently released after more than two years in captivity in Iraq, says flooded with hateful messages from Israelis accusing her of betrayal after expressing sympathy for Gaza civilians on October 7 anniversary

As Israel vetoes top prisoners like Barghouti and Saadat, terror group demands release of Ibrahim Hamed, mastermind of Second Intifada suicide bombings; Hamed, convicted of killing 46 Israelis and wounding hundreds, is serving 54 life terms

Sources tell CNN terror group has lost track of some hostages presumed dead, raising concerns over how the uncertainty could impact ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Egypt; US also reportedly aware of issue

While Israel mourns its dead, dozens of young Germans gather in Berlin’s Alexanderplatz for a 'party' marking two years since the October 7 massacre, chanting 'Viva Palestina' and praising what they called 'breaking Jewish colonialism'

Eli Sharabi writes of growing longing for his wife and daughters; Maya Regev still relives the terror; Emily Damari speaks of survivor’s guilt: 'Sometimes it’s hard for me to love'; Alma Or, orphaned at 13, writes, 'The world has been sadder for two years'