Good afternoon, here's today's closing summary …
Three Israeli hostages – Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn – have been released by Hamas. In return, Israel has released 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in its custody, the sixth exchange in a fragile month-old ceasefire that almost collapsed earlier this week.
In a statement, Hamas said that today’s hostage release shows there is no way to free the hostages held in Gaza “except through negotiations and by adhering to the requirements of the ceasefire agreement”. The group added: “We say to the whole world: there is no migration except to Jerusalem,” a response to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians resettle in neighbouring countries.
The IDF’s chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, says the military is making great efforts to return all of the remaining hostages abducted by Hamas on 7 October 2023. “Alongside the great excitement with the return of each hostage, we remember in the IDF our duty to return everyone,” Halevi said. “We are making great efforts to do so while at the same time preparing with offensive plans.”
Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, has condemned an attack on a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon convoy in Beirut, saying security forces will not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilise the country, according to a statement from the president’s office. The outgoing deputy force commander of Unifil was injured on Friday when a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked”, Unifil said.
Iran accused Israel on Friday of disrupting flights from Tehran to Beirut, after a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital sparked protests. Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using Lebanon’s only airport to transfer weapons from Iran. Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have denied Israel’s claims.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is expected to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates soon to discuss the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit on 20 February to discuss Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a source with knowledge of the preparations. Speaking on condition of anonymity, another source said the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, would also attend.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society media office says Israeli authorities “deliberately insulted and assaulted” Palestinian prisoners and detainees until the “moment of their release”.The organisation, which monitors the releases, added that the conditions of the prisoners upon their release demonstrate the “extent of the crimes and violations inside the prisons”. In a statement, the organisation urged the international community to reject a “double standard” as Israel earlier decried conditions of captives released from Gaza.
Thirty-three hostages are supposed to be released as per the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Hamas has handed over 19 hostages so far, and 14 are due to be handed over in the coming weeks. Israel says eight of the 14 hostages are deceased, meaning six living hostages are still to be handed over. Seventy hostages taken on 7 October remain in captivity; around half of them are thought to be dead. Israel has released 766 Palestinians from Israeli prisons so far.
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Israeli hostages reunited with families after week of ceasefire tensions – video
The Israeli hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen and Iair Horn embraced their families after their release in the latest stage of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas intended to end the war in Gaza. Hamas freed three Israeli hostages on Saturday – the Israeli-American Dekel-Chen, the Israeli-Argentinian Horn and the Israeli-Russian Sasha Troufanov. Israel has released 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, the sixth exchange in a fragile month-old ceasefire that almost collapsed earlier this week.
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