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Summary
We’re closing our live coverage of the latest from the Middle East for the day. In case you missed anything, here’s a quick summary of all the day’s developments.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have begun returning to northern Gaza after being displaced following the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas
Parts of the north – such as Jabalia and Beit Hanoun – have been left devastated by shelling by the Israeli military.
Eight of the 26 hostages yet to be released under the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas are dead, Israel has confirmed
A Hamas delegation has arrived in Cairo to discuss the implementation of the deal, the group said in a statement
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House next week, according to reports
At least two people were killed by Israeli gunfire during protests over the continued presence of Israeli troops in southern Lebanon
Israeli forces had been scheduled to withdraw from the area on Sunday, but the deadline was extended to 18 February after Israel accused the Lebanese government of failing to implement the terms of a ceasefire deal
The EU’s foreign ministers have agreed to a “roadmap” to ease current sanctions on Syria, a move welcomed by the country’s government
For more on the return of civilians to northern Gaza, you can read Emma Graham-Harrison’s latest dispatch from Jerusalem here:
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EU agrees 'roadmap' to end Syria sanctions
Moving away briefly from developments in Gaza, the EU’s foreign ministers have agreed to a “roadmap” to lift current sanctions on Syria.
The sanctions were imposed on the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad, and his fall late last year has led to calls for the sanctions to be lifted to help the country recover from a years-long civil war.
On Monday, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc’s foreign ministers had “agreed on a roadmap to ease the EU sanctions on Syria”.
“While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken,” she wrote on X.
Syria’s foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, said he welcomed the “positive step taken by the European Union to suspend sanctions on Syria for one year” and that he looked forward to “seeing them lifted completely”.
“We hope that this decision will have a constructive impact on all aspects of life for the Syrian people and ensure sustainable development,” he said.
EU Foreign Ministers just agreed on a roadmap to ease the EU sanctions on Syria.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) January 27, 2025
While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken.
A Hamas delegation has arrived in Egyptian capital Cairo to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, the group said in a statement.
Egypt was among the countries that helped broker a deal between Israel and Hamas agreed earlier this month.
Twins Mahmoud and Ibrahim al-Atout had not seen each other for more than a year.
After Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza following the 7 October attacks, Ibrahim was displaced to the south of the strip, while Mahmoud remained in the north.
Footage shows their emotional reunion after residents were allowed to begin returning to the north on Monday.
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Two killed by Israeli gunfire in southern Lebanon, says health ministry
Two people have been killed and 17 have been injured by gunfire from Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, the country’s health ministry has said.
It comes on the second day of protests over the continued presence of Israeli troops in the area.
Under the terms of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah brokered by the US in November, Israel was to withdraw its troops by Sunday.
On Friday, Israel said the terms of the ceasefire had not been fully implemented by the Lebanese state and that its forces would remain in southern Lebanon beyond the deadline, sparking demonstrations from people trying to return to their homes in the area.
At least 22 people were killed and 130 were wounded on Sunday after Israeli troops fired at protesters.
The US and Lebanon have announced that the deadline to meets the terms of the ceasefire has been extended to 18 February.
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President Trump’s proposal that Palestinians should be moved out of Gaza and into Egypt and Jordan is not “overly practical”, a key Senate ally has said.
On Saturday, Trump described Gaza as a “demolition site” and suggested the next step should be to “just clean out that whole thing”, adding that the move “could be temporary” or “could be long-term”.
Asked what he thought the president had meant on CNN’s State of the Union, Senator Lindsey Graham said: “You know, I really don’t know.
“The idea Hamas survives is a nonstarter for me. But the idea that all the Palestinians are going to leave and go somewhere else, I don’t see that to be overly practical.
“Does the Arab world support sending out the Palestinians out of Gaza? I’d be surprised if they did.
“I think they want the Palestinians to be able to live with dignity and security for Israel.”
Palestinians retuning to their homes in northern Gaza are being checked for weapons as they enter the area, according to reports.
Witnesses told Reuters that checkpoints in the so-called Netzarim Corridor – a strip of land across the centre of Gaza that Israel has occupied since the start of the current conflict – are being run by Egyptian contractors with the help of a US private security firm.
Vehicles crossing the corridor are emptied of their passengers and directed through a drive-in inspection point.
A scanner is then used to check each vehicle for weapons or explosives, with the whole process taking a few minutes.
Further to our earlier report, eight of the hostages due for release in the first phase of a truce deal between Israel and Hamas are dead, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said on Monday.
“The families have been informed of the situation of their relatives,” Mencer told reporters, without providing the names of the deceased.
That means that of the 26 hostages yet to be freed under the first phase of the agreement, only 18 are still alive.
The truce deal, announced earlier in January after months of fruitless negotiations, took effect on 19 January, bringing to a halt more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack.
Under the first phase of the agreement, 33 hostages held by militants in Gaza are to be released in exchange for more than 1,900 Palestinians held by Israel.
Seven Israeli women have been released since the start of the truce, as have 290 Palestinian prisoners.
A source close to Hezbollah said that Israel’s army detained seven fighters from the Lebanese militant group during more than a year of hostilities between the two sides before the ceasefire was agreed to in November. The following is from a report from the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency:
“Seven fighters from Hezbollah were taken prisoner” by Israel before the 27 November truce went into effect, the source said, requesting anonymity as the matter is sensitive.
Four other people were apprehended by the Israeli military on Sunday in south Lebanon border villages, the source added, without identifying them as fighters.
Under the ceasefire deal, the Lebanese military was to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period that ended on Sunday.
Hundreds of people have been trying since then to return home even though the Israeli army, which in September began ground operations in Lebanon, has not fully withdrawn.
The White House said Sunday that the deal had been extended until 18 February, and caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon would respect the extension.
The Gaza ceasefire’s initial phase, which came into effect on 19 January 2025, is expected to last six weeks, with Israeli captives being exchanged for Palestinian prisoners every Saturday.
It is expected that Hamas will deliver hostages to the Red Cross on each of these Saturdays to be conveyed to Israeli forces, and then Palestinian prisoners will be released from jail hours later.
Three hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners were released in the first swap on 19 January. On Saturday, four female Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023 were released, as were around 200 Palestinian prisoners held at Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank.
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Twenty five Israeli hostages in Gaza still alive – report
Twenty five out of 33 hostages on the Hamas list are alive, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.
Reuters quoted the spokesperson, who was commenting after Hamas provided more detail of who was alive and dead on the list of the 33 people due for release in the first phase of the truce deal.
“The families have been informed of the situation of their relatives,” Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said.
Approximately 90 hostages are still in captivity. Prior to this announcement, Israel believed at least 35 of them were dead.
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As previously mentioned in the blog, sanctions imposed on Syria could soon be lifted as part of actions to provide some relief to the new government in Damascus, the EU’s top diplomat has said.
Kaja Kallas, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, was speaking at the start of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
“It is a step for step approach,” she said, amid European moves reconstruction of the war-ravaged country and build bridges with its new leadership after the end of the Assad family’s five-decade rule.
Brussels says it is now willing to ease sanctions on the expectation the new authorities make good on commitments to form an inclusive transition.
“If they are doing the right steps, then we are willing to do the steps on our behalf as well,” Kallas said.
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the EU could start by suspending sanctions on the energy, transport and banking sectors.
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Iran has purchased Russian-made Sukhoi-35 fighter jets, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander has aid, amid Western concerns about Tehran and Moscow’s growing military cooperation.
This is the first time an Iranian official has confirmed the purchase of Su-35 jets, reports Reuters.
However, Ali Shadmani, who was quoted by the Student News Network, did not clarify how many jets were purchased and whether they had already been delivered to Iran.
Israel’s actions in relation to the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa – which says it has been ordered cease all of its operations in occupied East Jerusalem by Thursday - would amount to the first forced eviction of a UN agency from a member state, writes the Guardian’s Diplomatic Editor, Patrick Wintour.
That’s part of a piece he has written on what Israels actions towards Unrwa may mean for Palestinians.
Unrwa has 7,000 trucks of supplies outside Gaza and 1,500 under procurement, according to Sam Rose, its acting director of emergency operations.
He told the Guardian he expected it to have provided food parcels to 1 million people in the 10 days since the ceasefire, and was also primed to send stocks including tarpaulins and mattresses for 1.6 million people.
Netanyahu plans to meet with Trump next week at the White House - report
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House next week, Israel’s Walla News website reported on Monday, citing three unnamed Israeli and American sources.
This is reportedly a gesture from the Republican president towards Netanyahu in light of the Gaza ceasefire deal that Trump has claimed credit for. The visit to the White House would be the first of any foreign leader to Washington since Trump re-entered office last week. Here is an extract from the Walla report:
Israeli and American officials said that the current plan is for Netanyahu to arrive in Washington on 3 February and leave on 5 February.
Netanyahu’s advisers and White House officials are still trying to determine the exact date for the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump.
Israeli officials said that Netanyahu’s arrival in Washington depends primarily on whether his health following the (prostate) surgery (he underwent last month) will allow Netanyahu to take a 12-hour flight and an intensive schedule of work meetings.
Netanyahu, who was one of the first to congratulate Trump when he beat Kamala Harris in the November US presidential elections, has called the Republican the “best friend Israel has ever had in the White House”.
During Trump’s first term, he delivered significant diplomatic wins for the Israeli prime minister, including recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019 and supporting the Abraham accords with Gulf states.
On Saturday Trump said he had ordered the resumption of shipments of some of the largest bombs to Israel.
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At least two people have been killed by Israeli forces in an attack on the Nur Shams camp in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera has cited the Palestinian health ministry as saying. We will bring you more on this as more information comes in.
Residents try again to return to southern border villages in Lebanon as ceasefire deal extended
South Lebanon residents accompanied by the country’s army tried to return to their villages on Monday, according to reports.
Hundreds of Lebanese people tried to return to their homes in southern Lebanon on Sunday - the deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from the area.
But Israeli forces opened fire on civilian protesters trying to reach their home villages, killing at least 22 people, including at least six women and a Lebanese army soldier, and injuring 124, according to Lebanese health officials. Israel accused the Lebanese army of violating key commitments under the ceasefire deal and the Israeli military warned civilians that returning home would “expose them to danger”.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said that Lebanon had agreed to an extension of the ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Israel until 18 February 2025.
The official National News Agency said that Lebanese “army reinforcements” had arrived near the border town of Mais al-Jabal, where people had started to gather at “the entrance of the town” in preparation for entering alongside the military.
It said the Israeli army had “opened fire in the direction of the Lebanese army” near the town, without reporting casualties.
In the nearby town of Hula, the agency said residents entered “after the deployment of the army in several neighbourhoods”. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee on Monday called again for south Lebanon residents to “wait” before returning.
A 60-day truce that went into effect at the end of November between Hezbollah and Israel halted a two-month-old Israeli ground assault and more than a year of cross-border aerial attacks that drove tens of thousands of people in both countries from their homes.
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As we mentioned in the post at 09.37, US president Donald Trump caused outrage over the weekend when he proposed that large numbers of Palestinian people should leave Gaza in order to “just clean out” the whole strip, saying neighbouring countries such as Jordan and Egypt should take in more Palestinians.
Asked for a reaction to Trump’s comments, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said this morning that Berlin shared the view of “the European Union, our Arab partners, the United Nations … that the Palestinian population must not be expelled from Gaza and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or recolonised by Israel”.
Jordan is already home to several million Palestinians, while tens of thousands live in Egypt. Both countries and other Arab nations reject the idea of Palestinians in Gaza being moved to their countries.
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Tens of thousands of Palestinians begin journey home to devastated northern Gaza
Palestinian people displaced throughout Israel’s war on Gaza are finally returning home after an agreement was reached to release Arbel Yehoud – an Israeli civilian hostage – along with two other hostages.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed earlier that the hostage release - which will include female soldier Agam Berger - will take place on Thursday. Another three hostages are expected to be released on Saturday as previously planned.
It means tens of thousands of Palestinian people are now heading home to the devastated northern areas of the strip – such as Jabalia and Beit Hanoun - after forced displacement by the Israeli military during the war. Some of these people have spoken to the Associated Press.
Yasmin Abu Amshah, a mother of three, said she walked 6 kilometers (nearly 4 miles) to reach her home in Gaza City, where she found it damaged but still habitable. She also saw her younger sister for the first time in over a year.
“It was a long trip, but a happy one,” she said. “The most important thing is that we returned.”
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The UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, says it has been ordered by Israel to vacate premises and cease all of its operations in occupied East Jerusalem by Thursday.
The Israeli government has accused the UN agency of allowing Hamas militants to infiltrate its staff, an allegation the agency denies. The UN last year investigated Israel’s claim that 19 Unrwa workers took part in the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023 on southern Israel, and fired nine of those accused, but said Israel had not provided evidence to substantiate its broader allegations.
Unrwa is the major distributor of aid in Gaza and provides education, health and other basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Critics say Israel’s Unrwa ban – which has been widely opposed by many of its western allies - will jeopardise urgent humanitarian aid efforts desperately needed in the strip, where food, medicine, fuel and warm clothing are in short supply after Israeli obstruction during the 15 months of war.
The fragile Hamas-Israel ceasefire allows for an increase in aid to the territory, but the ban on the UN agency, seen by many as the core of the humanitarian support operation in the region, will likely have a devastating effect on many Palestinian’s lives. Here is a snippet from an analysis piece written by the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, on how the Unrwa ban will impact relief efforts:
Israel has declined to spell out further how it will implement the Knesset votes. But Unrwa staff believe it will mean international employees will not be given visas, any aid with an Unrwa label will be blocked from crossing the borders into Gaza and liaison between it and Israel Defense Forces about security will end. Unrwa bank accounts are also likely to be frozen.
“We are going to be left with a gaping hole,” Rose said. Almost half of the food being sent into Gaza is organised through the Unwra distribution network, even if not all of that food has an Unwra label.
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US president Donald Trump proposed on Saturday that large numbers of Palestinian people should leave Gaza in order to “just clean out” the whole strip. The Republican president said he would like hundreds of thousands of people to move from the devastated territory to neighbouring countries, such as Jordan and Egypt, either temporarily or for the long term.
“I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.’” Hamas said on Sunday that Palestinians “categorically reject any plans to deport or displace them from their land”.
Trump’s comments, which were welcomed by far-right Israeli politicians, were labelled dangerous and widely condemned by US allies and in the region. His suggestion was denounced by some as being a proposal for ethnic cleansing. You can read more about this reaction here.
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who is positioning herself as a bridge between the new Trump administration and the EU, reacted to the US president’s comments while taking questions from the press during a visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Meloni said:
Trump is right when he says that the reconstruction of Gaza is obviously one of the main challenges we face, and that to succeed, however, a great deal of involvement from the international community is needed.
As for the issue of refugees, I don’t think, here again, that we are faced with a defined plan. I think we are rather faced with discussions with regional actors, who certainly need to be involved in this.
Meloni warned of the “significant impact” of Syrian refugees in several countries in the region, which “is not helping stabilisation”.
“These are certainly very complex matters, but the fact that they are being discussed, even at an informal level with the actors in the region, in my opinion means that we want to work seriously on the issue of the reconstruction of Gaza,” she said.
During Israel’s 15 month war on Gaza, more than two-thirds of buildings have been destroyed or damaged by one of the most intensive bombardments in modern times. It has sparked a refugee crisis as large parts of the territory are now uninhabitable.
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There are some developments relating to the crippling sanctions the west placed on Syria during the rule of ousted former president Bashar al-Assad.
France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, has said the EU is lifting some sanctions against the new Syrian government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which led the rapid rebel offensive last month. It is not clear what sanctions will be lifted.
Earlier this month, the US eased some restrictions for six months to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid, energy sales and personal remittances into Syria. The EU seems like it is now following a similar policy position.
According to an EU document seen by Reuters, diplomats from the bloc’s 27 members recommended taking swift action towards suspending the restrictions “in sectors necessary for economic stabilisation and launch of economic reconstruction of Syria, such as those regarding energy and transport”.
The diplomats, who are part of a group that negotiates the EU’s foreign policy positions on issues related to the Middle East and North Africa, also recommended “assessing options for reopening banking and investment relations with Syria”.
“The easing of EU restrictive measures would be rolled out in a staged approach and in a reversible manner, regularly assessing if the conditions in Syria allow for further suspension,” the diplomats wrote.
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The new US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu have talked for the first time on the phone since the Trump administration took power last week.
A senior defence official provided this readout after the call took place:
Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an introductory call today to discuss the unbreakable bond that exists between the United States and Israel. Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats. The Secretary stressed that the United States is fully committed, under President Trump’s leadership, to ensure that Israel has the capabilities it needs to defend itself. Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.
The call came a day after Donald Trump said he had ordered the resumption of shipments of some of the largest bombs to Israel. Joe Biden put the hold on the delivery of those bombs due to concern over the devastating impact they could have on the civilian population, particularly in Gaza’s Rafah, during Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory, which has now killed over 47,200 people, according to the health ministry. One 2,000-pound bomb can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius.
Israel and the US have recently confirmed deals which will reportedly see America deliver more aircraft to the IDF, including more F-35 and F-15-EX fighter jets.
Hegseth is a staunch supporter of Israel. In his book American Crusade (2020) he wrote: “We Christians – alongside our Jewish friends and their remarkable army in Israel – need to pick up the sword of unapologetic Americanism and defend ourselves.”
Hegseth continues: “For us as American crusaders, Israel embodies the soul of our American crusade – the ‘why’ to our ‘what’.”
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How will the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal work?
Here is a recap of the main elements of the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on 19 January 2025, as outlined by my colleague Bethan McKernan. You can read her explainer about the agreement and whether or not it is likely to lead to a permanent ceasefire here.
What’s in the deal?
All fighting is to pause during the first 42-day phase. Israeli forces are to withdraw from Gaza’s cities to a “buffer zone” along the edge of the strip, displaced Palestinians will be able to return home and there will be a marked increase in aid deliveries.
In the second stage, of unclear duration, the remaining living hostages will be returned and a corresponding ratio of Palestinian prisoners freed, alongside a complete Israeli withdrawal from the strip. The Rafah crossing to Egypt will be opened for the sick and wounded to leave. It is unclear whether it will be returned to Palestinian control.
The third phase, which could last years, would address the exchange of bodies of deceased hostages and Hamas members, and a reconstruction plan for Gaza. Much of the international community has advocated for the semi-autonomous West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007, to return to the strip. Israel, however, has repeatedly rejected the suggestion.
How will stage one work?
A total of 33 hostages will be released across the 42 days, in exchange for about 1,700 Palestinians held in Israel prisons, about 1,000 of whom are from Gaza and were arrested after 7 October 2023 under emergency legislation which allowed detention without charge or trial.
A handful of Israelis will be released every Saturday over the next month or so; the number of Palestinians to be freed upon their return generally depends on whether the Israelis are civilians or soldiers. Some of the freed Palestinians from the West Bank sentenced for serious crimes against Israelis will be sent to third countries rather than be allowed to return home.
In Gaza, people displaced from their homes are now allowed to move freely around the Palestinian territory, and more aid is arriving – compared to before the agreement - to alleviate the strip’s dire humanitarian conditions.
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IDF opened fire on family eating dinner in Jenin, killing 2-year-old toddler, grandfather says
Israeli news outlet Hareetz has a harrowing account from the grandfather of a two-year-old Palestinian toddler who he says was killed on Saturday night by Israeli soldiers during the IDF’s raid on the West Bank city of Jenin.
Bassam Asous said Laila was shot while eating dinner with her family. Laila’s mum and Bassam’s daughter, a graduate student in engineering, was shot in the arm, and her aunt was hit in the head by shrapnel, he said. Laila’s father, an engineer, was killed in a work accident two years ago. Bassam said the Israeli soldiers did not ask the family to leave the house, situated on the outskirts of Jenin, before shooting at it.
Bassam, who says his family has no connection to any terrorists, told Hareetz:
“At first she was still alive and crying. I asked the soldiers – why did you kill her? She is just a little baby. How is she involved, why did you shoot at us? The soldier told me, ‘Sorry.’ We spoke English. What do you mean sorry? She was shot in the head.”
He continued:
We were having dinner; it was about 8 P.M. We were home, my daughters and I – I only have daughters – and my baby grandchild. There were soldiers outside but we didn’t hear them, we had the windows closed due to the weather.
Suddenly they started to shoot at us and we were surprised, why would they be shooting at us? The women ran into an interior room. They kept shooting. My daughters started to scream and we got onto the ground because a window had broken and there were glass shards.
My daughter held her daughter to her chest because she intended to feed her, and then she yelled – Laila has been hit! I grabbed her and went down to the street.
Bassam, a schoolteacher, said an ambulance was called but was delayed due to military activity in the area. Laila “was bleeding into the street” and died after not being able to receive treatment in time, he said.
The IDF told Hareetz that soldiers had surrounded a house and fired at a building where they believed a terrorist was located. The military said stun grenades were thrown at the building and calls were made on loudspeakers to warn those inside of their presence. When they realised Laila had been hit, they said they called for the Red Crescent and made sure Laila and her mother were evacuated.
The IDF has been carrying out a raid on Jenin aiming 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.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, which has sparked a wave of violence in the West Bank, Israel has raided or carried out airstrikes in Jenin multiple times, killing dozens of people and leaving a trial of heavy destruction there.
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Even knowing that their homes have likely been damaged or destroyed by Israeli bombardments, Palestinians returning to northern Gaza have expressed joy on their return. Associated Press reports:
Many had feared Israel would make their exodus permanent, and expressed similar concerns about an idea floated by President Donald Trump to resettle large numbers of Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan.
Ismail Abu Matter, a father of four who had waited for three days before crossing with his family, described scenes of jubilation on the other side, with people singing, praying and crying as they were reunited with relatives.
“It’s the joy of return,” said Abu Matter, whose family was among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were driven out of what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. “We had thought we wouldn’t return, like our ancestors.”
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has said the country will “continue to firmly enforce the ceasefires in the north and south”, in a post on X, referring to Lebanon and Gaza. He added:
Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full cost. We will not allow a return to the reality of 7 October.
Israel itself has been accused of breaching the ceasefire on both fronts on multiple occasions, including by launching 350 airstrikes across Lebanon.
Israeli forces killed at least 22 people when they opened fire on civilians trying to return to their homes in southern Lebanon on Sunday.
“The IDF must avoid firing at civilians within Lebanese territory,” the UN’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon said in a statement.
“Further violence risks undermining the fragile security situation in the area and prospects for stability ushered in by the cessation of hostilities and the formation of a government in Lebanon.”
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Some images of joy and jubilation as Palestinians return to northern Gaza and reunite with loved ones:
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Israeli MP who served as national security minister until he resigned in protest at the ceasefire agreement, has called the opening of the Netzarim Corridor “another humiliating part of the reckless deal”. In a post on X he wrote:
This is not what “complete victory” looks like – this is what complete surrender looks like. The heroic IDF soldiers did not fight and give their lives in the Strip to make these images possible. We must return to war – and destroy!
Ben-Gvir, who was convicted in 2007 of racist incitement against Arabs and backing a group considered by Israel and the US to be a terrorist organisation, has repeatedly called for Israelis to resettle Gaza and for the “voluntary” resettlement of Palestinians elsewhere.
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A snippet of analysis here from Mairav Zonszein, a senior Israel analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, on the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza. In a post on X, she writes:
This is significant. When Israel began depopulating northern Gaza, it seemed like they would never let people return, that Israel would remain and ultimately build settlements. Not letting people go back was one of Israel’s major bargaining chips. Now it’s gone.
Holding onto north Gaza was not for security reasons, but b/c it would be harder to resume combat. This also means that if Hamas wants to tamper with hostage exchange, it has more room to maneuver because it’s already gotten the return to the north early on.
As Palestinians who are on foot begin their journey north, others who are travelling by vehicle still have another 45 minutes to wait until Israeli troops will allow them to cross the so-called Netzarim Corridor that they created to split the territory in two. Thousands are waiting to cross:
Hamas has issued a statement describing the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza as “a victory” for the Palestinians and a defeat for the Israelis, Al Jazeera reports.
Hamas said the return of Palestinians to the areas from which they were displaced confirmed their link to the land once again and “proves the failure of the occupation to achieve the aggressive goals of displacing people and breaking their steadfast will”.
Rights experts condemn arrest of US pro-Palestinian journalist Ali Abunimah
UN human rights experts and activists have condemned the arrest of an American, pro-Palestinian journalist in the Swiss city of Zurich, saying it raised concerns about freedom of speech. Reuters reports:
Ali Abunimah, the executive director of online publication Electronic Intifada - which calls itself “Palestine’s weapon of mass instruction” – was arrested by Swiss police on Saturday ahead of a speech in Zurich, the organisation said in a statement.
Swiss police confirmed that a 53-year-old American had been arrested, citing an entry ban, and said further measures under its immigration law were being considered.
The UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, called the arrest “shocking news” and urged Switzerland to investigate and release him in a post on the X social media platform.
“The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned,” said Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories.
Pro-Palestinian advocacy group Swiss Action for Human Rights launched a petition to release Abunimah on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Bern said it was providing appropriate consular assistance after seeing reports of the arrest of a US citizen, declining further comment.
In a statement on its website, Electronic Intifada said the arrest appeared to be “part of a growing backlash from western governments against expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
It noted that last year, several activists and journalists in Britain were arrested, raided or charged using “counter-terror” powers, including Asa Winstanley, an associate editor with The Electronic Intifada. Winstanley has not been charged with any crime.
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Some of the first images of Palestinians returning to their homes in northern Gaza are beginning to appear on the wires:
Palestinians begin return to north Gaza
Displaced Palestinians have started returning to north Gaza, the territory’s interior ministry has confirmed as images posted on social media showed thousands of people streaming along sandy roadways fringed by the devastation of more than a year of Israeli airstrikes.
“The passage of displaced Palestinians has begun along the Al-Rashid Road via the western part of the Netzarim checkpoint towards Gaza City and the northern part” of the Gaza Strip, an official told the news agency AFP.
آلاف النازحين يعودون إلى مدينة غزة وشمال القطاع عبر شارع الرشيد الساحلي pic.twitter.com/L4HcmmioDU
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) January 27, 2025
Thousands of Palestinians had headed to the Netzarim Corridor – a strip of land Israel has occupied that cuts the territory in two – on Saturday in anticipation of being allowed to cross back to their homes in the north as agreed under this month’s ceasefire deal.
But Israeli troops set up roadblocks and fired on some people trying to return, killing at least one person. It accused Hamas of failing to uphold the agreement by not including Arbel Yehoud, an Israeli civilian, in Saturday’s hostage release.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that several people were critically injured in the Israeli attack on the crowd of civilians waiting to cross the corridor near Nuseirat refugee camp.
Hamas said that blocking returns to the north also amounted to a truce violation, adding it had provided “all the necessary guarantees” for Yehoud’s release.
In the early hours of Monday, mediator Qatar said a deal had been reached that would see Yehoud released before Friday along with two other hostages and that Palestinians would be allowed to cross the corridor from early on Monday.
Updated
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Displaced Palestinians are expected to begin returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Monday, two days later than scheduled, after an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas to release a civilian Israeli hostage.
Over the weekend, Israel had prevented Palestinians from crossing the Netzarim Corridor – a strip of land it has occupied that cuts the territory in two – as agreed under this month’s ceasefire deal, accusing Hamas of failing to uphold the agreement by not including Arbel Yehoud, an Israeli civilian, in Saturday’s hostage release.
Hamas said that blocking returns to the north also amounted to a truce violation, adding it had provided “all the necessary guarantees” for Yehoud’s release.
In the early hours of Monday, mediator Qatar said a deal had been reached that would see Yehoud released before Friday along with two other hostages and that Palestinians would be allowed to cross the corridor from early on Monday. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed the news in a statement.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said Palestinian residents would be allowed to return on foot starting at 7am and by car at 9am.
The news was greeted with joy by the thousands of displaced Palestinians living in inadequate shelters and tent encampments. “No sleep, I have everything packed and ready to go with the first light of day,” said Ghada, a mother of five.
“At least we are going back home, now I can say war is over and I hope it will stay calm,” she told Reuters via a chat app.
In other developments:
Israeli forces opened fire on people trying to return to their homes, killing at least 22 people, including a Lebanese soldier and six women, and injuring 124 amid a dispute with Lebanon over a ceasefire agreement. Israel said it would not allow civilians to return to southern Lebanon, and accused the Lebanese army of violating key commitments under the ceasefire deal. Videos showed tense face-offs between Israeli soldiers and tanks and Lebanese crowds waving banners and chanting slogans.
The White House said late on Sunday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon until 18 February. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu said on Friday that the Lebanese state had not yet “fully enforced” a deal to secure the south, meant to ensure that Hezbollah withdrew beyond the Litani River.
Donald Trump’s proposal that large numbers of Palestinians should leave Gaza to “just clean out” the whole strip has been rejected by US allies in the region and attacked as dangerous, illegal and unworkable by lawyers and activists. Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, told reporters that the country’s stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza remained “firm and unwavering”.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected any displacement of Palestinians from their land, be it “short term or long term”.“To ‘clean’ Gaza immediately after the war would in fact be a continuation of the war, through the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” said Hassan Jabareen, the director of Palestinian rights group Adalah. Omer Shatz, a lecturer in international law at Sciences Po Paris and international criminal court (ICC) counsel, said Trump’s comments were a “call for ethnic cleansing” that echoed calls from extremist Israeli politicians and public figures dating to the start of the war.
The US president had said Palestinians could move to countries including Jordan, which already hosts more than 2.7 million Palestinian refugees, and Egypt. “I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.’”
