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Israel will resume conflict in Gaza until extra hostages freed this week, says Netanyahu
Andrew Roth
Benjamin Netanyahu has mentioned that Israel will resume preventing in Gaza if Hamas doesn’t launch extra hostages by midday on Saturday, endorsing a menace by Donald Trump that would shatter the three-week-old ceasefire between the 2 sides.
Netanyahu’s ultimatum was delivered throughout a video tackle posted to social media account on Tuesday. “If Hamas doesn’t return our hostages by Saturday midday – the ceasefire will finish, and the IDF will return to intense preventing till Hamas is lastly defeated,” he mentioned.
It got here a day after Trump instructed reporters:
If all of the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12pm, I’d say cancel the ceasefire. Let all hell break free.”
Netanyahu’s menace got here as Trump hosted King Abdullah of Jordan on the White Home on Tuesday for a tense assembly, the place the 2 have been to debate the ceasefire and Trump’s plan to “take over” Gaza and expel the area’s greater than 2 million Palestinians. Trump has mentioned that he may withhold aide from Jordan and Egypt, two US allies, until they comply with his plan.
In a fast back-and-forth with reporters earlier than a closed-door assembly with Abdullah, Trump in impact endorsed an Israeli annexation of the occupied West Financial institution and mentioned there was “no motive to purchase Gaza” as a result of “we’re going to take it”.
Requested whether or not Saturday remained his deadline for Hamas to ship all of the hostages, Trump replied: “Sure.”
It was not clear whether or not Netanyahu can also be demanding that each one 76 captives nonetheless held in Gaza be launched, or simply the three hostages scheduled for launch on Saturday underneath the ceasefire. The prime minister’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for additional data.
You’ll be able to learn extra of the report by Andrew Roth in Washington and Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem on the hyperlink under.
Key occasions
The lately appointed president of Lebanon has commented on Israel’s continued navy presence within the south of the nation whereas assembly with Portuguese overseas minister, Paulo Rengal.
Lebanon’s Nationwide Information Company quotes Gen Joseph Aoun saying that EU nations ought to “strain Israel to finish its withdrawal inside the deadline of 18 February, and to return the displaced Syrians to their nation after the explanations for his or her remaining in Lebanon now not exist.”
Israel has requested to maintain its troops in 5 posts in southern Lebanon till 28 February, a Lebanese official and overseas diplomat instructed Reuters on Wednesday.
Underneath a ceasefire deal agreed in November between Lebanon and Israel, Israeli troops had till 26 January to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
On the broader regional battle, Aoun added that “Lebanon’s agency place on the Palestinian subject [is] supporting the two-state resolution,” and mentioned that Lebanon rejected “proposals that result in any sort of displacement of Palestinians from their land or infringement of their professional rights enshrined in UN resolutions.”
Israeli troops started their most up-to-date navy invasion of Lebanon in October 2024, a fortnight after an Israeli assault exploded walkie-talkies and pagers throughout the nation.
Palestinian information company Wafa is carrying some quotes from Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who’s visiting Indonesia on a state go to. It quotes him saying”
The institution of a sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital can now not be delayed. Any step, proposal or venture that will undermine this matter is illegitimate in our view, and means extra conflicts, extra bloodshed and extra instability.
Israel has requested to maintain its troops in 5 posts in southern Lebanon till 28 February, a Lebanese official and overseas diplomat instructed Reuters on Wednesday.
Underneath a ceasefire deal agreed in November between Lebanon and Israel, Israeli troops had till 26 January to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
The deal has already been prolonged till 18 February however the sources mentioned Israel had requested a further extension by the committee overseeing the ceasefire.
Syria to have new authorities on 1 March, says overseas minister
Syria can have a brand new authorities subsequent month, overseas minister Asaad al-Shaibani mentioned on Wednesday, with transitional authorities having dominated the nation because the overthrown of Bashar al-Assad.
“The federal government that can be launched 1 March will symbolize the Syrian individuals as a lot as attainable and take its variety under consideration,” Shaibani mentioned on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit within the United Arab Emirates, studies Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Hamas praises Jordan, Egypt for ‘rejecting displacement’ in Gaza
Hamas on Wednesday praised Jordan and Egypt for “rejecting displacement” plans for Palestinians in Gaza as proposed by US president Donald Trump, studies Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Hamas “appreciates the positions of our brothers in Jordan and Egypt in rejecting displacement of our individuals and affirming that there’s an Arab plan to rebuild Gaza with out displacing its residents,” the group mentioned after Jordan and Egypt, the place Trump has advised Gaza’s greater than two million inhabitants may very well be relocated, voiced opposition to his plan.
Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won’t journey to the US for talks on the White Home if the agenda consists of US president Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza, two Egyptian safety sources instructed Reuters.
In a name between Trump and Sisi on 1 February, the US president prolonged an open invitation to his Egyptian counterpart to go to the White Home, the Egyptian presidency beforehand mentioned. No date has been set for any such go to, a US official mentioned.
The Egyptian presidency and overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to Reuter’s requests for remark.
Qatar and Egypt ‘working intensively to resolve Gaza ceasefire disaster’
Mediators from Qatar and Egypt have been “working intensively” to resolve the disaster surrounding the Gaza ceasefire deal, a Palestinian supply instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday, after Israel threatened to renew preventing if Hamas fails to launch hostages by the weekend.
“Mediators from Qatar and Egypt are in touch with the American facet … They’re working intensively to resolve the disaster and compel Israel to implement the humanitarian protocol within the ceasefire settlement and start negotiations for the second part,” mentioned the supply, on situation of anonymity, as he was not authorised to talk publicly on the Gaza ceasefire.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, mentioned that each one hostages held by Hamas in Gaza ought to “come again as quickly as attainable”, studies the Occasions of Israel.
Based on the publication, Herzog mentioned:
We’re extraordinarily anxious about our hostages who’re in Gaza, within the worst of conditions. We now have horrible studies from hostages who got here out.
We’re getting studies about our hostages being in duress, tortured, and within the worst of situations that any human being can endure, and we wish to see all of them again as quickly as attainable, and we insist that each one of them come again as quickly as attainable.”
Herzog was talking as he hosted Estonia’s president Alar Karis. The Occasions of Israel studies {that a} bilateral assembly between the 2 heads of state, initiated by Karis, coated regional challenges, the discharge of the hostages and bilateral cooperation.
US president Donald Trump appeared to immediate Jordan’s King Abdullah to say he would soak up Palestinians from Gaza, as Trump hosted him within the White Home on Tuesday.
The king, who’s the primary Arab chief to fulfill Trump because the Gaza plan was floated, mentioned he would do what was greatest for his nation, however mentioned Jordan would soak up 2,000 sick youngsters from Gaza for remedy, a suggestion that Trump praised.
“The purpose is make this work in a manner that’s good for everyone,” Abdullah mentioned, showing uncomfortable, with out explicitly supporting or opposing Trump’s plan. He later mentioned in a publish on X that he had reiterated Jordan’s “steadfast place” towards the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Financial institution.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday for talks aimed toward strengthening financial and defence ties between the 2 Muslim-majority nations, studies the Related Press.
Erdoğan’s state go to to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation and south-east Asia’s largest financial system, was his second cease in a four-day go to that additionally consists of Malaysia and Pakistan.
Turkey and Indonesia held their first Excessive-Stage Strategic Cooperation Council summit after agreeing to create the discussion board on the G20 summit in Bali in 2022.
The discussions centered on present regional and world points, notably the conflict in Gaza, the 2 leaders mentioned in a joint information convention after the assembly.
Subianto mentioned the assembly was “intensive and productive” and the 2 nations share a dedication to strengthen their partnership. “President Erdoğan’s go to is a brand new chapter in our strategic partnership,” he added.
Indonesia has lengthy been a powerful supporter of Palestinians and Subianto mentioned the 2 nations share the identical view in regards to the significance of a ceasefire and of a two-state resolution.
Erdoğan mentioned he appreciated Indonesia’s agency stance and repeated a name for Israel to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, studies the AP. He estimated the full harm attributable to Israel’s 15-month-long assaults is approaching $100bn, including that “the precept in regulation is that damages must be collected from the individual accountable”.