Hamas calls for mobilisation against Israeli restrictions in Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Senior Hamas member Abdul Rahman Shadid has called for “a large mobilisation” in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the holy month of Ramadan, and to break the Israeli restrictions in the occupied East Jerusalem.

“We must not surrender to the expected restrictions of the occupation, and we must confront them with all our strength and adhere to our historical and religious right to the blessed mosque,” he said in a statement published on the group’s Telegram channel.

He stressed the need to “invest the opportunity of the month of Ramadan in protecting Al-Aqsa with roaring crowds, and decorating its courtyard with worshipers and guards”.

Israeli military fires towards town in southern Lebanon: Report

Israeli forces are “firing heavily” towards the outskirts of the town of Aitaroun, near Israel’s border in southern Lebanon, the Palestinian Information Center reports.

No casualties have been reported so far. The Israeli military is yet to comment on the attack.

Israel claims to have killed Hezbollah member in air raid on Lebanon

The Israeli army says in a statement that its jets carried out an attack in the Hermel region of northeastern Lebanon overnight, killing Muhammad Mahdi Ali Shaheen.

The army claimed he had been involved in coordinating procurement of weapons near the Syrian-Lebanese border since the beginning of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in November 2024.

Lebanon’s new PM calls for ‘full Israeli withdrawal’ while visiting border areas

Lebanon’s new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, has used a tour of areas near the border with Israel that suffered wide destruction during the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war to call for an Israeli withdrawal and promised residents of border villages a safe return to their homes and reconstruction.

Salam’s visit came two days after his government won a vote of confidence in parliament, where members of Hezbollah’s bloc voted in favour of the new administration’s policy statement, although it said that only the national army has the right defends the country in case of war.

“This is the first real working day of the government. We salute the army and its martyrs,” Salam said in the southern port city of Tyre while meeting residents of the border village of Dheira. “We promise you a safe return to your homes as soon as possible.”

The government is committed to the reconstruction of destroyed homes, which “is not a promise but a personal commitment by myself and the government,” Salam added.

Israel withdrew its troops from much of the border area earlier this month, but left five outlooking posts inside Lebanon, in what Lebanese officials called a violation of the US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on November 27 last year, ending the war.

Hamas calls for international pressure on Israel over ceasefire

The Palestinian group once again confirms its “full commitment” to the ceasefire with Israel.

It said in a statement: “With the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirms its full commitment to implementing all the clauses of the agreement in all its stages and details.”

“And we call on the international community to put pressure on the Zionist occupation to fully commit to its role in the agreement, and to immediately enter the second phase of it without any delay or hesitation,” the statement added.

The first phase of the truce ends on Saturday as the two sides’ representatives and mediators gather in Egypt for talks over the second phase.

Israeli minister says ‘only solution to Gaza is a full transfer’ of population

Speaking at a rally calling for the Jewish resettlement of Gaza in Jerusalem on Thursday night, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s former national security minister, said “we have not learned from October 7”.

“Today, everyone knows I was right regarding encouraging emigration [to Gaza]. When I said it, I was called ‘messianic’. Today, the president of the world’s most powerful country says it,” he said, referring to President Trump.

Ben-Gvir resigned from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government in January to protest the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli captives as part of phase one of the Gaza ceasefire.

Far-right Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman also spoke at Thursday’s rally, saying Netanyahu and Trump are “promoting a historic migration out of Gaza”.

“Praise God we have a government that is committed to that. The only solution to Gaza is a full transfer. We will return to Gush Katif,” she said, referring to Gaza’s Jewish settlements that were evacuated in 2005.

 
‘Another round of fighting’ likely in Gaza

Mohamad Elmasry, a political analyst at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says that in the early days of the ceasefire, there was “some hope” that the Trump administration would pressure Israel to get to phase two of the deal.

However, as time passed, Elmasry said it became clear the US administration “is more or less giving Israel a free hand” and Trump is looking to “wash his hands” of the issue.

This means “we are likely headed for another round of fighting,” he said.

“Israel, for its part, has been pretty consistent … if you look at what they’ve been saying and also what they’ve been doing. They’re pretty clear that they intend to go to more war, not to phase two,” Elmasry stated.

He said his analysis of Israel’s strategy is to enter negotiations for phase two with the objective of “simply extending phase one”. “Everything that Israel is saying and doing suggests that they are not interested in going to phase two [of the ceasefire],” he told Al Jazeera in Doha.

Elmasry stressed that Israel seeks a continuation of the war despite the fact that it has been “very politically costly” for the country, especially for its global standing, which has taken “a major hit”.

“I believe since October 2023, they have set their eyes on depopulating the Gaza Strip,” the academic added. “It has been mostly an unstated goal up until recently, but I do think that remains kind of their prize.”

Elmasry concluded that Israel believes it can achieve this goal with the help of the new administration in the US.

Israel comes to Cairo talks with ‘new red lines'

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been indications that Israel is looking to extend phase one [of the ceasefire] rather than commit to phase two, which would ultimately mean an end to the war.

We’re also hearing from Israeli officials who are speaking anonymously that this team in Cairo that was dispatched is there to see if there are any grounds for agreement to begin with.

This is because Israel says they have new red lines, new non-negotiables and things they are certainly not willing to concede on, especially when it comes to Hamas remaining in power in Gaza.

There’s also a school of thought as to why this humanitarian aid, like the caravans and the tents, is being blocked by Israel. That’s because it would solidify another end of the war for the Israelis.

It would mean they would be allowing Palestinians to essentially be resetting up homes and areas to live in when Israel knows that it’s going to go back to full-scale fighting.

So it’s unclear exactly what will happen within the next 24 hours because tomorrow is the last day of phase one of the deal.

Israel wants to extend phase one of Gaza ceasefire deal by over 6 weeks

Israel is not only trying to delay talks on phase two, but trying not commit to it altogether.

We are hearing reports that they are trying to extend phase one of the ceasefire agreement by upwards of six weeks, meaning another 42 days in order to secure the release of more Israeli hostages from Gaza.

Israel wants the extension without committing to a withdrawal of Israeli troops and without committing to an end of the aggression on the Palestinian territory.

This is, of course, something that is non-negotiable for Hamas who said that they are ready to show flexibility for phase two and release all of the remaining Israeli hostages in one large batch on the first day of that phase.

Israel aims to ‘derail negotiations or indefinitely postpone them’

Tahani Mustafa, an expert on Israel-Palestine with International Crisis Group, has told Al Jazeera that it is important to “be cautious” when exercising any optimism over phase two of the ceasefire deal.

She said Israeli politicians have made it “very clear that they’re not interested in a phase two”, adding that the Israeli public is also “not really interested in seeing a permanent cessation of hostilities”.

Mustafa said Hamas wants a cessation of hostilities and that is what the group is is trying to push for, despite the fact “that we’ve seen over 400 Israeli violations of what had been agreed upon, at least in phase one”.

“Yet, I think we have to expect that there are going to be limitations in terms of what Hamas could put up with”, she said, adding, “it’s very clear that Israel is still trying to find any excuse to continue its current onslaught”.

She said that Israel is trying to “build a case in order to either derail negotiations to phase two or indefinitely postpone them”.

UN chief says situation in Gaza a ‘nexus of death’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned “the coming days are critical” for maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza and urged all parties to uphold their commitments.

“Next Tuesday, I will be in Cairo to join the extraordinary summit of the League of Arab States to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza,” Guterres said in a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.

Guterres described the situation in Gaza as “a nexus of death, displacement, hunger and disease”, warning the risk of further destruction remains high. He urged all parties to maintain the ongoing truce and captive release deal.

Guterres also stressed to need to “avoid a breakdown of this deal”, urging both sides “to uphold their commitments and implement all of them in full”.

“Each moment the ceasefire holds means more people reached and more lives saved,” he said.


Israel’s West Bank assault ‘a continuation’ of Gaza war: Tulkarem governor

The governor of Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank, has described the current Israeli military offensive in the province as “crushing”, the Wafa news agency reports.

“What is taking place is a continuation of the crime committed by the occupation in the Gaza Strip,” Governor Abdullah Kmail told reporters. “There has been massive displacement of the inhabitants of the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, as approximately 85 percent of them have already been forcibly displaced due to this aggression.”

Kmail notes about 1,100 homes were destroyed by the Israeli military in the two camps. Tulkarem and its camp were subjected to some 63 Israeli military incursions since 2023, but the current offensive was unprecedented and involved the systematic destruction of vital infrastructure including roads, water pipes, electricity lines, and sewage systems, as well as houses and stores.

Palestine asks ICJ for advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations

The State of Palestine has submitted a written plea to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) asking it for an advisory opinion regarding Israel’s obligations not to obstruct humanitarian and development assistance in the territories it occupies. 

In the submission, Palestinian officials affirmed the responsibility of Israel, as an occupying power, to not obstruct the work of the UN, international organisations, and third states so they can provide essential services, humanitarian aid, and development assistance to the Palestinian people.

Many states, as well as international groups, have submitted written pleas to the ICJ ahead of oral proceedings set to start in April. Last July, the ICJ issued a historic advisory opinion determining Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and should come to an end “as rapidly as possible”.

Infants freezing to death shouldn’t happen in ‘modern days’: UNICEF

UNICEF says recent reports that Palestinian infants in Gaza have frozen to death “shouldn’t be happening in our modern days”.

The agency, which is distributing clothing to children in Gaza along with other partners, added humanitarian needs in the war-ravaged territory are “immense”.

“What children need now is a sustained ceasefire and continued unimpeded access to aid,” it added.

Reports of infants dying because of hypothermia are devastating and shouldn’t be happening in our modern days.

In #Gaza, UNICEF and partners are distributing winter clothing to children to help them protect themselves from the cold. But the needs are immense.

What children need… pic.twitter.com/sMIHwD5uRb

— UNICEF MENA - يونيسف الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا (@UNICEFmena) February 28, 2025

Israel army says jets attack ‘suspects’ in southern Gaza: Report

Earlier, Tahani Mustafa, an expert on Israel-Palestine with International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera more than 400 Israeli violations have occurred during the Gaza ceasefire. Another air strike was launched on Friday.

“Two suspects who were identified in proximity to troops and posed a threat to them were struck by an aircraft in southern Gaza in order to remove the threat,” the army told AFP, adding “hits were identified”.

Nasser Hospital, in southern Khan Younis, said in a statement it received the body of a Palestinian killed in an air strike.

“Ambulance crews in Rafah recovered a martyr after he was targeted in an air strike by [Israel] west of Rafah city,” the hospital said.

Widespread ‘abuse’ of Gaza medics in Israeli custody

In a report, the Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights said the Israeli military detained more than 250 medical personnel and support staff since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023.

More than 180 remain in detention without a clear indication of when or if they will be released, it said.

“Detainees endure physical, psychological and sexual abuse as well as starvation and medical neglect amounting to torture,” the report said, denouncing a “deeply ingrained policy”.

Healthcare workers were beaten, threatened, and forced to sign documents in Hebrew during their detention, according to the report based on 20 testimonies collected in prison.

“Medical personnel were primarily questioned about the Israeli hostages, tunnels, hospital structures and Hamas’s activity,” it said. “They were rarely asked questions linking them to any criminal activity, nor were they presented with substantive charges.”

Israel set to pass ‘metropolitan Jerusalem’ bill annexing settlements: Report

Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation is set to approve a bill paving the way for the annexation of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank into what Israeli officials are calling a “metropolitan Jerusalem” under Israeli control.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports the settlements to be annexed include Maale Adumim, Givat Ze’ev, Efrat, and Maale Mikhmas.

The Israeli rights group Ir Amim condemned the bill, which it said “seeks to promote an illegal annexation under international law” and “further isolate East Jerusalem and its residents from the Palestinian space”.

On Gaza, Trump proposing ‘three blunt war crimes’

Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, unpacks Trump’s statements on Gaza’s future.

All Israel wants is to affirm its ‘permanent superiority’

Rami Khouri, a fellow at the American University of Beirut, says the current ceasefire uncertainty and the Israel-Palestine conflict as a whole have been shaped by “the essential need for Zionist groups and the government of Israel to assert superiority in terms of right and might in the land of Palestine and adjacent land of Lebanon and Syria and other places”.

“This is what they have done for a century,” Khouri told Al Jazeera. “They need to constantly affirm that according to their mythology, this land was given to them.”

“This kind of attitude has no logical dimensions in terms of what do they want in phase two, what do they want in phase one. All they do in every dimension of their life, in every area of the region in which they are involved is to use their military might, which is tremendous with the support of the United States, to assert their Zionist, supremacist, racist, ethno-nationalist ideology.”

That ideology is reflected in the ceasefire negotiations, Khouri noted.

“We shouldn’t take very seriously, or very literally, the specifications of the negotiations and the ceasefire deal if they extend it a couple of weeks. They’ll come up with all kinds of stuff to justify what they’re doing, but what they want to do is affirm their permanent superiority.”

That AI Video Trump shared was beyond vile.
He so casually wants to displace human beings and be worshipped as an emperor.

Main events on February 28th

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned “the coming days are critical” for maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza and urged all parties to uphold their commitments.
• Israeli military raids in Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur Shams camp and across the occupied West Bank continue with at least 50 people arrested.
• One Palestinian was killed in an Israeli drone attack in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
• Israeli forces targeted one of the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s crews with warning shots in the Nur Shams refugee camp.
• The Israeli army said its jets carried out an attack in the Hermel region of northeastern Lebanon, killing Hezbollah member Muhammad Mahdi Ali Shaheen.
• Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, during a tour of southern Lebanon, reiterated the urgent need for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.

US signs off on $3bn munitions and equipment sale to Israel

The United States has announced the approval of the sale of more than $3bn in munitions, bulldozers, and related equipment to Israel, which used US-made weapons to devastating effect during the war on Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed off on the sale of $2.04bn in bomb bodies and warheads, another $675.7m in other bomb bodies and guidance kits, and $295m in bulldozers and related equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.

Hamas rejects Israel’s ‘formulation’ to extend first Gaza ceasefire phase

The Palestinian group’s statement comes on the day the first stage of the deal expires.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Al-Araby TV there are no current talks for the second ceasefire phase in Gaza.

Officials from Israel joined mediators from Qatar and the United States in Cairo on Thursday for “intensive discussions”. However, those negotiations apparently bore no fruit.

Talks over the second phase of the ceasefire are meant to negotiate a comprehensive end to the fighting in Gaza, including the return of all remaining living captives and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory.

Gaza truce: ‘Not clear where we’re going from here’

Sami al-Arian, a professor at Istanbul Zaim University, says Israel has tried to achieve “total victory” in the war on Gaza but “they failed to achieve that.”

“But towards the end of the year, through the Trump administration’s election and the pressure applied on them, they reached this truce agreement,” he said.

“The second phase was supposed to hash out all the differences on the remaining hostages – about 59 of them – and talk about the future of Gaza,” al-Arian said.

“None of that has started, but throughout this period, there was no resumption of the war. It’s not clear where we’re going from here. The American envoy Steve Witkoff has indicated he wants to explore the idea of extending phase one, which is the Israeli position.

“So that’s bad news for any negotiations because Hamas won’t agree to this.”

Fear and uncertainty in Gaza as truce phase one expires

People feel they’re running out of time now with no clear plan of what’s going to happen.

The Israeli insistence on extending the phase one of the ceasefire, rather than moving forward to the agreed-upon second stage indicates Israel is interested in continuing the war.

The more we talk to people, the more we realize how worried they are about the coming days and the future of the ceasefire agreement and its ability to hold for the coming phases. It’s an indication that Gaza is in a state of war right now.

There have been more than 100 people killed over the last 48 days, most while trying to return to their destroyed homes. There’s also the Israeli refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor.

These are major elements of the ceasefire. People are still haunted by the nightmarish scenes of devastation and bloodshed that went on for 15 months. They haven’t woken up from it yet.


_{Children play on a destroyed building in Jabalia, northern Gaza}