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SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

Saudi Arabia spearheads attempts to find alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan: Report

We have been reporting on Arab-led efforts to formulate an alternative to President Trump’s plan to empty Gaza of its population.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly spearheading those efforts, the Reuters news agency reports, citing 10 anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

The sources said draft ideas will be discussed at a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh later this month, with Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates planning to attend.

One unnamed Arab government source said at least four proposals had already been drafted for Gaza’s future, but an Egyptian proposal has emerged as a preferred alternative to Trump’s plan.

The details of that plan have yet to be announced. But five of the sources said proposals include a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and efforts to sideline Hamas from future governance in Gaza.

Hope for Gaza’s future but it cannot include Hamas: Israeli analyst

Uri Dromi, founding director-general of the Jerusalem Press Club and a retired colonel in the Israeli Air Force, says he hopes to see the release of both Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners so that Gaza can more forward to a better future.

However, that future must not involve Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, he told Al Jazeera.

“There is one major condition – that is that Hamas, of course Islamic Jihad – cannot be part of the reconstruction of Gaza because just look at the stage they built in Khan Younis,” he said.

“Two things come to mind immediately. One is the empty slogans and promises to go to Jerusalem and the second thing is the destroyed house behind the stage, which is the reality that the Gaza people got from Hamas,” he said.

“So I think in order to move ahead, we should, for the benefit of all people around here, rebuild Gaza and give people in Gaza a horizon. But Hamas cannot be part of that,” he added.

There is no other choice... You made sure of that by continuously undermining and corrupting the PA, while funding Hamas to drive a wedge between Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. Now you have to live with your creation as Hamas is the only government available right now. The transition to a new moderate government has to be done through elections. The people have to decide who will represent them, not Israel nor the US.

Hamas survival signals ‘strategic failure’ for Israel in Gaza

The message after about 16 months of war on Gaza is clearly that a military solution has not been viable for Israel, says Muhanad Seloom of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

“What we’re seeing here is a strategic failure for Israel, because for a non-state actor to survive is basically victory. And for a state, not being able to eradicate a group by using military means is failure,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Hamas is probably going to be part of the governing bodies of Gaza in the next phase or once the three phases of the ceasefire are done, but they are definitely part of the negotiations leading to that stage.”

Seloom said the large amount of killing and destruction did not actually bear fruit for Israel. So, the country is now trying to push through, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he wants to resume military operations in Gaza.

“I don’t think it is something most countries would support, even though the Trump administration is entertaining the idea. I think it’s mostly rhetoric rather than realpolitik,” he said.


‘New Marshall Plan’ needed for Gaza

Uri Dromi, founding director-general of the Jerusalem Press Club and a retired colonel in the Israeli Air Force, has told Al Jazeera that the reconstruction of Gaza is unlikely to start “as long as Hamas and [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad are pulling the strings”.

“We need a new Marshall Plan for Gaza where Europe, the United States, the Gulf states and Israel should be involved in the reconstruction. But as long as Hamas and [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad are calling the shots, that is not going to happen,” he said, referring to a US initiative to aid Europe after the end of World War II.

Dromi did not mention the need for the Palestinian people to be involved in making plans for the future of their own territory.



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SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

Preparations under way for Israeli captive release in Gaza



The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), have begun preparations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, for the release of three Israeli captives today, our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report.

Images published on social media by the Palestinian Information Center show armed fighters carrying Hamas and Palestinian flags gathering at the location where Alexander Trufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Yair Horn will be handed over to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.



Translation: Elements of the Qassam Brigades began to deploy in preparation for handing over the prisoners in Khan Younis, with security and organisational preparations in the area.


Israeli forces firing towards Khan Younis beach: Report

We have been reporting on preparations by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to hand over three Israeli captives this morning in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The Palestinian Information Center has reported that Israeli forces fired towards the beach area in Khan Younis. It is unclear what the target of their fire was.

No casualties have been reported so far.

Israel awaits release of captives in Gaza


A woman watches a screen in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, holding an Israeli flag and pictures of captives

Three Israeli captives freed

Yair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Alexander Trufanov have now been handed over to the ICRC after being released by the military wings of Palestinian groups as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel.

The release took place without any incident amid strict security measures in the presence of dozens of fighters from both factions.


Russian-Israeli Alexander Trufanov speaks before he is released in Khan Younis



SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

A smooth handover

This handover was different from previous ones made by both Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

One of the previous handovers was criticised for the intense atmosphere, in particular the one that was held close to the house of Yahya Sinwar in Khan Younis. The Palestinian factions have selected this location again to try to show they are coordinated and hold control over a well-organised handover.

The three captives released today appeared to be in good physical condition. This is in contrast to last week’s group of released captives, who were in a more deteriorated health condition due to shortages of food and medicine as a result of Israeli blocks.

Overall, this has been one of the smoother handovers carried out so far since the start of the Gaza ceasefire.


American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen speaks on the stage in Khan Younis as he stands with Palestinian fighters

Joy, tears in Israel after release of captives

Alexander Trufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Yair Horn have now crossed into Israeli territory, according to Israel’s army.

Meanwhile, these were the scenes earlier in Israel when television footage showed the release in Khan Younis:



Each freed captive ‘brings back our breath and soul’: Lapid

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on the government to bring the captives held in Gaza back “as soon as possible”. He said on X: “Yair, Sagui, and Sasha are on their way home. Each one who returns brings back our breath and our soul.”

The Israeli army said earlier that Yair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Sasha Alexander Trufanov had crossed into Israel after their release in Gaza.


Families of remaining Israeli captives to fast for 500 minutes to call for action

The forum created by the families of Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip has announced it will hold events on Monday to mark 500 days of their captivity and call for action.

Families and their supporters will fast for 500 minutes starting from about noon, and then hold another rally at the so-called Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, according to a statement published by Israeli media.

The families said the fasting will be a form of solidarity with the difficult conditions experienced by the captives in Gaza, and emphasised they wish to see all of them returned to Israel.

8.3 hours of fasting, that's Ramadan every day...



SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

Minibus carrying Palestinian prisoners arrives in Ramallah

A minibus is seen arriving in Ramallah, the occupied West Bank, carrying Palestinian prisoners.

It is met by a jubilant crowd.


Scenes of joy in Ramallah as several freed Palestinian prisoners arrive

A small group of former Palestinian prisoners have disembarked a minibus that arrived in Ramallah, after their release from an Israeli jail as part of the sixth prisoner-captives swap.

As we have reported earlier, 24 of the 36 Palestinians released from Israeli jails will be deported to Egypt. Eight others will return home to the occupied West Bank and four in occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza will soon receive 333 former prisoners.


Mariam Oweiss in Ramallah following the arrival of the released Palestinian prisoners

Nine Palestinian prisoners with life sentences who have been released from Israeli prisons have arrived in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, sources have confirmed to Al Jazeera.

Three more prisoners with life sentences have been transferred to occupied East Jerusalem.


More on health conditions of former Palestinian prisoners

Some of the Palestinians released from Israeli jails are very sick, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

Mansour Muqaddah from the occupied West Bank’s Salfit, who spent most of the 23 years of his life sentence in Ramla Prison, is paralysed from the waist down due to injuries sustained during his arrest in 2002. During this time in prison, he got a plastic stomach implant, and parts of his intestines are outside his body. He is suffering from chronic pain all over his body.

Iyad Haribat from the West Bank’s Dura was subjected to harsh and violent interrogation by Israeli forces for more than three months after his arrest in 2002, resulting in a number of medical conditions over time. He suffers from constant tremors in his body, temporary memory loss and an inability to stand on his feet.

Four freed Palestinian prisoners transferred to occupied West Bank hospital: Red Crescent

The Palestinian Red Crescent has said its medical crew immediately transferred four of the released prisoners who arrived earlier in Ramallah to a hospital in the occupied West Bank due to the seriousness of their health conditions.

Many of the prisoners previously released by Israel have shown signs of severe torture and starvation, among others.



SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

‘Palestinians released from Israeli captivity are in very bad shape'

Half of those [Palestinian prisoners] released to the West Bank were taken to hospital. We have seen that time and time again whether it is in the occupied West Bank or in Gaza.

Palestinians released from Israeli captivity are in very bad shape. They speak of malnutrition, of going hungry; for the past 15 months of being deprived of even hygiene products. Only being allowed to shower every 10 days for a minute as per the command of the former Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

They talk about beatings, mistreatment even in those last hours of their release … they were told not to speak to the media, not to celebrate in any way their release.

They were threatened with assassination even if they resume any activity. That’s why a lot of those who were released today in Ramallah apologised for not speaking to the media. They spoke openly about being monitored, about not being allowed to speak.

Their health is clearly ailing because of those months of mistreatment.


A former Palestinian prisoner with a cane in his right hand is hugged by a man as he prepares to step out of a bus in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on February 8


Israel dresses Palestinian prisoners in shirts with Star of David: Report

Before their release, the Israel Prison Service has made Palestinians prisoners wear outfits with Arabic written on them: “We will not forget or forgive.

According to Israeli state media, the authority shared photos of the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners set for release in shirts featuring its logo, a Star of David and the sentence in question.


‘Images of prisoners underscore Israel’s dehumanisation’ of Palestinians

As we previously reported, the Israel Prison Service has published images of Palestinian prisoners forced to wear shirts that read, “We do not forget, and we do not forgive”, before their release.

Mohamad Elmasry, professor in the media studies programme at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, called the photographs “stunning”. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said this was “another method” under which Israel intends to “dehumanise” Palestinians.

Elmasry noted that 333 of the Palestinians being released today were arrested without any charge.

“These are people who by Israel’s own admission have not committed a crime. And this is the case with thousands of Palestinians who are in jail right now [under] administrative detention,” he said, adding it was well-documented that many of the Palestinian prisoners are treated horribly inside Israeli prisons.


Buses carrying 333 freed Palestinian prisoners arrive in Gaza’s Khan Younis

A convoy of buses has arrived in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, carrying 333 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.


Freed Palestinians welcomed by loved ones in Gaza

One by one, the freed Palestinian prisoners are disembarking from the buses that have brought them to the European Hospital in Khan Younis.

Many of them appear to have worn inside out the shirts that they were forced to put on by Israeli prison authorities. They make the Victory sign as they exit the buses and greet their loved ones.

Large crowds surround the buses, with many holding their phones in the air to capture the scenes.

Hamas condemns ‘racist’ markings on Palestinian prisoners’ shirts

We earlier reported how the Israel Prison Service made Palestinian prisoners wear outfits with a Star of David logo that said “We will not forget or forgive” in Arabic.

“We condemn the occupation’s crime of placing racist slogans on the backs of our heroic prisoners, and treating them with cruelty and violence, in a blatant violation of humanitarian laws and norms,” Hamas said in a statement.

The Palestinian group said this is “in contrast to the resistance’s firm commitment to moral values ​​in treating the occupation’s prisoners”.


A medic aids a freed Palestinian prisoner in Ramallah, West Bank, after being released from an Israeli jail, February 15



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SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

Elderly prisoners welcomed as they step off the bus

Palestinian prisoners continue to be warmly received in Khan Younis.

A number of elderly prisoners are also among those released, including a 70-year-old man.

A few of the prisoners look gaunt, others are stern as they step out of the bus, while some are smiling and flashing the victory sign. A number of the prisoners have worn their shirts inside out in order to cover the messages put on their shirts by Israeli authorities.


Palestinian ex-prisoner says Israel cut electricity, water in Nafha desert prison

Released Palestinian prisoner Amir Abu Radah has told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that he spent a year and a half in Israel’s Nafha desert prison where the authorities cut water and electricity.

“Our conditions in prison were extremely difficult and no one could bear them. For a year and a half we have not had any means of communication and we were isolated from the world,” he added.


Israel ‘assaulted prisoners until moment of release’: Monitor

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office says Israeli authorities “deliberately insulted and assaulted the prisoners until the moment of their release”.

The organisation monitoring the releases added that the conditions the prisoners were released in shows the “extent of the crimes and violations inside the prisons”.

“The effects of torture and oppression were clear on the prisoners’ bodies, which calls for a firm stance to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes,” it said in a statement, calling on the international community to reject a “double standard” as Israel earlier decried conditions of captives released from Gaza.

“Just as the occupation demands the return of its prisoners, our prisoners have the right to freedom and dignity, and denying that is collusion with the executioner,” it said.

‘Humiliation of Palestinian prisoners’ in latest shirts insult not new

The furore surrounding the provocative shirts emblazoned with slogans that Palestinian prisoners were made to wear by the Israeli prison authorities upon their release underscores a long policy of “humiliation,” according to Xavier Abu Eid, a political analyst speaking to Al Jazeera from Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

“We’ve been analysing throughout these past weeks the humiliation of Palestinian prisoners,” Abu Eid said. He noted this was “nothing new,” but not only damaged the prisoners but also their families.

Freed prisoners and others in Gaza burned the shirts, which featured a Star of David logo that said “We will not forget or forgive” in Arabic.

Israel has also alleged mistreatment of its captives after one group of three released men emerged emaciated in a previous exchange.



SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

What comes next?

Sultan Barakat, a professor in conflict and humanitarian studies at the Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, says the negotiations about phase two of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas are likely to start tomorrow.

“The negotiations about phase two of the ceasefire agreement were supposed to start around the 16th day of phase one and conclude by day 30,” he said. The ceasefire started on January 19 this year, so 23 days have already passed since the start of phase one.

“Now it is unlikely to happen because of Netanyahu’s visit to Washington and the very delusional proposal made by Trump and the delays that were associated with that.”

Barakat concluded that after the captive-prisoner exchange is completed today, the talks are likely to follow tomorrow.

Trump says Israel to decide on ‘deadline’ on release off all captives

The US president has welcomed the release of the three captives earlier in Gaza, saying they “seem to be in good shape!”

“Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES,” Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

This appeared to the be in reference to the ultimatum that Trump himself had issued demanding the release of the captives by Saturday midday, warning that otherwise “all hell will break loose.”

He added on Truth Social: “The United States will back the decision they make!”


Israeli PM to hold talks with top officials

We’re getting reports that Netanyahu will hold consultations with senior Israeli officials at 7pm local time (17:00 GMT), the time when Trump’s ultimatum about the release of all the captives held in Gaza expires.

As per the terms of the US-mediated deal agreed between Israel and Hamas last month, Palestinian groups released three captives earlier today in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.


PA’s Abbas says calls to forcibly displace Palestinians ‘a diversion from war crimes’

The head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has rejected any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinians from their homeland.

Speaking at the 38th African Union Summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, Abbas said, “Anyone who thinks they can impose a new ‘Deal of the Century’ or displace the Palestinian people from their homeland is deluded.”

He added that “calls to remove the Palestinian people from their land and forcefully displace them were merely a diversion from the war crimes, genocide, and destruction in Gaza, as well as the crimes of settlement expansion and attempts to annex the West Bank”.

“The only place where the 1.5 million refugees living in Gaza should return to is their cities and villages from which they were displaced in 1948, in accordance with United Nations Resolution 194,” he added.

Abbas also stressed that “Israeli colonial practices require urgent action from the international community and the UN Security Council to prevent the rise of extremist forces that seek to bury the two-state solution.”



SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

Satelite images show Israel still destroying homes in Gaza

Israel has destroyed dozens of homes in Rafah, southern Gaza, despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, satellite imagery analysis conducted by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, has revealed.

The crossing between Egypt and Gaza at Rafah, which has served as a critical lifeline into the enclave for decades, was closed by Israel in May 2024.

Gaza death toll rises

The Health Ministry in Gaza has just released its latest report on the number of people who were killed and wounded by Israel’s war on the territory.

In a statement, it said a total of 25 deaths and nine injuries were recorded at Gaza hospitals in the past 48 hours.

This brought the confirmed number of people killed in Israeli attacks since October 7 to at least 48,264, with 111,688 others wounded, the ministry added.

A large number of victims remains under the rubble, and the Government Media Office in Gaza has put the death toll at more than 61,000, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are now presumed dead.


Two wounded in central Gaza after Israel bombs bulldozer: Report

The Israeli military has reportedly bombed a bulldozer that was trying to remove the rubble of destroyed Palestinian infrastructure in central Gaza, despite the ceasefire.

Local sources quoted by the official Wafa news agency said a drone hit the vehicle in the town of al-Mughraqa in the central part of the territory, wounding two people.



SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley

A group of Israeli settlers has attacked Palestinians in the Wadi al-Faw region in the occupied West Bank’s northern Jordan Valley.

The head of the local village council told the Wafa news agency said the settlers were intending to storm the Palestinian community again later, with the latest incident coming amid a wave of Israeli settler attacks on occupied territories.

In Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers are continuing to close the entrance to the al-Manshiyya village with an iron gate for a fifth consecutive day. The blocked road is the only one that connects the southern countryside to the city of Bethlehem and its centre.

Israeli forces also reportedly stormed the town of Idhna, west of Hebron, and strengthened their military hold over the Hebron governorate by adding military checkpoints and electronic gates in the Old City. Another Israeli raid was reported in Nablus.

Israeli army storms occupied West Bank homes of freed prisoners

Israeli forces have raided the city of el-Bireh in the occupied West Bank, raiding the home of a Palestinian prisoner released as part of today’s exchanges.

Local sources told the official Wafa news agency that Israeli military vehicles stormed the centre of el-Bireh to target the home of 45-year-old Mazen al-Qadi, in Israeli custody for more than two decades.

Since dawn, Israeli forces have similarly raided the homes of several other prisoners released today, according to reports.

Palestinian child injured by bullet shrapnel in West Bank

A Palestinian child has been injured by shrapnel from a live bullet fired by Israeli soldiers southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that the 14-year-old suffered a neck wound during the storming of the village of Tal, and was provided treatment in the field.

Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and tear gas during a raid in the area, one of many daily incursions into the occupied territory.

Israeli settlers, under army protection, attack village of Jalud near Nablus

Israeli settlers have launched an attack on the Palestinian village of Jalud, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency has reported.

Activist Bashar al-Qaryouti reported that Israeli settlers, protected by the Israeli army, attacked homes and fired live ammunition in Jalud, leading to confrontations with residents.

 



SvennoJ on 15 February 2025

Netanyahu says he appreciates Trump’s ‘full support’ on Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked US President Donald Trump for his “full support” in Gaza following the completion of the sixth captive-prisoner exchange of a nearly month-old truce.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu … appreciates the president’s full support for Israel’s decisions regarding the Gaza Strip in future developments,” his office said after Trump posted on social media that Israel should choose how to respond to the successful conclusion of the latest swap.

Netanyahu’s office added: “President Trump’s firm stance led to the release of three of our hostages today, despite Hamas previously refusing to release them.”

Earlier this week, Trump had warned that “all hell” would break loose unless every Israeli captive was released from Gaza by Saturday.


Three-pronged pressure on Netanyahu after ‘contradictory promises’

The Israeli leader is facing a “impossible” situation now, according to former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas, who spoke to Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv, as phase one of the Gaza ceasefire draws closer to completion.

Pinkas laid out a “three-pronged pressure” on Netanyahu: Israeli public opinion that above all wants its captives back home; the push from the far-right in his coalition to resume the war in Gaza; and how to deal with Trump’s “weird ultimatum” that all captives be released by 17:00 GMT on Saturday.

At its core, Pinkas, said is Netanyahu making “contradictory promises” that box him in.


Israel should ‘bring down hell on Hamas,’ Ben-Gvir says

Israel’s far-right former Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has urged the government to restart the war in Gaza after Trump’s demand for Hamas to release all the captives by 17:00 GMT on Saturday went unmet.

“Prime Minister – Stop missing opportunities. They didn’t bring everyone back!” Ben-Gvir said in a statement on X.

“The right-wing government must embrace President Trump’s words and bring down hell on Hamas.”

Ben-Gvir resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet in January to in protest against the Gaza ceasefire deal.

‘Spain will not allow’ Trump to displace Palestinians from Gaza, PM says

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has criticised US President Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

“Spain will not allow this,” Sanchez said at a Socialist Workers’ Party event in San Sebastian, northern Spain, and called for international law to be respected.

“No real estate transaction can conceal the evil, disgrace, and crimes against humanity that Gaza has witnessed in recent years.”