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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

Main events from February 17th

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in West Jerusalem and said the two countries shared a “common strategy” on Gaza. He warned Hamas that “the gates of hell would open” if it did not release the remaining captives held in the enclave.
  • Rubio hailed US President Donald Trump’s “bold” plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza and fully endorsed Israel’s war goals, saying that Hamas “must be eradicated”, in statements that threw the future of the shaky ceasefire into further doubt.
  • Trump said the next steps in the ceasefire “will be up to Israel” in “consultation with me” and defended his administration’s decision to supply Israel with the heavy Mk-84 bombs. “It’s called peace through strength”, he said.
  • Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said talks on phase two of the Israel-Hamas truce will continue this week as Netanyahu’s office said Israeli negotiators will travel to Cairo today to discuss continuing the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
  • Israeli forces carried out more attacks on Gaza, despite the ceasefire, killing at least three Palestinian police officers in the southern city of Rafah.
  • Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Israeli forces must withdraw completely from Lebanon by the February 18 deadline stipulated in the extended ceasefire deal, after Israel’s military requested mediators to keep troops in five posts in southern parts of the country.

HRW: 3,000 Palestinians in detention without charge, held indefinitely

The number of Palestinians being detained without charge in Israeli prisons has risen sharply since the war on Gaza began, says Milena Ansari, an Israel and Palestine researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“We’re talking about 9,846 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and from this number, there are 3,369 under administrative detention, which means 3,000 are in detention without charge, without trial, and for an indefinite time,” Ansari told Al Jazeera.

Ansari said the number of Palestinians held under the “combat law” rose from 10 to 1,800 since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

“This type of detention is unlawful because you’re not submitting any charges against a person, and there’s no trial happening for the person unless it is for renewal of their administrative detention,” she added.


AU condemns Israel’s ‘genocide’ against Palestinians

African leaders have condemned Israeli occupation and aggression in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa.

“Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians and must be prosecuted internationally,” the statement said, according to Palestinian media outlets.

“We call for an end to cooperation and normalisation with Israel until it ends its occupation and aggression against Palestine,” it said.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently hailed the AU statement.

In a post on X, the ministry said it welcomed the African leaders’ “honourable positions on the Israeli occupation and aggression, as well as the genocide against our people”, and the “summit’s rejection of displacement and annexation plans”.




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SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

Palestinian man dies after Israeli bombing in Rafah

A Palestinian man has died from his injuries, four days after he was wounded by an Israeli air attack east of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reports.

According to Wafa, Israeli bombardment of Rafah and the neighbouring city of Khan Younis continued on Sunday night, with Israeli gunboats firing machineguns towards the shore.

Israeli soldiers, stationed east of Beit Hanoon, in the north of the Gaza Strip, also fired machineguns towards the town, Wafa reports.

Earlier, we reported that Gaza officials said an Israeli drone attack killed three Palestinian police officers in Rafah, in what Hamas described as “a serious violation” of its ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Palestinians shelter in tents among the ruins of Jabalia


An aerial photograph taken by a drone shows tents between the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip, on Sunday


Jabalia is in the north of the Gaza Strip, which experienced heavy Israeli bombardment and multiple ground invasions

Israel’s truce violations continue to mount

The ceasefire agreement stipulates a full cessation of all military acts by both parties to the conflict, but today, we’ve seen several violations by Israel.

They deliberately targeted police vehicles in the city of Rafah as well as a civilian vehicle in the central part of the Strip.

Israel’s obstruction of all essential heavy machinery and mobile homes – which are still lined up on the Egyptian side of the border and are highly required here in order to alleviate the humanitarian crisis – is adding further pressure on regional mediators to implement the humanitarian protocol agreed in the ceasefire deal.

Meanwhile, civilians here are homeless and living in open spaces as they wait for the entry of those mobile homes. These homes are expected to provide shelter to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

People here believe that as long as Israel continues to add further obstacles in the path for the next round of negotiations, the situation on the ground will get more complicated.

The sentiments here are quite charged, with fears and anxiety over the durability of the ceasefire, in light of these very unpredictable changes that we can see in the current agreement.


Rescue workers in Gaza left with nightmares

Our colleagues at AJ+ spoke to rescue workers in Gaza about their experiences pulling people from the rubble during the 15 months of relentless Israeli bombardment.

Ambulance officer Tamer Al-Hindi says he is still having nightmares.

“I often have nightmares about a child I saved, or an old man, or a pregnant woman, or a paralysed old woman,” he said. “There are many situations that haunt me even today.”


Two Palestinians succumb to wounds in Gaza’s south

The slain Palestinians were wounded by Israeli forces two days earlier, Wafa reports. One was wounded by live bullets in Rafah, while the other sustained wounds following an air attack in Khan Younis, it said.


Israeli army targets vehicles in Gaza, urges residents to follow checkpoint routes

Israeli jets have targeted “suspicious vehicles” going north from central Gaza Strip “on a route that is not approved for vehicle traffic, without passing through the checkpoint route, contrary to the agreed outline”, the Israeli army has said.

“The IDF once again calls on Gaza residents to obey IDF instructions, not to approach the forces deployed in the area and to pass through the agreed checkpoint routes,” it added in a post on X.

The incident comes as Israeli forces have been accused of repeatedly violating the ceasefire since it was enforced last month. Apart from deadly attacks, they have also obstructed the flow of much-needed humanitarian aid.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

Families of recently freed Israeli captives issue statements

The families of Sagui Dekel-Chen and Sasha Trufanov, who were released from Hamas captivity on Saturday, have welcomed their return in statements issued late on Sunday, according to Ynet News.

  • Dekel-Chen’s father, Yonathan, hailed the ceasefire, saying “it took courage to reach an agreement to release the hostages”. While the deal was “imperfect”, it allowed for the return of Sagui, he said, adding that there can be healing only when all captives return home.
  • Dekel-Chen’s wife, Avital, said he had “not seen the light of day” since October 7 and that he did not know if she and their daughters were still alive until the day before his release.
  • Trufanov’s mother, Elena, said he had been shot in both legs and that it was a “miracle” that he was still standing on his feet. She thanked the Russian government for its role in her son’s release.

Families of Israeli captives mark 500th day since October 7 attacks

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has called for a nationwide fast to mark the 500th day of captivity for the Israelis remaining in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.

The fast will start at 11.40am local time (09:40 GMT) and end at 8pm (18:00 GMT), with a rally in Tel Aviv, the outlet said.

Israeli government ‘has fallen in love’ with war: Opposition party leader

Yair Golan, the leader of the centre-left Democrats party, says the Israeli government “has fallen in love with the war as it acts for its own survival and messianic delusions”.

“We must release all the hostages and end the war,” he said, adding that it should happen “with a regional political move that guarantees maximum security for Israel”.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

Hamas, PIJ slam Israel’s ‘barbaric’ raid on Palestinians at Ofer Prison

The two Palestinian groups say “the brutal assault” on Palestinian prisoners is “a barbaric criminal behaviour that reflects the fascist and terrorist nature of” Israel.

In the joint statement, the groups called the attack a “miserable attempt” by Israel “to restore its shattered prestige”. They called on the world to expose “these inhuman crimes against the prisoners”, which “blatantly violate all international conventions and norms”.

The statement called on the international community to intervene to protect the “prisoners, stop criminal violations against them, document them and work to hold the criminal occupation leaders accountable”.

The statement came after Palestinian authorities said Israeli forces raided a section of Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and assaulted detainees. “Prisoners were beaten and sprayed with gas,” the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office said.

Palestinian prisoners subjected to ‘severe torture’ under Israeli detention: Monitor

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor reports that the terrible health conditions in which Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons indicate a pattern of torture and abuse until the very last moments.

“All prisoners and detainees were released under appalling conditions by the Israeli occupation forces, who also stormed their homes and locations designated to receive and celebrate their release. They attacked family gatherings, suppressing them with tear gas and bullets and injuring some people,” the Geneva-based organisation said.

Israeli violations “turned into a systematic policy of retaliation against all Palestinian prisoners and detainees” who were subjected to “severe torture, intentional starvation, and prolonged solitary confinement as part of punitive measures that ramped up brutally after the events in the Gaza Strip”, it added.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

More than dozen Palestinians wounded as Israeli forces end Nablus raid


Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and tear gas during the raid

The Israeli military has pulled out from the city of Nablus and its old town in the occupied West Bank, hours after launching an operation that left at least 13 Palestinians wounded, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organisation, said Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians in the city, including students, and that several people were taken to hospital with minor to moderate gunshot wounds.

It also said the wounded included a 13-year-old boy who suffered shrapnel injuries to his face and leg. According to Al-Haq, “one man suffered a heart attack and passed away while trying to escape the military attack”.



‘Where can we possibly go?’: Israeli forces displace more Palestinians in Nur Shams camp

Israeli forces, who have been carrying out a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank, are continuing to destroy homes and infrastructure across the Nur Shams camp.

One resident, Nihaya al-Joundi, said many homes have been reduced to rubble. “We woke up to the sound of excavators digging the camp’s yards on the main street and destroying some houses completely,” she said. “Originally, they were partially destroyed, but they reduced them to rubble today.”

Another resident, who was forcibly displaced, said he does not know where to go. “We got displaced. My family members went to their relatives and neighbours,” said Akram abu Talal. “Where can we possibly go? Either to mosques or public halls. Those who have money rented a house, and those who do not have money cannot do anything.”

The Israeli operation, which began in the nearby city of Jenin on January 21, just days after the ceasefire in Gaza, has killed dozens and displaced more than 40,000 people.


Israeli settlers attack Nablus villages in West Bank

Groups of Israeli settlers overnight attacked Palestinian homes and properties in the towns and villages of Duma, Aqraba, and Jurish in the Nablus governorate in the occupied West Bank.

They assaulted several people and stole dozens of their sheep, destroyed a poultry farm, and threw stones at homes and vehicles, Wafa reported citing local sources.

We reported earlier how Israeli forces left at least 13 Palestinians wounded after an incursion into the city of Nablus and its old town.

North of occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers again closed the entrance to the town of Issawiyah and caused traffic jams as they checked vehicles.

Israel advances plans to build nearly 1,000 illegal settler homes in West Bank

Israel has issued a tender for the construction of 974 new illegal housing units in the Efrat settlement, a strategic area located south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli watchdog says.

The tender is for the establishment of a new Israeli neighbourhood that expands the Efrat settlement in the occupied territories by 644 dunams and will increase the number of residents by approximately 40 percent, according to Peace Now.

The anti-settlement group reported that the Efrat settlement blocks the development of an envisaged Bethlehem metropolis to the south. If Israel seeks to annex the area, it will cut off the entire southern West Bank, which depends on the connection to the north through Bethlehem on Highway 60, to the east of which the Efrat settlement is located.

“While the people of Israel set their sights on the release of the hostages and an end to the war, the Netanyahu government is operating ‘on steroids’ to establish facts on the ground that will destroy the chance for peace and compromise,” Peace Now said.

“It is now clear that military action alone will not bring a solution to the conflict or security to Israel, and that ultimately we will have to reach an agreement with the Palestinians. The Netanyahu government is harming Israeli interests and torpedoing the only solution that can bring us security and peace.”



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SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

Trump’s envoy says phase two of truce deal will ‘absolutely begin’

More from Steve Witkoff’s comments on the Israel-Hamas deal.

The US president’s envoy told Fox News that “phase two is a little bit more complicated than phase one, but phase two is absolutely going to begin”.

He also told Israel’s Channel 12 later in the day that Trump “wants to see the second phase of it results in hostages being released and lives being saved, and it can lead to peace”.

Witkoff added that he spoke “to the Israelis, the Qataris, and the Egyptians this morning about setting forth a schedule pursuant to which we would – in a very substantive way – begin second-phase talks. Everybody is receptive to that, so hopefully, that’s what’s going to be happening this week”.

The comments came amid increased anxiety in Gaza over the sustainability of the ceasefire due to the continued Israeli violations, including deadly attacks and obstruction of aid, as well as calls from far-right Israeli politicians to scrap the truce.

Trump, meanwhile, has offered his full backing to Netanyahu, who, according to Israeli media reports, wants to prolong phase one of the truce deal instead of advancing to phase two.

Key quotes from Netanyahu’s news conference with Rubio

  • “President Trump is the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.”
  • “President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination between us. We have a common strategy, and we can’t always share the details of this strategy with the public, including when the gates of hell would be opened, as they surely will if all our hostages are not released, until the last one of them.”
  • “We will eliminate Hamas’s military capability and its political rule in Gaza. We will bring all our hostages home, and we will ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
  • “The unequivocal support of the United States on Gaza will help us achieve these objectives faster and set us on a path for a different future.”
  • “Israel and America stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering the threat of Iran. We agreed that the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons, and we also agreed that Iran’s aggression in the region has to be rolled back.”


Key quotes from Rubio’s comments in Israel

  • “The president has been very clear: Hamas cannot continue as a military or government force,” Rubio said during a news conference with Netanyahu, stating that Hamas “must be eliminated. It must be eradicated.”
  • The US secretary of state also praised Trump’s “very bold” and “unambiguous view of what the future for Gaza should be”, even if the president’s proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza “may have shocked and surprised many”.
  • Rubio also spoke about Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria and Iraq, saying that “the common theme in all of these challenges is Iran. It is the single greatest source of instability in the region.”
  • “There can never be a nuclear Iran – a nuclear Iran that could then hold itself immune from pressure and from action. That can never happen.”
  • Rubio also a statement saying that Hamas’s decision to “hold hostages and even dead bodies reflects their sick depravity. I call on our partners to help impress upon Hamas’s leaders that they are playing with fire.”


Where to next for Rubio?

The US’s top diplomat is expected to depart Israel for Saudi Arabia today.

Rubio’s visit to Riyadh comes after Saudi Arabia publicly rejected Trump’s proposal to “take over” the Gaza Strip by reiterating that it will not sign a normalisation deal with Israel until Palestinians receive an independent state.

After Riyadh, Rubio is expected to travel to the United Arab Emirates on the final leg of his Middle East tour.

It is worth mentioning that Rubio, who is in the region for the first time since taking office, broke with tradition during his visit to Israel by skipping a meeting with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. He also did not visit some of the top US allies in the region, Egypt and Jordan, on this tour.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

No will from part of Netanyahu and allies to move to phase 2 of Gaza ceasefire: Expert

Meron Rapaport, editor and writer at Local Call, a Hebrew-language news website, says there is no political will from part of Netanyahu and certainly his right-wing allies in the government and outside to continue to stage two of the ceasefire.

But at the same time, Netanyahu, Rapaport says, is in a sort of dead end. “Because going back to war after Trump set the goal of ethnic cleansing of Gaza … will be viewed by allies and maybe by Netanyahu himself as a failure.”

“At the same time, going to the second stage of the ceasefire deal will topple this government. So, Netanyahu is in a really tough situation,” he told Al Jazeera.

Rapaport said Israel did not fulfil the goal it set after it launched the war on October 7, 2023.

“Now, after Trump, the goals are even higher, which is more complicated to achieve. On the other hand, going for a ceasefire, full withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, including releasing of high-profile prisoners such as Marwan Barghouti and others is completely impossible in the current government,” he said.

“So Netanyahu is in a very, very difficult situation, he wants to keep his government, but he is under pressure from Trump to go more to the right than he wants.

“I think still it does seem that going for the second stage is, I won’t say inevitable, but there are many chances that Netanyahu will have to go to the second stage due to the internal pressure from families of hostages and other political players.”


Former Israeli military officials warn against ‘reckless’ renewed war: Report

Hundreds of former senior Israeli military officials have written a letter addressed to the Israeli leadership and public that sternly warns against the “irresponsibility and recklessness of renewing the war” in Gaza without a clear strategic goal.

Former Major General Matan Vilnai leads the list of 550 Israelis who backed the letter, and points out that resuming the military campaign would lead to the deaths of the remaining captives in Gaza, according to Maariv newspaper.

The popular Hebrew-language daily cited the letter as saying such a war would also exhaust the army and “lead to a bloody, ongoing occupation with no end in sight and the loss of unprecedented regional opportunities”, in reference to a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia.

According to the general, the Israeli government is acting against the will of the people and giving in to the demands of an extreme minority, who wish to annex the occupied West Bank and perpetuate conflict.


Israeli minister threatens to quit government if Gaza war stops

Far-right Israeli Settlements and National Missions Minister Orit Strook says ahead of the meeting of the security cabinet that she will quit her job if the war stops.

A member of the Religious Zionism party, Strook said such a scenario would mean “Israel gives up on subduing and destroying Hamas, and we will crash into a major disaster”, according to public broadcaster Kan.

“We will not be in the government if that happens. The terrible mistake we made will have terrible consequences in people’s lives, because of the strengthening of Hamas,” Strook said.

Such calls have been echoed by other far-right members of the Israeli government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.


Israel PM says ‘committed’ to Trump’s Gaza displacement plan

Netanyahu says he is “committed” to Trump’s plan for Gaza, which involves displacing more than two million inhabitants of the Palestinian territory.

“Just as I have committed to, on the day after the war in Gaza, there will be neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. I am committed to US President Trump’s plan for the creation of a different Gaza,” Netanyahu said in a statement.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

Destruction of homes, infrastructure in Lebanon preventing people’s return: HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the destruction of towns and villages in southern Lebanon by Israeli forces is preventing tens of thousands of people from returning to their homes.

“Israel’s deliberate demolition of civilian homes and infrastructure and its use of explosive weapons in populated areas are making it impossible for many residents to return to their villages and houses,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at HRW.

“Even if their houses are still there, how can they return when there is no water, electricity, telecommunications, or health infrastructure?” Kaiss added.

HRW researchers found examples of infrastructure destroyed by Israeli attacks, including a water filtration and pumping station destroyed by an Israeli attack on Tyre on November 18, which disrupted water access to about 72,000 people.

While temporary adjustments to the network restored supply about a month later, the water station, which is the main source for people in Tyre and the surrounding areas, “needs to be rebuilt from scratch”, Kassem Khalifeh, the utility’s chief of supervision, told HRW.


A man fixes electricity cables next to a mosque destroyed in an Israeli attack in Tyre, November 30


Israeli tanks advance in southern Lebanese town

Activists and local Lebanese platforms on social media circulated this morning scenes of an Israeli military incursion into the town of Kfarchouba in the south of the country.

Local media confirmed that this incursion is considered the first since the deployment of the Lebanese army in the area, and it comes as Lebanese officials say they expect a quick withdrawal by the Israeli army.



Translation: A video clip showed the Israeli occupation tanks invading the town of Kfarchouba, south of Lebanon, this morning.


Israeli drone drops explosive near school in Lebanon’s Kfarchouba

An Israeli drone has dropped a hand grenade at the main square in the town of Kfarchouba in southern Lebanon, according to the country’s National News Agency (NNA).

More footage has also emerged from the town near the border with Israel showing soldiers advancing towards its centre.

According to NNA, the Israeli army is currently setting fire to a number of houses in the town of Odaisseh near the border, where it has also burned homes in the past few weeks despite the ceasefire with Hezbollah.

Lebanese sources are also reporting that an explosion was heard in Yaroun in the south.

One person killed in Israeli air raid on vehicle in Lebanon’s Sidon

The Israeli military has targeted another car with at least one person inside who was killed at the scene in the city of Sidon, according to local media reports. The identity of the driver remains unknown, and the Israeli army had no immediate reaction.



Qassam Brigades confirms official killed in Lebanon

The armed wing of Hamas has hailed Muhammad Ibrahim Shaheen, who as we reported earlier was killed by an Israeli drone strike in Sidon, as an influential figure in the Palestinian organisation.

Qassam Brigades said in a statement that he had a “pioneering role and special fingerprints” in the path of resistance against Israel, including during the war on Gaza.

The Palestinian group said as its members are killed across Palestinian and other territories, it affirms its steadfastness on the path of resistance “until the dream of our people for liberation and return is achieved”.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

Lebanese president says ‘afraid’ Israel may not fully withdraw by deadline

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has voiced concern that Israeli forces may not fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by a truce deadline on Tuesday, saying the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons was a matter for the Lebanese.

“We are afraid that a complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow,” Aoun said, according to a statement from the presidency. He added: “The important thing is to achieve the Israeli withdrawal, and Hezbollah’s weapons come as part of solutions the Lebanese agree on.”

His remarks came shortly after the Lebanese Health Ministry announced that one person had been killed in an Israeli strike in the southern city of Sidon.

Since November, Israeli forces have continued to violate terms of the agreement by sporadically bombing areas in Lebanon, claiming that it is targeting Hezbollah for violations of the ceasefire – something that the Lebanese group denies.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a data collection group, has recorded 330 air strike and shelling incidents carried out by Israel between November 27 and January 10, as well as 260 property destruction events during this period.

It remains unclear whether Israel intends on withdrawing its troops from the south, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressing concern earlier today over the matter. Thousands of displaced people have still not been able to return to their homes in border villages as Israeli troops continue to open fire at people who attempt to return.

So far, at least 27 people have been killed since the truce came into effect. At least 20 were killed in various parts of the south when protesters marched into towns and villages demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces last month.


Israel to keep soldiers in five strategic points inside Lebanon: Reports

An Israeli official has confirmed to the Associated Press that the Israeli military will continue to occupy five strategic points on Lebanese soil even after forces withdraw as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

Another unnamed Israeli political official quoted by Israeli media also confirmed the news, adding that “Israel will continue to vigorously enforce the ceasefire in Lebanon”.

The source said the assassination earlier today of a Hamas official in Lebanon was a demonstration of that intent. No details are as yet confirmed about where the sites inside Lebanon will be located.

Jerusalem Post reported that the presence of Israeli forces along the border line with Lebanon will be three times larger than it was before the war.

Qatar expresses ‘deep concern’ over Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on all parties to strictly adhere to the ceasefire after the Israeli military launched a drone strike in Lebanon’s Sidon.



Lebanon extends suspension of Iran flights, Lebanese presidency says

Lebanon has extended the suspension of flights to and from Iran, the Lebanese presidency says after a cabinet meeting, without clarifying the extension period.

Lebanon halted an Iranian flight to Beirut last week after the Israeli military accused Tehran of using civilian aircraft to smuggle cash to Beirut to arm the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Iran said, in turn, it would not allow Lebanese flights to land until its flights were cleared to land in Beirut.


Israel says troops to stay in Lebanon ‘to defend our residents’

Earlier we reported Israel is poised to again miss a truce deadline for withdrawing its troops from Lebanon after the military said it would remain at five “strategic points” despite pushback from Beirut.

“Based on the current situation, we will leave small amounts of troops deployed temporarily in five strategic points along the border in Lebanon,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists.

The decision was made “so we can continue to defend our residents and to make sure there’s no immediate threat”, he added.Lebanese officials have demanded Israel’s full withdrawal by Tuesday after Israeli forces missed an earlier January cut-off under the ceasefire.



SvennoJ on 17 February 2025

Israel finance minister says Hamas must leave Gaza, surrender arms

Bezalel Smotrich’s comments come ahead of an Israeli cabinet meeting to discuss the next phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Smotrich, in a video statement, said he “will demand a vote” by ministers to “issue a clear ultimatum to Hamas – immediately release all hostages, leave Gaza for other countries, and lay down your arms”, all part of US President Donald Trump’s “plan” according to the hardline minister.

“Israel will open the gates of hell” if the Palestinian armed group refuses, Smotrich said, echoing similar comments made by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.


Israel announces army agency for ‘voluntary departure’ of Gaza

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz says a special directorate will be established for the “voluntary departure” of Gazan residents.

The announcement comes after Israel reiterated its commitment to a US proposal to take over the Palestinian territory and expel about two million of its inhabitants.

“Defence Minister Israel Katz held a meeting today on the voluntary departure of Gaza residents, at the end of which he decided that a directorate for the voluntary departure of Gaza residents would be established within the ministry of defence,” a statement said.

‘Very little appetite for US to take over Gaza’: Senator Graham

US Senator Lindsey Graham says there is “very little appetite” for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip “in any way, shape or form”.

Graham was speaking to reporters following meetings by a visiting bipartisan US Senate delegation with Israeli officials in Israel.

His comments came after US President Donald Trump drew widespread condemnation for proposing the US take over the Gaza Strip, displace its residents, and rebuild the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.


Jordan’s king reiterates rejection of any displacement of Palestinians

King Abdullah has reiterated his country’s stance on the Palestinian cause, firmly “rejecting displacement, settlement and an alternative homeland”, the Royal Hashemite Court says.