Closing summary
We’re about to close this blog and move our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war to a fresh blog here. Here’s a recap of the latest events.
Israeli forces have started withdrawing from areas in Gaza’s Rafah to the Philadelphi corridor along the border between Egypt and Gaza, Reuters has cited pro-Hamas media as reporting early on Sunday. It came ahead of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas being scheduled to come into effect at 8.30am local time (6.30am GMT) on Sunday 19 January, according to Qatar.
Under the ceasefire agreement, the three-stage truce starts with an initial six-week phase when hostages held by the militant group will be exchanged for Palestinians detained in jails across Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel would not go ahead with the ceasefire deal until it received a list of the 33 hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the deal’s first phase. “Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The sole responsibility lies with Hamas,” the Israeli prime minister said. He also said the first stage of the ceasefire deal was temporary, adding: “If we must return to fighting, we will do that in new, forceful ways.” Netanyahu added that both Donald Trump and Joe Biden backed Israel’s “right to resume fighting if the second stage is fruitless”.
Hamas said on Saturday the mechanism of the release of Israeli hostages it held in Gaza would depend on the number of detained Palestinians Israel would free. Hamas also said Israel had “failed to achieve its aggressive goals” in Gaza.
Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, congratulated Palestinians on Saturday for the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying it proved the “persistence of resistance” against Israel in his first comments since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday. Qassem also said Hezbollah’s war with Israel in Lebanon had contributed in “Gaza’s victory”, according to Reuters.
Yemen’s Houthis claimed an attack on a US aircraft carrier on Sunday and warned of “consequences” for any retaliation during the coming Gaza ceasefire. The Israeli military said it intercepted two missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday. The military activated air raid sirens in Jerusalem and in parts of central and southern Israel ahead of the interceptions.
Israeli forces have killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in an update on Saturday. It said 23 Palestinians were killed and 83 were injured over the past 24 hours.
More than 70 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested in central London on Saturday on suspicion of breaching protest conditions after some allegedly broke through a police line as they marched from a rally in Whitehall.
Updated
Israel’s supreme court has rejected petitions filed by bereaved families and the Choosing Life forum against the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, the Haaretz newspaper reports.
It said that in their decision, handed down early on Sunday, justices Daphne Barak-Erez, Yael Willner and Ruth Ronnen wrote that “undoubtedly this is a case in which the law’s limitations are evident”.
The judges also expressed sympathy for “the families of those who have not yet returned, as well as for those who see the murderers of their loved ones released from prison with a heavy heart”.
The judges added:
There remains hope that sons and daughters will indeed return to their homeland.
More than 70 pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested in Trafalgar Square in London on suspicion of breaching protest conditions after demonstrators broke through a police line as they marched from a rally in Whitehall.
Saturday’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) protest was adjusted to be a static rally after police curtailed organisers’ plans for a march past the BBC and near a synagogue, PA Media reports.
But thousands of demonstrators, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the party’s former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, marched towards Trafalgar Square from Whitehall after speeches were made at the rally.
Protesters met a line of police officers and eventually broke through, with those who made it to the square later finding themselves being held in one corner.
The Metropolitan police warned the group to disperse or face arrest, later announcing 77 people had been arrested – the highest number over more than 20 national PSC protests since October 2023.
Updated
People have gathered in Paris in support of the hostages held in Gaza, describing being torn between feelings hours before a truce set to allow their release takes effect.
“It’s a mix of hope and fear,” said Jean-David Ichay, president of the Tous 7 Octobre association.
There’s already the fact that only 33 hostages have been announced so far ... The rest will either happen later or not at all.
Agence France-Presse reports that participants at the Saturday rally, opposite the Eiffel Tower, held up “bring them home” placards with the faces of some of the hostages while a digital counter marked the days, hours and minutes they have been held captive.
“Now, at last, we have hope,” Efrat Yahalomi, sister of French-Israeli hostage Ohad Yahalomi, said from a stage.
Please support us until the last hostage is home.
French president Emmanuel Macron has said Yahalomi and another dual national, Ofer Kalderon, are among those due to be freed in the first phase.
Moshe Lavi said his brother-in-law Omri Miran, 47, was not among those expected to be released.
“We rejoice for those who will be reunited. But for us and for so many others, our fight continues,” he said.
We call on the public to not fall into euphoria but to continue to come to rallies and speak up for the hostages.
Updated
On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza, with the Hamas-run health ministry saying 23 bodies had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours.
“What is this truce that kills us hours before it begins?” asked Abdallah Al-Aqad, the brother of a woman killed by an airstrike in the southern city of Khan Younis.
The Associated Press also reports that sirens sounded across central and southern Israel, with the military saying it intercepted projectiles launched from Yemen.
Updated
Israeli forces begin withdrawing from parts of Rafah to Philadelphi corridor, pro-Hamas media says
Israeli forces have started withdrawing from areas in Gaza’s Rafah to the Philadelphi corridor along the border between Egypt and Gaza, Reuters has cited pro-Hamas media as reporting early on Sunday.
Updated
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire is scheduled to start at 8.30am local time (0630 GMT) Sunday, just to recap, as families of hostages held in Gaza brace for news of loved ones, Palestinians prepare to receive freed detainees and humanitarian groups rush to set up a surge of aid.
But in a national address 12 hours before the truce was to start, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was treating the ceasefire as temporary and retained the right to continue fighting if necessary. He claimed he had the support US president-elect Donald Trump, who told NBC News that he told the prime minister to “keep doing what you have to do”, the Associated Press reports.
Netanyahu also asserted that he negotiated the best deal possible, even as Israel’s far-right public security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he and most of his party would resign from the government in opposition to it.
Netanyahu earlier warned that a ceasefire wouldn’t go forward unless Israel received the names of hostages to be released, as agreed. Israel had expected to receive the names from mediator Qatar. There was no immediate response from Qatar or Hamas.
The overnight approval of the ceasefire deal by the Israeli cabinet early on Saturday, in a rare meeting during the Jewish Sabbath, set off a flurry of activity and a fresh wave of emotions as relatives wondered whether hostages would be returned alive or dead. Families and thousands of others rallied once more on Saturday night in Tel Aviv.
“Please keep going and saving lives,” said Anat Angrest, whose son Matan Angrest is still held in Gaza.
Updated
Families of British-linked hostages have said they are “filled with trepidation” ahead of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal coming into effect.
PA Media reports that Adam Ma’anit, who lives in Brighton, said his cousin Tsachi Idan was on the list of hostages set to be released in the opening phase of the truce, and spoke of his cautious hope for his safe return.
The 51-year-old said: “I think I’m feeling every spectrum of human emotion all at once, in the sense that I am incredibly anxious, filled with trepidation, but also optimism.
But I can’t allow myself to be overly invested in that optimism because we’ve been here before where a deal seemed imminent and things were looking up and our hopes and dreams and desires were about to be coming true, and our loved ones returned to us, and then we would have them crashed down into the reality of collapsed negotiations and the grim prospect of months more uncertainty.
Idan, who turns 51 in April, witnessed his eldest daughter’s murder before he was taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023. The family have hope that he is still alive, although Ma’anit told PA that Hamas said he was dead in a video published last January.
Loved ones of other British-linked hostages have been waiting to learn if their relatives will be released. British-Israeli Emily Damari, 28, was kidnapped during the 7 October attack and has been a hostage for 470 days.
Arsenal and Tottenham football fans united in support of Damari at the North London derby on Wednesday, and her mother Mandy tweeted her appreciation afterwards saying: “I know that you don’t agree on very much, which makes it even more special that you have come together to say ‘bring her home’.”
Updated
Houthis warn of 'consequences' if attacked during Gaza truce
Yemen’s Houthis claimed an attack on a US aircraft carrier on Sunday and warned of “consequences” for any retaliation during the coming Gaza ceasefire.
“The Yemeni armed forces warn the enemy forces in the Red Sea of the consequences of any aggression against our country during the ceasefire period in Gaza,” the Houthis said in a statement.
They will confront any aggression with specific military operations against those forces without a ceiling or red lines.
An initial 42-day truce in the Israel-Gaza war is scheduled to begin at 0630 GMT on Sunday.
Agence France-Presse reports that the Iran-backed Houthis, who have attacked shipping in the Red Sea throughout the war in Gaza, said they targeted the USS Harry S Truman and other “warships” with drones and cruise missiles.
“The American aircraft carrier was forced to leave the theatre of operations,” the rebels’ statement said.
Part of Iran’s “axis of resistance”, the Houthis have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.
They have also waged a harassment campaign against shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, severely disrupting trade routes.
On Friday, the Houthis warned they would keep up their attacks if Israel did not respect the terms of the ceasefire with Hamas.
This is Adam Fulton picking up our live coverage
Updated
Interim summary
Here’s a look at where things stand:
The Gaza ceasefire will come into effect at 8.30am Gaza time (6.30am GMT) on Sunday 19 January, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said. Under the ceasefire agreement, the three-stage truce starts with an initial six-week phase when hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for Palestinians detained in jails across Israel.
Hamas said on Saturday that the mechanism of the release of Israeli hostages it holds in Gaza would depend on the number of detained Palestinians Israel would free. Hamas also said on Saturday that Israel had “failed to achieve its aggressive goals” in Gaza.
In a new statement on Saturday, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not go forth with the ceasefire deal until it receives a list of the 33 hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the first phase of the deal. “We will not move forward with the agreement until we receive the list of hostages who will be released, as agreed. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The sole responsibility lies with Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
Benjamin Netanyahu also said that the first stage of the ceasefire deal was temporary, adding: “If we must return to fighting, we will do that in new, forceful ways.” Netanyahu, who also said that Israel’s “campaign is not over yet”, added that both Donald Trump and Joe Biden back Israel’s “right to resume fighting if the second stage is fruitless”.
Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem, congratulated Palestinians on Saturday for the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying it proved the “persistence of resistance” against Israel in his first comments since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday. Qassem also said that the Hezbollah’s war with Israel in Lebanon had contributed in “Gaza’s victory”, according to Reuters.
Israeli forces have killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in an update on Saturday. The ministry statement said that 23 Palestinians were killed and 83 were injured over the past 24 hours.
Thousands of anti-war demonstrators gathered throughout London on Saturday before the implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Sunday scheduled for 6.30 GMT. The demonstrations came amid 15 months of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians and forcibly displaced nearly 2 million survivors.
The Israeli military said it intercepted two missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday. The military activated air raid sirens in Jerusalem and in parts of central and southern Israel ahead of the interceptions during the day, with the first projectile shot down in the morning.
Updated
More than 70 anti-war protestors were arrested by London police on Saturday.
The Guardian’s Geneva Abdul and Nadeem Badshah report:
More than 70 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested in central London on Saturday on suspicion of breaching protest conditions after some allegedly broke through a police line as they marched from a rally in Whitehall.
Thousands of people had gathered to protest Israel’s 15-month war in Gaza, a day after a ceasefire deal was agreed with Hamas, with signs saying “Stop arming Israel” and “Free Palestine”.
The crowds were initially blocked from marching up Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square by a line of police, but some protesters broke through to advance toward the London landmark.
Footage posted on X appeared to show the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell among the protesters passing by officers as the crowd moved towards Trafalgar Square.
The Metropolitan police said a total of 77 people were arrested.
For the full story, click here:
Here is the inside story of how an unlikely alliance between Donald Trump and Joe Biden led to the latest ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, as reported by the Guardian’s Emma Graham-Harrison and Andrew Roth:
It was a subtle, but significant flex of power by Donald Trump’s new envoy to the Middle East. Ten days before tomorrow’s presidential inauguration, he called Israel to announce he was coming to Tel Aviv to meet Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump had demanded a deal to release Israel’s hostages before he took his oath of office, and the man charged with making that happen was Steve Witkoff – a New York property developer confident that a long relationship with Trump could offset a lack of diplomatic experience.
He landed last Saturday, in the middle of the Jewish Sabbath, when the Israeli prime minister does not take on official duties. Netanyahu’s aides told Witkoff he would have to wait a few hours for a meeting.
Witkoff, who is Jewish, made clear that would not be happening. Trump was in a hurry – and he wanted to get on with the mission.
For the full story, click here:
Thousands of anti-war demonstrators protest in London before ceasefire deal
Thousands of anti-war demonstrators gathered throughout London on Saturday before the implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Sunday scheduled for 6.30 GMT.
The demonstrations came amid 15 months of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians and forcibly displaced nearly 2 million survivors, in addition to leaving the narrow strip grappling with severe shortages in aid, medical supplies and food due to Israeli aid restrictions.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse, one demonstrator, Sophie Mason, said:
We desperately want to be optimistic … And so we need to be out on the streets in order to make sure the ceasefire holds.
In addition to posters that read “Stop arming Israel”, anti-war protestors waved signs that read “Gaza, stop the massacre” and chanted slogans for Palestinian liberation.
Updated
Families of Israeli hostages nervously await the return of their loved ones before a fragile ceasefire expected on Sunday at 06.30 GMT.
The Guardian’s Lorenzo Tondo reports:
For over a decade the world seemed to have forgotten Avera Mengistu.
An Israeli Jew of Ethiopian heritage, who reportedly had mental health issues, Mengistu was 28 when he entered the Gaza Strip voluntarily on 7 September 2014 after a dispute with his mother.
Mistaken for an Israeli soldier and spy, Mengistu was captured by Hamas and detained in a prison within the territory. Since then, his whereabouts remained a mystery, with him appearing sporadically in Hamas videos, calling for his release. His family claimed the Israeli army and government never really tried to bring him home.
For the full story, click here:
Updated
Here is video of Benjamin Netanyahu’s address from earlier today in which he vowed: “If we must return to fighting, we will do that in new, forceful ways”:
The prime minister’s comments on the evening of 18 January come as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is set to begin on Sunday at 6.40 GMT.
Updated
Preliminary research by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) estimates that at least 166 journalists and media workers have been among the many tens of thousands killed in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Israel and Lebanon since the current war began in October 2023, making it the deadliest period for journalists worldwide since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
The CPJ said: “Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, famine, the displacement of 90% of Gaza’s population, and the destruction of 80% of its buildings.”
Here are some members of the media in Gaza taking a moment to celebrate the agreement to a ceasefire early tomorrow, singing: “We will stay here.”
Journalists in #Gaza cheer and sing in happiness as the ceasefire in Gaza is expected to go into effect in the early hours of Sunday.#Palestine #GazaCeasefire pic.twitter.com/QPXDQsGgI0
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 18, 2025
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Interim summary
News is moving fast in the Middle East today on the verge of a ceasefire in the 15-month Israel-Gaza war. It’s coming up on 10pm in Tel Aviv and Gaza City. We’ll keep you up to date as events happen.
Here’s where things stand:
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said both US president-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday, and outgoing the US president, Joe Biden, have stressed that Israel can return to fighting in Gaza if the next stages of the deal are not realized.
Netanyahu said that the first stage of tomorrow’s scheduled ceasefire in Gaza was temporary, adding: “If we must return to fighting, we will do that in new, forceful ways.”
David Lammy, the UK’s foreign secretary, congratulated the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, for his country’s efforts on reaching a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
In a new statement on Saturday, Netanyahu said Israel will not go forth with the ceasefire deal until it receives a list of the 33 hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the first phase of the deal.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said that a “more hopeful” future awaits Lebanon, Israel’s northern neighbor which recently entered into a ceasefire with Hamas-ally Hezbollah there. Guterres spoke after his meeting with Lebanon’s new leaders.
The Gaza ceasefire will come into effect at 8.30am Gaza time (6.30am GMT) on Sunday, 19 January, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.
The government announced the approval after 1am Saturday, Jerusalem time, following a six-hour meeting of the full cabinet that went well past the beginning of the Jewish sabbath.
News of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas has been greeted with joy by Palestinians but a more wary attitude in Israel, where demonstrators both in favour and against the deal have taken to the streets.
Thirty-three of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages – including women, children, men over 50, and ill and wounded captives – are to be freed in this phase. In return, Israel will release almost 2,000 Palestinians from its jails.
Hamas said on Saturday that the mechanism of the release of Israeli hostages it holds in Gaza would depend on the number of Palestinian prisoners Israel would free.
Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, congratulated Palestinians on Saturday for the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying it proved the “persistence of resistance” against Israel in his first comments since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has said that the group is making final arrangements for the release of captives. However, they warned that intensified Israeli bombing could put their lives at risk.
The Israeli military said it intercepted two missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday.
Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in an update on Saturday.
Israel is expected to receive the names of the first three hostages to be released. Hamas will reportedly give the names to Qatar, which will then inform the Mossad director, David Barnea. Barnea would then inform the families.
Israeli police said that several people were injured in a shooting in Tel Aviv on Saturday, while emergency service providers reported that one person was injured by stabbing.
Eight people have been arrested at a pro-Palestine rally in central London.
Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, stressed to UN secretary general, António Guterres, on Saturday the urgency of an Israeli military withdrawal as stipulated by a ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.
The Palestine Red Cross Society (PRCS) welcomed the news of a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip in a statement published on Saturday, describing it as a “glimpse of hope through the darkness” for Palestinians.
Two judges were killed in a shooting attack on Saturday outside the supreme court building in Tehran, Iranian state media reported.
Updated
Here are some images coming through the newswires from Israel and Gaza where a ceasefire, between Israel and Hamas is set to take place on Sunday at 6.30am GMT:
Updated
With a looming yet fragile ceasefire set to take place between Israel and Hamas, hundreds of thousand of Palestinians who have been displaced by Israeli forces are preparing to return to whatever remains of their homes or to claim bodies from the rubble.
The Guardian’s Jason Burke and Malak A Tantesh report:
Aid agencies in Gaza are bracing for chaotic scenes this week as hundreds of thousands of people try to return to homes in the territory after the expected implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Sunday.
Before the ceasefire, which is due to begin at 8.30am local time, Israel has continued to carry out attacks inside Gaza. The local health ministry claimed on Saturday that 23 Palestinians had been killed in the previous 24 hours, while the Israeli army said it had conducted strikes on 50 “terror targets” on Friday.
The deal, for which both the outgoing US president, Joe Biden, and his successor, Donald Trump, have claimed credit, was finally ratified by Israel’s cabinet in the early hours of Saturday morning.
For the full story, click here:
Updated
Key event
Benjamin Netanyahu said both US president-elect Donald Trump and US president Joe Biden had stressed that Israel can return to fighting in Gaza if the next stages of the deal are not realized.
Israel will not rest until “all of its war goals are completed”, he said, which includes the return of every single hostage being held in Gaza.
The prime minister says the US has promised Israel will have the weaponry it needs to return to fighting if necessary, and will do so “in new ways and with very great power”.
Updated
Netanyahu: 'If we must return to fighting, we will do that in new, forceful ways'
Benjamin Netanyahu said that the first stage of the ceasefire deal was temporary, adding: “If we must return to fighting, we will do that in new, forceful ways.”
Netanyahu, who also said that Israel’s “campaign is not over yet”, added that both Donald Trump and Joe Biden back Israel’s “right to resume fighting if the second stage is fruitless”.
The Israeli prime minister’s comments on Saturday evening come as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is set to take place on Sunday at 6.30 GMT.
As part of the deal, 33 of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas are expected to be freed in this phase, according to Reuters. In exchange, Israel will release approximately 2,000 Palestinians currently detained across multiple prisons.
Updated
Benjamin Netanyahu is currently delivering a press conference, saying that Israel “will not relent until all hostages are released”.
The Israeli prime minister added that Israel has “significantly harmed the Iranian axis” and that it had “changed the entire face of the Middle East”.
He added that “Hamas is isolated in the battlefield”.
Updated
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, congratulated the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, for his country’s efforts on reaching a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
On Saturday, Lammy wrote on X:
Today I congratulated Qatari PM @MBA_AlThani_ for reaching a ceasefire deal on Gaza after what I know has been a monumental diplomatic effort. The UK will continue to work with regional partners to secure lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
Updated
Egypt said that Israel will free more than 1,890 Palestinians currently detained in Israeli prisons in the first phase of the ceasefire, Agence France-Presse reports.
According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, the Palestinians will be freed during the first phase, which is scheduled to begin at 6.30 GMT on Sunday.
Earlier, Israel’s justice ministry said that 737 Palestinians would be freed – none before 14.00 GMT on Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.
Egypt’s foreign ministry thanked its co-mediator Qatar and “appreciated the pivotal role played by the new US administration led by president Trump to end the crisis, as well as president Biden”.
Sunday’s expected ceasefire will be the second truce amid Israel’s 15-month war on Gaza since Hamas’s attack against Israel in October 2023, where more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 survivors were taken hostage. Since then, Israeli forces have devastated the narrow strip and killed more than 50,000 Palestinians while forcibly displacing nearly 2 million survivors.
Updated
Netanyahu: Israel 'will not move forward' with ceasefire deal until it gets hostage list
In a new statement on Saturday, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not go forth with the ceasefire deal until it receives a list of the 33 hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the first phase of the deal.
“We will not move forward with the agreement until we receive the list of hostages who will be released, as agreed. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The sole responsibility lies with Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
Thirty-three of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas are expected to be freed in this phase, according to Reuters. In exchange, Israel will release approximately 2,000 Palestinians currently detained across multiple prisons.
Updated
The UN chief, António Guterres, said that a “more hopeful” future awaits Lebanon after his meeting with the country’s new leaders.
Speaking to reporters in Beirut on Saturday after meeting Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, and Hezbollah ally parliament speaker Nabih Berri, Guterres said:
Throughout my time here, I have sensed an atmosphere of opportunity … After one of the most difficult years in generations, Lebanon is on the cusp of a more hopeful future.
He went on to add that the UN “will intensify our support for recovery and reconstruction across Lebanon”.
Updated
Summary of the day
It is approaching 6pm in Gaza City and Tel Aviv. Here is a summary of the latest updates from today’s live blog:
The Gaza ceasefire will come into effect at 8.30am Gaza time (6.30am GMT) on Sunday 19 January, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said. Under the ceasefire agreement, the three-stage truce starts with an initial six-week phase when hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for prisoners and detainees jailed in Israel.
The government announced the approval after 1am Saturday, Jerusalem time, following a six-hour meeting of the full cabinet that went well past the beginning of the Jewish sabbath, a rare occurrence and a reflection of the moment’s importance.
News of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas has been greeted with joy by Palestinians but a more wary approach in Israel, where demonstrators both in favour and against the deal have taken to the streets.
Thirty-three of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages – including women, children, men over 50 and ill and wounded captives – are to be freed in this phase, as Reuters reports. In return, Israel will release almost 2,000 Palestinians from its jails. They include 737 male, female and teenage prisoners, some of whom are members of Palestinian militant groups convicted of attacks that killed dozens of Israelis, as well as hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza in detention since the start of the war. The Israeli justice ministry published their details early on Saturday, along with the ceasefire agreement, which said 30 Palestinian prisoners would be released for each female hostage on Sunday.
Hamas said on Saturday that the mechanism of the release of Israeli hostages it holds in Gaza would depend on the number of Palestinian prisoners Israel would free. Hamas also said on Saturday that Israel had “failed to achieve its aggressive goals” in Gaza. The group said in statement that Israel “only succeeded in committing war crimes that disgrace the dignity of humanity.”
Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem, congratulated Palestinians on Saturday for the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying it proved the “persistence of resistance” against Israel in his first comments since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday. Qassem also said that the Hezbollah’s war with Israel in Lebanon had contributed in “Gaza’s victory”, according to Reuters.
A spokesperson for al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has said that the group is making final arrangements for the release of captives. However, they warned that intensified Israeli bombing could put their lives at risk.
The Israeli military said it intercepted two missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday. The military activated air raid sirens in Jerusalem and in parts of central and southern Israel ahead of the interceptions during the day, with the first projectile shot down in the morning. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed the morning attack, saying they had targeted Israel’s defence ministry. On Friday, the Houthi rebels warned they would keep up their attacks if Israel did not respect the terms of the ceasefire with Hamas.
Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in an update on Saturday. The ministry statement said that 23 Palestinians were killed and 83 were injured over the past 24 hours. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
On Saturday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) photos showed Palestinians in the southern city of Khan Younis mourning four members of a family killed in an Israeli strike. On Friday, Gaza’s civil defence rescue agency said that Israeli bombardment had killed at least 113 Palestinians, after Israel’s military reported hitting about 50 targets in 24 hours.
Israel is expected to receive the names, later this afternoon, of the first three hostages to be released, the Times of Israel reported, citing the Kan public broadcaster. According to the Kan report, Hamas will give the names to Qatar, who will then inform the Mossad director, David Barnea. Barnea would then inform the families.
Israeli police said that several people were injured in a shooting in Tel Aviv on Saturday, while emergency service providers reported that one person was injured by stabbing. “There are injuries at the scene, and at this stage, large police forces are on their way to the location. The circumstances are currently unclear,” the police said in a statement, adding the incident occurred on Levontin Street.
Eight people have been arrested at a pro-Palestine rally in central London, as hundreds gathered amid a heavy police presence. The rally comes after police curtailed organisers’ plans for a march past the BBC and near a synagogue and it was adjusted to be a static rally in Whitehall instead. A pro-Israel counter-rally also took place in Whitehall on Saturday.
Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, stressed to UN secretary-general, António Guterres, on Saturday the urgency of an Israeli military withdrawal as stipulated by a ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November. According to Reuters, Guterres said he would “exert utmost efforts” to ensure the secure withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon within the set deadline.
The Palestine Red Cross Society (PRCS) welcomed the news of a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip in a statement published on Saturday, describing it as a “glimpse of hope through the darkness” for Palestinians. It also stressed of ‘“immense” humanitarian needs that “must be addressed at scale, immediately” and called for the initial six-week ceasfire to extended into “a sustained agreement”.
Two judges were killed in a shooting attack on Saturday outside the supreme court building in Tehran, Iranian state media reported. “Three judges of the supreme court were targeted. Two of them were martyred and one was injured,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported, adding that the “assailant killed himself”.
One of the sticking points between Israel and Hamas in ceasefire negotiations has been which Palestinians held in Israeli jails will be released – Israel has been loathe to include famous figures such as Fatah member Marwan Barghouti, who is extremely popular with the Palestinian public.
Among the well-known names on the list so far are is Khalida Jarrar, a well-known Palestinian parliamentarian with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) party, who is scheduled to be released on Sunday.
Jarrar has been arrested several times, including stints held in administrative detention, which allows for the preemptive arrest of subjects based on evidence which can be kept secret.
She served around three years in prison between 2019 and 2021 for membership of the PFLP, which Israel considers a terrorist organisation, and was arrested again and placed in administrative detention in December 2023, when Israel began sweeping arrest campaigns in the West Bank after the outbreak of the new war.
Also on the list is Zakaria Zubeidi of Jenin, a famous al-Aqsa Brigades commander from the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, of the 2000s. He was one of six Palestinians who broke out of Gilboa prison in 2021, cementing his status as a folk hero. He has said in interviews that he was responsible for a 2002 attack in which six Israeli civilians were killed.
On Friday night, the Palestinian Authority announced it had reached an agreement to withdraw from Jenin’s refugee camp, where it has been fighting militant groups for the last seven weeks. The move is widely believed to be motivated by Zubeidi’s release: he is likely to be greeted by huge crowds of supporters on his return.
Here are some images from Tel Aviv coming in via the newswires after Israeli police said that several people were injured in a shooting there on Saturday:
Israel police say several injured in Tel Aviv shooting
Israeli police said that several people were injured in a shooting in Tel Aviv on Saturday, while emergency service providers reported that one person was injured by stabbing.
“There are injuries at the scene, and at this stage, large police forces are on their way to the location. The circumstances are currently unclear,” the police said in a statement, adding the incident occurred on Levontin Street in Tel Aviv.
Emergency service provider Magen David Adom said its staff were providing medical treatment to a 30-year-old male “injured from stabbing”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Eight people have been arrested at a pro-Palestine rally in central London, as hundreds gathered amid a heavy police presence, reports the PA news agency.
A man was arrested on suspicion of holding a placard suggesting support for banned organisations, while four people were arrested on suspicion of public order offences and three others on suspicion of breaching conditions put in place for the protest. One of the conditions prevents anyone involved in the protest from entering a specific area around Portland Place.
The rally comes after police curtailed organisers’ plans for a march past the BBC and near a synagogue. According to the PA news agency, the Metropolitan police denied putting a “ring of steel” around Broadcasting House as the force said officers would be posted nearby after preventing plans by protesters targeting the BBC to gather in Portland Place.
The force blocked the march from gathering there due to Broadcasting House’s close proximity to a synagogue and the risk the protest could cause “serious disruption” to the Jewish holy day, as congregants attend Shabbat services. The protest was adjusted to be a static rally in Whitehall instead.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) shared updates on its X account from the rally and, in its latest update, posted a video showing a large crowd outside Downing Street waving Palestinian flags. Protesters could be seen holding placards, some which read ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Stop arming Israel’.
The PSC said “thousands of people” were demonstrating to demand that the UK government takes action to pressure Israel to end its occupation.
Here are some images, via the newswires:
There has also been a pro-Israel counter-rally taking place in Whitehall, London, today:
Updated
Israel intercepts second missile fired from Yemen on Saturday, says military
The Israeli military said it intercepted two missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday, a day before a ceasefire is set to take effect in Gaza, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The military activated air raid sirens in Jerusalem and in parts of central and southern Israel ahead of the interceptions during the day, with the first projectile shot down in the morning.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed the morning attack, hours after the Israeli military intercepted the incoming missile. The Houthis “carried out a specific military operation targeting the so-called Ministry of Defence of the Israeli enemy … using a ballistic missile” in central Israel, the rebels said in a statement.
The morning attack had triggered explosions over Jerusalem as the military intercepted the missile, AFP journalists reported.
Later, sirens blared across southern Israel as a second missile was fired from Yemen and intercepted by the Israeli air force, the military said.
“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the areas of Eilat and Arava, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted” before crossing into Israeli territory, it said.
The Houthis have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.
On Friday, the Houthi rebels warned they would keep up their attacks if Israel did not respect the terms of the ceasefire with Hamas.
The Palestine Red Cross Society (PRCS) has welcomed the news of a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip, it said in a statement published on Saturday, describing it as a “glimpse of hope through the darkness” for Palestinians.
It also stressed of '“immense” humanitarian needs that “must be addressed at scale, immediately” and called for the initial six-week ceasfire to extended into “a sustained agreement”.
The humanitarian organisation also published seven points that it says it needs in order to cary out its mission. These include: “PRCS teams being allowed immediately to rotate between the West Bank and Gaza Strip”, “medical evacuations and transfer of sick and wounded from the Gaza Strip to other countries must be urgently facilitated” and “all crossing points must be opened to allow for delivery of enough and sustained humanitarian aid to meet the acute shortage of basic necessities including food, clean water, fuel, medical supplies and shelter”.
The Times of Israel reports, citing the Kan public broadcaster, that Israel is expected to receive the names, later this afternoon, of the first three hostages to be released.
According to the Kan report, Hamas will give the names to Qatar, who will then inform the Mossad director, David Barnea. Barnea would then inform the families, it states.
The article also says that it is believed that the first three hostages will be civilian women and not the five female soldiers.
The Guardian has not been able to independently verify the report.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim missile attack on Israel, saying they targeted Israel's defence ministry
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed a missile attack on Israel, hours after the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen (see 08.50am GMT).
The rebels “carried out a specific military operation targeting the so-called Ministry of Defense of the Israeli enemy … using a ballistic missile” in central Israel, they said in a statement, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis said that the group will “coordinate closely with the Palestinian resistance to deal with Israel in case of any violations” to the Gaza ceasefire deal, reports Reuters.
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The Israeli army said it conducted strikes on 50 “terror targets” across the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to a statement by the army on Saturday.
More to follow on this as it comes.
An Israeli strike has killed a Palestinian near Khan Younis, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
The website reported:
The attack took place in the town of al-Fukhari, east of Khan Younis, report our colleagues on the ground and Palestinian media.
It follows an earlier attack on a home in the Khan Younis area that killed five family members, including three children.
A spokesperson for al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has said that the group is making final arrangements for the release of captives.
However, they warned that intensified Israeli bombing could put their lives at risk.
Abu Hamza called on the families of captives to demand the Israeli military stop the bombardment before the ceasefire starts.
“[The attacks] would be a reason for killing their children,” he said in a statement on Telegram.
The BBC are reporting that a senior Palestinian official involved in the Doha negotiations has shared previously undisclosed details about a security protocol, agreed as part of the ceasefire deal.
According to the BBC’s report, under this arrangement and once the ceasefire takes effect, Israel will permit Hamas police wearing their official blue uniforms to operate within designated areas of the Gaza Strip. It adds that Hamas police personnel will refrain from carrying weapons except when absolutely necessary.
The senior Palestinian official, who has not been named, told the BBC that Hamas police will then manage the movement of displaced individuals from southern Gaza to the north. This would be while avoiding proximity to Israeli forces, which will maintain a security presence along the eastern and northern borders of the Gaza Strip, said the source.
They added that Qatar and Egypt will mediate between Israel and Hamas to prevent any potential conflicts.
The Guardian has not been able to independently verify the report.
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Here are some of the latest images coming in via the newswires:
Israel has 'failed to achieve its aggressive goals' in Gaza, says Hamas
Hamas said on Saturday that Israel had “failed to achieve its aggressive goals” in Gaza, a day before the start of a ceasefire and hostage release deal it agreed with Israel.
Israel “only succeeded in committing war crimes that disgrace the dignity of humanity,” the group said in a statement, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, stressed to UN secretary-general, António Guterres, on Saturday the urgency of an Israeli military withdrawal as stipulated by a ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.
According to Reuters, Guterres said he would “exert utmost efforts” to ensure the secure withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon within the set deadline under the ceasefire deal.
Gaza health ministry says 23 Palestinians killed and 83 injured by Israel's military offensive in past 24 hours
Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in an update on Saturday.
The ministry statement said that 23 Palestinians were killed and 83 were injured over the past 24 hours. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
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Reuters has more detail on the comments by Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem, who congratulated Palestinians on Saturday for the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying it proved the “persistence of resistance” against Israel (see 8.29am GMT).
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November. That ceasefire, which was brokered by the US and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.
Both sides have since accused each other of breaching the ceasefire.
“Don’t test our patience and I call on the Lebanese state to deal firmly with these violations that have exceeded 100,” Qassem said.
He also referred to the election of Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, who commanded the Lebanese military until parliament elected him as head of state on 9 January.
“Our contribution as Hezbollah and the Amal movement led to the election of the new president with consensus,” Qassem said.
The nomination of Lebanese prime minister-designate, Nawaf Salam, had angered Hezbollah, which accused opponents of seeking to exclude it, reports Reuters.
This visual guide shows, via satellite imagery, video footage and graphics, how Gaza has been left in ruins after more than 15 months of war between Hamas and Israel:
Israeli bombardment killed at least 113 Palestinians, Gaza’s civil defence rescue agency said on Friday, after Israel’s military reported hitting about 50 targets in 24 hours.
On Saturday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) photos showed Palestinians in the southern city of Khan Younis mourning four members of a family killed in another Israeli strike.
Explosions were heard over Jerusalem Saturday morning after warning sirens blared and the military said a projectile had been launched from Yemen, whose Iran-backed rebels say they support the Palestinians, reported AFP.
“As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8.30am on Sunday, 19 January, local time in Gaza,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said on X. “We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources.”
In more than 15 months of war between Hamas and Israel, there has been only one previous truce, for one week, in November 2023. That deal also saw the release of hostages held by the militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
“The government has approved the hostage return plan,” the office of prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said early on Saturday after the cabinet held its vote. Netanyahu’s office said the deal “supports achieving the objectives of the war”.
Israel’s justice ministry said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be freed as part of the first phase of the deal – none before 4pm local time (2pm GMT) on Sunday.
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Hamas says mechanism of Israeli hostages' release to hinge on number of Palestinians to be freed by Israel
Hamas said on Saturday that the mechanism of the release of Israeli hostages it holds in Gaza would depend on the number of Palestinian prisoners Israel would free, reports Reuters.
In a statement, Hamas said the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released would be published one day before the exchange under terms of its ceasefire deal reached with Israel on Wednesday.
The ceasefire is set to come into effect at 06.30am GMT on Sunday, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, away from news of Israel-Gaza, two judges were killed in a shooting attack on Saturday outside the supreme court building in Tehran, Iranian state media reported.
“Three judges of the supreme court were targeted. Two of them were martyred and one was injured,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported, adding that the “assailant killed himself”.
In an update on the previous post, the Israeli military said sirens sounded in central Israel on Saturday as it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.
Explosions were heard over Jerusalem on Saturday morning, Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists reported.
Sirens and explosions were heard over Jerusalem at about 10.20am (08.20am GMT), shortly after sirens sounded in response to the projectile launched from Yemen, the Israeli military said in a statement.
Sirens are blaring across central Israel after a projectile was launched from Yemen, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing the Israeli army.
More details soon …
Updated
Hezbollah leader says Gaza ceasefire deal shows 'persistence of resistance' against Israel
Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem, congratulated Palestinians on Saturday for the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying it proved the “persistence of resistance” against Israel in his first comments since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday.
“This deal, which was unchanged from what was proposed in May 2024, proves the persistence of resistance groups, which took what they wanted while Israel was not able to take what it sought,” the leader of the Lebanese militant group said in a speech.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November.
Qassem also said that the Hezbollah’s war with Israel in Lebanon had contributed in “Gaza’s victory”, according to Reuters.
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Under the ceasefire agreement, the three-stage truce starts with an initial six-week phase when hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for prisoners and detainees jailed in Israel.
Thirty-three of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages – including women, children, men over 50 and ill and wounded captives – are to be freed in this phase, as Reuters reports.
In return, Israel will release almost 2,000 Palestinians from its jails. They include 737 male, female and teenage prisoners, some of whom are members of Palestinian militant groups convicted of attacks that killed dozens of Israelis, as well as hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza in detention since the start of the war.
The Israeli justice ministry published their details early on Saturday, along with the ceasefire agreement, which said 30 Palestinian prisoners would be released for each female hostage on Sunday.
Lead US negotiator Brett McGurk said that after Sunday’s hostage release, the deal called for four more female hostages to be released after seven days, followed by the release of three further hostages every seven days thereafter.
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After 15 months of watching their relatives suffering in Gaza, residents of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus finally breathed a sigh of relief. The war in the besieged Palestinian territory was soon to be over.
“Hearing that the fighting will finally stop, it raised our spirits. We don’t have any work or money, but now we have something at least to make us happy, now you hear people laughing in the streets,” said Rbeia Abu Hmeida, 45, a Palestinian refugee who lives in the Yarmouk camp.
According to UN figures, writes William Christou, about 90% of Syrians live in poverty – and Yarmouk’s residents are among the country’s poorest. Despite limited means, they passed out sweets in the streets to celebrate the end of fighting in Gaza, with which they feel an intimate connection.
Abu Hmeida said:
We used not to be able to cross this street; the regime snipers would shoot you. We couldn’t even get to the street to retrieve the bodies, so we would watch the dogs eat them, just like in Gaza.
Residents of the camp see many parallels between their experience and those of their relatives in Gaza.
To read Christou’s full report from Damascus, click here:
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Gaza truce to take effect at 8.30am local time on Sunday – Qatar
The Gaza ceasefire will come into effect at 8.30am Gaza time (6.30am GMT) on Sunday 19 January, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson has just said on social media.
Majed Al Ansari’s post on X said:
We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources.
The time was “as coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators”, he said.
Updated
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper is reporting that the hostage and ceasefire deal approved by the government includes Israel’s commitment to allow the return of all residents of northern Gaza to their homes.
The report continues:
Due to the fact that most homes in the northern strip are uninhabitable, “caravan cities” will be established in the area with international funding, expected to include tens of thousands of caravans, and work on them will begin once the agreement comes into effect.
Additionally, Israel has committed to significantly increasing the humanitarian aid entering the strip and allowing the entry of 600 food trucks every day. The products that will be allowed into the strip are those that were approved before the war.
There is also a commitment to expand the issues defined as humanitarian and to allow the rehabilitation of essential infrastructure in the strip.
Among other things, main roads, schools, hospitals and water, sewage and electricity infrastructure will be rehabilitated.
For the reconstruction work, Israel has committed to allowing Egyptian-owned construction companies to enter the strip, along with the entry of engineering equipment, building materials, steel and other supplies.
Updated
News of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas has been greeted with joy by Palestinians but a more wary approach in Israel, where demonstrators both in favour and against the deal have taken to the streets, Bethan McKernan and Quique Kierszenbaum report.
Israel’s stated objectives in the 15-month war in Gaza, which was triggered by the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, are to completely destroy the militant group and to bring the remaining 100 or so hostages home. For many, the compromises made this week in Qatar to get the deal over the line are seen as a betrayal, but for differing reasons.
At Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, a few hundred friends and relatives of the hostages met on Thursday night for a sombre gathering and music played by friends of 25-year-old Evyatar David, who was taken captive at the Nova music festival.
“It’s a mix of emotions,” said Matan Eshet, 27, David’s cousin. “Of course we are really glad that people are coming back home, but on the other hand, we don’t know their condition. And Evyatar is not on the first list. We are anxious because every day he stays there, he is in danger … There is still a lot that can go wrong.”
Meanwhile in Jerusalem, about 1,500 people protested against the deal outside prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, blocking a nearby highway, and were dispersed by police.
Many wore black, and had red paint on their hands, bearing placards saying: “A released prisoner today is a terrorist tomorrow,” and: “You have no mandate to surrender to Hamas.” Earlier in the day, about 40 coffins draped in Israeli flags were placed outside.
The major talking point was the same as at the pro-deal demonstration in Tel Aviv: that the agreement brokered this week could effectively abandon some of the hostages.
You can read the full story here:
The ceasefire agreement came despite an unexpected delay on Friday that had sparked fears that last-minute disagreements between Israel and Hamas might scuttle the deal, as Lorenzo Tondo and Bethan McKernan report.
Far-right members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government had threatened to vote against the deal or quit the government, potentially derailing months of work to end the conflict.
The government announced the approval after 1am Saturday, Jerusalem time, following a six-hour meeting of the full cabinet that went well past the beginning of the Jewish sabbath, a rare occurrence and a reflection of the moment’s importance.
Earlier on Friday, the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, welcomed the security cabinet’s approval of the deal, saying: “This is a vital step on the path to upholding the basic commitment a nation has to its citizens.”
The full report is here:
Opening summary
Welcome to our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war. It’s approaching 8am in Tel Aviv and Gaza City – here’s a snapshot of the latest news.
Israel’s cabinet approved a deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday.
The deal, scheduled to begin on Sunday, could pave the way for an end to the 15-month-old war in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory.
“The government has approved the hostage return plan,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Israel’s justice ministry said on Saturday that 737 prisoners and detainees would be freed as part of the agreement’s first phase. “The government approves” the “release (of) 737 prisoners and detainees” currently in the custody of the prison service, the ministry said in a statement.
In Gaza, Israeli warplanes have kept up heavy attacks since the ceasefire deal was agreed. Medics in Gaza said an Israeli airstrike early on Saturday killed five people in a tent in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in the territory’s south, bringing to 119 the number of Palestinians that authorities say have been killed by Israeli strikes since the deal was announced on Wednesday.
Expanding on those and other key developments:
Lead US negotiator Brett McGurk said after the Israeli cabinet approval that the plan was moving forward on track. The White House expected the ceasefire to start on Sunday morning, with three female hostages to be released to Israel on Sunday afternoon through the Red Cross.
Under the deal, the three-stage ceasefire starts with an initial six-week phase when hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for prisoners detained by Israel. Thirty-three of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages, including women, children, and men over 50, were due to be freed in this phase. Israel will release all Palestinian women and children under 19 in Israeli jails by the end of the first phase.
The ceasefire deal was bitterly opposed by some hardliners in the Israeli cabinet, with media reports saying 24 ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition government voted in favour of the deal while eight opposed it. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to resign if it was approved but said he would not bring down the government. His fellow hardliner Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, also threatened to quit the government if it did not go back to war to defeat Hamas after the first six-week phase of the ceasefire. The Israeli high court is still scheduled to hear petitions against elements of the deal but it is widely expected not to intervene.
Negotiators from Egypt, Qatar, the US and Israel had agreed on “all necessary arrangements to implement” the truce agreement, Egyptian media reported. During Friday’s talks, which reportedly ended “on a positive note”, negotiators agreed to form a joint operations room in Cairo to “ensure effective coordination” and compliance with the truce terms, it said.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, which is to last 42 days and take effect from Sunday, Hamas has agreed to release 33 hostages including children, women – including female soldiers – and those aged over 50. In exchange, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners for every female Israeli soldier released by Hamas, and 30 for other female hostages. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said French-Israeli citizens Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi were in the first group of hostages to be freed by Hamas.
Israel’s justice ministry released a list of 95 Palestinians held in Israeli prisoners to be freed in the first exchange, including 25 male prisoners, all under the age of 21, and 70 female prisoners. One of the most well-known individuals on the list is Palestinian parliament member and feminist lawmaker Khalida Jarrar.
At least 115 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire deal was announced on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday, while medics said another five were killed in an Israeli airstrike early on Saturday in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis. Gaza’s health ministry said at least 46,876 people had been killed and 110,642 injured in more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.
The Palestinian Authority is ready to assume “full responsibility” in postwar Gaza, president Mahmoud Abbas said in his first statement since the ceasefire deal was announced. This would include the return of displaced people, providing basic services, crossings management and reconstruction of the war-torn territory, a statement from the Palestinian presidency said.
The head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), Philippe Lazzarini, welcomed the ceasefire but warned that it was “only a starting point”. Lazzarini on Friday called for a “rapid, uninterrupted and unhindered” humanitarian access to the “tremendous suffering” in Gaza. He also noted that the Israeli Knesset’s legislation barring the UN agency would come into effect in less than two weeks, warning that it would be “catastrophic” for Gaza. UK lawmakers said the Israeli ban on Unrwa threatened to undermine efforts for peace in the Middle East.
UN secretary general António Guterres urged an end to Israel’s “continued occupation” and “military operations” in south Lebanon, after a November ceasefire to end fighting between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.
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