Author: Steven Sahiounie

Majed al-Ansari said in a post on X that those released were: Al-Ansari added that a number of women and children were among the 24 civilian captives received by the Red Cross “in the framework of the truce agreement”. The Thai nationals, he said, are “currently on their way out of the strip” with the Red Cross. Source: AlJazeera

Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh called on British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to pressure Israel to stop its war against the Palestinian people and their land and money, and stop the genocide in the Gaza Strip. During a meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Ramallah and in the presence of Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki, and British Consul General in Jerusalem Diane Corner, Shtayyeh affirmed total rejection of the forcible displacement of the Palestinian people. “We reject the forced displacement of our people,” stating that this is an Israeli plan in progress aimed at targeting civilians and pushing them south, and…

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen says on X the diplomats were summoned over “false claims” made by the Spanish and Belgian prime ministers. During a visit to the region, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez and Belgium’s Alexander De Croo called on Israel to do more to protect the lives of civilians in Gaza and to respect international law. “Israel has the right to defend itself. However, this right cannot encompass the deaths of innocent civilians, including thousands of children, in Gaza,” Sanchez said on Thursday after his visit to Israel. The Israeli foreign minister said the ambassadors were summoned to receive a “harsh…

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has reiterated at a solidarity rally for the families of the captives in Tel Aviv that the army will resume fighting after the humanitarian pause. “I want to assure the families of all the hostages: We will not stop. We will resume the efforts and the military action in Gaza to retrieve the hostages and restore deterrence,” Gantz said. Source: AlJazeera

Al Jazeera has obtained video footage showing a group of Israeli captives and Thai workers leaving Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in a convoy of Red Cross vehicles. One of the captives can be seen waving to groups of people gathered along the route. Source: AlJazeera

BEIRUT: Calm returned to Lebanon’s southern border Friday as a temporary truce took effect in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, according to state media, residents and an AFP journalist. Since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, Lebanon’s southern border with Israel has witnessed deadly exchanges of fire, primarily involving the Israeli army and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, as well as Palestinian militant groups. Hezbollah has yet to say whether it will comply with the terms of the agreement that was brokered by Qatar with help from Egypt and the United States. “A precarious calm reigned on the…

RABAT: Israel’s fledgling rapprochement with Morocco, which had made steady progress in the three years since the two governments normalized relations, has been thrown into reverse by the deadly conflict in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have returned to the streets of the North African nation, as the death toll from some seven weeks of Israeli bombardment in Gaza has risen to nearly 15,000, mostly civilians, according to Hamas officials. The Israeli liaison office in Rabat was reportedly evacuated last month amid security concerns and Israeli visitors have disappeared from tourism hubs like Marrakech and Essaouira, along with many of the restaurants…

At least two people have been killed during the incident, according to the news agency Israeli soldiers have opened fire at Palestinian civilians who tried returning to their homes in northern Gaza shortly after the start of the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas, an AP journalist has reported from the scene. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had earlier warned the displaced residents of Gaza against attempting to move to the north of the enclave. At least two people have been killed and 11 other had their legs injured during the incident, the US news agency claimed on Friday. An…

This leaflet dropped on Rafah in southern Gaza says the war is not over yet and calls northern Gaza a combat zone. Source: AlJazeera

Thousands of Cubans led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel marched yesterday outside the US embassy in Havana in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people and demanding an end to the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Wearing a black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh, Díaz-Canel was accompanied by Cuba’s main leaders, including Prime Minister Manuel Marrero and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez. The marchers walked for two kilometers, passing in front of the US Embassy. As they passed the embassy on the seaside avenue, some yelled “fascist Yankees, you are terrorists.” “Today we are supporting the Palestinian people, supporting all those people who feel the…