A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect at 12:00 p.m. local time, marking the beginning of the end of the brutal war that has gone on for more than two years. The development also brings the hostages one step closer to returning home.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday morning that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that Israel completed the first phase of the withdrawal and that Hamas’ 72-hour window to release the hostages had begun.

The Israeli government approved and signed the deal overnight, local time, kicking off a 24-hour countdown clock during which time troops had to withdraw to a pre-determined position.

“Following the political echelon’s instructions and due to the situational assessment, the IDF has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement. As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon. The IDF continues to be deployed in the area and prepared for any operational development,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on X.

TRUMP PEACE DEAL TRIGGERS 72-HOUR COUNTDOWN FOR HAMAS TO RELEASE 48 HOSTAGES FROM GAZA

Hours later, the IDF confirmed that the ceasefire commenced and that troops had positioned themselves “along the updated deployment lines.”

While Israel’s presence has decreased in Gaza, the peace agreement stipulates that it will still occupy 53% of the enclave until the next phase.

IDF spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee sent out a statement in Arabic regarding the exact situation on the ground. He warned Palestinians against approaching IDF troops, as doing so “endangers your life.” Adraee also said that the northern part of the Gaza Strip is still “extremely dangerous,” particularly the areas of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Shejaiya and any other area with a “concentration of troops.” Other areas included in the warning were the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor.

“Do not move toward Israeli territory, and do not approach the security zone. Approaching the security zone is extremely dangerous. For your safety, do not begin moving to these areas until official approval has been granted,” Adraee said in his message.

Now that the IDF has completed its repositioning, Hamas has 72 hours to release all the hostages, living and dead. This includes the bodies of U.S. citizens Omer Neutra and Itay Chen.

Palestinians, who were displaced to the southern part of Gaza at Israel’s order during the war, make their way following their arrival in Gaza City after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza went into effect on Oct. 10, 2025. (Ebrahim Hajjaj/Reuters)

WORLD LEADERS PRAISE ‘LANDMARK’ ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL MEDIATED BY US: ‘NEW HORIZON OF HOPE’

The U.S. is not deploying troops to Gaza; however, two U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News that 200 troops from CENTCOM will be sent to Israel to help oversee the ceasefire. They will facilitate security and humanitarian flow and monitor the implementation of the deal, including transportation, logistics and engineering, the officials said.

President Donald Trump said in a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that he expected the hostages to be home on Monday or Tuesday. The president also announced that he would be making a trip over to the Middle East for the official signing of the agreement.

“We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages, and they should be released on Monday or Tuesday,” Trump said, adding that the day the hostages return will “be a day of joy.”

People walk past posters of hostages held by the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 10, 2025.  (AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

On Wednesday, hours after the announcement that Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of the deal, Trump spoke with family members of hostages being held in Gaza. The families thanked the president and praised him for securing a deal that would bring their loved ones home after more than two years in captivity.

After the high noon vote in Strasbourg on Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emerged not weakened but strengthened from the latest motions of censure in the European Parliament — and, crucially for the German politician, her centrist coalition has held firm. 

A total of 378 and 383 MEPs backed her Commission against two separate motions of censure tabled by the far-right and far-left groups.

The show of hands represents not only more support than in the previous no-confidence vote in July, but also higher than the 370 votes that confirmed her college of commissioners at the start of this legislature in November 2024. 

The results suggest that the so-called centrist majority — along with most MEPs from the Greens/EFA and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) groups — rallied behind the von der Leyen Commission II in the face of accusations of trade policy, power-grabbing, and a lack of transparency. 

The tone was set by the Greens/EFA co-chair Bas Eickhout.

“If we are looking now at the situation in the world, sending away the European Commission is not a smart thing to do,” Eickhout told Euronews.

“We have problems, we have discussions, we are not happy with this simplification agenda … but that is not a reason to send off the entire European Commission”, the Dutch lawmaker explained.

Three motions of censure in three months

The reality is that, for many different reasons, MEPs have not given Ursula a break for quite some time, but von der Leyen has acted differently since MEPs challenged her Commission back in July.

Since then, the German lawmaker has acted on the Israel-Hamas war, appealed to those in the centre during her yearly State of the Union address, and is currently discussing the 2026 Commission’s work programme with the European Parliament, experts have noted.

“My feeling was that lots of MEPs from the centre thought to themselves, okay, let’s wait and let’s give her the chance to walk the talk,” Sophia Russack, research fellow at the Brussels-based think tank CEPS, told Euronews.

“It wouldn’t be strategic for us now to punish her if she’s kind of at least indicating that she’s going in the right direction.”

Over the last months alone, the European Commission chief has faced three motions of censure, legal action for sidelining MEPs over the €150 billion defence loans scheme, as well as criticism from several corners over the Mercosur and the EU-US trade agreements.  

Most of the opposition has come from The Left and the far-right group Patriots for Europe — and neither shows any sign of backing down.

“We are not giving up,” MEP Manon Aubry, leader of The Left group, told Euronews, despite her motion receiving only 133 votes in favour — far short of the threshold needed to topple the Commission.

The Patriots for Europe (PfE), whose own motion of censure secured the backing of 179 MEPs, also appears unwilling to throw in the towel.

“This is a process, (the motion) was a way to put pressure on von der Leyen and to show her weak points. We will continue this strategy until she understands that she cannot continue”, Portuguese MEP António Tanger Corrêa (PfE) told Euronews, foreseeing “more votes of confidence to come”. 

CEPS’ Russack noted that the far-right group never expected the European Commission to actually step down.

“They knew that this is the majority that they couldn’t reach, but what the far-right is most concerned about is undermining the institutions and undermining their legitimacy,” Russack argued. 

More battles to come?

Yet, the German Christian Democrat has reached a point where she is facing criticism from within her own ranks.  

The next major battle in Parliament is expected to centre on the Commission’s proposal for the EU’s long-term budget for 2028–2034 — a €2 trillion plan known in Brussels jargon as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

In a very controversial move, the EU executive proposed in July merging agricultural and regional funds into a single pot to be managed by national governments. 

Since then, member states have criticised the size and design of the ambitious proposal, and MEPs have blatantly opposed this decision. 

“Right now, the debate within the (EPP) group is very heated,” Italian MEP Salvador de Meo (EPP), said during an interview with Euronews in Strasbourg.  

The EPP fears that merging the EU’s two most significant budget funds into a single pot could lead to misuse of money, underfunding for companies and citizens who rely on them, and a diminished role for the regions. 

“It is a mistake to backtrack on (the Common Agricultural Policy) that has been a real tool for European integration, enabling millions of farmers to modernise their businesses and play a leading role in the fight against climate change,” de Meo said.  

“It would be a step backwards,” the Italian MEP added.  

The group leaders of the budget and agriculture committees in the European Parliament, together with the European Commissioners for Agriculture and Budget — Christophe Hansen and Piotr Serafin, both from the same political family — are currently discussing potential solutions and are expected to decide on next steps in the coming days. 

According to two EPP officials consulted by Euronews, several scenarios are on the table: the complete withdrawal of the Commission’s proposal, amendments introduced by MEPs to reshape the current plan, or a commitment from the Commission to revise some aspects at a later stage. 

Von der Leyen may have survived two motions of censure, but her battles with Parliament are far from over — from negotiations on the next long-term budget and climate targets to shrinking majorities and heated debates over Europe’s defence ambitions.  

Because even music has turned into team sports, Turning Point USA has announced that it will be hosting its own Super Bowl halftime show in protest of the NFL’s official headliner, Bad Bunny.

The right-wing organization, which was founded by the late Charlie Kirk, posted about its “All American Halftime Show” on social media, writing, “Performers and event details coming soon.” The post links to a survey that allows people to select which music genres they would like to be featured at the big game, including “Anything in English,” “Americana” and “Worship.” (It also lists “Hip Hop,” despite Kirk once advocating for people to “stop listening to rap music and this degenerate hip-hop stuff.”)

It’s unclear how and where Turning Point’s counterprogramming will be aired, but viewers would have to turn off the Super Bowl broadcast and switch to the “All American Halftime Show,” which will celebrate “faith, family and freedom,” according to the website.

The announcement that Bad Bunny, one of the most famous music stars in the world, will perform at the 2026 Super Bowl sparked an immediate right-wing backlash. Government officials began weighing in on the Puerto Rican artist’s Spanish-language music catalog and his recent comments about skipping the United States on his last tour due to fears about his fans encountering ICE agents.

Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, said immigration enforcement agents would be “all over” the Super Bowl because, in her belief, the only people who should be attending the game are “law-abiding Americans who love this country.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said booking Bad Bunny was “a terrible decision,” suggesting that Lee Greenwood would attract a “broader audience,” despite the 1980s country icon boasting fewer than 500,000 Spotify listeners compared with Bad Bunny’s 80 million. Even Donald Trump called the Bad Bunny selection “absolutely ridiculous” despite admitting “I’ve never heard of him.” The hosts of “The Charlie Kirk Show” also slammed Bad Bunny on a recent episode of the conservative talk program, which continued after Kirk’s death. (After he was assassinated in September while debating college students in Utah, Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, assumed the role of CEO of Turning Point USA.)

During his “Saturday Night Live” monologue on Oct. 4, Bad Bunny mocked conservative pundits for the backlash surrounding his Super Bowl performance. He delivered some heartfelt remarks in Spanish, thanking his fans and acknowledging Latinos’ contributions in the U.S. Then, in English, he quipped: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”

The Super Bowl will take place on Feb. 8, 2026.