More Hostages Go Free, Trump Halts Foreign Aid, RFK Jr.'s Confirmation
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The mosque releases four female soldiers as the ceasefire with Israel enters its second week.
In exchange, Israel will hand over a total of 200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. I'm Aisha Roscoe.
And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News.
A crowd gathered outside in Tel Aviv cheered when a big-screen TV showed the Israeli soldiers being handed over to the Red Cross.
We'll have more on that story also.
The U.S. State Department pauses most foreign aid programs. The Trump administration says it wants to undertake a thorough review.
And what's ahead as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces a Senate confirmation hearing next week.
So stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend. Hamas took the Israeli soldiers captive 15 months ago. during its October 7th raid.
The Palestinian group held them as hostages ever since. NPR's Greg Myrie is in Tel Aviv. Greg, thanks for being with us.
Hi, Scott. What was that moment like? Yeah, Hamas presented this highly orchestrated handover. The four Israeli women dressed in olive military uniforms and oddly wearing lanyards were paraded onto an outdoor stage in the center of Gaza City. Now, they were surrounded at all times by Hamas fighters dressed head to toe in black, including balaclavas. They also wore their green headbands and carried automatic rifles. The women waved to the Palestinian crowd, and then they were presented to the Red Cross, which drove them a short distance to the Israeli military. The four women are now in a hospital outside Tel Aviv. As you noted, all were seized at an Israeli military base just outside of Gaza back in October of 2023 in the Hamas attack that ignited the war.
This was a very different handover than what we saw last week, wasn't it?
Yeah, a dramatic contrast. Last Sunday in the first exchange under the ceasefire, Hamas drove three Israeli civilian women into the middle of a very unruly crowd in a central square in Gaza. Lots of pushing and shoving and the three women clamored into a Red Cross van. Hamas clearly wanted a more orderly exchange this time.
Well,
So just a couple hours later after that, the Israelis freed 200 Palestinians. This included many convicted of serious crimes. Media reports say about 120 of those released are Palestinians serving life sentences after being convicted of killings. Also, about 70 of those being freed are not being allowed to return to Palestinian areas. Israel says they are being deported to Egypt and then on to other countries in the region.
Greg, are the releases on both sides an indication that the ceasefire is holding, it's working?
Yes, Scott, it's absolutely a good sign that the ceasefire is now wrapping up its first full week and still holding. These releases are incredibly important to both Israeli and Palestinian societies as they welcome their people home. We're seeing additional developments as well. Hundreds of truckloads of aid are now flowing daily into Gaza, far exceeding anything we saw during the 15 months of fighting. We should note there are some very hard questions that are still ahead. The first phase of the ceasefire lasts six weeks. The two sides will then have to negotiate some very hard questions like, When will all the Israeli troops leave Gaza and will Hamas be allowed to remain in charge of Gaza?
And here's Greg Myrie in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much for being with us, Greg. Sure thing, Scott.
An internal memo obtained by NPR calls for U.S. humanitarian and development programs to stop their work.
And blocks virtually all new foreign assistance.
The directive expands on an executive order that President Trump issued earlier in the week.
And Paraglobal Health correspondent Fatma Tanis joins us now. Fatma, thanks for being with us.
Thanks for having me, Scott.
And please tell us about this memo.
So it was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and it says that U.S. foreign assistance will be frozen while a comprehensive review of all programs can be undertaken to, quote, ensure that all foreign assistance is aligned with President Trump's foreign policy agenda. Now, the memo says the review will be completed within 85 days.
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