The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they happen.
Trump warns hostage deal ‘better be done before I take the oath of office’ on Monday
WASHINGTON — US President-elect Donald Trump says the hostage-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas better be finalized before his inauguration on Monday and says his involvement was crucial for the negotiation.
“We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office,” he says in a podcast interview with Dan Bongino.
Trump also says “we shook hands, and we signed certain documents, but it better be done.”
He claims Biden hadn’t done anything.
“I’m not looking for credit. I want to get these people out,” he says. “We’ve got to get them out.”
The truce is expected to begin Sunday, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a “last-minute crisis” with Hamas is holding up his government’s approval.
Far-left activist journalists heckle Blinken over Gaza during his last press conference
A pair of far-left activist journalists heckled US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press conference he gave at the State Department earlier today.
Blinken began the presser by offering remarks on the Biden administration’s foreign policy before taking questions, but Max Blumenthal and Sam Husseini refused to wait until the secretary had finished speaking before shouting him down.
Engaging in apparent an antisemitic dog whistle, Blumenthal claimed Blinken’s grandfather was an “Israel lobbyist,” adding “Are you compromised by Israel?”
Blumenthal was filming himself the entire time, indicating he had planned to cause a scene.
Shortly after security guards escorted him from the briefing room, Husseini began shouting Blinken down, calling him a criminal.
He had to be picked up and dragged out of the room by multiple security guards.
⚡️????????BREAKING: Blinken gets the farewell he deserves.
Reporter Sam Husseini was just physically dragged from U.S secretary of state Antony Blinken’s press briefing, he said “Why aren’t you at The Hague?”
Following this, Journalist Max Blumenthal confronted Blinken during his… pic.twitter.com/9uxcOGNc6U
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) January 16, 2025
Senior Biden administration official downplays apparent delay of deal’s finalization
A senior Biden administration official downplays apparent delays in finalization of the hostage release and ceasefire deal
“We consider the hostage deal done and agreed, and are now simply awaiting Israel’s formal approval procedures which begin tomorrow [Friday],” the official tells The Times of Israel.
A source familiar with the matter says the Biden administration wants the deal authorized as quickly as possible and believes that Netanyahu has the votes for the hostage deal to pass both security cabinet and full cabinet votes over the weekend.