Journalist Asks UN for Reaction as Reporters Berate Blinken Over US’s Gaza Policy

During a recent press briefing, a journalist asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq for the UN's reaction to the incident involving reporters questioning U.S. Secretary of State Blinken over the U.S.'s Gaza policy.

The Case of Marwan Barghouti: How Israel Imprisoned Palestine’s Most Popular Leader

Who is Marwan Barghouti? Why is he nicknamed “Palestine’s Mandela”? And why does Israel see him as such a big threat, even behind bars, that it is adamantly refusing to release him as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal?

In this episode of ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ Mehdi Hasan goes on a deep dive into Barghouti’s life, his activism, and most importantly, all the red flags around his trial and imprisonment by Israel. Mehdi details what went wrong in Barghouti’s trial, from international law violations to a judge with a grudge.

Mehdi also interviews Marwan’s son, Arab Barghouthi, to discuss his father’s conditions, his treatment by Israel, and the chances of freeing him in the future.

Barghouti’s story, like that of most Palestinians, is a mix of struggle and hope. The former Fatah official, the political party currently led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is the most popular leader among Palestinians today. And while 89-year-old Abbas sets a low bar for competition, Mehdi explains what makes Barghouti still so popular after decades of imprisonment - and such a threat to both Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas.

Chaos In London: Police Brutally Assault, Arrest Pro-Palestine Protesters

UK police assaulted the pro-Palestine protesters in the Gaza rally, while arrested them.

The 3 Israeli hostages are now back in Israel

The three Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Sunday are now back in Israel, according to a statement from the Israeli military.

Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari are being reunited with their mothers, who traveled to Re’im in southern Israel, to meet them.

“The released hostages are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment,” the military said.

They will then be transferred to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv.

Earlier, the Red Cross transferred the hostages to the Israeli military in Gaza, the military said in a statement.

Biden says "guns in Gaza have gone silent" as Hamas hands over 3 hostages

US President Joe Biden said Sunday that the “guns in Gaza have gone silent” as Hamas handed over three hostages, the first of 33 to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire that took effect Sunday.

“The deal that I first put forward last May for the Middle East has finally come to fruition. The ceasefire has gone into effect in Gaza, and today, we’re seeing hostages being released, three Israeli women held against (their) will in the dark tunnels for 470 days,” Biden said.

“After so much pain, destruction, loss of life, today, the guns in Gaza have gone silent,” he added.

Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much needed supplies have crossed into the enclave.

“We can breathe a little more again.” Israelis rejoice at release of hostages

Israelis were elated following the release of three hostages from Gaza on Sunday, saying it almost feels unreal after so many months of waiting.

“It’s a very emotional moment,” Tania Coen-Uzzielli, director of Tel Aviv Museum of Art, told CNN from Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square. “We were waiting for this moment since the last release which was more than one year ago.”

Coen-Uzzielli said she could feel “the pulse” of the plaza every day, as it is located right next to her museum. Hostages Square saw many Israelis gather in solidarity with the hostages held in Gaza every day.

“Everybody is crying,” she said.

Mai, another woman, who declined to give a second name, said, “We can breathe a little more again” after months of waiting. “And we are going to be here until the very last one comes back.”

However, Mai cautioned, “We don’t know what it means about what they went through and how they are physically and mentally,” adding that “they are three incredibly strong women.”

Coen-Uzzielli, the museum director, hopes this can be “the start of a new period,” which may one day end the war with Hamas.

“I really hope that an international force will influence the ultimate decision to continue the release of the hostages and to stop this tragic war,” she said.

Large crowd in Tel Aviv seeks to welcome captives

Video from the ground in Israel, verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit, shows a gathering of people in what has come to be known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.

They are there to support the three captives who have just been released by Hamas into the custody of the Israeli army.

מאות אנשים בכיכר החטופים, אף עין אינה יבשה pic.twitter.com/t9wsm0bEtg

— שיר ביטון || shir bitton (@shirbitton_) January 19, 2025

‘We are finally in our home’

Rana Mohsen, 43, who was displaced from northern Jabalia to Gaza City, says she didn’t wait for the official start of the ceasefire to return to where her home once stood.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for 16 months,” said the mother of three. “My joy is indescribable. We are finally in our home. There is no home left, just rubble, but it’s our home. We are lucky because part of the roof is still intact.

“The extent of the destruction is unimaginable. Buildings and landmarks have completely disappeared, as if it were a ghost town or abandoned cities.”


_{The aftermath of Israeli air attacks on Jabalia}

Philadelphi Corridor remains hurdle in ceasefire deal

As people in Gaza celebrate the ceasefire, there is uncertainty about whether the second phase of the deal will come to fruition.

In his speech on Saturday, Netanyahu said the Israeli military will retain control of the narrow area of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt, which is not what is stipulated in the deal.

“Netanyahu in the second phase is likely to insist on maintaining the control of the Philadelphi Corridor and then we’re going to start having some problems,” Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said.

“The presence of the Israeli military in the Philadelphi Corridor has nothing to do with Hamas,” he added. “Maybe there will be a symbolic presence in one or two points of the Philadelphi Corridor, but no Israeli presence.”

Israeli doctors say the captives are in good health

Doctors have said that the captives are in good health, but as part of the plan to receive the captives back in Israel, there will be a minimum of a four-day stay at the hospital.

They’re going to be conducting several different psychological evaluations and medical exams to see exactly what kind of condition the captives are in.

The [Israeli] military had confirmed hours ago that they [the captives] crossed into Israeli territory and were being airlifted to the hospital.

It’s worth mentioning that since the ceasefire deal was announced Wednesday night, there was no word from Benjamin Netanyahu, no sort of public appearance, no public statement other than the fact that he wasn’t going to make a statement.

Benjamin Netanyahu finally released a statement last night after the security cabinet meeting was delayed and after the cabinet vote had also been delayed.

Israeli captives embrace their mothers after release

_{Released British-Israeli captive Emily Damari uses a phone with her mother, Mandy, after being held in Gaza on January 19, 2025}

_{Released Israeli captive Doron Steinbrecher embraces her mother, Simona}

_{Released Israeli captive Romi Gonen is embraced by her mother, Merav}

Biden says prisoner swaps to continue weekly

In a post on X, the outgoing US president says that four more women held captive by Hamas will be released in “seven days”, corroborating an earlier statement by Hamas saying that the next exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners would take place next Saturday.

Three Israeli captives will be released every seven thereafter, President Joe Biden continued, adding that at least two US citizens will be released from Hamas captivity in the first phase of the deal.

Following the ceasefire, hostages are starting to be released.

Three Israeli women held for 470 days.
Four more women in seven days.

And three hostages every seven days thereafter including at least two Americans in this first phase.

We pray for their long recovery ahead.

— President Biden Archived (@POTUS46Archive) January 19, 2025

The waiting game begins

Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim describes the experience for the families of Palestinian prisoners who are going to be released in the occupied West Bank as nerve-racking because they won’t know when exactly their loved ones will be released.

She said families are also not allowed to show any celebration, which will create a tense situation outside the prison.

“We’ve heard today from many families there that they’ve received calls from the Israeli intelligence officers telling them that they cannot show any sign of joy, any signs of happiness,” Ibrahim said.

She said Israeli military soldiers are currently surrounding the Ofer military prison and won’t hesitate to crack down on displays of joy. She said that during previous prisoner releases, the Israeli forces have chased Palestinians who are welcoming their loved ones with tear gas.

Red Cross still examining Palestinian prisoners in Ofer Prison

As the wait for the release of the 90 Palestinian prisoners by Israel drags on, sources have told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that teams from the Red Cross are continuing to examine those set for release.

Few people gathered at Ofer Prison after Israel issued warning

We are noticing from the images from Ofer Prison that the number of people gathered to receive the Palestinian prisoners set to be released is a lot less than the previous exchange deal in the four-day truce in November 2023.

This might be because Israeli authorities have been calling the relatives of the prisoners and saying they are not allowed to show any jubilation.

For many in the West Bank, this is not a time of celebration because they are deeply aware that this result was achieved through the pain of the people in Gaza.


Husband waits to be reunited with wife at Ofer Prison

Saleh Beara is waiting for his wife Abeer to appear at the gates of Ofer Prison. She was arrested four months ago and was separated from her children, aged two and four.

“She did not stand any trial or face any sentencing,” Beara said. “Throughout her detention, it was very difficult if not impossible to have any news of her. This put us in a very hard mental and emotional state.”

Beara said their family was overjoyed when they saw his wife’s name on the list of prisoners set to be released as part of the ceasefire deal. “What a relief,” he said. “We were holding our breath thinking her name might not be on the list. But it was.”

Netanyahu’s intentions in ceasefire deal unclear amid mixed signals

While the Israeli PM accepted a Gaza ceasefire deal that draws a pathway to a permanent end to the Gaza war, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Saturday issued a statement saying his party would remain in the government because he received guarantees that the war “would not end in any way without achieving its full goals”.

Gershon Baskin, the Middle East director of the UK-based NGO International Communities Organisation and a former hostage negotiator, said Hamas would not have entered this deal without receiving guarantees that it would lead to the end of the war.

Commenting on what the statement issued by Smotrich could then be understood to mean, Baskin said Netanyahu “has never been accused of telling the truth all the time”.

“We don’t know if what he’s saying is truthful or not. What we do know is that he’s had no interest in ending this war for the past 15 months, and he has lots of reasons not to want to end this war now,” Baskin told Al Jazeera.

Israel’s Ben-Gvir calls for remaining captives to be released ‘through force’

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned from Netanyahu’s government over the approval of the ceasefire deal, has welcomed the release of three female Israeli captives as part of the agreement.

The far-right minister said the remaining captives should be released “through force, cutting off fuel, stopping humanitarian aid, and not through surrender”.

CNN drone footage shows scale of destruction in northern Gaza

_{A still from CNN drone footage over northern Gaza on Sunday}

The first CNN drone footage taken of Gaza since November 5, 2023, shows the massive scale of destruction caused by 15 months of war.

The footage, filmed Sunday on the first day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, shows the flattened remains of hundreds of buildings in three areas of northern Gaza: Beit Hanoun, Jabalya and Beit Lahia.

The footage shows Palestinians – most on foot but some on bicycles and donkey-drawn carts – journeying through what remains of the streets, with destroyed buildings on all sides and smoke rising in the distance.

As the drone rises, the viewer gets a bird’s eye view of the extent of the destruction, which stretches out far into the distance.

In a report last week, the United Nations estimated Israeli airstrikes and military operations in Gaza had “damaged or destroyed around 60 per cent of buildings, including homes, schools and hospitals” and displaced about 90% of the population.

That's where your American tax dollars go...

‘Ceasefire? Not in the West Bank’, says NGO monitoring settler attacks

Yesh Din, an Israeli organisation monitoring settler violence in the West Bank, has said dozens of attacks were reported today as Israeli settlers stormed into Palestinian villages and torched properties.

“Ceasefire? Not in the West Bank tonight,” the organisation said on X, in a reference to the Gaza deal.

The group said attacks took place in the village of Ein Siniya, where Palestinian homes were torched, as well as in Turmus Aya and along Route 60 near al-Lubban Asharqiya.

Separately, Al Jazeera Arabic and the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that a Palestinian minor from the town of Sebastia, north of Nablus, died of his wounds after being shot by settlers.

https://x.com/Yesh_Din/status/1881066922415997048


Israeli forces fire tear gas at Palestinians outside Ofer Prison

Medical sources have informed our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinians who had gathered in front of Ofer Prison to welcome the prisoners expected to be released as part of the ceasefire agreement.


_{Family members and relatives of Palestinian prisoners wait for their release against the backdrop of Ofer Prison, in the west of Ramallah on January 19}

Teenager shot and killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank: Report

The Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting that a Palestinian teenager has been shot and killed during a raid by Israeli forces on the town of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.

The agency, citing the Palestine Red Crescent Society, said the 15-year-old boy was shot in the chest during the raid.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Palestinian prisoners await release as West focuses on Israeli captives

Western media outlets have focused their attention on the release of the three Israeli captives, Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara says, while overlooking the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners that has not yet taken place.

“There is another side to the story. There are thousands upon thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including women and children who are being held in administrative detention without ever seeing a court, and this has been going on for six decades,” Bishara said.

“The importance of this and why this happened originally is because Hamas wanted to release those prisoners. [One of the original objectives] of the October 7 attack was so that they could get some captives who they could then exchange for Palestinian prisoners.”

Buses leave prison as Palestinians expected to be released

Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting that buses have left Israel’s Ofer military prison presumed to be carrying Palestinian prisoners.


_{Freed Palestinian prisoners on board an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) bus after it left Israel’s Ofer military prison, located between Ramallah and Beitunia in the occupied West Bank, early on Monday morning}


Israeli authorities confirm 90 prisoners released in swap deal

Israel’s prison service says that 90 Palestinian prisoners have been released as part of the exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.

Palestinians welcome loved ones released from prison

This is an important, much-needed moment for Palestinians, for Palestinian families, to be gathering in Beitunia in this moment together.

Singing, chanting, welcoming their loved ones.

Indeed, this is something that Palestinians were looking forward to after more than 15 months of this devastating war on the besieged Gaza Strip. Watching difficult images and videos of their fellow Palestinians being bombarded, killed day in and day out.

And now, they’ve not only seen the ceasefire take effect, but now, also, the exchange deal is moving forward, and we’re seeing families greeting their loved ones.

We’ve seen the bus make its way outside of the Ofer military prison and all the families were gathering near the buses trying to get a glimpse of their loved ones. So yes, they are celebrating, but they’re keeping Gaza and Gazans in their hearts and minds.

_{Palestinian families and supporters gathered around the two buses to celebrate their release}

Who are the first prisoners being released?

Ninety Palestinian prisoners have been released on the first day of the ceasefire agreement.

They are all women or children.

They reportedly include Khalida Jarrar, a politician and leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the occupied West Bank who has previously been imprisoned by Israeli authorities on multiple occasions for charges including “incitement” related to her public statements about the Israeli occupation.

According to Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, the Palestinians being released also include children, some of whom were imprisoned indefinitely for throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers.

“The list of prisoners, the hundreds of names that have been released, are mostly serving administrative detention, which is a tactic used by Israeli policy to keep people in prison indefinitely without charges,” said Ibrahim.

“These administrative detentions keep getting renewed over and over again.”

There are currently more than 10,000 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank in Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees  Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

The number of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who were imprisoned by Israel during its war on the besieged enclave is unknown.


_{Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar is welcomed by Palestinian activists after her release from an Israeli jail at the Israeli Jbara checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Tulkarem on June 3, 2016}