This blog has now closed. You can read our latest report on Israel’s threat to resume its war on Gaza unless its hostages are released here and all our coverage of the war here.
Caroline Seguin, an emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has shared some of what she has witnessed in northern Gaza over the past weeks in a post on the aid organisation’s website.
She says that in the Indonesian hospital “every medical machine seemed to have been deliberately destroyed”.
They were smashed to pieces, one by one, to make sure no medical care could be provided anymore … These machines are made to save people’s lives – mothers, fathers, children. It’s devastating to see the state of these hospitals.
She says that her colleagues, already shocked by level of destruction in Gaza City, were left without words when they entered Jabalia refugee camp, which was placed in a siege within a siege by the Israeli army at the end of last year and relentlessly attacked.
There is nothing there anymore. Only ruins and the smell of death everywhere because of the dead bodies still trapped under the rubble.
She also said that despite the four-week-long ceasefire “we are still not seeing the massive scale-up of humanitarian aid needed in northern Gaza”.
According to Al Jazeera, Israel has only allowed in 8,500 trucks of basic aid into Gaza since the ceasefire, instead of the 12,000 agreed upon in the deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected Donald Trump’s proposal to ethnically cleanse the Gaza strip and redevelop it under US ownership. In an interview recorded with CNN last week and broadcast on Tuesday, Macron said:
You cannot say to 2 million people, ‘okay, now guess what? You will move … The right answer is not a real estate operation, this is a political operation.
He also reiterated his opposition to Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza, in which tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed:
I always reiterated my disagreement with [Israeli] prime minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu,” Macron said. “I don’t believe, once again, that such a massive operation targeting sometimes civilian people is the right answer.
Here’s a bit more from the Egyptian foreign ministry statement, which has been posted online. In it, Egypt says it
emphasizes that any vision for resolving the Palestinian cause must take into account the need to avoid endangering the gains of peace in the region while simultaneously addressing the root cause of the conflict by ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and implementing the two-state solution as the only path to stability and coexistence among the region’s peoples.
Summary of the day so far
It’s nearly 1am in Tel Aviv and Gaza, and 6pm in Washington. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
Donald Trump doubled down on his proposal that Gaza would be controlled by the US and that the population there would be relocated. “With the United States being in control of that piece of land, you can have stability in the Middle East for the first time” Trump said during a White House press conference with the Jordanian king Abdullah II.
The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that the US wouldn’t need to “buy Gaza”, but instead said: “We’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it.” “We’re going to get it going eventually” Trump said. He then expressed his belief that Gaza has the potential to be a valuable asset, stating “I think it could be a diamond.”
King Abdullah reacted to Trump’s latest comments by urging all sides “not to get ahead of ourselves”. He also said: “The president is looking at Egypt coming to present their plan, we will be in Saudi Arabia to discuss how we can work with the president and with the United States.” He added: “So I think let’s wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president and not get ahead of ourselves.”
Egypt reaffirmed its objection to any proposal to allocate land to relocate Palestinians from Gaza. Egypt also said on Tuesday it plans to offer a “comprehensive proposal” to rebuild Gaza while ensuring Palestinians remain on their land, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would end the ceasefire if Hamas failed to free the Israeli hostage by midday on Saturday. He said: “The decision that I passed unanimously in the cabinet is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon - the ceasefire will be terminated, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated.” Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar warned it would “return to military operations and fighting” if Hamas does not release hostages.
Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to reports. In a statement, Hamas said that it holds Israel accountable for any “complications or delays”. It also condemned Trump’s latest comments doubling down on his Gaza proposal, describing them as “racist” and “a call for ethnic cleansing”.
The UN urged Israel and Hamas to make sure the ceasefire holds as tension over a possible delay of the latest hostage release ratcheted up. The UN secretary-general António Guterres appealed to both sides to stick to their commitment.
Trump also weighed in again on the Gaza ceasefire and rising tensions after Hamas said it could delay the planned release of hostages on Saturday. Trump said he does not think Hamas will make the Saturday deadline for the hostage release, adding Hamas must have all hostages out by Saturday or “all bets are off”.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa denounced Trump’s Gaza proposal. West Bank-based Musfafa said in a statement on Tuesday, that the Palestinian Authority “underscored the absolute rejection of all schemes to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from Gaza, as well as Israel’s annexation schemes in the West Bank, which undermine the realization of the independent Palestinian state.”
During the press conference Trump was asked about threats to pull US funding from Jordan and Egypt. The US president suggested he would not need to withhold aid to push through his proposal, telling reporters: “I don’t have to threaten with money” Trump said. “We contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way, a lot to both, but I don’t have to threaten that, I do think we’re above that.”
Updated
Hamas condemns Trump Gaza 'takeover' as 'call for ethnic cleansing'
Hamas condemned Donald Trump’s plan to empty Gaza of its Palestinian residents, describing the US president’s comments as “racist” and “a call for ethnic cleansing”.
In a statement on Telegram, Hamas accused Trump of seeking to “liquidate the Palestinian cause and deny the national rights of the Palestinian people.”
It came after the US president repeated his plan for the US to take control of Gaza and remove its population.
As we reported earlier, Hamas also reiterated that it was committed to the ceasefire deal, and claiming that Israel would be “responsible for any complications or delays.”
Updated
Elon Musk walks back Trump administration claim that US sends condoms to Gaza
Elon Musk conceded that “some of the things that I say will be incorrect” when he was asked about the Trump administration’s claim that it “stopped $50m being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas”.
Musk, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office while standing next to Donald Trump, said:
Some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected. So nobody’s gonna bat a thousand. I mean … we will make mistakes, but we’ll act quickly to correct any mistakes.
He added:
I’m not sure we should be sending $50m dollars worth of condoms anywhere… I’m not sure that’s something Americans would be really excited about. That really is an enormous number of condoms. But you know, if it went to Mozambique instead of Gaza, I’m like, OK, that’s not as bad. But still, you know, why are we doing that?
Trump and the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, have previously claimed that there was a federal plan to spend $50m on condoms in Gaza.
According to a comprehensive report issued in September by the US Agency for International Development (USAid), not a penny of the $60.8m in contraceptive and condom shipments funded by the US in the past year went to Gaza.
In fact, the accounting shows, there were no condoms sent to any part of the Middle East, and just one small shipment, $45,680 in oral and injectable contraceptives, was sent to the region, all of it distributed to the government of Jordan.
Israel will “return to military operations and fighting” if Hamas does not release hostages, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar warned.
“A decision by Hamas to not release the hostages is a decision to return to the war,” Sa’ar said during a meeting with EU ambassadors on Tuesday, the Times of Israel reports.
He added that Israel is prepared “for the fact that Hamas may attack Israel.”
UN calls on Israel and Hamas to keep ceasefire commitments
The UN has urged Israel and Hamas to make sure the ceasefire holds as tension over a possible delay of the latest hostage release ratchets up on Tuesday.
The UN secretary-general António Guterres appealed to both sides to stick to their commitments, the BBC reports. In a statement read by a UN spokesman, Guterres said: “I appeal to Hamas to proceed with the planned liberation of hostages next Saturday, and both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement and resume serious negotiations in Doha for the second phase.”
Guterres’s spokesman Rolando Gomez also said the UN was focused on getting aid into Gaza.
Egypt restates opposition to Trump proposal
Egypt has reaffirmed its objection to any proposal to allocate land to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, according to Reuters.
Egypt rejected any proposal to allocate land to Gaza residents, the state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV reported on Tuesday, citing Egyptian sources.
Egypt also said on Tuesday it plans to offer a “comprehensive proposal” to rebuild Gaza while ensuring Palestinians remain on their land, according to a foreign ministry statement.
It said it is looking forward to cooperating with Donald Trump to reach comprehensive and just peace in the region.
The statement comes as Trump continues to press for his plan to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle its population to neighboring Egypt and Jordan despite rejection from Arab states.
Updated
Summary of the day so far
Here’s a round-up of the key events of the day so far:
Donald Trump has doubled down on his proposal that Gaza would be under US authority and that the population there would be relocated. “With the United States being in control of that piece of land, you can have stability in the Middle East for the first time” Trump said during a White House press conference with the Jordanian king Abdullah II.
The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that the US wouldn’t need to “buy Gaza”, but instead said: “We’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it.” “We’re going to get it going eventually” Trump said. He then expressed his belief that Gaza has the potential to be a value asset, stating “I think it could be a diamond.”
King Abdullah reacted to Trump’s latest comments by urging all sides “not to get ahead of ourselves”. He also said: “The president is looking at Egypt coming to present their plan, we will be in Saudi Arabia to discuss how we can work with the president and with the United States.” He added: “So I think let’s wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the President and not get ahead of ourselves.”
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would end the ceasefire if Hamas failed to free the Israeli hostage by midday on Saturday. He said: “The decision that I passed unanimously in the cabinet is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon - the ceasefire will be terminated, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated.”
Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to reports. In a statement by the group reported by Reuters, Hamas said that it holds Israel accountable for any “complications or delays”.
Trump also weighed in again on the Gaza ceasefire and rising tensions after Hamas said it could delay the planned release of hostages on Saturday. Trump said he does not think Hamas will make the Saturday deadline for the hostage release, adding Hamas must have all hostages out by Saturday or “all bets are off”.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa denounced Trump’s Gaza proposal. West Bank-based Musfafa said in a statement on Tuesday, that the Palestinian Authority “underscored the absolute rejection of all schemes to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from Gaza, as well as Israel’s annexation schemes in the West Bank, which undermine the realization of the independent Palestinian state.”
During the press conference Trump was asked about threats to pull US funding from Jordan and Egypt. The US president suggested he would not need to withhold aid to push through his proposal, telling reporters: “I don’t have to threaten with money” Trump said. “We contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way, a lot to both, but I don’t have to threaten that, I do think we’re above that.”
Updated
King Abdullah restates Jordan's 'steadfast position against' Palestinian displacement
King Abdullah II of Jordan has described his meeting with President Trump as “constructive” and says that he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.”
In a statement, the King expressed gratitude for President Trump’s warm welcome during their meeting at the White House. He noted that they discussed the longstanding partnership between Jordan and the United States, and that “it continues to be a partnership for stability, peace, and mutual security.”
King Abdullah said that during his meeting with Trump, he stressed that his “foremost commitment is to Jordan, to its stability and to the wellbeing of Jordanians.”
He said that he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank” and “stressed the importance of working towards de-escalation in the West Bank and preventing a deterioration of the situation there that could have far-reaching implications for the entire region.”
He stated, “rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.”
Achieving “just peace on the basis of the two-state solution” is the way to “ensure regional stability”, he said. This, he said, “requires US leadership.”
King Abdullah described Trump as a “man of peace” noting that he was “instrumental” in securing the Gaza ceasefire. “We look to US and all stakeholders in ensuring it holds” he added.
Lastly, King Abdullah affirmed that Jordan will continue to play an “active role with our partners to reach a just and comprehensive peace for everyone in the region.”
Updated
Hamas reaffirms commitment to ceasefire agreement - report
Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, per reports.
In a statement by the group reported by Reuters, Hamas said that it holds Israel accountable for any “complications or delays”.
The statement follows a warning from Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, who stated that the Israeli army would resume its offensive in Gaza if Hamas did not release Israeli hostages by 12pm on Saturday.
Updated
Jordan’s King Abdullah II is leaving the White House, concluding a visit that lasted around two hours.
Neither Trump nor Abdullah spoke as the King departed the White House and shook hands with Trump.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa denounces Trump’s Gaza proposal, as Trump meets with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
West Bank-based Mohammad Musfafa issued a statement on Tuesday, in which he said that the Palestinian Authority “underscored the absolute rejection of all schemes to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from Gaza, as well as Israel’s annexation schemes in the West Bank, which undermine the realization of the independent Palestinian state.”
Mustafa further stressed the importance of implementing UN security council Resolution 2735, which, he said “demands a permanent ceasefire, the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the unification of the State of Palestine’s institutions between the West Bank and Gaza, preparation for reconstruction, and the realization of the independent Palestinian state.”
During the press conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Trump repeated his demand that Hamas release all hostages by Saturday.
“They either have them out by Saturday at 12 o’clock or all bets are off” Trump said.
Trump added that he doesn’t think that Hamas is going to make the deadline.
“I have a Saturday deadline and I don’t think they’re going to make the deadline personally,” he said. “I think they want to play tough guy, but we’ll see how tough they are.”
Updated
Three in four Americans oppose idea of US taking control of Gaza, poll says
A new poll found that three out of four Americans say they oppose the idea of the US taking control of Gaza and displacing the Palestinians who live there.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted February 7-9 states that 74% of Americans surveyed said they opposed the idea of the US taking control of Gaza and displacing the Palestinians who live there.
The poll showed that Republicans were divided on the issue, with 55% opposed and 43% supportive.
Updated
Here is a video of the remarks made by Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that the ceasefire in Gaza would end if Hamas did not return hostages held in the strip.
He reiterated the demand by the US president for the release of the hostages by noon on Saturday and welcomed Trump’s ‘revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza’.
Netanyahu added that if the hostages were not returned “the military will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated”.
Iran has reportedly alerted the UN security council to what it described as “reckless and inflammatory statements” by Trump threatening the use of force against the country.
Reuters is reporting that Iran warned that “any act of aggression will have severe consequences.”
In a letter to the UN security council, seen by Reuters, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani reportedly referenced remarks made by Trump in interviews with the New York Post and Fox News, in which he spoke of a preference to do a deal to stop Tehran getting a nuclear weapon over bombing the country.
Iravani reportedly wrote that the statements “flagrantly violate international law and the UN Charter.”
Updated
When asked by a reporter where he would relocate Palestinians in Gaza to under his plan, Trump says that it will be “where we ultimately choose as a group”, and that parcels of land would go to Jordan and Egypt.
“I believe we’ll have a parcel of land in Jordan” Trump said. “I believe we’ll have a parcel of land in Egypt, we may have some place else, but I think when we finish our talks, we’ll have a place where they’re going to live very happily and very safely.”
Trump on Gaza: 'We're going to hold it, we're going to cherish it'
During a press conference with King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Trump reiterated his claims that the United States will “take” Gaza.
He told reporters that the US wouldn’t need to “buy Gaza”, but instead said: “We’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it.”
“We’re going to get it going eventually” Trump said. He then expressed his belief that Gaza has the potential to be a value asset, stating “I think it could be a diamond.”
A reporter then asked King Abdullah II for his opinion on Trump’s assertions regarding the US “taking Gaza.”
The king responded, “Well, again, this is something we as Arabs will coming to the United States with something that we’re going to talk about later, to discuss all these options.”
Another reporter inquired of President Trump, “under what authority” would the US take Gaza?, to which Trump answered, “under US authority.”
Updated
Trump suggests he does not need to withhold aid to push through Gaza plans
Trump suggests he wouldn’t withhold US aid to Jordan or countries like Egypt, other Arab nations, if they don’t agree to increase the number of people from Gaza they take in.
“I don’t have to threaten with money” Trump said. “We contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way, a lot to both, but I don’t have to threaten that, I do think we’re above that.”
Updated
Trump says US would be in control of Gaza as Jordan's King Abdullah urges caution
At the press conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Trump reiterated that Gaza would be under US authority and that the population there would be relocated.
“With the United States being in control of that piece of land, you can have stability in the Middle East for the first time” Trump said.
“And the Palestinians, or people that now live in Gaza, will be living beautifully in another location” he said. “They’ll be living safely.”
A reporter asked the King on his thoughts on having the US control the Gaza Strip, to which he responded to not “get ahead of ourselves.”
“The president is looking at Egypt coming to present their plan, we will be in Saudi Arabia to disucss how we can work with the president and with the United States” the King said.
“So I think let’s wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the President and not get ahead of ourselves” he added.
Updated
During a press conference with president Donald Trump, Jordan’s King Abdullah II offered to take 2,000 sick children from Gaza.
“One of the things we can do right away” is bring 2,000 children who are in a “very ill state” to Jordan as quickly as possible, King Abdullah said. “And then wait for the Egyptians to present their plan on how we can work with the president on the Gaza challenges.”
In response to the offer, Trump said: “that’s a really beautiful gesture.”
Hamas will not make Saturday deadline for hostage release - Trump
Here are some further details from the meeting between King Abdullah and president Trump coming to us from Reuters:
Trump says he does not think Hamas will make the Saturday deadline for hostage release adding Hamas must have all hostages out by Saturday or “all bets are off”.
Trump is quoted by Reuters as saying: “We will run Gaza very properly, we’re not going to buy it.”
Asked if he planned to do the development personally in Gaza Trump said: “no”.
When asked about the Israeli annexation of the West Bank, the president said it was going to work out.
Trump also said Palestinians will live safely in another location that is not Gaza.
Trump says he believes 99 per cent that “we’ll be able to work out something with Egypt too.”
King Abdullah said Arabs will come to the United States with a response to Trump’s Gaza plan.
Key event
We are getting some details from the meeting between Trump and King Abdullah.
Reuters reports that the king says he believes there is a way to get peace and prosperity in the region and said he will support Trump to achieve those goals. He said Jordan will take 2,000 children who are ill.
Asked about taking in Palestinians he is quoted as saying they will have to keep in mind how do we make this work that is in everyone’s best interest.
Updated
Netanyahu's statement in full
The BBC has shared Nehtanyahu’s statement in full:
“I have just concluded an in-depth four-hour discussion in the political-security cabinet.
“We all expressed outrage at the shocking situation of our three hostages who were released last Saturday.
“We all also welcomed President Trump’s demand for the release of our hostages by Saturday noon, and we all also welcomed the president’s revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza.
“In light of Hamas’ announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I ordered the IDF to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip. This operation is taking place at these hours. It will be completed in the very near future.
“The decision that I passed unanimously in the cabinet is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon - the ceasefire will be terminated, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated.”
Ceasefire in Gaza will end if Hamas does not return hostages by noon Saturday - Netanyahu
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the ceasefire in Gaza would end if Hamas did not return hostages held in the enclave by noon on Saturday.
“The military will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” he said in a video statement.
Updated
Jordan’s King Abdullah in Washington for key meeting with Donald Trump
Jordan’s King Abdullah is in Washington to meet with President Donald Trump today, where the pair are set to discuss the future of Gaza.
Earlier the king met with some of Trump’s advisers, including national security advisor Mike Waltz.
The visit is happening at a perilous moment for the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza as Hamas, accusing Israel of violating the truce, has said it is pausing future releases of hostages and as Trump has called for Israel to resume fighting if all those remaining in captivity are not freed by this weekend.
Trump has proposed the US take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” with Palestinians in the war-torn territory pushed into neighbouring nations with no right of return.
He suggested on Monday that, if necessary, he would withhold US funding from Jordan and Egypt, longtime US allies and among the top recipients of its foreign aid, as a means of persuading them to accept additional Palestinians from Gaza.
“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not?” Trump told reporters. “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”
Jordan is home to more than 2 million Palestinians and, along with other Arab states, has flatly rejected Trump’s plan to relocate civilians from Gaza.
At least $53bn needed to reuild Gaza , UN estimates
It will cost more than $53bn to rebuild Gaza and end the “humanitarian catastrophe”, including $20bn in the first three years, according to a United Nations estimate released on Tuesday.
In a report UN secretary general, António Guterres said:
While it has not been possible in the current environment to fully assess the totality of needs that will be required in Gaza, the interim assessment offers an early indication of the enormous scale of recovery and reconstruction needs in the Gaza Strip.
Iran’s top judicial authority has pardoned two journalists who uncovered the death of a young woman in police custody that triggered nationwide protests in 2022, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan said on Tuesday.
Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi had been sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison respectively by an Iranian Revolutionary Court in October 2023 for their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman in custody of the morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code.
“Following the approval by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of a list of pardons that was prepared by the judiciary’s head, these individuals were pardoned,” Mizan said, adding that the pardons were applied on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Last year, both journalists were temporarily released after 17 months in prison, and later acquitted of the charge of “collaboration with the US” in an appeal court.
Other charges such as “colluding against national security” and “propaganda against the regime” remained, but have now been cleared by the pardon and the journalists’ judicial case is now closed, Reuters reports.
Protests that followed Amini’s death led to the worst unrest in Iran since the revolution. The authorities have blamed the United States for fomenting the demonstrations, which Washington denies.
Palestinian officials have denounced president Mahmoud Abbas’ decree ending payments to the families of those killed by Israel or imprisoned in Israeli jails, including many detained for attacks on Israelis.
Agence France-Presse reports that the decree, which was issued on Monday and is expected to affect tens of thousands of people, transfers the administration of these payments to an independent foundation.
Qadura Fares, head of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority’s committee overseeing prisoner affairs, called for the decree’s immediate withdrawal, warning that it will impact “approximately 35,000 to 40,000” families both inside and outside the Palestinian territories.
“I urge you to reconsider this matter and withdraw this decree”, Fares said at a press conference in Ramallah.
He added that such a significant decision should have been discussed at all levels of the Palestinian political leadership.
Also present at the press conference was Hilmi al-Araj, head of the Center for the Defence of Liberties and Civil Rights, who called for the decree to be “rescinded as though it never existed,” condemning both “its timing and its content”.
In a separate statement, Fares said that a civil society organisation, the Palestinian Economic Empowerment Foundation, will now manage these payments and conduct audits to “verify the financial hardship” of prisoners and their families.
Unrwa says it is still operating 'at full scale' in Gaza despite ban
Despite an Israeli ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) operating in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, the agency has said that its teams are delivering humanitarian relief “at full scale" in Gaza.
In a post on X, Unrwa said it has 7,000 staff on the ground, has reached 1.2 million people with much-needed food and delivered up to 17,000 medical consultations daily.
Unrwa has provided education, health and other basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Israeli government has accused the UN agency of allowing Hamas militants to infiltrate its staff, an allegation the agency denies.
Following a Knesset vote last year, Israel formally banned Unrwa from operating on its territory at the end of last month, but many operations are continuing.
Houthis ready to launch attacks on Israel if attacks on Gaza resume, leader says
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis rebels are ready to launch attacks on Israel if it resumes attacks on Gaza and does not commit to the ceasefire deal, the group’s leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech earlier today.
The Houthis had attacked Israeli and other vessels in the Red Sea, disturbing global shipping lanes, in what they said were acts of solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians during Israel’s war on the territory.
The Houthis, who control most of western Yemen including the capital, have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023. They have targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
In addition to concerns about jeopardising the long-held goals of a two-state solution, Egypt and Jordan have privately raised security concerns about welcoming large numbers of additional refugees into their countries even temporarily, according to the Associated Press.
Jordan's King Abdullah in Washington for key meeting with Donald Trump
Sandwiched between Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel and the occupied West Bank, Jordan is already home to more than 2 million Palestinian refugees in its population of 11 million.
Amman has come to depend on Washington as its largest source of economic and military assistance for decades, which now stands at more than $1bn a year.
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 but has strained relations with its neighbour. Many Jordanians have strong connections to Gaza and are supporters of the Palestinian cause.
Jordan’s King Abdullah has been meeting with some of Donald Trump’s advisers, including national security advisor Mike Waltz, ahead of the pair’s discussion expected to take place later today (11:30 ET; 16:30 GMT).
His Majesty King Abdullah II, accompanied by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein, met in Washington, DC, with #US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz #Jordan pic.twitter.com/1pJM9MFYgh
— RHC (@RHCJO) February 11, 2025
Updated
Israeli minister backs Trump's plan to 'let hell break out' on Gaza if Israeli hostages are not released by Saturday
Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, has backed Trump’s call to “let hell break out” on Gaza if all the remaining Israeli captives are not released by Saturday.
In a post on X he said:
The response must be exactly as President Trump suggested.
Completely halt humanitarian aid, cut off electricity, water and communications and use brutal and disproportionate force until the hostages return.
He added:
It is time to open the gates of hell on Hamas – and this time, without any restrictions on our heroic fighters.
Updated
UN humanitarian officials have said that while aid flows into Gaza had improved since a ceasefire deal took effect on 19 January, they fell short of the needs on the ground.
UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke told a Geneva press briefing: “We have been able to scale up humanitarian operations significantly with food, medical and shelter supplies and other aid during the ceasefire period.”
But Edem Wosornu, director of OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy division, told a gathering of Geneva-based diplomats: “We can never match the needs right now. Gaza is completely devastated, infrastructure is not where it should be. We will try our best. The trucks are but a drop in the ocean.”
Egyptian president says Gaza reconstruction should happen 'without displacement' of Palestinians
The Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has made comments about Gaza during a phone call with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, according to a statement from his office.
US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he could cut aid to Jordan and Egypt if they refused his demand to permanently take in most Palestinian people from Gaza, in what is widely seen as a proposal for what amounts to ethnic cleansing. Jordan and Egypt have both rejected Trump’s “take over” plan.
A readout form el-Sisi’s phone call with Frederiksen states:
President El-Sisi and the Danish Prime Minister reiterated the crucial need for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement in its three stages, the exchange of hostages and detainees, as well as facilitating immediate and unfettered access for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip to end the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sector.
They also underscored the imperative to begin the reconstruction of Gaza to make it livable again, without displacing its Palestinian population, safeguarding their rights and ability to live on their land.
The phone call reaffirmed the importance of establishing an independent Palestinian State along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, affirming that this is the only guarantee for achieving lasting peace, stability, and the desired economic prosperity.
Updated
Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza reaches 48,219, says health ministry
At least 48,219 Palestinian people have been killed and 111,665 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The ministry said that 11 deaths were recorded and 10 injured people arrived in hospitals during the past 24 hours.
Gaza’s health ministry has said in the past that thousands of other dead people are most likely lost in the rubble of the territory.
Now turning to some news out of Yemen. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said one of its staff members had died in detention in northern Yemen, where the UN has repeatedly called for the Houthi movement to free detained UN employees.
WFP did not specify when or how its employee, who it said had been detained on 23 January with six others, had died.
The UN paused all operations in Yemen’s Sa’ada region on Monday after more UN staff were detained by the Houthi authorities, deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
The Iran-backed Houthis have controlled most populated parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since seizing power in 2014 and early 2015. Since 2021 the Houthis have detained dozens of UN staff. The group now has some 24 UN staff in detention.
Updated
Despite the ongoing ceasefire agreement, a young Palestinian man, Muhammad Nafeth Hosni Abu Taha, has been fatally shot by Israeli forces in a neighbourhood west of Rafah, in southern Gaza, Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, is reporting.
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza, referring to the country as a coloniser embarking on a “project of colonisation”.
“This is a colonisation, a project of colonisation,” he said at a news conference earlier today with visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “How much negotiations can you have when the coloniser has not withdrawn?”
“This is also an issue of politics of dispossession. When you rob people’s land, people’s houses, people’s property… therefore there are two issues here we have to resolve. One of course immediate humanitarian assistance, but also a long term just amicable resolution to the problem,” Ibrahim said.
Malaysia – a predominately Muslim country – is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and has pushed for a two-state solution.
President @RTErdogan, who is in Malaysia for official talks, was welcomed with an official ceremony by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia. pic.twitter.com/Udy17UbBmk
— Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye (@trpresidency) February 11, 2025
Erdogan was quoted as saying that Israel has “failed to keep its promises” regarding the ceasefire deal and told journalists that “the Israeli occupation should end once and for all”.
Updated
Israeli military's deadly raid on West Bank city of Jenin continues
The IDF’s raid on the West Bank city of Jenin, which has killed at least 25 Palestinian people, according to officials, is on its 22nd consecutive day. The Israeli military says its aim is to rout out what it has described as militants.
Jenin’s refugee camp, one of 19 across the West Bank built in the aftermath of Israel’s creation in 1948 to house displaced Palestinians, is a centre of armed Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation.
Jenin’s assistant governor Mansour al-Saadi has said that Israeli forces have caused widespread damage to the Jenin refugee camp, and displaced about 20,000 people from inside it.
The following is from a report from the Palestinian news agency, Wafa. We have not yet been able to independently verify this information:
For the 22nd consecutive day, the occupation continues to demolish and burn citizens’ homes in the camp, amidst intensive flying of drones.
The occupation forces also destroyed the street leading to the purification station in Jenin and parts of it, while it continues to send military reinforcements accompanied by bulldozers to the city of Jenin and the surroundings of the camp.
Israeli mechanisms continue to besiege Jenin governmental hospital after bulldozing its entrance and the main street leading to it.
For the 21st consecutive day, the hospital’s departments suffer from a severe shortage of potable water, while the necessary hospital departments are operating at their minimum capacity due to the Israeli aggression.
Updated
We have some more information about Shlomo Mansour, the 86-year-old Israeli hostage whose death was announced this morning (see post at 08.22 for more details).
During the Hamas-led 7 October attack on southern Israel in 2023, Mansour was taken captive from Kibbutz Kissufim, where he lived and worked as a chicken coop manager.
The Israeli hostage forum said in a statement that Mansour, born in Baghdad, was a survivor of the Farhud pogrom - a 1941 attack on Iraq’s Jewish community - and immigrated to Israel with his family aged 13.
“This is one of the most difficult days in the history of our kibbutz,” the community of Kissufim said in a statement.
“Shlomo was much more than a community member to us - he was a father, grandfather, a true friend and the beating heart of Kissufim.”
“Our hearts are broken that we couldn’t bring him back to us alive”.
The kibbutz called on the Israeli government and world leaders “to continue acting with determination to bring back all the hostages, both the living and the dead, and not to allow painful stories like Shlomo’s to repeat themselves”.
In a statement, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he and his wife, Sara, “share in the family’s deep mourning”.
“We will not rest and will not be silent until he is returned to a burial in Israel. We will continue to act with determination and without pause until we return all of our hostages - both the living and the fallen,” he said.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has urged Hamas to continue with the planned release of hostages as he warned that everything should be done to avoid the resumption of “hostilities” in the Gaza Strip.
He wrote in a post on X:
We must avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to immense tragedy. I appeal to Hamas to proceed with the planned liberation of hostages. Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement & resume serious negotiations.
Last week, Guterres, who has called for a permanent ceasefire, warned against “any form of ethnic cleansing” in Gaza as he addressed the UN committee on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
He said that any durable peace will require “tangible, irreversible and permanent” progress toward the two-state solution as well as the establishment of an “independent Palestinian state with Gaza as an integral part”.
The comments came after US President Donald Trump announced plans to take over the Gaza Strip, move Palestinians to neighbouring countries - such as Egypt and Jordan – and redevelop their homeland for occupation by “the world’s people”, effectively endorsing the ethnic cleansing of the people of Gaza.
Updated
Key event
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz has extended his condolences to the family of hostage Shlomo Mansour, who was reportedly one of the 33 people due to be released in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
The 86-year-old chicken coop manager was taken captive from Kibbutz Kissufim, where he lived and worked, in October 2023.
The Israeli military said in a statement that the “decision to confirm his death was based on intelligence gathered in recent months”.
In a post on X, Katz wrote:
I would like to extend my condolences and hugs to the family of the late Shlomo Mansour, one of the founders of Kibbutz Kissufim, who was murdered on October 7 by the terrorist organization Hamas and whose body is being held in Gaza.
We will continue to work in every way to return all the abductees, living and dead. This is our moral duty and our highest goal. May his memory be blessed.
אני מבקש למסור את תנחומיי ולחבק את משפחתו של שלמה מנצור ז"ל, ממקימי קיבוץ כיסופים, שנרצח ב-7 באוקטובר על ידי ארגון הטרור חמאס ושגופתו מוחזקת בעזה.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) February 11, 2025
נמשיך לפעול בכל דרך להשבת כל החטופים, החיים ואלו שאינם בחיים. זוהי חובתנו המוסרית ומטרתנו העליונה.
יהי זכרו ברוך. pic.twitter.com/B1OQz3NCdU
About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. 73 hostages, and three others taken a decade earlier, are still being held in Gaza, according to BBC News.
Updated
Hamas official: Trump must remember respecting truce is only way to bring Israeli hostages home
As we have been reporting throughout the blog, Hamas announced yesterday night they were postponing the next scheduled release of hostages on Saturday, blaming Israel for violating the ceasefire deal that came into effect on 19 January.
Hamas said the violations included “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip and targeting them with shelling and gunfire”.
Donald Trump, who has claimed credit for securing the agreement, warned hours later that if all the Israeli hostages held in Gaza are not returned by Saturday at noon he would propose cancelling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and letting “all hell break loose” (in total, 17 Israeli hostages were still due to be released in the first phase of the three-stage ceasefire, eight of whom Israel says are dead).
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri responded to his comments in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday.
“Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties, and this is the only way to bring back the prisoners. The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters,” he said.
Updated
Haroon Siddique is the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent
A former UK supreme court judge has described Israel’s assault on Gaza as “grossly disproportionate” and said there was “at least an arguable case” that it was genocidal.
Lord Sumption, who served on the UK’s highest court from 2012 to 2018, was one of the highest profile signatories of a letter last year warning that the UK government was breaching international law by arming Israel.
In September, the Labour government suspended some arms export licences to Israel but made an exception for parts for F35 jets – a contentious decision that is being challenged in the courts.
Sumption was speaking to the Guardian before the release of his new book, The Challenges of Democracy: And The Rule of Law, which does not address the situation in Gaza but warns of threats to free speech, which the former judge said included expressions of pro-Palestinian sentiments.
Explaining his decision to sign the letter, Sumption said: “ I thought – and I still think – that the conduct of Israel in Gaza is grossly disproportionate and there’s at least an arguable case that it’s genocidal. One can’t put it higher than that because genocide depends on intent.
That’s quite a difficult thing to establish but I read the provisional decision of the international court (of justice) (ICJ) and it seemed to me that they were saying that that was an arguable proposition.
You can read the full story here:
The Hamas announcement that it will delay the next planned release of Israeli hostages from Gaza has threatened a fragile truce that’s seen as having the potential to wind down 16 months of war.
As the Associated Press reports, the announcement has brought new dismay for Israelis who watched the latest Hamas handover of hostages in growing horror over the weekend as the three emaciated men came into sight.
The next handover of hostages had been scheduled for Saturday, and families say time is running out for those still alive. Israel now awaits what comes from a security Cabinet meeting Tuesday morning, moved up after the Hamas announcement.
“The hostages are in a clear and present danger. Their lives are at risk,” a doctor working with families of hostages, Hagai Levine, warned on Monday. “Delaying their release means that some of them will not survive.”
A look at displacement in Gaza – in pictures
Displaced Palestinian families have taken refuge in tents near their homes in Gaza city.
The scale.
What will happen in Trump's meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II?
President Donald Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East, the Associated Press reports.
The visit is happening at a perilous moment for the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza as Hamas, accusing Israel of violating the truce, has said it is pausing future releases of hostages and as Trump has called for Israel to resume fighting if all those remaining in captivity are not freed by this weekend.
Trump has proposed the US take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” with Palestinians in the war-torn territory pushed into neighbouring nations with no right of return.
He suggested on Monday that, if necessary, he would withhold US funding from Jordan and Egypt, longtime US allies and among the top recipients of its foreign aid, as a means of persuading them to accept additional Palestinians from Gaza.
“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not?” Trump told reporters. “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.”
Jordan is home to more than 2 million Palestinians and, along with other Arab states, has flatly rejected Trump’s plan to relocate civilians from Gaza.
Reopening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of developments in the Middle East, and a tenuous moment in the three-week ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, US president Donald Trump has warned that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release the remaining Israeli hostages this Saturday.
Hamas said earlier that it was delaying the release of Israeli hostages indefinitely over what it said were violations of the ceasefire, prompting Israel’s defence minister to put the country’s military on alert with orders to prepare for “any scenario in Gaza”.
It’s just past 8am in Gaza and Jerusalem, and if you are just tuning into this story, here is what you need to know.
Trump said his plan to “take over Gaza” would not include a right of return for the more than 2 million Palestinians whom he has said have “no alternative” but to leave because of the destruction left by Israel’s military campaign. Trump continued to endorse a plan for the Palestinians to be resettled in Egypt and Jordan, a plan that both countries have rejected. The remarks are the latest effective endorsement of ethnic cleansing by the US president.
Trump also said he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if those countries do not take Palestinian refugees being relocated from Gaza.
The US president will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza – perhaps permanently – as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East. The visit is happening at a perilous moment for the ongoing ceasefire.
In response to Hamas’ announcement delaying the release of hostages, Israel’s security cabinet has moved forward a meeting to discuss negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire, which had been set for Tuesday evening. The army has cancelled all leave for soldiers in the Gaza division, the Kan news outlet reported, in a sign that Israeli authorities are preparing for the resumption of war.
Mediators fear a breakdown of the three-week-old ceasefire and have postponed talks until they receive a clear indication of Washington’s intent to continue with the phased deal, according to reports. Qatar had reportedly warned Israeli officials at the weekend that even the first stage of the ceasefire deal was being put in jeopardy by provocative statements from Benjamin Netanyahu and by his government’s approach to talks on a second stage.
Israeli police raided a leading Palestinian-owned bookshop in Jerusalem and detained two of its owners, accusing them of selling books that supported terrorism, including a children’s colouring book entitled From the Jordan to the Sea.
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC), is the first person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorised by Trump that target the court over investigations of US citizens or US allies, the White House has confirmed. The US president signed an executive order last week authorising aggressive economic sanctions against the ICC, accusing the body of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.
A former UK supreme court judge described Israel’s assault on Gaza as “grossly disproportionate” and said there was “at least an arguable case” that it was genocidal. Lord Sumption, who served on the UK’s highest court from 2012 to 2018, was one of the highest profile signatories of a letter last year warning that the UK government was breaching international law by arming Israel.
Updated
We are pausing this live blog for the moment but for a full report on Trump’s latest comments on the ceasefire deal our reporters in Washington and Jerusalem have this comprehensive read:
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan first to be hit with US sanctions
International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan is the first person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorised by US President Donald Trump, according to a report by Reuters.
Khan, who is British, was named on Monday in an annex to an executive order signed by Trump last week.
Trump signed an executive order last week that authorises aggressive economic sanctions against the ICC, accusing the body of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.
The hostile action against the ICC comes in response to the court’s decision in November to issue arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Updated
Israel's defence minister says Hamas announcement a 'complete violation' of ceasefire deal
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said the Hamas announcement was a “complete violation” of the ceasefire agreement, signalling that fighting could resume, Agence France-Press reports.
“I have instructed the IDF (military) to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza,” Katz said in a statement.
The military later said that it had raised “the level of readiness” around Gaza, and “decided to significantly reinforce the area”.
Negotiators were due to meet in the coming days in Qatar to discuss the implementation of the truce’s first phase, as well as potentially the next phases which have yet to be finalised, Agence France-Presse reports.
Talks on a second phase were meant to begin on the truce’s 16th day, but Israel had refused to send its negotiators to Doha for that.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum campaign group said on Monday it had “requested assistance from the mediating countries to help restore and implement the existing deal effectively”.
Trump suggests permanent relocation of Palestinians in Gaza
Trump’s comments that all “hell will break out” if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages on Saturday comes as he also suggested that Palestinians would not have the right of return to the Gaza Strip under his proposal to redevelop the enclave.
That suggestion appears to contradict what Trump’s own officials have said about any relocation of Palestinians in Gaza only being temporary.
In an excerpt of an interview with Fox News channel’s Bret Baier broadcast on Monday, Trump added that he thought he could make a deal with Jordan and Egypt to take the displaced Palestinians, saying the US gives the two countries “billions and billions of dollars a year”, Reuters reports.
Asked if Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza, Trump said: “No, they wouldn’t because they’re going to have much better housing.”
“I’m talking about building a permanent place for them,” he said, adding it would take years for Gaza to be habitable again.
In a shock announcement on 4 February after meeting Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Washington, Trump proposed resettling Gaza’s 2.2 million Palestinians and the US taking control of the seaside enclave to redevelop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Israel military will 'significantly reinforce’ around Gaza
After Hamas announced its intention to postpone the release of Israeli hostages, the Israeli military said on Monday it would “significantly reinforce” areas around the Gaza Strip.
“In accordance with the situational assessment, it was decided to raise the level of readiness and postpone leave for combat soldiers and operational units in the Southern Command...” the army said in a statement referring to its command responsible for Gaza, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
“Additionally, it was decided to significantly reinforce the area with additional forces, for defensive missions,” it said.
Trump says aid to Jordan and Egypt could be withheld if they don't take Palestinian refugees
Trump, when speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, also suggested he could withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don’t take Palestinian refugees that he envisions being relocated form Gaza.
What did Trump say exactly?
If you are just tuning into president Trump’s latest comments on Gaza, the US leader has suggested that a precarious ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas should be canceled if Hamas doesn’t release all the remaining hostages it is holding in Gaza by midday on Saturday.
This is what he said exactly:
“If they’re not here, all hell is going to break out,” Trump said. He added of the ceasefire: “Cancel it, and all bets are off.”
Trump said the final decision would be up to Israel, saying, “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.” But asked if the US would join in a response to Hamas if hostages weren’t freed, Trump added, “Hamas will find out what I mean.”
Egypt backs Palestinians’ right to remain on their land after US meeting
One of the reasons Hamas says it is postponing the next scheduled release of Israeli hostages is what they say are violations of the ceasefire deal, including delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to the north.
Egypt rejected on Monday “any compromise” that would infringe on Palestinians’ rights, in a statement issued after foreign minister Badr Abdelatty met with his US counterpart in Washington.
“Egypt maintains its position rejecting any compromise of these rights, including the right to self-determination, remaining on the land and independence,” said the Egyptian foreign ministry, after US President Donald Trump had suggested removing Palestinians from the war-battered Gaza Strip.
Hamas says ‘door remains open’ for Saturday hostage-prisoner exchange
Hamas said on Monday that the next Gaza hostage-prisoner exchange may still take place as scheduled under the truce deal with Israel, after the group’s armed wing had announced an indefinite postponement, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Palestinian militant group said that “Hamas has intentionally made this announcement five days before the scheduled prisoner handover, allowing mediators ample time to pressure the (Israeli) occupation towards fulfilling its obligations.”
“The door remains open for the prisoner exchange batch to proceed as planned, once the occupation complies.”
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
The latest development is that US President Donald Trump has said that if all the hostages held in Gaza are not returned by Saturday at noon he would propose canceling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and letting “all hell break loose.”
Trump also said, however, “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump also said he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don’t take Palestinian refugees being relocated from Gaza.
It comes after Hamas said it was delaying the release of Israeli hostages indefinitely over “violations” of the ceasefire deal, prompting Israel’s defence minister to put the country’s military on alert with orders to prepare for “any scenario in Gaza”.
Mediators fear a breakdown of the three-week-old ceasefire, Egyptian security sources told Reuters, and have postponed talks until they receive a clear indication of Washington’s intent to continue with the phased deal.
Also today:
Donald Trump said his plan to “take over Gaza” would not include a right of return for the more than 2 million Palestinians that he has said have “no alternative” but to leave because of the destruction left by Israel’s military campaign. Trump continued to endorse a plan for the Palestinians to be resettled in Egypt and Jordan, a plan that both countries have rejected. The remarks are the latest effective endorsement of ethnic cleansing by the US president.
Hamas’s announcement prompted Israel’s defence minister to put the country’s military on alert with orders to prepare for “any scenario in Gaza”. Israel’s security cabinet has moved forward a meeting to discuss negotiations on second phase, which had been set for Tuesday evening. The army has cancelled all leave for soldiers in the Gaza division, the Kan news outlet reported, in a sign that Israeli authorities are preparing for the resumption of war.
Mediators fear a breakdown of the three-week-old ceasefire and have postponed talks until they receive a clear indication of Washington’s intent to continue with the phased deal, according to reports. Qatar had reportedly warned Israeli officials at the weekend that even the first stage of the ceasefire deal was being put in jeopardy by provocative statements from Benjamin Netanyahu and by his government’s approach to talks on a second stage.
Israeli police raided a leading Palestinian-owned bookshop in Jerusalem and detained two of its owners, accusing them of selling books that supported terrorism, including a children’s colouring book entitled From the Jordan to the Sea.
Karim Khan, the international criminal court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor, is the person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorised by Trump that target the court over investigations of US citizens or US allies, the White House has confirmed. The US president signed an executive order last week authorising aggressive economic sanctions against the ICC, accusing the body of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.
A former UK supreme court judge described Israel’s assault on Gaza as “grossly disproportionate” and said there was “at least an arguable case” that it was genocidal. Lord Sumption, who served on the UK’s highest court from 2012 to 2018, was one of the highest profile signatories of a letter last year warning that the UK government was breaching international law by arming Israel.
