Summary
We’re closing our live coverage of the Middle East for the day. In case you missed anything, here’s a quick summary of all the day’s developments.
Hamas has named the three hostages to be released on Saturday under the ceasefire deal as Eli Sharabi, Ohad ben Ami, and Or Levy. The release of the names was delayed by several hours after Hamas accused Israel of delaying the delivery of aid and other equipment in breach of the terms of the ceasefire
Israel dismissed the claims it had delayed aid supplies as “completely unfounded”. It said it had allowed thousands of trucks carrying food, aid, and shelters into Gaza
Global aid agency the Norwegian Refugee Council said humanitarian efforts in Gaza remained in an “emergency crisis setting”. Communications adviser Shaina Low said more aid had been able to enter the territory since the ceasefire but that there were still “delays in screening certain types of material”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still in the US and has delivered a joint press conference with US House Speaker Mike Johnson. He praised President Trump for lifting bans on the provision of certain weapons that were in place under the Biden administration and said there was no “future for peace” in his region if Hamas remains there
President Trump issued an executive order announcing sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). The order said the court had “engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel” and vowed to “impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions”
The ICC condemned the sanctions and accused Trump of trying to “harm its independent and impartial judicial” work. “The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” it said.
The UN also called on Trump to criticised the sanctions. “We deeply regret the individual sanctions announced yesterday against court personnel, and call for this measure to be reversed,” human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said
The UK has “no plans” to impose similar sanctions and will “support the independence of the ICC”, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said. The the UK and the US “over a number of administrations have taken a different view on the ICC”, they added
France, Germany, and the Netherlands all spoke out against the sanctions. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that, as the host of the court, the Netherlands had a “responsibility to guarantee the unhindered functioning of the criminal court at all times. We will keep doing that”
Thanks for joining us. You can continue to follow our latest coverage of the Middle East here.
Hamas names three hostages to be released on Saturday
Hamas has released the names of the three hostages it plans to release on Saturday under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Spokesperson Abu Obeida said on Telegram that Eli Sharabi, Ohad ben Ami, and Or Levy would be released.
Sharabi was taken captive with his brother, Yossi, who has since been confirmed to have died in Gaza. Sharabi’s wife and two daughters were murdered in the 7 October attacks.
Ohad Ben Ami was taken captive with his wife, Raz Ben Ami, who was released in November 2023.
Or Levy and his wife, Eynav, arrived at the Supernova festival just minutes before militants arrived and began massacring civilians. Eynav was killed in the attack, while Or was taken hostage.
Updated
More now on the accusations Hamas has made against Israel after delaying the naming of three hostages set to be released on Saturday.
The group claims delays to the delivery of heavy machinery it was supposed to receive to help clear rubble in Gaza have hindered attempts to retrieve the bodies of hostages.
“Preventing the entry of heavy equipment and machinery needed to remove 55 million tons of rubble… will undoubtedly affect the resistance’s ability to extract from under the rubble the dead prisoners [hostages],” spokesman Salama Marouf is quoted by the Times of Isreal as saying.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas was supposed to provide the names of the hostages to mediators by 4pm local time (2pm GMT) on Friday.
Hamas delays naming of hostages to be released, alleging ceasefire breach
Hamas has accused Israel of multiple breaches of the ceasefire agreement, alleging that it has delayed hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks and only allowed in a fraction of the tents needed to accommodate people who have lost their homes in the conflict.
It comes just a day before the next hostage-for-prisoner exchange was due to take place under the ceasefire deal.
Hamas delayed the naming of three hostages to be released on Saturday after making the claims, it was not immediately clear whether there would be any delay to the exchange.
Hamas said only 8,500 of 12,000 scheduled trucks have so far entered Gaza, and that most of them contained food and secondary goods like chips and chocolate instead of more items that are more urgently needed.
“This demonstrates clear manipulation of relief and shelter priorities,” it said.
It added that only 10% of the 200,000 tents and 60,000 caravans needed to provide shelter had arrived.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are living in tents and other makeshift shelters after being displaced by the war.
Almost three weeks after the start of the ceasefire, “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate dangerously,” Hamas said.
Israel has dismissed claims it has delayed aid supplies as “completely unfounded” and says it has allowed in thousands of trucks, including tents and shelters.
Updated
The head of US Central Command, the branch of the US military responsible for operations in the Middle East, visited Israel for talks this week, the military said on Friday.
It said General Michael Kurilla arrived on Wednesday and that his meetings included one with Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi.
“During the visit, the commanders held a discussion with senior IDF officers, focusing on the regional strategic situation assessment and examining ways to continue addressing the threats in the Middle East,” the military said.
Netanyahu concludes the press conference by thanking Johnson for US support and inviting him to visit Israel later this year.
No questions are taken from the assembled press.
Updated
'No future for peace if Hamas remains', says Netanyahu
Netanyahu says he and Trump discussed how to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon and make sure that Hamas is “destroyed”.
“We’re not going to have a future for Gaza or a future for peace in our part of the world if Hamas remains there,” he says.
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Netanyahu describes the meeting with Trump earlier in the week as “extraordinary”.
“Under his leadership, the critical decisions that show his commitment, and the American people’s commitment, to Israel have come to the fore instantly,” he says.
He cites the sanctions announced by Trump on the International Criminal Court as well as the lifting of bans on the provision of certain weapons to Israel that had been put in place under the Biden administration.
It was during a joint press conference with Netanyahu this week that Trump suggested the US could take control of and redevelop the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just begun a joint press conference with US House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Netanyahu has been in US for much of the week, meeting with President Trump and other senior officials.
Stay with us for more on what he says.
Updated
European leaders have spoken in support of the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the decision by President Trump to impose sanctions on its staff.
A spokesman for the French foreign ministry reaffirmed France’s support for the body and said it will mobilise with its partners to enable the ICC to continue to operate in an independent and impartial way.
Dick Schoof, prime minister of the Netherlands, where the court is based, also said he would make sure the court is able to continue to function.
“As the host country we have a responsibility to guarantee the unhindered functioning of the criminal court at all times,” he told reporters.
“We will keep doing that.”
He also described the sanctions as a “disturbing signal and very regrettable” with potentially “significant implications” for the ICC’s independence and ongoing investigations.
Speaking at a campaign event, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said sanctions were “the wrong tool”.
“They jeopardise an institution that is supposed to ensure that the dictators of this world cannot simply persecute people and start wars, and that is very important,” he said.
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Experts fear that weakening the international criminal court (ICC), which investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression, could give carte blanche to dictators worldwide, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The sanctions “seek to undermine and destroy what the international community has painstakingly constructed over decades, if not centuries,” said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general. “Global rules that are applicable to everyone and aim to deliver justice for all.”
If the sanctions target the prosecutor, as is likely, it means that investigations into alleged crimes in hotspots such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Sudan would also be affected.
“Victims will be deprived of proceedings even in cases that the US is not unhappy with,” Sexton told AFP. “This will undermine all investigations, not only the investigation into the situation in Palestine.” He noted that the sanctions come at an already difficult time for the court.
The ICC has become embroiled in a row with Italy, which released a Libyan war crimes suspect wanted in The Hague after receiving what it described as a badly drafted warrant.
Several countries also voiced reservations about arresting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited, undermining the court’s credibility.
“I think this is an existential threat for the ICC. It’s a real make-or-break moment,” said Sexton.
In the week that Donald Trump called for what has been described as an “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians from Gaza to rebuild it as a US “riviera” – an idea as unworkable as it is unhinged – the issues of how, if and when Gaza will be reconstructed have returned to the fore.
The reality is that, for all the promises to rehabilitate the coastal strip after previous conflicts, reconstruction – when it has happened – has at best been very partial and always subordinated to Israel’s demands.
One of the most striking cases in point was the aftermath of the Gaza war in 2014, when a complex system was put in place to monitor the distribution of materials for rebuilding in the strip.
After Israel’s objection that Hamas would redirect concrete, steel and other resources to tunnel building, a UN oversight process known as the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism was put in place.
Vetted projects and contractors would present themselves at monitored warehouses. Papers and IDs checked, they could take away what they had been allocated.
Hugely overcomplicated, under-resourced and ultimately set up for failure, the GRM never functioned properly. Instead it allowed a hidden market to quickly emerge, sometimes at the very doors of the secure warehouses where deals would be done for bags of cement.
All of which explains some of the enormous complexities facing the rebuilding of Gaza. It is not simply a physical problem, huge though that undertaking is. It is a political problem as well.
Read our senior international reporter’s full piece here:
Updated
Experts have told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that sanctions announced by US president Donald Trump would have a wide-reaching impact on the international criminal court (ICC).
What impact will the sanctions have?
Neither the United States nor Israel are among the 125 members of the ICC but sanctions could still have a crippling impact on the court’s operations. The measures include a travel ban to the US for ICC officials, complicating their work. Financial institutions may decline to work with the court, fearing US reprisals.
The sanctions could impact the court’s technical and IT operations, including evidence gathering. There are fears victims of alleged atrocities may hesitate to come forward.
“Companies and organisations might just stop doing business with the ICC because it’s too much of a risk,” said James Patrick Sexton, PhD Researcher at the TMC Asser Instituut and University of Amsterdam. “Big suppliers such as Microsoft might just proactively pull out,” added Sexton, who is working on a thesis examining the interaction between sanctions and international criminal justice.
Thijs Bouwknegt of the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, said the sanctions constituted an “internal crisis” for the ICC.
Bouwknegt noted that current chief prosecutor Karim Khan has several US citizens in his top team – “they can no longer work together”. He also noted reports that staff members have been paid in advance due to fears of banking difficulties.
“The ICC is an international organisation, so there is a lot of international banking,” he told AFP.
France has full confidence Lebanese authorities can form a government that can bring together the Lebanese people in all its diversity, a French foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Asked about US red lines over Hezbollah’s presence in the Lebanese government, he said that France hopes the Lebanese prime minister will find a formula to resolve the impasse, reports Reuters.
The US has set a “red line” that Hezbollah should not be a member of Lebanon’s next government after its military defeat by Israel last year, US deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus said in Lebanon on Friday.
Palestinians in Gaza say they are determined to rebuild their own seafront restaurants and hotels, dismissing US president Donald Trump’s vision of creating a “Riviera of the Middle East” emptied of its population and under US control, reports Reuters.
Before Israel’s 15-month offensive left buildings across Gaza in ruins, the densely inhabited Palestinian territory had developed a local tourism scene on its Mediterranean shore despite a long blockade.
“There is nothing that cannot be repaired,” said Gaza resident Assad Abu Haseira, pledging to start serving food from the restaurant he owns even before it is rebuilt. “Trump says he wants to change the restaurants, and he wants to change Gaza and wants to create a new history for Gaza. We remain Arab and the history of Arabs will not be replaced with the history of foreigners.”
Other Palestinians share his defiance, Reuters reports. Mohammed Abu Haseira, another restaurant owner, said his eatery would become operational again “and much better than before”. “Trump has come up with a decision that he wants to establish restaurants, but the restaurants are here and the hotels are here. Why did you destroy them to establish other ones?” he said.
Trump’s vision of a Gaza Strip cleared of its Palestinian inhabitants and redeveloped into an international resort revived an idea previously floated by his son-in-law Jared Kushner. It triggered condemnation from around the world, with critics saying it would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing and illegal under international law.
Palestinians in Gaza were also quick to denounce the scheme, vowing never to leave the ruins of their homes. For Palestinians, such talk recalls the Nakba or catastrophe after the 1948 war around the creation of the state of Israel, when 700,000 fled or were forced from their homes.
Updated
ICC criticises Trump sanctions and 'pledges to continue providing justice and hope'
The international criminal court (ICC) criticised sanctions by the US president, Donald Trump, over its probes targeting the US and Israel and pledged to press on with its aim to fight for “justice and hope” around the world.
The United Nations and the European Union also urged Trump on Friday to reverse the decision ordering asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court’s investigations.
The sanctions could impact the court’s technical and IT operations, including evidence gathering. There are fears victims of alleged atrocities may hesitate to come forward, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Trump signed an executive order on Thursday saying the court in The Hague had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with the US president on Tuesday.
The ICC said the move sought to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work”. It said:
The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world.”
The UN said it deeply regretted Trump’s decision and urged him to reverse the move.
Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets today to express their support for the Palestinian people, the WAFA news agency reports.
The crowds praised Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein’s stance on “fully standing with the Palestinian brothers in securing their legitimate rights, rejecting any attempts to annex Palestinian lands, and opposing the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.”
In 1948, Jordan accepted large numbers of Palestinian refugees amid bloody skirmishes during the establishment of Israel as a nation-state and in 1967 when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza. A significant proportion of Jordan’s population – at least 50% – have Palestinian origins, with many still classed as refugees.
The head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, says he did not oppose President Donald Trump’s plans to take over Gaza.
“I spoke with the Defense Minister, and I clarified that I did not speak out against the Trump plan and that the IDF, and therefore I too, are subordinate to the political echelon and will follow its instructions,” Binder said in a statement.
“By virtue of my role, I presented the possible implications of the discourse on the subject, the enemy’s view from a security perspective, and recommendations for offensive activity accordingly.”
This morning, military officials were ordered to reprimand Binder for allegedly warning colleagues that Trump’s commitment to “clean out” the Gaza Strip could ignite further violence in the West Bank.
Defense Minister Israel Katz “there will be no reality in which IDF officers will speak out against US President Trump’s important plan regarding Gaza, and against the directives of the political echelon.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 news reported that that Binder did not criticise of the plan and only discussed the potential consequences.
Keir Starmer distances UK from Trump's ICC sanctions
Britain supports the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and does not plan on sanctioning officials, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said on Friday, via Reuters.
The spokesperson was asked about the ICC after United States President Trump authorised economic and travel sanctions against ICC workers investigating US citizens or US allies such as Israel.
“Ultimately, that’s a matter for the US, the spokesperson says.
“As for the UK, we support the independence of the ICC. Therefore, we’ve got no plans to sanction individual court officials.”
The spokesman adds that the “UK and the US over a number of administrations have taken a different view on the ICC.” pointing out that the UK is a signatory to the Rome statute, which established the ICC, whereas the US is not.
Updated
Global aid agency says humanitarian effort in Gaza is insufficient
Humanitarian aid has flowed into Gaza since the ceasefire was announced in January, but the 600 trucks going into the region ever day is not enough to meet the needs of Palestinians, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
“Prior to October 7, [2023], 500 trucks were entering Gaza on any working day – and that was when people were working and living in their homes,” Shaina Low, communications adviser at NRC, told Al Jazeera. “Now, we’re having 600 trucks enter each day and we’re in an emergency crisis setting.”
Additionally, aid organisations “faced incredible obstruction in getting aid into Gaza” during the past 15 months. “Now, we’re finally able to scale up our response, but there are still delays in screening certain types of material,” Low said.
Materials labelled as “dual use” by Israel, which include medical supplies, are facing restrictions. Israel also has issues with screening used to check aid trucks, the spokesperson added.
Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza has no cost estimates or budget. There are no troop estimates or outlines in the Pentagon. Even Donald Trump’s allies have admitted that his proposal for the US to “take over” Gaza and for Palestinians to make their homes elsewhere was an idea he had only tinkered with before Tuesday evening, when it tumbled out to the obvious surprise of his closest aides.
One of the very few constituencies to welcome the proposal – which if enacted would amount to the effective ethnic cleansing of the territory – was Israel’s rightwing pro-settler movement and their allies in the US. In these circles there is optimism that the shifting US policy gives the green light to settlement expansion or even the eventual annexation of all the occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank.
“What has changed now is that Trump has said that it is US policy to support this as an end goal,” Matt Duss, the executive vice-president at the Center for International Policy, said of the Trump proposal. “And then of course it will just hop over to the West Bank, no question.”
Israel’s pro-settler rightwing immediately hailed Trump’s announcement. Bezalel Smotrich, the country’s ultranationalist finance minister, quoted a biblical passage about the return of Jewish pilgrims to Israel, writing “Thank you President Trump. Together, we will make the world great again.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir, who left Benjamin Netanyahu’s shaky coalition government due to the ceasefire with Hamas, said: “When I said this time and again during the war, that this was the solution to Gaza, they mocked me.”
Under the Biden administration, saying that Gaza had been rendered unliveable would have been seen as a condemnation of Israel’s military campaign. But Trump, ignoring the Israeli assault that has been described as a “domicide” and led to the hollowing out of Gaza’s cities, simply went ahead and said it.
You can read more of Andrew Roth’s analysis piece here:
An Israeli campaign group urged the government on Friday to stick with the Gaza truce ahead of a fifth hostage-prisoner swap, after explosive comments by US president Donald Trump raised questions over the future of the deal, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The scheduled exchange on Saturday comes after Trump declared that the United States would “take over Gaza” and move Palestinians out of the territory, sparking uproar across the Middle East and beyond.
Israel has since ordered its military to prepare for the “voluntary” relocation of Palestinians in Gaza, while Hamas has rejected Trump’s plans as “absolutely unacceptable”.
“An entire nation demands to see the hostages return home … Now is the time to ensure the agreement is completed – until the very last one,” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement on Friday.
Since 19 January, Israel and Hamas have completed four swaps as part of the first stage of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. The fifth swap is scheduled for Saturday, but as of now, neither side has disclosed how many hostages Hamas will release or how many prisoners and detainees Israel will free in return.
Amid the uncertainty triggered by Trump’s remarks, Yaela David, whose brother Evyatar is still being held in Gaza, urged “the negotiating team to act today to complete the final details of the deal and ensure the return of all hostages”.
“This must happen under this deal, and if not, there will remain a huge black stain on the history of our state,” she said.
Agence France-Presse has some more detail on the comments by UN human rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani that we reported on earlier (see 11.10am GMT)
Shamdasani said the international criminal court (ICC) was an essential part of the global human rights infrastructure and that the OHCHR fully supported the independent work of the court, across all situations within its jurisdiction.
The court was “fundamental to ensuring justice and achieving accountability for the most serious crimes, whether committed in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, occupied Palestinian territory, or anywhere else,” she told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an email.
US president Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday saying the ICC in The Hague had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with Trump on Tuesday.
Trump ordered asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court’s investigations.
“We deeply regret the individual sanctions announced yesterday against court personnel, and call for this measure to be reversed,” said Shamdasani. She added:
The court should be fully able to undertake its independent work – where a state is unwilling or unable genuinely to carry out the investigation or prosecution.
The rule of law remains essential to our collective peace and security. Seeking accountability globally makes the world a safer place for everyone.”
UN calls on Washington to reverse ICC sanctions
The United Nations said on Friday it deeply regretted US president Donald Trump’s decision to sign an executive order that authorises aggressive economic sanctions against the international criminal court (ICC) and urged him to reverse the move.
“We deeply regret the individual sanctions announced yesterday against court personnel, and call for this measure to be reversed,” UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Updated
Palestinians in Gaza responded to Donald Trump’s plans with anger and disbelief, and said they would reject any attempt to force them out.
Many have traumatic family memories of the Nakba, or catastrophe, of 1948, in which about 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel’s creation, a history that means they are determined to resist further displacement.
Israel’s defence minister has ordered the military to prepare plans to allow Palestinians “who wish to leave” Gaza to exit, after Donald Trump suggested the US take over the territory and resettle its residents in other countries.
A Hamas official attacked the proposal as a “declaration of intent to occupy” Gaza, as Egypt, which Trump named as a possible destination for Palestinians, launched an intense behind-the-scenes diplomatic campaign to block it going further.
Cairo’s envoys warned the US and its allies that it would resist any attempts to move Palestinians across the border, and said the plan threatened its decades-old peace deal with Israel, a template for later regional normalisation deals.
Inside Israel, mainstream political reactions to Trump’s comments have ranged only on a spectrum of approval, with the opposition leader Yair Lapid describing the press conference as “good for the state of Israel” and former defence minister Benny Gantz saying Israel had “nothing to lose” from the proposal.
Their positions reflect popular opinion inside Israel. Eight out of 10 Jewish Israelis support Trump’s call for the “relocation” of Palestinians from Gaza, although only half think it is a practical proposal, according to a poll by the Jewish People Policy Institute.
The only strong opposition to the plan came from a handful of politicians on the far left of Israel’s spectrum; some relatives of hostages still held in Gaza, who said they feared the project could derail the ceasefire deal; and some activists and journalists who echoed international warnings against ethnic cleansing.
“If there were a true opposition in Israel, one with a conscience, a worldview and even some sort of plan for the future, it would’ve raised a loud warning: don’t drink Trump’s potion,” Gur Megiddo wrote in a column for Haaretz.
“The idea of clearing an area of a specific ethnic group, even if it’s a bitter and ruthless enemy, is a concept that Jews – especially the sons of Holocaust survivors like Lapid and Gantz – must never support, no matter the circumstances.”
The US deputy special envoy for the Middle East Friday said that Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon’s new government was a red line, welcoming the end of the group’s “reign of terror”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We have set clear red lines in the United States that they (Hezbollah) won’t be able to terrorise the Lebanese people, and that includes by being a part of the government,” Morgan Ortagus said after meeting Lebanese president Joseph Aoun in Beirut, adding:
The end of Hezbollah’s reign of terror in Lebanon and around the world has started and it’s over”.
The international criminal court (ICC) must be able to pursue its fight against global impunity without hindrance, said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, reports Reuters.
She wrote on X:
The ICC guarantees accountability for international crimes and gives a voice to victims worldwide.
It must be able to freely pursue the fight against global impunity.
Europe will always stand for justice and the respect of international law.”
Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly gave Donald Trump a “golden pager” during their meeting in Washington DC this week, in an apparent reference to Israel’s deadly attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon last year.
In photos circulating online, the golden pager can be seen mounted on a piece of wood, accompanied by a golden plaque that reads in black lettering: “To President Donald J. Trump, Our greatest friend and greatest ally. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Israeli media reported that the Israeli prime minister, who is wanted by the international criminal court for war crimes, also gave the US president a regular pager.
The gift was reportedly a nod to Israel’s deadly operation last September against Hezbollah, during which thousands of handheld pager beeper devices and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah detonated simultaneously across Lebanon.
The explosions killed at least 37 people, including children as young as nine years old, and left thousands wounded.
An Israeli official told the Associated Press that upon receiving the golden pager from Netanyahu, Trump, responded: “That was a major operation.”
Here are some of the latest images coming in via the newswires:
Donald Trump has signed an executive order that authorises aggressive economic sanctions against the international criminal court (ICC), accusing the body of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.
The order grants the US president broad powers to impose asset freezes and travel bans against ICC staff and their family members if the US determines that they are involved in efforts to investigate or prosecute citizens of the US and certain allies.
The hostile action against the ICC comes in response to the court’s decision in November to issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
In the order, Trump said the ICC had “abused its power” by issuing the warrants which he claimed had “set a dangerous precedent” that endangered US citizens and its military personnel.
“This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel,” he added.
Neither the US nor Israel are member states of the ICC, a permanent court of last resort for the prosecution of individuals accused of atrocities. In his order, Trump argued the court must “respect the decision” of countries “not to subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction”.
It was unclear if the Trump administration would announce the names of specific individuals targeted by the sanctions. ICC officials have prepared for sanctions to impact senior figures at the court including its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.
Khamenei warns of reciprocal actions if US moves against Iran
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Friday that his country would reciprocate if the United States threatened or carried out actions against Iran.
“If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they carry out this threat, we will carry out our threat. If they attack the security of our nation, we will attack their security without hesitation,” said Khamenei during a meeting with army commanders.
ICC 'condemns' US sanctions and vows to 'continue providing justice'
The international criminal court on Friday hit back after US president Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the institution, vowing it would continue to provide “justice and hope” around the world.
“The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an executive order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work,” the court said in a statement, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” added the court, based in The Hague.
Attacking the ICC for what he said were “illegitimate and baseless” investigations targeting the US and its ally Israel, Trump hit the court with sanctions on Thursday. He ordered asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court’s investigations. The names of the individuals were not immediately released, but previous US sanctions under Trump had targeted the court’s prosecutor.
“We call on our 125 states parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights,” the ICC statement concluded.
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Human Rights Watch warned on Friday that US aid suspensions could worsen “life-threatening conditions” in camps holding relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists in north-east Syria, urging Washington to maintain support, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Kurdish-run camps and prisons in the region still hold about 56,000 people with alleged or perceived links to the Islamic State group.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday experience has proven that talks with the United States are “not smart, wise or honourable.”
US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would like to have a verified nuclear peace agreement with Tehran. During his previous term in office in 2018, Trump pulled the US out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the country’s economy.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that Iran is ready to give the US a chance to resolve disputes.
Khamenei said on Friday that negotiations with the US would not solve the country’s problems.
“We must understand this correctly; they should not pretend that if we sit down at the negotiating table with that government (the US administration), problems will be solved,” Khamenei said during a meeting with army commanders, adding that “no problem will be solved by negotiating with America”.
Updated
In response to US president Donald Trump’s executive order calling for sanctions against international criminal court staff, Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), issued this statement:
[Trump’s] order for sanctions against unnamed international criminal court staff and their families because they did their job in investigating US torture and advancing justice for Palestinians in the face of Israel’s 15-month total assault on Gaza is a direct attack on the rule of law.
Trump continues to make clear that he would rather protect war criminals like Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant than people subjected to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The broad scope of the executive order is intended to embolden perpetrators across the world and to inhibit the pursuit of international justice against the most powerful.”
Lawyers from the CCR currently represent Palestinians in proceedings before the ICC.
Israel praises Trump for imposing sanctions on ICC
Israel on Friday praised US president Donald Trump for imposing sanctions on the international criminal court, calling the court’s actions against Israel “immoral” and illegitimate, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“I strongly commend @POTUS President Trump’s executive order imposing sanctions on the so-called ‘international criminal court’,” foreign minister Gideon Saar said on X, adding the ICC’s actions were “immoral and have no legal basis”.
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US secretary of state Marco Rubio will pay his first visit to the Middle East this month, a senior state department official said on Thursday, after president Donald Trump’s remarks on relocating Gaza’s population.
Rubio will attend the Munich Security Conference and then visit Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia from 13-18 February, the official said.
Reuters reports that the US official said Rubio would discuss Gaza and the aftermath of the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel during the trip, and would pursue Trump’s approach of trying to disrupt the status quo in the region.
“The status quo can’t continue. It’s like wash, rinse and repeat. It becomes familiar and you begin to think this is just what life is and what we have to expect. President Trump and Marco Rubio believe that that’s not the case, that things can change,” the official said, reports Reuters.
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Israel's defence minister instructs army to make plan for Palestinians to 'voluntarily' leave Gaza
Israel’s defence minister ordered the army on Thursday to prepare for “voluntary” departures from Gaza, as US President Donald Trump ruled out sending American troops to the territory, AFP reports.
Trump had earlier proposed moving Palestinians out of Gaza, sparking uproar from leaders in the Middle East and beyond.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said he instructed the military to formulate a plan for Palestinians to leave Gaza, which has been ravaged by more than a year of war.
“I have instructed the IDF (military) to prepare a plan to enable voluntary departure for Gaza residents,” Katz said, adding they could go “to any country willing to accept them”.
Trump has insisted that “everybody loves” his plan, saying it would involve the United States taking over Gaza, but there has been widespread outcry with the United Nations warning that any forced displacement of Palestinians would be “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.
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Iran condemns 'unjustified' US sanctions
The sanctions against the ICC were not the only ones issued by the Trump administration this week. Iran on Friday condemned as “illegal” and “unjustified” new financial sanctions by the United States that target Iranian entities accused of selling crude oil to China, Agence France-Presse reports.
“The decision of the new US government to exert pressure on the Iranian nation by preventing Iran’s legal trade with its economic partners is an illegitimate, illegal and violative measure,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a statement, adding that the move is “categorically unjustified and contrary to international rules”.
Opening summary
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Rights activists have strongly criticised Donald Trump’s sanctioning of the international criminal court (ICC). The US president’s announcement, in which he claimed the court had targeted the US and its close ally, Israel, came two days after he declared the US would take over Gaza and envisioned the area as the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Responding to Trump’s move, the secretary general of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, said the order “sends the message that Israel is above the law and the universal principles of international justice”.
“Today’s executive order is vindictive. It is aggressive. It is a brutal step that seeks to undermine and destroy what the international community has painstakingly constructed over decades, if not centuries: global rules that are applicable to everyone and aim to deliver justice for all,” she added.
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant applauded Trump’s move, extending his thanks to the US president in a post on X. “Thank you, President Trump, for your bold ICC Executive Order,” he said, “It will defend America and Israel from the anti-American and antisemetic corrupt court that has no jurisdiction or basis to engage in lawfare against us.”
Meanwhile Israel on Thursday struck two sites in Lebanon despite a ceasefire deal. It said the sites contained a stockpile of Hezbollah weapons without providing any evidence.
A fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire has been in place since 27 November, after more than a year of hostilities. Despite the deal, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanon, and both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violating the truce.
Here is a quick summary of the latest:
Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC, which accuses the ICC of having “engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and its “close ally” Israel. It said the court “abused its power” by issuing “baseless” arrest warrants targeting Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and its former defence minister, Yoav Gallant.
Trump has doubled down on his proposal to “take ownership” of Gaza despite widespread opposition. In a Truth Social post, Trump said the Palestinian territory would be “turned over” to the US by Israel after it concludes its military offensive against Hamas. Netanyahu, who is in Washington, said it is “worth listening carefully” to Trump’s proposal.
Globally, the proposal to relocate 2.3 million Palestinians to other countries has provoked outrage. Trump’s proposal would “squash” the ceasefire and “incite a return of fighting”, Egypt’s foreign ministry said. Russia called Trump’s proposal “counterproductive” and accused him of fuelling “tension in the region”. China’s foreign ministry said Beijing opposed the forced transfer of people in Gaza. Pakistan described Trump’s plan as “deeply troubling and unjust”, while Iran said it “categorically rejected and condemned” Trump’s proposal.
US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said Palestinians in Gaza are “going to have to live somewhere else in the interim”, describing Gaza as “not habitable” in comments that appeared to walk back on Trump’s proposal about transferring Palestinians permanently to neighbouring countries. Rubio will travel to Europe and the Middle East next week, a senior State Department official said Thursday.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, ordered the military to prepare plans to allow Palestinians “who wish to leave” Gaza to exit. Asked who should take the residents of Gaza, Katz said it should be countries who have opposed Israel’s military operations since the 7 October attacks, he said. He also claimed that Spain, Ireland, and Norway, who all last year recognised a Palestinian state, are “legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories”.
In violation of a ceasefire deal, Israel said late on Thursday it had struck two sites in Lebanon that allegedly contained weapons of the Hezbollah group. Israeli forces “conducted a precise strike in Lebanese territory on two military sites that contained Hezbollah weapons, which were in violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the army said in a post on X.
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) warned the agency faces an “existential threat” after Israel formally banned it from operating on its territory. Philippe Lazzarini also described Trump’s Gaza proposal as “totally unrealistic”, adding: “We are talking about forced displacement. Forced displacement is a crime, an international crime. It’s ethnic cleansing.”
Human Rights Watch warned that Trump’s proposal could move the US “from being complicit in war crimes to direct perpetration of atrocities”. Forced or coerced displacement is a crime against humanity, illegal under the Geneva conventions, to which Israel and the US are signatories. “Governments should together make clear their strong opposition to Trump’s call for forced displacement in Gaza and take action to prevent further atrocities against the Palestinian people,” said HRW Middle East and North Africa director Lama Fakih.
At least 47,583 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to the Palestinian health ministry on Thursday. The ministry’s latest daily update also said that a total of 111,633 have now been injured.
Israel informed the United Nations human rights council (UNHRC) that it is formally withdrawing from the body. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said the decision was reached “in light of the ongoing and unrelenting institutional bias against Israel in the human rights council.
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