IDAN KWELLER

Idan Kweller is the diplomatic correspondent for the Hebrew news site, Walla.


A poster of Hadar Goldin hanging among cards with messages for Gaza hostages, Hostage Square, Tel Aviv, October 28, 2025.

US offered Hamas safe passage to return Hadar Goldin - report

Israel's Ambassador to Mexico, Einat Kranz Neiger.

Iranian plot to kill Israel's ambassador to Mexico contained, US official says

US President Donald Trump looks on while speaking to members of the media as he flies from Florida to Joint Base Andrews en route to Washington, aboard Air Force One, US, October 19, 2025

Trump: 'Rogue elements, not Hamas leadership,' behind recent attack on IDF in Gaza


Hamas 'returns' body of Gazan who cooperated with IDF in place of fallen hostage

Israeli sources have estimated that this was a mistake, as the body belonged to a Gazan man in an IDF uniform, who was suspected to be a fighter killed in the war.

IDF troops receive remains of killed hostages at official ceremony, October 14, 2025.

Marwan Barghouti not included in hostage, prisoner exhange deal, PMO confirms

The deal will not include the release of four high-profile Palestinian prisoners long sought by Hamas in negotiations: Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Sa’adat, Hassan Salameh, and Abbas al-Sayed.

 MARWAN BARGHOUTI is brought into court by police for his judgment hearing in May 2004, at which he was convicted on five counts of murder in terrorist attacks.

Witkoff, negotiators en route to Cairo as Hamas sends delegation for Gaza deal talks - report

Hostage and ceasefire deal negotiations are expected to begin on Sunday, with both sides reportedly preparing withdrawal maps.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff talks to hostage family members on August 2, 2025.

Palestinian mediator: Trump's Gaza deal marks end of war, could release hostages

“I can see before my eyes the end of the war and the release of all the hostages,” American-Palestinian mediator Bishara Bahbah told Walla.

Bishara Bahbah in a January 2024 interview/

Trump's Gaza ultimatum: 'Three to four days' to accept peace plan

If Hamas rejects the plan, "Israel will do what it has to do," Trump added.

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump over a background of Hamas members.

The landmines in Trump’s plan: How the deal could collapse - analysis

The Trump agreement includes dozens of steps, but faces major obstacles: disputes over prisoner and hostage releases, international oversight, the future of Hamas, and Gaza’s fate.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 29, 2025.

What do Israel and Hamas gain from Trump’s plan? - explainer

For Israel, the price would be releasing hundreds of security prisoners, relinquishing direct control in Gaza and depending on an international mechanism.

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference in the State Dining Room at the White House, in Washington, DC, US, September 29, 2025

Trump-Netanyahu meeting: US ramping up pressure for end of war, Israel eyes West Bank annexation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump will meet on Monday, but the two have very different topics in mind.

 US President Donald Trump and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu walk together during Netanyahu's visit to Washington, February 5, 2025

IDF soldiers confirm speakers placed within Gaza strip, depite PMO announcement

Reservists and hostage families condemn Netanyahu's UN speech plan, calling the mission life-threatening and criticizing its real objective.

IDF speakers loaded onto trucks to broadcast PM Benjamin Netanyahu's UNGA speech in the Gaza Strip, September 26, 2025.

Netanyahu to use visual props at UN General Assembly to refocus world on October 7

Prime Minister Netanyahu plans to use visual aids in his UN speech to refocus attention on the October 7 massacre, amid rising tensions with Trump and growing Palestinian state recognition.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen with hostage posters (illustrative)