Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza
This is an entry from: Live: Trump threatens Gaza residents with death as his team holds direct talks with Hamas about captives

Evening recap

3 March 2025 23:53 GMT

Our liveblog will shortly be closing until tomorrow morning.

Here are the day's key developments:

- US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff plans to return to the region in the coming days to work out a way to either extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal or advance to the second phase, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday.

- Israel's Channel 12, citing an Israeli official, said on Monday that the government has set a deadline 10 days from now for Hamas to release the remaining captives in Gaza before a return to fighting. "We are currently at a dead end regarding the deal negotiations," the official told Channel 12. 

- Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli drone fire in the central area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, citing medics and the Hamas media office.

- An alternative plan for Gaza's future, drawn up by Egypt to counter US President Donald Trump's proposals, would see Hamas replaced by interim bodies controlled by Arab, Muslim and western states, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

- The human rights group Amnesty on Monday slammed a statement from the European Union that said Israel's halt of all aid into Gaza could have "humanitarian consequences" and blamed Hamas for triggering the Israeli decision. "As Israel blocks aid to Gaza, shocking apologism from EU," Amnesty EU said on X.

- Food, medicine and shelter stockpiles in Gaza are limited and aid intended for Palestinians in desperate need may spoil following Israel's suspension of deliveries to the enclave, humanitarian agencies said on Monday. Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday.

- Israeli authorities are also planning to cut off water and electricity to the Gaza Strip, and renew the push to displace the population from northern Gaza to the south, according to Israeli broadcaster Kan 11. The plan by the government is part of a strategy to apply "maximum pressure on the Gaza Strip and Hamas". 

- The assailant who carried out a stabbing attack Monday morning in Haifa is an Israeli citizen, said police spokesman Aryeh Doron, according to The Times of Israel. Confirming that the attacker was shot dead, the police said he was shot by a bus station security guard.