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As Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire after 15 months of brutal conflict, fears grow over the prisoner swap deal. Could it lead to the release of the next Hamas terror mastermind, like October 7 plotter Yahya Sinwar?

David Barnea, the Mossad director, played a crucial role in determining when to show tactical flexibility to seal the deal with Hamas. While many remain unaware of the exact details of his actions.

Waiting for news this week of whether a ceasefire deal between Hamas and the Israeli government must have been agonising for the people of Gaza and for the families of hostages taken in the attack of October 7. All week the talk was that a deal was in the very final stages of negotiation. It would be soon, we were told.

Israeli strikes on Gaza continued as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched senior negotiators to Qatar for ceasefire, prisoner and hostage release talks attended by President-elect Donald Trump's incoming Middle East adviser, Steven Witkoff, and President Joe Biden's outgoing adviser, Brett McGurk.

A ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas has been reached, NBC News reports, marking a pivotal breakthrough in the bloody 15-month war that has wreaked destruction and inflamed tensions across the region.

This is the first time an Iranian official has explicitly confirmed the extent of Mossad's infiltration into Iran's nuclear program.

The call comes as Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is in the Middle East for negotiations. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that McGurk is there to hammer out the "final details" of an agreement.

Israel supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives for its nuclear enrichment program in an act of sabotage

For many Israelis, the ceasefire offers a brief respite from relentless conflict. The return of hostages has provided closure for families and a temporary sense of relief. However, the broader objectives of dismantling Hamas and ensuring lasting security continue to elude Israel.

Nevertheless, Bar admitted that releasing terrorists, some of whom he personally arrested, was "very difficult."