Israel-Gaza latest: Hamas says it will release hostages under ceasefire deal this weekend as planned

Hamas has said it will release three hostages this weekend as planned, in a bid to save the fragile ceasefire deal with Israel.

Hamas had suspended the release of hostages after accusing Israel of breaching ceasefire obligations, including delaying the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, carrying out strikes across the enclave and hindering the entry of humanitarian aid.

It comes after it emerged Israel is considering attacks on Iranian nuclear sites this year, according to US intelligence agencies, in a move which could dramatically escalate tensions in the region.

The Israeli government wants to take advantage of Iran’s weakness after the damage done to its so-called proxy groups in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Analysis by intelligence agencies found that Israel is likely to push the Trump administration into backing the strikes. Military support from the US would likely be needed, military officials said.

The strikes could take place by the summer, according to the Washington Post – but the White House, Israeli government, CIA, and other agencies have all declined to comment on the reports.

Key Points

• Hamas says it will go ahead with planned hostage release

• Israel considering strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, say US intelligence agencies

• Egypt and Jordan resist Trump plan to resettle Palestinians

• Hamas says it does not want ceasefire to collapse

Hamas had demanded more aid

13:15 , Sam Rkaina

This week Hamas accused Israel of failing to respect stipulations calling for a massive increase in aid deliveries and said it would not hand over three hostages due to be released on Saturday until the issue was resolved.

In response, Netanyahu ordered reserves to be called up and threatened to resume combat operations that have been paused for almost a month unless the hostages were returned.

Israeli minister Avi Dichter, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, told Israeli public radio on Thursday that he did not believe Hamas would be able to get out of the agreement.

“There’s a deal, they won’t be able to give anything less than what is in the deal,” he said. “I don’t believe that Hamas can behave otherwise.”

Egyptian security sources told Reuters they expected heavy construction equipment to enter on Thursday and if that happened then Hamas would release hostages on Saturday.

The standoff between Israel and Hamas has threatened to reignite their conflict, which has devastated Gaza and taken the Middle East to the brink of a wider regional war.

Egyptian and Qatari officials have been working to avoid a breakdown and a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort said both sides had agreed to go ahead with the ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel ramps up home demolitions in the West Bank

13:02 , Alex Croft

Israel has ramped up home demolitions in the occupied West Bank, which have previously been condemned as illegal under international law.

Two more demolition orders in Kafr al-Dik were issued on Thursday, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Demolitions and forced evictions have also ramped up in Masafer Yatta, an area in the West Bank which Israel declared a “military firing zone” in 2022.

Videos shared by Palestinians on the ground show Israeli bulldozers crushing houses in the region.

Bel Trew | ‘We’re already in hell’: Palestinians in despair after Trump threatens Gaza truce

12:41 , Alex Croft

Palestinians in Gaza have said they “are already living in hell” after Donald Trump vowed to cancel a truce if Hamas does not release all hostages this weekend, as the fragile truce teetered on the verge of collapse.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern parts of the besieged strip in recent weeks, camping in the rubble of their homes and still reeling from the loss of dozens of extended family members.

With the precarious deal on a knife-edge, Mr Trump said “all hell will break out” if the hostage release at the weekend did not go as planned.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed Mr Trump’s threat, saying Israel will resume “intense” fighting in Gaza if all hostages were not freed at the weekend.

Chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:

‘We’re already in hell’: Palestinians in despair after Trump threatens Gaza truce

Watch: Boris Johnson says Mar-a-Lago great place for people of Gaza to settle

12:21 , Alex Croft

Sydney nurses suspended for threatening to ‘kill Israeli patients’ in viral video

12:00 , Alex Croft

Two nurses in Sydney are facing a criminal investigation for antisemitism after claiming in a social media video that Israeli patients in Australia will be denied treatment or killed.

The New South Wales health workers have been stood down at the Bankstown Hospital after allegedly declaring that they would kill Israeli patients if they had to treat them.

One nurse, who falsely claimed to be a doctor, even suggested he had killed Israeli patients, 9News reported.

Read the full report:

Sydney nurses suspended for threatening to ‘kill Israeli patients’ in viral video

Ceasefire has been close to failure

11:42 , Sam Rkaina

The 42-day ceasefire has appeared close to failure this week amid accusations on both sides of violations to the agreement sealed last month with the help of Egyptian and Qatari mediators and U.S. support.

Hamas said it did not want the deal to collapse, though it rejected what it called the “language of threats and intimidation” from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. They have said the ceasefire should be cancelled if the hostages are not released.

“Accordingly, Hamas reaffirms its commitment to implementing the agreement as signed, including the exchange of prisoners according to the specified timeline,” Hamas said in a statement.

Hamas, whose Gaza chief leader Khalil Al-Hayya is visiting Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials, also said both Egyptian and Qatari mediators would press on with efforts “to remove obstacles and close gaps”.

In pictures: Residents of West Bank camp destroyed by Israel walk among ruins

11:38 , Alex Croft

Two Britons arrested in Iran on security charges – state media

11:16 , Alex Croft

Two British nationals were arrested by Iranian police on security-related charges and remain in custody, state media reported on Thursday.

Iran’s official news agency shared blurred images of the pair meeting with the British ambassador – but did not identify them. It is not clear when they were detained.

British officials have not commented on the arrests.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners on espionage and security-related charges in recent years. Iran has been accused by rights groups and western countries of attempting to win concessions through the arrests.

Humza Yousaf: My wife’s family are facing ‘hell on Earth’ after Gaza devastation

10:56 , Alex Croft

Humza Yousaf has said the situation in Gaza is already “hell on Earth” and his father-in-law has been left a “shell”, as he discussed the impact the war has had on his wife’s family.

The former first minister said Palestinians will always resist attempts to take over their land, in response to recent remarks from Donald Trump which have thrown the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire into question.

Maged and Elizabeth El-Nakla – the parents of Mr Yousaf’s wife Nadia El-Nakla – were visiting relatives in the Palestinian enclave when war broke out following October 7 2023.

They became trapped for four weeks before leaving through Egypt with other British nationals.

Read the full report:

Yousaf: My wife’s family are facing ‘hell on Earth’ after Gaza devastation

Hamas says it will go ahead with planned hostage release

10:53 , Sam Rkaina

Hamas has said it will go ahead with the planned hostage release this weekend.

The terror group had been due to free three captives on Saturday before threatening to cancel it, putting the fragile ceasefire at risk.

Hamas says it has been in talks with the Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo, who have been trying to prevent the arrangement from falling apart.

Egypt and Jordan resist Trump plan to resettle Palestinians

10:34 , Alex Croft

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah said Gaza should be rebuilt without displacing Palestinians, Egypt’s presidency said, reporting a phone call between the two on Wednesday.

US president Donald Trump has continued to push for a plan to resettle the Palestinian population to both Egypt and Jordan, a proposal both countries have rejected repeatedly.

Pictured: Graffiti symbolising Gaza reconstruction, on Israel’s separation wall in Bethlehem, occupied West Bank

10:15 , Alex Croft

US secretary of state to visit Middle East

09:54 , Alex Croft

US secretary of state Marco Rubio will visit Europe and the Middle East, the state department announced on Wednesday.

In a crucial moment for peace in the Middle East, Mr Rubio will visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Too few tents entering Gaza threatens the truce. Here’s what’s happening

09:34 , Alex Croft

Three weeks into the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the number of tents and temporary homes entering Gaza risks falling short of the goals set for the deal’s first phase.

The looming deficit sits at the heart of a dispute between Israel and Hamas that could topple the tenuous truce.

Hamas has indefinitely delayed the scheduled release of three hostages on Saturday, accusing Israel of obstructing the delivery of tents, pre-fabricated homes and heavy machinery into the devastated territory, where the majority of people are displaced and many live beside the rubble of blasted-out buildings.

Israel rejects the accusation, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza and resume the war if Hamas does not release more hostages on schedule.

Read the full report:

Too few tents entering Gaza threatens the truce. Here’s what’s happening

Israeli could strike Iran early as mid-year – report

09:12 , Alex Croft

Earlier, we reported that Israel was considering strikes on Iranian nuclear sites this year, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing US intelligence agencies.

The Washington Post has reported that this attack could take place by the middle of this year.

It would set back Iran’s nuclear programme by weeks or months but would risk a wider conflict, US intelligence reports found.

The White House, Israeli government, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence all declined to comment.

Hamas says it does not want ceasefire to collapse

08:52 , Alex Croft

Palestinian militant group Hamas has said it does not want the Gaza ceasefire agreement to collapse.

Mediators are pushing for the deal to be abided by, ensuring Israel adheres to the humanitarian protocol and the resumption of Israeli hostage and Palestinian prisoner releases, Hamas said in a statement.

It comes as Israel threatens to resume warfare in Gaza if hostages aren’t released by Saturday.

Israel considering strikes on Iran, say US intelligence agencies

08:33 , Alex Croft

Israel is considering significant strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, US intelligence agencies found according to a report.

Israel is seeking to take advantage of Iran’s current weakness following the damage done to so-called proxy militant groups in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Analysis by the agencies, concluded in the final days of the Biden administration, found that Israel would pressure the Trump administration into backing the strikes.

Military support from the US would likely be needed for a strike of such proportions, US military officials told WSJ.

The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the Israeli military responded to requests for comment from the US outlet.

‘I walked 11 hours to return to Gaza, finding my town destroyed’

07:00 , Jane Dalton

In case you missed it: Palestinian journalist Nedal Hamdouna, who has been displaced seven times by the 15-month war in Gaza, describes ab emotional return home:

I walked 11 hours to return to my home in Gaza – to find my house without walls

Israel warns of ‘gates of hell’ in fresh war

06:00 , Jane Dalton

The “gates of hell will open” on Hamas if it does not release his country’s hostages by Saturday, the Israeli defence minister has warned.

In a security consultation, Israel Katz said: “If Hamas stops releasing the hostages, then there is no agreement and there is war.

“If Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Shabbat, the gates of hell will open on them, just as the US president promised.

“The new Gaza war will be different in intensity from the one before the ceasefire.”

He said the new war would “not end without Hamas’s defeat and the release of all the hostages”, adding it would “also enable the realisation of US president Trump’s vision regarding Gaza”.

Donald Trump has pushed a plan to resettle the Palestinian population to Egypt and Jordan.

Signs of hope in talks to rescue truce

05:00 , Jane Dalton

There are signs that the differences over the fragile ceasefire deal could be bridged.

A Hamas official, Mahmoud Merdawi, told The Associated Press there were “positive signals” the three hostages will be released as planned on Saturday but the group had not yet received a commitment from Israel that it would adhere to the deal.

An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the two sides were close to an agreement and that Israel had committed to delivering more tents, shelters and heavy equipment to Gaza.

The dispute was sparked when Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet some commitments under the truce, including the delivery of tents and other aid, and said it would delay the next hostage release on Saturday.

Israeli officials had no immediate comment. Israel says it is fulfilling its obligations under the deal.

North Korea brands US ‘ferocious robber’ over Trump Gaza plan

04:00 , Jane Dalton

North Korea has become the latest country to condemn Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza.

Last week, the US president announced plans to take ownership of the war-torn region and make it the “Rivera of Middle East”.

Under his plan, two million Palestinians would be resettled in neighbouring countries – which have opposed the idea.

Now North Korea has joined the opposition to the plan, condemning the idea as “bluster” and accusing Washington of robbery.

Commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency said: “The world is now boiling like a porridge pot over the US’ bombshell declaration’”.

It also criticised the Trump administration over its calls to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland, and its decision to change the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America”.

“The US should awaken from its anachronistic daydream and stop at once the act of encroaching upon the dignity and sovereignty of other countries and nations,” the KCNA report said, while calling the U.S. a “ferocious robber”.

Relatives of hostages terrified as ceasefire teeters

02:30 , Jane Dalton

Relatives of Israeli hostages are terrified as the Gaza ceasefire teeters

‘The next nightmare is just beginning’: Ceasefire raises new fears for Gazans

01:00 , Jane Dalton

‘The next nightmare is just beginning’: Inside Gaza

Jordanian King discusses Gaza with Macron

Wednesday 12 February 2025 23:59 , Jane Dalton

Jordan’s King Abdullah discussed “dangerous developments” in Gaza and the West Bank during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Jordanian royal court.

The phone call comes a day after the Jordanian king met US President Donald Trump in Washington, where he reiterated his country’s “steadfast position” against Trump’s controversial Gaza displacement plan.

The leaders of Egypt and Jordan have both reiterated their rejection of Trump’s plan to depopulate the Gaza Strip.

Outrage as US TV host says ‘uneducated Palestinians threat because of explosive birth rate’

Wednesday 12 February 2025 22:59 , Jane Dalton

Jesse Watters sparks outrage for saying ‘uneducated’ Palestinians are a ‘threat’

Why Jordan rejected Trump plan to resettle Palestinians

Wednesday 12 February 2025 21:59 , Jane Dalton

Jordan’s King Abdullah II once again rejected any mass displacement of Palestinians after meeting President Donald Trump, who has called for the Gaza Strip’s roughly 2 million residents to be removed from the territory.

Mr Trump has suggested they could be resettled in Jordan and Egypt, both of which are vehemently opposed to any such scenario.

The Palestinians also reject Trump’s plan, which they view as an attempt to forcibly displace them from part of their homeland. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have also rejected such plans.

During his meeting with Trump, Abdullah volunteered to accept up to 2,000 children from Gaza who have cancer or otherwise require medical treatment.

But in a post on social media after the meeting, he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank,” adding that it was a “unified Arab position”.

Jordan and Egypt have made peace with Israel but support the creation of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.

They fear that the permanent displacement of Gaza’s population could make that impossible.

Hamas ‘monsters’ could feel full force of military, Israeli minister warns

Wednesday 12 February 2025 20:59 , Jane Dalton

Exclusive:

Hamas ‘monsters’ warned they will feel full force of Israel if hostages not released

In pictures: Hostage families emotional in US hearing

Wednesday 12 February 2025 19:59 , Jane Dalton

Signs of hope in talks to rescue truce

Wednesday 12 February 2025 18:59 , Jane Dalton

There are signs that the gaps in the fragile ceasefire deal could be bridged.

A Hamas official, Mahmoud Merdawi, told The Associated Press there were “positive signals” the three hostages will be released as planned on Saturday but the group had not yet received a commitment from Israel that it would adhere to the deal.

An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the two sides were close to an agreement and that Israel had committed to delivering more tents, shelters and heavy equipment to Gaza.

The dispute was sparked when Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet some commitments under the truce, including the delivery of tents and other aid, and said it would delay the next hostage release on Saturday.

Israeli officials had no immediate comment. Israel says it is fulfilling its obligations under the deal.

Explainer: Why ceasefire deal is at risk of collapse

Wednesday 12 February 2025 18:20 , Jane Dalton

Why is the Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal at risk of collapse?

Shortfall in tents being sent to Gaza at heart of ceasefire crisis

Wednesday 12 February 2025 18:00 , Jane Dalton

Too few tents entering Gaza threatens the truce. Here’s what’s happening

‘Gates of hell will open’, Israeli minister warns Hamas

Wednesday 12 February 2025 17:02 , Jane Dalton

The “gates of hell will open” on Hamas if it does not release his country’s hostages by Saturday, the Israeli defence minister has warned.

In a security consultation, Israel Katz said: “I came here to make sure that the IDF is properly prepared for the renewal of the war in Gaza.

“The entire ceasefire agreement with the Hamas murderers was intended to bring about the rapid release of the Israeli hostages who are being held in extremely harsh conditions in Gaza, and in return for this, Israel agreed to pay heavy prices.

“If Hamas stops releasing the hostages, then there is no agreement and there is war.

“If Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Shabbat, the gates of hell will open on them, just as the US president promised.

“The new Gaza war will be different in intensity from the one before the ceasefire.”

He said the new war would “not end without Hamas’s defeat and the release of all the hostages”, adding it would “also enable the realisation of US president Trump’s vision regarding Gaza”.

Donald Trump has pushed a plan to resettle the Palestinian population to Egypt and Jordan.

Egypt and Jordan resist Trump plan to resettle Palestinians

Wednesday 12 February 2025 16:40 , Jane Dalton

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah said Gaza should be rebuilt without displacing Palestinians, Egypt’s presidency said, reporting a phone call between the two on Wednesday.

US president Donald Trump has continued to push for a plan to resettle the Palestinian population to both Egypt and Jordan, a proposal both countries have rejected repeatedly.

Wednesday 12 February 2025 15:19 , Alex Ross

Egypt and Qatar are stepping up efforts to save the Gaza ceasefire deal, state-affiliated Egypt’s Al Qahera news TV reported on Wednesday, citing an Egyptian source.

The ceasefire has looked increasingly fragile since Hamas said this week it was postponing the release of any more Israeli hostages held in Gaza, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

US President Donald Trump has warned Palestinians that “hell will break loose” if Israeli hostages are not released on Saturday. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will resume “intense fighting” if Hamas does not meet the deadline.

Egyptian sources told Reuters that Qatar and Egypt were in discussions with Hamas and Israel to prevent the cancellation of the ceasefire deal and to ensure its completion.

Egypt and Qatar alongside the United States brokered the deal that took effect on January 19 after more than a year of extensive diplomatic efforts.

Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo for Gaza ceasefire talks

Wednesday 12 February 2025 14:54 , Alex Ross

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to continue Gaza ceasefire talks with the second phase of the deal supposed to get underway, a statement by the Palestinian militant group said.

Hamas said earlier this week it would stop the release of hostages scheduled for Saturday until further notice.

Egypt’s president to stay away from White House if Gaza displacement on agenda – reports

Wednesday 12 February 2025 14:20 , Alex Ross

Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will not travel to Washington for talks at the White House as long as the agenda includes US president Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza, two Egyptian security sources have said.

Mr Trump has infuriated the Arab world with a plan to permanently displace the population of more than 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, claim U.S. control of it and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

He has demanded Egypt and Jordan take in the Palestinians, and has threatened to withdraw aid from the two U.S.-allied Arab states if they refuse.

Egypt has said Mr Trump had extended an open invitation to Sisi to visit the White House earlier this month. A US official said no date for such a visit has been set. The Egyptian presidency and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

UAE supports two-state solution for Gaza

Wednesday 12 February 2025 13:45 , Alex Ross

United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday that peace efforts in the region should be on the basis of a two-state solution for the conflict conflict, state news agency WAM reported.

It said the UAE, one of the few Arab countries that normalised relations with Israel, categorically rejected any attempt to displace the Palestinians and deny them “inalienable rights”.

US president Donald Trump caused outrage in the Arab world earlier this week when he proposed the US should take over the Gaza Strip and Gazans should be resettled elsewhere

Why is the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas at risk of collapse?

Wednesday 12 February 2025 13:00 , Alex Ross

As uncertainty continues over the truce, we’ve put together an explainer on why the deal is at risk of collapse, and what could happen next:

Relatives of Israeli hostages are terrified as the Gaza ceasefire teeters

Humanitarian aid arriving Gaza – in pictures

Wednesday 12 February 2025 12:03 , Alex Ross

Pictures taken today showing humanitarian aid coming into the southern Gaza town of Rafah.

On Sunday, the United Nations’ humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said famine had been mostly averted in Gaza thanks to the surge of aid entering the territory during the fragile ceasefire.

Israeli forces deployed in and around Gaza amid fears over end to ceasefire

Wednesday 12 February 2025 11:15 , Alex Ross

As concerns grow that the month-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will break down, we’re just hearing that Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has mobilised troops in the Gaza region.

Under the ceasefire deal, the Palestinian militant group agreed to free three more hostages on Saturday – but has since said it was suspending the handover because of what it said were Israeli violations of the terms.

Mr Netanyahu has warned Israel would resume “intense fighting” if Hamas did not meet the deadline, but did not say how many hostages should be freed.

He said he had ordered the military to gather forces in and around Gaza, and the military announced shortly afterwards that it was deploying additional forces to Israel’s south, including mobilising reservists.

Two people struck in Gaza over flying a drone, says Israeli military

Wednesday 12 February 2025 11:04 , Alex Ross

The Israeli military says it struck two people in the southern Gaza Strip who were flying a drone.

It said Wednesday that the drone was observed entering Gaza from Israel after past attempts to use drones to smuggle in weapons.

Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza’s health ministry, said Tuesday that at least 92 Palestinians have been killed and more than 800 wounded by Israeli fire since the fragile ceasefire took hold last month.

The Israeli military says it has fired upon people who approach its forces or enter certain areas in violation of the truce.

Hamas has threatened to delay the next release of hostages, accusing Israel of violating the agreement by firing on people and by not allowing the stipulated amounts of tents, shelters and other vital aid to enter the territory.

Israel, with the support of President Donald Trump, has warned that it will resume the fighting if hostages are not freed on Saturday.

Why has Jordan rejected Trump’s plan to resettle Palestinians?

Wednesday 12 February 2025 10:07 , Alex Ross

Jordan’s King Abdullah II once again rejected any mass displacement of Palestinians after meeting with President Donald Trump, who has called for the Gaza Strip’s roughly 2 million residents to be removed from the war-ravaged territory.

Trump has suggested they could be resettled in Jordan and Egypt, both of which are vehemently opposed to any such scenario.

The Palestinians also reject Trump’s plan, which they view as an attempt to forcibly displace them from part of their homeland. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have also rejected such plans.

During his meeting with Trump, Abdullah volunteered to accept up to 2,000 children from Gaza who have cancer or otherwise require medical treatment.

But in a post on X after the meeting, he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank,” adding that it was a “unified Arab position.”

Jordan and Egypt have made peace with Israel but support the creation of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.

They fear that the permanent displacement of Gaza’s population could make that impossible.

What is Trump’s relationship like with North Korea?

Wednesday 12 February 2025 09:07

It’s still early days for the Trump administration, and we’re yet to see how exactly the US president will deal with North Korea in his second term in office.

Last week, he said his team “will have relations with North Korea”, adding that he gets “along with them very well”.

During his first term, Mr Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on three occasions, becoming the first sitting US president to step on North Korean soil since the end of the Korean war.

However, the pair are in disagreement over the future of Gaza, with North Korea a strong critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Now the country’s news agency has called the US a “ferocious robber” over Mr Trump’s plan to take ownership of the Gaza region.

North Korea has also raised alarm over the docking a US submarine in the South Korean city of Busan.

We will have to see how, and if, Mr Trump responds to North Korea in the coming days

North Korea calls US a ‘ferocious robber’ after Trump’s plan to take over Gaza

Wednesday 12 February 2025 08:47 , Alex Ross

North Korea has become the latest country to condemn Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza.

Last week, the US president announced plans to take ownership of the war-torn region and make it the “Rivera of Middle East”.

Under his plan, two million Palestinians would be resettled in neighbouring countries – which have opposed the idea.

Now North Korea has joined the opposition to the plan, condemning the idea as “bluster” and accusing Washington of robbery.

Commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency said: “The world is now boiling like a porridge pot over the U.S.’ bombshell declaration’”.

It also criticised the Trump administration over its calls to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland, and its decision to change the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America”.

“The US should awaken from its anachronistic daydream and stop at once the act of encroaching upon the dignity and sovereignty of other countries and nations,” the KCNA report said, while calling the U.S. a “ferocious robber”.

Parties must cooperate to ensure truce holds, says UK government

Wednesday 12 February 2025 08:00 , Alex Croft

The UK government has called on all parties involved in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire to “cooperate” to ensure the truce holds.

“Our focus absolutely remains on the true the ceasefire can be sustained,” a government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“We need to see the release of hostages this Saturday. This is a fragile deal.

“We’re committed to building confidence on all sides to help sustain it, and we encourage all parties to engage, to sustain the ceasefire, to see all hostages released, and indeed continued flow of aid into Gaza, but [for] this deal to work really good parties [need] to cooperate in order to ensure all stages of the ceasefire are completed.”

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan hit by US sanctions

Wednesday 12 February 2025 07:00 , Alex Croft

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan is the first to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorised by US president Donald Trump targeting Israel’s war crimes tribunal.

Mr Khan, who is British, was named in an annex to an executive order signed by Trump last week, Reuters reported.

The ICC on Friday condemned the sanctions, pledging to stand by its staff and “continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it”.

The Independent View | In the interest of both sides, the Gaza ceasefire deal must continue to be honoured

Wednesday 12 February 2025 06:00 , Alex Croft

In the nearly three weeks that have passed since Israel and Hamas concluded the ceasefire agreement, there have been five exchanges of hostages and prisoners. These exchanges have not been without last-minute hitches and delays, but they have taken place – to the immense joy and relief of the families and friends of those who have returned, and doubtless to the satisfaction of the many officials who concluded and helped to broker the agreement.

The procession of displaced Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, many seemingly in good heart, has also been an extraordinary testament to human resilience, given that most were setting off on the journey more in hope than in confidence that they would have any sort of home to return to. Their determination to return is all the more impressive given the immediate need that exists for food and medical aid, not to mention the gargantuan task of reconstruction that lies ahead.

Read The Independent’s view:

In the interest of both sides, the Gaza ceasefire deal must continue to be honoured

Egypt and Danish leaders discuss Gaza in phone call

Wednesday 12 February 2025 04:31 , Alex Croft

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and prime minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen discussed the Gaza truce in a phone call on Tuesday, according to a readout from Egypt’s government.

“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,” it read.

“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.”

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza hits 48,219

Wednesday 12 February 2025 03:02 , Alex Croft

At least 48,219 Palestinians have been killed and 111,665 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said on Thursday.

In the past 24 hours, 11 deaths were recorded and 10 people went into hospitals injured, health authorities said according to Wafa news agency.

ICYMI: Netanyahu praises Trump’s idea for US to take over Gaza

Wednesday 12 February 2025 01:29 , Alex Croft

Israel’s fatal shooting of a pregnant Palestinian woman raises fears in the West Bank

Wednesday 12 February 2025 00:01 , Alex Croft

Israel’s fatal shooting of a pregnant Palestinian woman raises fears in the West Bank

The call came in the middle of the night, Mohammed Shula said. His daughter-in-law, eight months pregnant with her first child, was whispering. There was panic in her voice.

“Help, please,” Shula recalled her saying. “You have to save us.”

Minutes later, Sondos Shalabi was fatally shot.

Shalabi and her husband, 26-year-old Yazan Shula, had fled their home in the early hours of Sunday as Israeli security forces closed in on Nur Shams refugee camp, a crowded urban district in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem.

Israeli military vehicles surrounded the camp days earlier, part of a larger crackdown on Palestinian militants across the northern occupied West Bank that has escalated since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza took effect last month.

Pregnant woman Sondos Shalabi was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank. Read more here:

Israel’s fatal shooting of a pregnant Palestinian woman raises fears in the West Bank

Stop dodging the Gaza issue, Prime Minister – get on the right side of history

Tuesday 11 February 2025 23:01 , Alex Croft

This week has marked a new, horrifying phase in the long history of attempts to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people from their homeland.

Donald Trump’s comments made during Tuesday’s US-Israeli press conference in Washington – that he wishes to “take over” Gaza, to make it “the Riviera of the Middle East” – constitute the most explicit denial of the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and return by any US administration to date.

Away from the headline proposals on Gaza’s future, many Palestinians now fear the prospective Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have escalated attacks since the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Read the full piece:

Stop dodging the Gaza issue, Prime Minister – get on the right side of history 

Syrian president: Trump Gaza plan is a ‘serious crime’

Tuesday 11 February 2025 22:00 , Alex Croft

Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has described Donald Trump’s plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza as a “serious crime that will ultimately fail”.

Trump has called for Palestinians to be removed from Gaza to make way for a US-owned major development site.

“I believe no power can drive people from their land. Many countries have tried to do it and they have all failed, especially during the recent war in Gaza over the past year and a half,” Mr Sharaa said.

“Over 80 years of this conflict, all attempts to displace them have failed; those who left have regretted their decision. The Palestinian lesson that every generation has learned is the importance of holding on to their land.”

Egypt, Jordan and other Arab nations have also opposed any attempt to push Palestinians over the border.

In pictures: Trump meets Jordan’s King Abdullah

Tuesday 11 February 2025 21:15 , Alex Croft

Who are remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and when might they be freed?

Tuesday 11 February 2025 20:29 , Alex Croft

More than a year after Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023 – killing around 1,200 people and taking another 250 captive – around 80 hostages remain, although Israel believes around a third are dead.

A ceasefire deal currently in place promises the release of the hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian militants in Gaza.

The first stage of the ceasefire to due to last six weeks and see “a full and complete ceasefire” while 33 hostages in Gaza and up to 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in Israel are to be freed. The hostages released will include women, the elderly and the sick.

Tara Cobham and Tom Watling report:

Who are remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and when might they be freed?

Watch: UN chief warns against ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza following Trump comments

Tuesday 11 February 2025 19:44 , Alex Croft

Abiding by ceasefire only way to bring hostages home, says Hamas official

Tuesday 11 February 2025 18:59 , Alex Croft

Abiding by the ceasefire deal is the only way to bring home Israeli hostages, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said 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 told Reuters.

Hamas indefinitely suspended the release of hostages on Monday, accusing Israel of failing to uphold its ceasefire obligations.

ICYMI: ‘Resumption of hostilities must be avoided at all cost’, says UN chief

Tuesday 11 February 2025 18:21 , Alex Croft

UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged Hamas to continue with the release of hostages, one day after the militant group announced it would halt the exchange.

“We must avoid at all costs the resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to an immense tragedy,” Mr Guterres said in a statement.

It comes after Hamas said on Monday it would stop releasing Israeli hostages due to alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement, including air strikes on areas in the enclave.

“Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement and resume negotiations in Doha for the second phase”, Mr Guterres added.

How Trump’s fever dream over Gaza could be a nightmare for the West

Tuesday 11 February 2025 17:51 , Alex Croft

Trump’s latest outburst on Gaza demanding that Hamas release all hostages held there by Saturday or there will be “hell to pay” is as mad as the threats to cut aid to Egypt and Jordan are dangerous – and will only empower America’s enemies.

The US president doesn’t have any capacity – that Israel doesn’t already have – to make Hamas “pay” for not releasing the remaining hostages. His threats sit against the backdrop of a ceasefire deal that, for now, is barely holding.

If the ceasefire breaks down entirely, then Israel may continue to bombard the enclave. Trump has already given Benjamin Netanyahu carte blanche to do so – and has lifted Biden’s previous restrictions on American 2,000lb munitions.

World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:

How Trump’s fever dream over Gaza could be a nightmare for the West

Israel will resume fighting in Gaza if hostages not freed by Saturday noon, says Netanyahu

Tuesday 11 February 2025 17:22 , Alex Croft

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the Gaza ceasefire would end if Hamas did not return hostages 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.

Donald Trump meets Jordan’s King Abdullah

Tuesday 11 February 2025 17:16 , Alex Croft

Donald Trump met Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday for what is expected to be a tense encounter after the US presidents controversial Gaza proposals.

Trump has proposed to forcibly transfer Palestinians out of Gaza before a US takeover of the strip would see it turned into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

King Abdullah has rejected any proposal to annex Palestinian land and displace its people. He is expected to convey his stance in today’s meeting.

Trump greeted King Abdullah and they stood together briefly outside the White House before entering for their meeting.