Hamas has confirmed that three Israeli hostages will be released on Saturday, including US-Israeli man Sagui Dekel-Chen.
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.
But following threats from US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the militant group said on Thursday that it would go ahead with the scheduled release on Saturday.
Iair Horn and Russian-Israeli Sasha (Alexander) Trufanov are the two others set to be freed.
On Friday, a Hamas official confirmed three hostages would be released, including Mr Dekel-Chen, who was kidnapped from Nir Oz kibbutz during the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Last month, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem history professor Jonathan Dekel-Chen, told The Independent he was in the dark over the fate of his son.
So far, 16 Israeli hostages have been freed since the ceasefire began on 19 January.
Key Points
- Breaking: Hamas confirms three hostages to be released on Saturday
- 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
20:10
,
Jane Dalton
Arab countries are putting together a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its people, and would guarantee security and governance, Jordan's foreign minister said on Friday, adding that his country could not take more Palestinians.
"Just to answer you unequivocally, 35% of our population are refugees; we cannot afford any more, we cannot have Palestinians coming to Jordan. They don't want to come to Jordan and we don't want them to come to Jordan," Ayman Safadi said at the Munich Security Conference.
Cairo and Amman have rejected US president Donald Trump’s plan to "clean out" Palestinians from Gaza and resettle most of them in Jordan and Egypt.
Turkish and US foreign ministers discuss Gaza
19:40
,
Alex Croft
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio discussed Syria, Gaza, and the Ukraine-Russia war during their first in-person meeting in Munich on Friday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
Fidan expressed Turkey's views on measures that countries in the Middle East can take against Islamic State, the source said. He also called for the ceasefire in Gaza to be made permanent.
‘It’s so ridiculous’: Experts say Trump’s plan to ‘take’ Gaza will never work
18:36
,
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:
41 hostages still alive, says Israeli military
16:29
,
Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent
As of today, 179 of the original 251 hostages held by Hamas have been released.
Four people have been held hostage in Gaza since before the beginning of the war, according to Israeli figures.
Of the 76 still in captivity, 35 have been confirmed dead - meaning 41 are still alive, the military said.
Too few tents entering Gaza threatens the truce. Here’s what’s happening
16:28
,
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.
Read the full report:
Vatican condemns Trump's Gaza plan
15:25
,
Alex Croft
The Vatican’s lead diplomat criticised US president Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly transfer Palestinians from Gaza before a US takeover of the territory.
"No deportations, and this is one of the fundamental points," Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said at an event in Rome on Thursday.
"Whoever was born and has lived in Gaza must remain on their land,” he added according to the Vatican’s official news outlet.
'Biggest fear is the uncertainty', says sister of hostage to be released on Saturday
14:22
,
Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent
Dalia Cusir, the sister-in-law of Iair Horn, 46, who is among those set to be released, told The Independent on Thursday that the family’s “biggest fear has been the uncertainty”.
Iair suffers from diabetes, and his relatives have been “terrified” that he is not getting the medical attention he needs in captivity, especially since the release of the hostages last Saturday, who appeared emaciated and sick.
“We all knew that they were being starved and tortured, but seeing Ohad [Ben-Ami], Or [Levi], and Eli [Sharabi] was shocking. It made us understand that every second is a second of hell for them.”
Iair was seized from Nir Oz along with his brother Eitan. But Eitan, 38, who suffers from a serious skin condition, is not on the list of hostages to be released in the first round, piling further heartache on the family.
“It’s been impossible because we’re fighting for my two brothers-in-law, but only one of them is included in phase one. The second is in phase two.”
“My husband has been destroyed since October 7. He’s literally sick, unhealthy, and unable to work because he’s fighting for his two siblings,” she added in desperation.
“But we are committed. I promised everyone that I’m going to be on the streets [fighting for the releases] to make sure that the last hostage comes back home.”
Erdogan: No sign of ceasefire in Gaza despite truce agreement
13:20
,
Alex Croft
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan has said there is no sign of a ceasefire in Gaza despite the truce agreement.
He told reporters the Trump administration was making the “wrong calculations” in regard to the Middle East and that heeding “Zionist lies” would only exacerbate conflict.
Turkey has rejected Trump’s plan to forcible displace millions of Palestinians from the Gaza strip before the US assumes control over it.
"Unfortunately, the United States is making a wrong calculation about our region. One should not be engaged in an approach that disregards the region's history, values, and accumulation," he told reporters on a return flight from a trip to, Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Erdogan said he expected Trump to fulfill his election promises of taking steps for peace.
Pictured: The three hostages to be released on Saturday
12:18
,
Alex Croft
Three Israeli hostages set for release are named
11:52
,
Alex Croft
Iair Horn is the third of three Israeli hostages due to be released from captivity in Gaza on Saturday.
A Hamas official previously said US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen would be released, while Russian-Israeli Sasha (Alexander) Trufanov will be released by Islamic Jihad.
Breaking: Hamas confirms three hostages to be released on Saturday
11:33
,
Alex Ross
Palestinian militant groups in Gaza will release three hostages on Saturday, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire, including U.S.-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, a Hamas official said.
Separately, the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad group said it would release Russian-Israeli Alexandre Sasha Troufanov as part of the deal.
Israel says rocket fired from Gaza - but landed inside the territory
06:01
,
Alex Ross
The Israeli military said a rocket was fired from Gaza on Thursday evening, but landed inside the territory, as the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas appeared to hold.
This appeared to be the first rocket fired from Gaza since the ceasefire began January 19. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group did not immediately comment on the Israeli military report.
The military didn't say where the rocket was fired from inside Gaza. Although Hamas militants were once firing volleys of rockets each day out of Gaza, that dwindled to nearly zero over the course of the 15-month war.
Since the ceasefire went into effect, Israeli fire has killed at least 92 Palestinians and wounded more than 800 others, said Munir al-Bursh, director general of the Health Ministry, on Tuesday.
The Israeli military says it has fired on people who approach its forces or enter certain areas in violation of the truce.
Families of Israeli hostages share frustration over handover process
05:00
,
Alex Ross
As we’ve been reporting, Hamas has now said a hostage release will go ahead on Saturday.
It is part of the first stage of the fragile truce. The second stage is aimed at seeing all hostages released.
Ilay David, brother of Evyatar David, said: "The second stage of this deal cannot wait. The lives and honour of 76 people are hanging in the balance, and we must ensure that we keep moving forward.
“Every day that passes makes their suffering worse, and our determination to bring them home must only grow stronger.”
Gal Gilboa-Dalal, survivor of the NOVA music festival, brother of Guy Gilboa-Dalal, said: "While Guy is subjected to physical and sexual abuse, we are also psychologically tortured by Hamas' sick game.
“Our hearts break at the sight of the recently released hostages. The horror they endured is evident, and no words can convey the urgency of freeing all hostages more powerfully than the images themselves."
'We can build new ones' - Iran president responds to reports of potential attacks on country's nuclear sites
02:00
,
Alex Ross
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday Tehran's enemies may be able to strike the country's nuclear centres but cannot deprive it or its ability to build new ones.
He made his comments after the Washington Post reported that US intelligence believes Israel is likely to launch a pre-emptive attack on Iran's nuclear program by mid-year.
Turkey's Erdogan makes rare criticism of Trump
00:01
,
Alex Ross
In a rare rebuke of the US president, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke out against what he called Donald Trump's "challenges" to the world - including a proposal to expel Palestinians from Gaza - saying his actions pose a threat to global peace.
Erdogan and Trump had formed a close personal relationship during Trump's first term and referred to each other as friends, despite the often-strained ties between the two NATO countries.
"To btell the truth, I do not find Mr. Trump's behaviour in the past period and his current statements and challenges to many countries in the world to be right, and I do not see these as a positive development," Erdogan said.
The Turkish president was in Jakarta on Wednesday and was interviewed by Indonesian television anchor Najwa Shihab, which aired on YouTube on Thursday.
Israeli military says more than 90 militants arrested over the past week in the West Bank
More hostages to be released on Saturday - how many have been released so far
Thursday 13 February 2025 23:01
,
Alex Ross
As we’ve been reporting, the Hamas militant group said Thursday it would release the next three Israeli hostages as planned this weekend in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on Hamas' announcement. Israel had threatened to renew its offensive if hostages were not freed on Saturday as scheduled.
The sides have carried out five swaps since January 19, freeing 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners so far during the first phase of the ceasefire.
Yemen's Houthis say they will attack if US, Israel try to displace Gazans
Thursday 13 February 2025 22:00
,
Alex Ross
Yemen's Houthis will immediately take military action if the US and Israel try to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza, the Iran-backed group's leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday.
An Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza's devastating 15-month-old war took effect on January 19 but has appeared close to collapse his week amid mutual accusations of violations.
US President Donald Trump has infuriated the Arab world in presenting a plan to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza and take over the enclave to turn it into a beach resort.
Houthi said his group would intervene with missiles and drones and attack vessels in the Red Sea if the United States and Israel tried to remove Palestinians from Gaza by force.
"I call on all the armed forces to be ready for military intervention if the criminal Trump carries out his threat," Houthi said.
The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships off the shores of Yemen since November 2023 in support of Gaza Palestinian militants fighting Israel, disrupting global shipping trade and causing route changes and losses.
Truce remains fragile ahead of challenges in coming weeks
Thursday 13 February 2025 21:16
,
Alex Ross
The truce faces a much bigger challenge in the coming weeks.
The first phase is set to conclude at the beginning of March, and there have not yet been substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an end to the war.
Trump's proposal to remove some 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and settle them in other countries has thrown the truce's future into further doubt. The plan has been welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries, which have refused to accept any influx of refugees. Human rights groups say it could amount to a war crime under international law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right allies are already calling for a resumption of the war after the first phase with the goal of implementing Trump's plan and annihilating Hamas, which remains in control of the territory after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history.
Hamas spokesman confirms three hostages to be released on SAturday
Thursday 13 February 2025 20:00
,
Alex Ross
After the announcement earlier that Hamas would release hostages on Saturday, questions were initially asked on how many.
US president Donald Trump had demanded all remaining hostages to be released. 73 have not yet been freed, around half of whom are believed to be dead.
Shortly after the announcement, Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou confirmed to The Associated Press by phone that three hostages will be released on Saturday.
Hamas says hostage release to go ahead - full report
Thursday 13 February 2025 19:00
,
Alex Ross
As we’ve been reporting, Hamas has now said a hostage release will go ahead on Saturday.
Mediators had scrambled to salvage the floundering truce ahead of the deadline this weekend when the next round of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees were slated to be released.
On Thursday Hamas said Egyptian and Qatari mediators affirmed that they would work to "remove all hurdles", and that the group would implement the ceasefire deal.
The statement indicated three more Israeli hostages would be freed on Saturday, adding “the talks were characterised by a positive spirit”.
Read the full report here:
ICYMI: Israeli could strike Iran early as mid-year - report
Thursday 13 February 2025 18:08
,
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.
US secretary of state to visit Middle East
Thursday 13 February 2025 17:33
,
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.
Watch: UN chief warns against 'ethnic cleansing' in Gaza following Trump comments
Thursday 13 February 2025 17:00
,
Alex Croft
I walked 11 hours to finally return to my home in Gaza – finding my town destroyed and my house without walls
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 12:21
,
Alex Croft
Sydney nurses suspended for threatening to ‘kill Israeli patients’ in viral video
Thursday 13 February 2025 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
Thursday 13 February 2025 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, includin
