Hamas has said it will release three hostages this weekend as planned, in a bid to save the fragile ceasefire deal with Israel.
Hamas had suspended the release of hostages after accusing Israel of breaching ceasefire obligations, including delaying the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, carrying out strikes across the enclave and hindering the entry of humanitarian aid.
It comes after it emerged Israel is considering attacks on Iranian nuclear sites this year, according to US intelligence agencies, in a move which could dramatically escalate tensions in the region.
The Israeli government wants to take advantage of Iran’s weakness after the damage done to its so-called proxy groups in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Analysis by intelligence agencies found that Israel is likely to push the Trump administration into backing the strikes. Military support from the US would likely be needed, military officials said.
The strikes could take place by the summer, according to the Washington Post - but the White House, Israeli government, CIA, and other agencies have all declined to comment on the reports.
Key Points
- Hamas says it will go ahead with planned hostage release
- Israel considering strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, say US intelligence agencies
- Egypt and Jordan resist Trump plan to resettle Palestinians
- Hamas says it does not want ceasefire to collapse
I walked 11 hours to finally return to my home in Gaza – finding my town destroyed and my house without walls
16:29
,
Alex Croft
I spent 11 hours walking the road to north Gaza, the long road home. It was a journey I had been dreaming of for a year and four months.
The hike was long and hard: the road destroyed by tanks, bulldozers, and bombing. I saw an old man die along the way – his children crowded around him, trying to give him artificial respiration, calling for help from the air. There was a pregnant woman in tears, she said she had gone into premature labour from the pressure of the walk.
Seven kilometres in, people ran out of drinking water. Some parents had lost their children and other family members in the huge crowds. There was no means of communication, as the area had no mobile signal and transportation on this road was not permitted. After the elderly man died, a second appeared to slip into a coma from extreme fatigue. There were no ambulances working.
Palestinian journalist Nedal Hamdouna writes:
Father-of-12 Elon Musk admits ‘we all make mistakes’ on condoms
16:02
,
Alex Croft
Elon Musk admitted “we all make mistakes” when he was pressed about claims made on X and by the White House about condoms being sent to Gaza.
The father-of-12 made his comments in front of his young son X, who joined him in the Oval Office alongside president Donald Trump.
Musk told reporters: “Well, first of all, some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected. So nobody’s going to bat a thousand. I mean, any, you know, we will make mistakes but will act quickly to correct any mistakes.”
Watch here:
Yemen's Houthis: We will take military action if Gaza attack resumes
15:41
,
Alex Croft
Yemen's Houthis said they will take military action if the US and Israel attack Gaza, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the group’s leader, said in a televised speech on Thursday.
Trump previously said he would cancel the Gaza ceasefire deal and "let all hell break loose" if all Israeli hostages were not released by Hamas on Saturday.
Jesse Watters sparks outrage for saying ‘uneducated’ Palestinians are a ‘threat’ because of ‘explosive’ birthrate
15:14
,
Alex Croft
Fox News star Jesse Watters applauded Donald Trump’s insistence that the United States has the authority to “take” Gaza and forcibly displace 2 million Palestinians from their land, claiming “uneducated” Palestine represents a demographic “threat” because “their birthrate is explosive.”
These latest remarks from the Trump-boosting host, who has repeatedly come under fire for commentary that’s been described as bigoted, racist and misogynistic, prompted accusations from progressives and liberals that Watters was peddling “Nazi-level sh*t” and “white supremacy.”
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday while meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Trump doubled down on his previous declaration that the U.S. would take ownership of Gaza and redevelop the strip as a vacation resort while forcing out the Palestinian population. He added that the Palestinians wouldn’t be allowed to stay or return, claiming they would instead be resettled in “beautiful homes” in an unknown location.
Justin Baragona reports:
Trump's Gaza plan is 'major threat' to world peace - Erdogan
14:50
,
Alex Croft
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan has described US president Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza as a “major threat to world peace”.
Speaking on Indonesian broadcaster Narasi, Mr Erdogan said: "I view Trump's decision to make such an agreement with a murderer like [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his threats as a major threat to world peace.”
"At the moment, nobody can take Gaza away from Palestinians, from Gazans. Daring to do something like is, firstly, a very different threat to world peace."
Mr Erdogan said he doesn’t find Mr Trump’s statements, which he described as “challenges to many countries in the world”, to be right.
"My hope is that such mistakes are reversed as soon as possible, and for a global giant like the United States to rapidly turn back from these errors so that global peace can find a way to come out," he said.
We will rebuild if Israel hits nuclear sites - Iranian president
14:27
,
Alex Croft
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed the country will rebuild its nuclear centres if they are struck by Israel.
It comes after the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reported that Israel was planning an attack on Iran’s nuclear programme this year.
"They threaten us that they will hit nuclear facilities... If you (the enemy) strike a hundred of those we will build a thousand other ones... You can hit the buildings and the places but you cannot hit those who build it," Pezeshkian said according to state media.
Hamid Vahedi, the the commander of Iran's conventional air force, said: "We tell all countries, friends and foes alike, that our country's doctrine is defensive but we will respond with force against any enemy attack."
US president Donald Trump said he would prefer for Israel not to strike Iran.
Speaking on Monday, he said: "Everyone thinks Israel, with our help or our approval, will go in and bomb the hell out of them. I would prefer that not to happen.”
‘It’s so ridiculous’: Experts say Trump’s plan to ‘take’ Gaza will never work
14:05
,
Alex Croft
Donald Trump continued to push his plan for MAGA-fied peace in the Middle East on Tuesday: the illegal removal of more than two million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, an act that would likely be considered ethnic cleansing under international law.
But outside of the meeting rooms and cocktail lounges where the Trumpworld elite now congregate in Washington D.C., some experts seemed to think it would not actually even be seriously attempted.
On Tuesday, the US president insisted that Palestinians in Gaza no longer wanted to live there and claimed that the “civilization” had been completely wiped out in the region by Israel’s year-long assault.
“I’ve watched it so long, all the death and destruction of Gaza. A civilization’s been wiped out in Gaza,” Trump said on Tuesday.
John Bowden reports:
Jordanian King discusses Gaza with Macron
13:45
,
Alex Croft
Jordan’s King Abdullah discussed “dangerous developments” in Gaza and the West Bank during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Jordanian royal court.
The phone call comes a day after the Jordanian king met US President Donald Trump in Washington, where he reiterated his country’s “steadfast position” against Trump’s controversial Gaza displacement plan.
The leaders of Egypt and Jordan have both reiterated their rejection of Trump’s plan to depopulate the Gaza Strip.
North Korea brands US ‘ferocious robber’ over Trump Gaza plan
13:24
,
Alex Croft
North Korea has become the latest country to condemn Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza.
Last week, the US president announced plans to take ownership of the war-torn region and make it the “Rivera of Middle East”.
Under his plan, two million Palestinians would be resettled in neighbouring countries - which have opposed the idea.
Now North Korea has joined the opposition to the plan, condemning the idea as “bluster” and accusing Washington of robbery.
Commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency said: “The world is now boiling like a porridge pot over the US’ bombshell declaration’”.
It also criticised the Trump administration over its calls to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland, and its decision to change the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America”.
“The US should awaken from its anachronistic daydream and stop at once the act of encroaching upon the dignity and sovereignty of other countries and nations,” the KCNA report said, while calling the U.S. a “ferocious robber”.
Hamas had demanded more aid
13:15
,
Sam Rkaina
This week Hamas accused Israel of failing to respect stipulations calling for a massive increase in aid deliveries and said it would not hand over three hostages due to be released on Saturday until the issue was resolved.
In response, Netanyahu ordered reserves to be called up and threatened to resume combat operations that have been paused for almost a month unless the hostages were returned.
Israeli minister Avi Dichter, a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Israeli public radio on Thursday that he did not believe Hamas would be able to get out of the agreement.
"There's a deal, they won't be able to give anything less than what is in the deal," he said. "I don't believe that Hamas can behave otherwise."
Egyptian security sources told Reuters they expected heavy construction equipment to enter on Thursday and if that happened then Hamas would release hostages on Saturday.
The standoff between Israel and Hamas has threatened to reignite their conflict, which has devastated Gaza and taken the Middle East to the brink of a wider regional war.
Egyptian and Qatari officials have been working to avoid a breakdown and a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort said both sides had agreed to go ahead with the ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel ramps up home demolitions in the West Bank
13:02
,
Alex Croft
Israel has ramped up home demolitions in the occupied West Bank, which have previously been condemned as illegal under international law.
Two more demolition orders in Kafr al-Dik were issued on Thursday, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Demolitions and forced evictions have also ramped up in Masafer Yatta, an area in the West Bank which Israel declared a “military firing zone” in 2022.
Videos shared by Palestinians on the ground show Israeli bulldozers crushing houses in the region.
Urgent: A mass forcible displacement is underway in my community, Masafer Yatta. Israeli forces have demolished 7 homes in Khallet Al -Dabaa yet , leaving families homeless in the cold.
— mohammad hureini (@MohammadHureini) February 10, 2025
The demolition operation still going on !!#MasaferYatta #StopEthnicCleansing pic.twitter.com/YTmkKgsZLa
Bel Trew | ‘We’re already in hell’: Palestinians in despair after Trump threatens Gaza truce
12:41
,
Alex Croft
Palestinians in Gaza have said they “are already living in hell” after Donald Trump vowed to cancel a truce if Hamas does not release all hostages this weekend, as the fragile truce teetered on the verge of collapse.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern parts of the besieged strip in recent weeks, camping in the rubble of their homes and still reeling from the loss of dozens of extended family members.
With the precarious deal on a knife-edge, Mr Trump said “all hell will break out” if the hostage release at the weekend did not go as planned.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed Mr Trump’s threat, saying Israel will resume “intense” fighting in Gaza if all hostages were not freed at the weekend.
Chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
Watch: Boris Johnson says Mar-a-Lago great place for people of Gaza to settle
12:21
,
Alex Croft
Sydney nurses suspended for threatening to ‘kill Israeli patients’ in viral video
12:00
,
Alex Croft
Two nurses in Sydney are facing a criminal investigation for antisemitism after claiming in a social media video that Israeli patients in Australia will be denied treatment or killed.
The New South Wales health workers have been stood down at the Bankstown Hospital after allegedly declaring that they would kill Israeli patients if they had to treat them.
One nurse, who falsely claimed to be a doctor, even suggested he had killed Israeli patients, 9News reported.
Read the full report:
Ceasefire has been close to failure
11:42
,
Sam Rkaina
The 42-day ceasefire has appeared close to failure this week amid accusations on both sides of violations to the agreement sealed last month with the help of Egyptian and Qatari mediators and U.S. support.
Hamas said it did not want the deal to collapse, though it rejected what it called the "language of threats and intimidation" from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. They have said the ceasefire should be cancelled if the hostages are not released.
"Accordingly, Hamas reaffirms its commitment to implementing the agreement as signed, including the exchange of prisoners according to the specified timeline," Hamas said in a statement.
Hamas, whose Gaza chief leader Khalil Al-Hayya is visiting Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials, also said both Egyptian and Qatari mediators would press on with efforts "to remove obstacles and close gaps".
In pictures: Residents of West Bank camp destroyed by Israel walk among ruins
11:38
,
Alex Croft
Two Britons arrested in Iran on security charges - state media
11:16
,
Alex Croft
Two British nationals were arrested by Iranian police on security-related charges and remain in custody, state media reported on Thursday.
Iran’s official news agency shared blurred images of the pair meeting with the British ambassador - but did not identify them. It is not clear when they were detained.
British officials have not commented on the arrests.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners on espionage and security-related charges in recent years. Iran has been accused by rights groups and western countries of attempting to win concessions through the arrests.
Humza Yousaf: My wife’s family are facing ‘hell on Earth’ after Gaza devastation
10:56
,
Alex Croft
Humza Yousaf has said the situation in Gaza is already “hell on Earth” and his father-in-law has been left a “shell”, as he discussed the impact the war has had on his wife’s family.
The former first minister said Palestinians will always resist attempts to take over their land, in response to recent remarks from Donald Trump which have thrown the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire into question.
Maged and Elizabeth El-Nakla – the parents of Mr Yousaf’s wife Nadia El-Nakla – were visiting relatives in the Palestinian enclave when war broke out following October 7 2023.
They became trapped for four weeks before leaving through Egypt with other British nationals.
Read the full report:
Hamas says it will go ahead with planned hostage release
10:53
,
Sam Rkaina
Hamas has said it will go ahead with the planned hostage release this weekend.
The terror group had been due to free three captives on Saturday before threatening to cancel it, putting the fragile ceasefire at risk.
Hamas says it has been in talks with the Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo, who have been trying to prevent the arrangement from falling apart.
Egypt and Jordan resist Trump plan to resettle Palestinians
10:34
,
Alex Croft
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah said Gaza should be rebuilt without displacing Palestinians, Egypt’s presidency said, reporting a phone call between the two on Wednesday.
US president Donald Trump has continued to push for a plan to resettle the Palestinian population to both Egypt and Jordan, a proposal both countries have rejected repeatedly.
Pictured: Graffiti symbolising Gaza reconstruction, on Israel's separation wall in Bethlehem, occupied West Bank
10:15
,
Alex Croft
US secretary of state to visit Middle East
09:54
,
Alex Croft
US secretary of state Marco Rubio will visit Europe and the Middle East, the state department announced on Wednesday.
In a crucial moment for peace in the Middle East, Mr Rubio will visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Too few tents entering Gaza threatens the truce. Here’s what’s happening
09:34
,
Alex Croft
Three weeks into the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the number of tents and temporary homes entering Gaza risks falling short of the goals set for the deal's first phase.
The looming deficit sits at the heart of a dispute between Israel and Hamas that could topple the tenuous truce.
Hamas has indefinitely delayed the scheduled release of three hostages on Saturday, accusing Israel of obstructing the delivery of tents, pre-fabricated homes and heavy machinery into the devastated territory, where the majority of people are displaced and many live beside the rubble of blasted-out buildings.
Israel rejects the accusation, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza and resume the war if Hamas does not release more hostages on schedule.
Read the full report:
Israeli could strike Iran early as mid-year - report
09:12
,
Alex Croft
Earlier, we reported that Israel was considering strikes on Iranian nuclear sites this year, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing US intelligence agencies.
The Washington Post has reported that this attack could take place by the middle of this year.
It would set back Iran’s nuclear programme by weeks or months but would risk a wider conflict, US intelligence reports found.
The White House, Israeli government, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence all declined to comment.
Hamas says it does not want ceasefire to collapse
08:52
,
Alex Croft
Palestinian militant group Hamas has said it does not want the Gaza ceasefire agreement to collapse.
Mediators are pushing for the deal to be abided by, ensuring Israel adheres to the humanitarian protocol and the resumption of Israeli hostage and Palestinian prisoner releases, Hamas said in a statement.
It comes as Israel threatens to resume warfare in Gaza if hostages aren’t released by Saturday.
Israel considering strikes on Iran, say US intelligence agencies
08:33
,
Alex Croft
Israel is considering significant strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, US intelligence agencies found according to a report.
Israel is seeking to take advantage of Iran’s current weakness following the damage done to so-called proxy militant groups in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Analysis by the agencies, concluded in the final days of the Biden administration, found that Israel would pressure the Trump administration into backing the strikes.
Military support from the US would likely be needed for a strike of such proportions, US military officials told WSJ.
The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the Israeli military responded to requests for comment from the US outlet.
‘I walked 11 hours to return to Gaza, finding my town destroyed’
07:00
,
Jane Dalton
In case you missed it: Palestinian journalist Nedal Hamdouna, who has been displaced seven times by the 15-month war in Gaza, describes ab emotional return home:
Israel warns of ‘gates of hell’ in fresh war
06:00
,
Jane Dalton
The “gates of hell will open” on Hamas if it does not release his country’s hostages by Saturday, the Israeli defence minister has warned.
In a security consultation, Israel Katz said: “If Hamas stops releasing the hostages, then there is no agreement and there is war.
“If Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Shabbat, the gates of hell will open on them, just as the US president promised.
“The new Gaza war will be different in intensity from the one before the ceasefire.”
He said the new war would “not end without Hamas’s defeat and the release of all the hostages”, adding it would “also enable the realisation of US president Trump’s vision regarding Gaza”.
Donald Trump has pushed a plan to resettle the Palestinian population to Egypt and Jordan.
Signs of hope in talks to rescue truce
05:00
,
Jane Dalton
There are signs that the differences over the fragile ceasefire deal could be bridged.
A Hamas official, Mahmoud Merdawi, told The Associated Press there were “positive signals” the three hostages will be released as planned on Saturday but the group had not yet received a commitment from Israel that it would adhere to the deal.
An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the two sides were close to an agreement and that Israel had committed to delivering more tents, shelters and heavy equipment to Gaza.
The dispute was sparked when Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet some commitments under the truce, including the delivery of tents and other aid, and said it would delay the next hostage release on Saturday.
Israeli officials had no immediate comment. Israel says it is fulfilling its obligations under the deal.
North Korea brands US ‘ferocious robber’ over Trump Gaza plan
04:00
,
Jane Dalton
North Korea has become the latest country to condemn Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza.
Last week, the US president announced plans to take ownership of the war-torn region and make it the “Rivera of Middle East”.
Under his plan, two million Palestinians would be resettled in neighbouring countries - which have opposed the idea.
Now North Korea has joined the opposition to the plan, condemning the idea as “bluster” and accusing Washington of robbery.
Commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency said: “The world is now boiling like a porridge pot over the US’ bombshell declaration’”.
It also criticised the Trump administration over its calls to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland, and its decision to change the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America”.
“The US should awaken from its anachronistic daydream and stop at once the act of encroaching upon the dignity and sovereignty of other countries and nations,” the KCNA report said, while calling the U.S. a “ferocious robber”.
Relatives of hostages terrified as ceasefire teeters
02:30
,
Jane Dalton
‘The next nightmare is just beginning’: Ceasefire raises new fears for Gazans
01:00
,
Jane Dalton
