Donald Trump has said he is “not confident” that the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will hold.
On his first day in office yesterday, the newly-inaugurated USPresident told reporters the militant group is weakened, but: “I'm not confident. That's not our war. It's their war.”
He said his administration “might” help rebuild Gaza, which he compared to a “massive demolition site”, but then went on to describe as having strong real estate potential.
Trump also rescinded Biden-era executive orders that sanctioned far-right Israeli settlers for undermining peace in the territory.
Meanwhile, Hamas has reportedly said four female Israeli hostages will be released on Saturday in the second such exchange under the truce.
An official in the militant group, Taher al-Nunu, said the captives would be freed in return for Palestinian prisoners, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Guardian reported.
The devastated Strip continued to receive an influx of aid and goods on the second day of the ceasefire, with 915 trucks crossing into the coastal enclave, according to the UN, as shocked Palestinians began returning to what is left of their homes.
It comes as the Israeli military confirmed its forces have begun an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Yesterday, the relatives of the first three Israeli women freed from captivity in the Strip issued public statements, thanking those who made their release possible and pleading with the Israeli government to keep up the phased agreement that led to their loved ones’ release.
Key Points
- Trump ‘not confident' ceasefire in Gaza will hold
- Hamas says four female Israeli hostages to be released on Saturday, according to reports
- Palestinians begin search for those buried under rubble as they return home
- Trump rescinds sanctions on far-right Israeli settlers
- Israeli military begins operation in West Bank city of Jenin
- Major influx of aid into Gaza on second day of ceasefire, UN says
UPDATE: One Palestinian reported killed in Israeli military raids in West Bank
11:45
,
Tara Cobham
Israeli security forces launched an operation in the volatile West Bank city of Jenin, killing at least one Palestinian, officials said on Tuesday.
The military said soldiers, police and intelligence services had begun a counter-terrorism action in the city, giving no further details.
Prior to the Israeli action, Palestinian security forces had been conducting a weeks-long operation to reassert control in the city and the adjacent refugee camp, a major centre of armed militant groups in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian health services said at least one Palestinian was killed and four wounded as the Israeli raid began in Jenin, where an Israeli air strike last week in the refugee camp killed at least three Palestinians and wounded scores more.
The move into Jenin, where the Israeli army has carried out multiple raids and large-scale incursions over recent years, comes only days after the start of a ceasefire in Gaza and underscores the threat of more violence in the West Bank.
Late on Monday, bands of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians, smashing cars and burning property, just as newly installed US President Donald Trump announced he was lifting sanctions on violent settlers.
The attack near the village of al-Funduq, in an area where three Israelis were killed in a shooting earlier this month, was the latest in a long sequence of incidents that have accelerated strongly since the start of the war in Gaza.
The military said it had opened an investigation into the incident, which it said involved dozens of Israeli civilians, some in masks.
Palestinians searching for bodies under rubble reportedly found 66 in Gaza yesterday
11:25
,
Tara Cobham
Palestinians searching for the thousands believed to be buried under rubble in Gaza found 66 bodies yesterday, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
They were found in the south and north of the Strip, it reported Palestinian medical sources as saying.
Two people reportedly shot in Gaza despite ceasefire deal
11:00
,
Tara Cobham
Two people have reportedly been shot in Gaza despite the ceasefire deal that is in place, according to Palestinian reports.
The civilians were injured in Israeli gunfire in two separate incidents on Tuesday, one in the sea of Gaza City and the other in the Sabra neighborhood, reported Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Israeli military begins operation in West Bank city of Jenin
10:46
,
Tara Cobham
Israeli security forces have begun an operation in the volatile West Bank city of Jenin, the military said on Tuesday, without providing further details.
Prior to the Israeli action, Palestinian security forces had been conducting a weeks-long operation to reassert control over the city, a major centre of armed militant groups.
Hamas says four female Israeli hostages to be released on Saturday, according to reports
10:39
,
Tara Cobham
Hamas has reportedly said four Israeli hostages will be released on Saturday.
An official in the militant group, Taher al-Nunu, said the captives, all women, would be freed in return for Palestinian prisoners, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Guardian reported.
This would be the second such exchange under the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
After 15 months of war, Hamas still rules over what remains of Gaza
10:20
,
Tara Cobham
As a ceasefire brought calm to Gaza's ruined cities, Hamas was quick to emerge from hiding.
The militant group has not only survived 15 months of war with Israel – among the deadliest and most destructive in recent memory – but it remains firmly in control of the coastal territory that now resembles an apocalyptic wasteland. With a surge of humanitarian aid promised as part of the ceasefire deal, the Hamas-run government said Monday that it will coordinate distribution to the desperate people of Gaza.
For all the military might Israel deployed in Gaza, it failed to remove Hamas from power, one of its central war aims. That could make a return to fighting more likely, but the results might be the same.
There was an element of theater in Sunday's handover of three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, when dozens of masked Hamas fighters wearing green headbands and military fatigues paraded in front of cameras and held back a crowd of hundreds who surrounded the vehicles.
The scenes elsewhere in Gaza were even more remarkable: Thousands of Hamas-run police in uniform re-emerged, making their presence known even in the most heavily destroyed areas.
"The police have been here the whole time, but they were not wearing their uniforms" to avoid being targeted by Israel, said Mohammed Abed, a father of three who returned to his home in Gaza City more than seven months after fleeing the area.
"They were among the displaced people in the tents. That's why there were no thefts," he said.
Other residents said the police had maintained offices in hospitals and other locations throughout the war, where people could report crimes.
Israel has repeatedly blamed Hamas for the heavy civilian death toll and damage to infrastructure because the group's fighters and security forces embed themselves in residential neighborhoods, schools and hospitals.
Palestinians begin search for those buried under rubble as they return home
09:56
,
Tara Cobham
Palestinians have begun searching for the potenially thousands believed to still be trapped under rubble in Gaza, on the second day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Residents have expressed their shock at the devastation wrought by 15 months of war on the coastal enclave, which has also inflamed the entire Middle East, with one displaced Gazan who lost his brother and nephew in the conflict describing the “total destruction” he has witnessed.
Now attention is starting to shift to the rebuilding of the Strip after the truce took effect on Sunday, with the release of the first three hostages held by Hamas and 90 Palestinians freed from Israeli jails.
Read the full story here:
Watch: Netanyahu thanks Trump for ‘helping free’ Israeli hostages
09:48
,
Tara Cobham
Trump ‘not confident' ceasefire in Gaza will hold
09:22
,
Tara Cobham
Donald Trump has said Hamas is weakened, but he is hardly certain that the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas will hold.
"I'm not confident," the new US President told reporters. "That's not our war. It's their war."
He said his administration "might" help rebuild Gaza, which he compared to a "massive demolition site."
"Some beautiful things could be done with it," said Trump, the real estate developer turned commander in chief, noting the territory's coastline and "phenomenal" weather and location. "Some fantastic things could be done with Gaza. Some beautiful things could be done with Gaza."
Full story: Freed British Israeli hostage who lost two fingers ‘on road to recovery’ says mother
09:05
,
Tara Cobham
A British-Israeli hostage is “in high spirits and on the road to recovery,” her mother has said, during the first public comments made by the relatives of the three women freed from captivity in Gaza on Sunday.
Speaking from Sheba hospital in Tel Aviv where the women are still being evaluated, Mandy Damari said her daughter Emily, 28 was recovering well, despite having lost two fingers on her left hand. She thanked those who helped secure Emily’s release “from the bottom of our hearts” and urged people to “keep on fighting for the remaining 94 hostages.”
“There are too many other families waiting to hug their loved ones or bring them back for a proper burial,” she added.
The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew has the full story:
Antisemitic attacks escalate in Australia
08:41
,
Tara Cobham
Australia has been grappling with a spate of antisemitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war in late 2023.
Authorities have designated some of the incidents as terrorism and vowed to crack down on the perpetrators amid concerns of further escalation, with half a dozen incidents occurring across Sydney in the past month alone.
Police in the state of New South Wales, that has Sydney as its capital, have arrested forty people for antisemitic offences and eight relation to arson.
Turkey could restart Israel trade if peace permanent, trade body says
08:39
,
Tara Cobham
Turkey could restart trade with Israel "if peace is permanent", Nail Olpak, head of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), said on Tuesday.
Turkey severed trade with Israel last year over its war in Gaza with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. This week Israel and Hamas began carrying out a complex ceasefire deal.
UN body expresses concerns over the wave of violence in occupied West Bank
08:05
,
Namita Singh
The UN body responsible for monitoring human rights violations in the Palestinian territories has said it is “alarmed by a wave of renewed violence” by settlers and Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Palestine (OHCHR Palestine) noted that the violence coincides “with the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages and detainees”.
.@OHCHR_Palestine is alarmed by a wave of renewed violence perpetrated by settlers and Israeli security forces in the Occupied #WestBank, coinciding with the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages and detainees. This has been accompanied by…
— UN Human Rights Palestine (@OHCHR_Palestine) January 20, 2025
“This has been accompanied by increased restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement across the West Bank, including complete closure of some checkpoints and installation of new gates, effectively confining entire communities,” it said.
The statement comes amid reports that at least 12 Palestinians were injured after being assaulted by settlers in two West Bank villages.
Hamas emerges after ceasefire despite 15 months of war
07:54
,
Associated Press
As a ceasefire brought calm to Gaza’s ruined cities, Hamas was quick to emerge from hiding.
The militant group has not only survived 15 months of war with Israel — among the deadliest and most destructive in recent memory — but it remains firmly in control of the coastal territory that now resembles an apocalyptic wasteland. With a surge of humanitarian aid promised as part of the ceasefire deal, the Hamas-run government said on Monday that it will coordinate distribution to the desperate people of Gaza.
For all the military might Israel deployed in Gaza, it failed to remove Hamas from power, one of its central war aims. That could make a return to fighting more likely, but the results might be the same.
There was an element of theatre in Sunday’s handover of three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, when dozens of masked Hamas fighters wearing green headbands and military fatigues paraded in front of cameras and held back a crowd of hundreds who surrounded the vehicles.
The scenes elsewhere in Gaza were even more remarkable: Thousands of Hamas-run police in uniform re-emerged, making their presence known even in the most heavily destroyed areas.
“The police have been here the whole time, but they were not wearing their uniforms” to avoid being targeted by Israel, said Mohammed Abed, a father of three who returned to his home in Gaza City more than seven months after fleeing the area.
“They were among the displaced people in the tents. That’s why there were no thefts,” he said.
Far-right Israeli leaders welcome Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on settlers
07:39
,
Namita Singh
Former Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have welcomed US president Donald Trump’s decision to revoke sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
“I welcome the historic decision of incoming US President Donald Trump to lift the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration,” Ben-Gvir, former national security minister, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“This is a righting of an injustice of many years, in which distorted policies were pursued by the American administration and also by local elements who confused lovers with enemies,” he said. “Now, all that remains is to hope for a change in policy towards the terrorist organisation Hamas, in a way that will not allow them oxygen and deals that help them continue their activities.”
Mr Smotrich, former finance miniter, hailed the move as he called the sanctions “a serious act of blatant foreign interference in the internal affairs of the State of Israel”.
-He said that the decision “harmed the principles of democracy and the mutual relationship between the two friendly countries”.
Israel hopes Trump will lift ban on 2,000-pound bombs
07:16
,
Namita Singh
Israel expects president Donald Trump to lift the Biden administration’s restriction on the supply of 2,000-pound bombs, outgoing Israeli ambassador to the US Mike Herzog told Axios.
Joe Biden had decided to halt the delivery of the weapons last May as a marker of protest against Israel’s ground offensive in Rafah, leading to a crisis in the relationship between the two countries.
A 2,000-pound bomb, previously used by the US in the Vietnam War, is an air-dropped munition that can carry a higher payload because it doesn’t have an engine.
It’s one of the larger munitions in the US inventory, Ryan Brobst, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies’ Center on Military and Political Power, earlier told AP.
The 2,000-pound bomb has multiple variants – some are designed to penetrate deep, underground targets while others detonate above ground and cause widespread damage. Depending on the variant, and whether the munition is dropped in an open or urban area, its blast radius can be as far as a quarter mile away or a much more confined area.
The bombs are “dumb” or unguided bombs but can be turned into more precise weapons with the addition of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits which add a tail fin and navigation.
Hamas hands ‘gift bags’ to hostages in bizarre release ceremony
07:13
,
Namita Singh
Three Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Sunday night were handed “gift bags” adorned with the Qassam Brigades’ logo as they entered a Red Cross vehicle in Gaza City.
The first three hostages released as part of a ceasefire deal – Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari – were each presented with a paper bag by a masked Hamas militant before boarding the vehicle. Footage released by the Israel Defense Forces later that evening showed the hostages carrying the bags, though the Qassam Brigades’ logo had been blurred out.
Inside the bags were certificates, necklaces, and photos, according to a family representative of Ms Gonen, who spoke to CNN. The materials were reportedly confiscated by Israel’s Internal Security Agency, the Shin Bet, and their exact content remains undisclosed. However, Israeli media reported that the photographs depicted the hostages’ time in captivity.
A certificate presented by the militants read “release decision” in both Hebrew and Arabic. The exchange was formalised with a Red Cross representative signing an Arabic-language document titled “Acknowledgment of Receipt of Israeli Prisoners.”
It stated: “I, the representative of the International Red Cross, acknowledge that I have received from the Izz Eddin al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, a total of three prisoners, who are…” followed by the names of the hostages.
Anti-Defamation League welcomes Wikipedia action against ‘anti-Israel editors’
06:28
,
Namita Singh
The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organisation, issued a statement welcoming the disciplinary action taken against multiple “anti-Israel” editors by the Wikipedia arbitration committee.
Wikipedia has topic-banned editors Iskandar323, Selfstudier, Nableezy, Levivich and Nishidani from engaging in Israel-Palestine discussions.
Issuing a statement, the chief executive of the organisation welcomed the decision, saying: “We’re pleased that the Wikipedia arbitration board has taken disciplinary action against some editors who, in our view, have spread malicious, false and biased information about Zionism and Israel across the platform.
“It’s worth noting that several of the chief instigators of the campaign against ADL are among those now facing topic bans or outright bans for their behaviour.”
He also demanded Wikipedia “begin work immediately to undo the harm caused”.
In June last year, the editors of Wikipedia concluded that the ADL, long a trusted outlet for research on hate and extremists of all kinds, was no longer “generally reliable” as a source of information about antisemitism and the Israel-Palestine crisis.
The decision was a major blow to the ADL, which has been advocating for civil rights for more than 100 years, as it put the organisation on par with tabloids like the National Inquirer and right-wing outlets like Newsmax in the eyes of the online encyclopaedia.
Many Palestinians hesitant to leave shelters to return to wrecked homes
05:30
,
Namita Singh
Palestinians on Monday said they felt hesitant about leaving the shelters they fled to after being displaced by war and returning to the wreckage of their former homes in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza.
“We wanted to come back to put up a tent during the ceasefire. As you can see it has become a ghost town. There is no water. There is nothing. There is even no levelled ground you can stay on,” said Hussein Barakat.
Mohammed al-Ballas, another displaced Rafah homeowner, said without basic necessities – including water and electricity – it would be difficult to return home in Rafah for good.
Pointing at collapsed buildings, piles of rubble, and destroyed roads, he said he would remain in his shelter for now because there wasn’t even space to erect a tent in the ruins of his former neighbourhood.
“Even if you tried to tie up an animal here, it will not live,” he said.
Unicef chief welcomes release of nine Palestinian children imprisoned in Israel
05:07
,
Namita Singh
Unicef chief Catherine Russell expressed her relief upon the release of Palestinian children who were among the 90 prisoners released from Israel.
Issuing a statement, she said: “Unicef welcomes the release of 9 Palestinian children who were reunited with their families overnight in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, after being held in detention for over a year.”
UNICEF welcomes the release of 9 Palestinian children who were reunited with their families overnight in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, after being held in detention for over a year. pic.twitter.com/zxLTeHtDaN
— Catherine Russell (@unicefchief) January 20, 2025
Earlier on Monday, as the Gaza ceasefire took effect, 90 Palestinians were released from Israeli jails in exchange for three hostages held by Hamas.
‘I’ve returned to my beloved life,’ freed British-Israeli hostage says after release from Gaza
05:00
,
Namita Singh
West Bank residents say Israeli settlers rampaged through two communities
04:54
,
Namita Singh
Residents of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank say Israeli settlers have rampaged through their communities and set a large fire.
Officials in Jinsafut and Al-Funduq, two villages roughly 50km north of Jerusalem, said that dozens of settlers had attacked homes and local businesses.
Jalal Bashir, the head of Jinsafut’s village council, said that settlers had burned three houses, a nursery and a carpentry shop located on the village’s main road. Northward in Al-Funduq, Louay Tayem, head of the local council, said dozens of Israeli settlers had fired shots, thrown stones at homes and burned cars, homes and shops.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated 12 people who were beaten by settlers. It gave no details on their conditions. Israel’s military said it dispersed the settlers and launched an investigation.
The West Bank has seen a surge in settler rioting and violence since 7 October 2023. Rights groups say that arrests for settler violence are rare, and prosecutions even rarer.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 1,432 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties or property damage in 2024 and additional attacks in and near Nablus last week.
Major influx of aid into Gaza on second day of ceasefire, UN says
04:43
,
Namita Singh
Gaza has received a major influx of aid and goods, with 915 trucks crossing into the territory on the second day of the ceasefire, the United Nations said.
UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said colleagues in Gaza informed the UN that 915 trucks - significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the ceasefire - entered Gaza on Monday, based on information from Israeli authorities and the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said on Sunday the needs in Gaza are staggering and his office said Monday that aid workers are ramping up the delivery of food, clean water, shelter materials and other essential supplies.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the more than two million people in Gaza, about half of them children, depend on this aid, said Mr Haq.
The World Health Organisation, meanwhile, has a 60-day plan to increase beds and deploy overseas health workers to Gaza hospitals, but some 30,000 Palestinians have life-changing injuries and need specialized care, he said.
‘Glimmer of hope in a cycle of death’: Families in Gaza pray ceasefire brings an end to devastation
04:40
,
Namita Singh
After 15 months of war, Hamas still rules over what remains of Gaza
04:15
,
Namita Singh
Palestinians begin search for those missing or buried under rubble in Gaza during ceasefire
04:00
,
Alexander Butler
Trump not confident ceasefire in Gaza will hold
03:26
,
Namita Singh
Donald Trump said Hamas was weakened, but that he was not certain that the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas would hold.
“I’m not confident,” Mr Trump told reporters. “That’s not our war. It’s their war.”
He said that his administration “might” help rebuild Gaza, which he compared to a “massive demolition site”.
“Some beautiful things could be done with it,” said Mr Trump, the real estate developer turned commander-in-chief, noting the territory’s coastline and “phenomenal” weather and location.
“Some fantastic things could be done with Gaza. Some beautiful things could be done with Gaza.”
Trump rescinds sanctions on far-right Israeli settlers
03:15
,
Namita Singh
Among other Biden-era executive orders that President Donald Trump rescinded on Monday is one that authorises sanctions on people who undermine peace in the occupied West Bank.
The Biden administration used the executive order to impose a handful of sanctions on extremist settlers accused of using violence against Palestinians who live in the West Bank after Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel.
Settlers in the territory have celebrated the incoming Trump administration, believing it will take a more favourable approach to illegal settlements.
During his first term, Mr Trump took unprecedented steps to support Israel’s territorial claims, including recognising Jerusalem as its capital and moving the US Embassy there, and recognising Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.
Everything we know about the Israel and Hamas ceasefire deal in Gaza
03:00
,
Alexander Butler
A year of war in Gaza: A timeline of key moments as ceasefire deal agreed
02:00
,
Alexander Butler
UN chief says 630 aid trucks entered Gaza on first day of ceasefire
01:00
,
Alexander Butler
More than 630 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday, United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said.
At least 300 of those trucks went to the enclave’s north, where the UN says famine looms.. The vehicles entered on the first day of a the ceasefire.
The average number of aid trucks entering Gaza in December, the month before the ceasefire, was 72, according to the OCHA. It was around 500 a day before the war started on 7 October.
Child ‘shot by Israeli sniper’ in Gaza
00:11
,
Alexander Butler
A Palestinian child has been shot dead by an Israeli sniper in Rafah, southern Gaza, despite a ceasefire coming into place on Sunday, according to reports.
Footage, which has not been verified, showed a man dragging the body of a child under the sound of gunfire, Al Jazeera reported.
Who are the 33 Israeli hostages set to be released under first phase of Gaza ceasefire?
00:01
,
Alexander Butler
The terrible cost of peace between Israel and Hamas: In numbers
Monday 20 January 2025 23:00
,
Alexander Butler
After 15 months of war, Hamas still rules over what remains of Gaza
Monday 20 January 2025 21:53
,
Alexander Butler
Palestinians begin search for those missing or buried under rubble in Gaza during ceasefire