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SvennoJ on 18 February 2025
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Main events on February 18th

  • Khalil al-Hayya, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, confirmed that the group will release the bodies of four Israeli captives, including those of the Bibas family, and free four living captives on Saturday.
  • Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the indirect talks for a second stage of the ceasefire deal, which were supposed to start on February 4, will begin this week.
  • Israeli forces shot and killed four Palestinians, including a child and a woman, in the southern city of Rafah in Gaza, and are continuing to hold up the delivery of mobile homes to displaced people in the enclave, in violation of the ceasefire deal.
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced Israeli raids on three schools and a training centre run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied West Bank.
  • An assessment by the UN, European Union and the World Bank found that more than $50bn will be required to rebuild Gaza over the next 10 years, with $20bn needed for recovery efforts in the first three.
  • In Lebanon, Israeli troops remained at five strategic positions in southern parts of the country, despite a ceasefire deadline to withdraw completely.

 

Lebanon teams retrieve 23 bodies after Israeli pullout

Lebanon’s civil defence agency has recovered 23 bodies from several border towns after Israeli troops withdrew from some southern towns under a ceasefire deadline.

“Specialised teams today … managed to remove 14 bodies from Meiss el-Jabal, three from Markaba, and three from Kfar Kila, in addition to three from Odaisseh,” said a statement published by the state-run National News Agency.

Lebanese leaders said the Israeli military’s continued presence in five locations is an “occupation” and Beirut is in touch with France and the United States to press the army to completely withdraw from southern Lebanon.



France calls for immediate Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon

Israeli forces should pull back from five positions in southern Lebanon as soon as possible in line with the November ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, says France.

The Foreign Ministry urged all parties to consider its proposal to deploy the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to these five locations to replace Israeli forces and ensure the security of the population there.

The ministry also praised the redeployment of the Lebanese army where Israeli forces withdrew. The positioning of Lebanese forces allows demining operations and ensures the return of residents in safety, it added.