Israeli hospitals and ministries have received instructions to prepare to receive released hostages in the coming days.

Source: Al Jazeera

5 more IDF soldiers have been killed by Palestinian fighters in Gaza.

Head of the Turkish Intelligence (MIT) Ibrahim Kalin, held a phone call today with officials from the Hamas Political Bureau to discuss the latest developments in the ceasefire negotiations.

During the discussion, the progress made in the negotiations and the current status were reviewed, and an agreement was reached to resume efforts toward achieving a ceasefire.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Current 2% defense spending target is not enough to stay safe in the coming years. Allies will have to spend much more than 2%. Security is not free.

Rutte:

EU countries will have to spend up to 10% of their GDP on military and build their own nuclear capabilities if they want to create a "European NATO".

BIG: Regional sources claim that Israel and Hamas are "very close" to reaching a ceasefire agreement, which could be announced "within hours".

NEW: A ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Hamas and Israel appears imminent.

The proposed six-week ceasefire includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for around 1,000 Palestinian hostages, including minors and those with health issues.

Discussions also cover 48 Palestinians re-arrested after a 2011 exchange and 22 serving life sentences, who may face exile.

Key sticking points remain, such as the scope of the ceasefire and Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza.

Key points of imminent Hamas-Israel hostage & ceasefire deal:

— 33 hostages to be released; most believed to be alive. Defined as a humanitarian effort.
— Initial ceasefire to last 42 days.
— Israel remains uncommitted to ending the war; negotiations on next steps begin on the 16th.
— IDF to stay in buffer zones, not fully withdrawing from Gaza.
— Gaza civilians can return north, with mechanisms to prevent Palestinian fighters and weapons from re-entering.
— Security arrangements planned for the Philadelphia axis.

Pilots of the new Syrian army flying over Latakia with helicopters.

Missile attacks reported in the Russian city of Bryansk, with some sources claiming that Ukraine launched ATACMS missiles on Russia.

Biden:

The US is winning, America is stronger now than 4 years ago, our alliances are much stronger. We are in a position of strength while our opponents are in a state of weakness.

Biden:

Putin thought he would invade Kiev within days, but I was the one who went there. We have mobilized 50 countries to stand by Ukraine.

Governor of the Bryansk region claims that Russian air defense destroyed all Ukrainian missiles and no casualties were reported.

Biden:

Iran is weaker than it has been in decades.

Biden:

Many experts were predicting it was inevitable that China's economy would surpass ours, they will never surpass us.

Biden:

We are on the verge of reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Some 200 Israeli soldiers signed a letter saying they would stop fighting if the government didn’t secure a ceasefire.

Source: Associated Press

North Korea has launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off the country’s east coast, South Korea’s military reports.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile launches were detected on Tuesday morning at approximately 9:30am local time (00:30 GMT) and were believed to have originated from North Korea’s Jagang Province, the Yonhap news agency reports.

Source: Reuters

American President-elect Donald Trump is now sharing memes about his friendship with Barack Obama on Twitter.