Live: UK halts trade deal talks with Israel, summons ambassador over Gaza

Steve Witkoff, the United States’ special envoy to the Middle East, says Israeli-American solider, Edan Alexander, who is being held in Gaza is expected to be freed on Monday following what he called an extended and complex negotiation process.

“We are picking him up probably tomorrow,” Witkoff told NBC News, confirming the deal. “There was a long negotiation with lots of people to thank.”

He described the anticipated release as a goodwill gesture towards US President Donald Trump, crediting him with playing a central role in the breakthrough. “It is a big moment in large part because of Trump,” Witkoff said. “The family is ecstatic.”

Hamas has confirmed it will release Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander as part of broader efforts to secure a ceasefire and allow urgently needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.

In a statement issued on Sunday, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya announced the move following direct contact between the group and the United States in recent days. He said the decision came amid mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.

“The movement affirms its readiness to immediately start intensive negotiations and make serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war, exchange prisoners in an agreed-upon manner,” al-Hayya said.

While no exact date for the release has been publicly confirmed, a source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters the handover is expected to take place on Tuesday.

Read more: Hamas to free Israeli-American soldier held in Gaza after direct talks with US

Israel has launched fresh air strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah governorate, targeting areas near three Houthi-controlled ports late on Sunday.

The Houthi-run Interior Ministry confirmed the attacks, which followed Israeli military warnings for those present at the ports to evacuate.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Israeli military and shipping interests in the Red Sea, insisting their actions are in support of Palestinians under siege in Gaza.

Since Israel began its war on Gaza 19 months ago, more than 52,000 people have been killed, including 57 who starved to death under Israel’s total blockade imposed on 2 March.

Hamas has announced that Israeli-American soldier Idan Alexander will be released, following recent contacts between the group and the US administration.

In a statement shared on Sunday, the group said its dialogue with Washington is part of wider efforts “to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid to reach our people in the Gaza Strip”.

Hamas also signalled its readiness for broader negotiations aimed at ending the war, saying: “We affirm our readiness to immediately begin intensive negotiations and make serious efforts to reach a final agreement to stop the war.”

The group reiterated it was prepared to negotiate a prisoner exchange deal and to support post-war governance in Gaza by “an independent, professional body”.

There has been no immediate response from the White House.

The Israeli military has ordered residents in parts of Yemen to evacuate, signalling a possible escalation.

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, announced on X that civilians should leave the areas of Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Salif ports immediately.

While he did not detail what actions might follow, the warning has raised fears of imminent military strikes targeting these strategic Red Sea ports.

This is a developing story and more updates are expected.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on his hardline stance over Gaza, telling the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that forcefully displaced Palestinians “will not return” to their homes, reported Israeli journalist, Abraham Friend, the political correspondent for the 'Behadrei Haredim.'

"They will not be there – we will control there,” he said on Sunday. “There is no other target,” he added in comments that are likely to only confirm fears that Palestinians have had that Israel intends to ethnically cleanse the besiged Strip.

On ceasefire negotiations, Netanyahu seemed to confirm ongoing “This week there is a discussion about a deal,” Netanyahu said during the closed-door committee meeting. “We are talking about a deal for half of the kidnapped alive. There is a possibility that soldier Idan Alexander will be released separately because he is an American citizen – we welcome anything like that.”

The remarks come amid renewed diplomatic efforts to secure the release of captives held in Gaza, with reports indicating that a partial agreement could be in reach.

Netanyahu speaking on plans to re-establish Israeli settlements in Gaza said “I know there are those with dreams of Jewish settlement in Gaza – I don’t want to disappoint them.”

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has warned that the war in Gaza cannot be resolved through military force alone, calling instead for a political settlement to bring an end to the conflict

"I do not believe that this conflict can be permanently resolved by military means," Wadephul said during a visit to Israel on Sunday. "Nevertheless, it is urgently necessary that Hamas is disarmed and that it can no longer have military control over Gaza."

He stressed that Germany remains committed to ensuring Israel’s security, but noted that this support does not preclude criticism of Israeli policies.

"I am not sure whether all of Israel's strategic goals can be achieved in this way (through a military campaign) and whether this will serve Israel's security in the long term," he added. "That is why we are appealing for a return to serious negotiations on a ceasefire."
 

A senior Palestinian official has confirmed that discussions between Hamas and the United States are ongoing, focusing on a possible Gaza ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, Reuters reported on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump recently reiterated his commitment to helping deliver food to Palestinians trapped in Gaza, where conditions have grown increasingly dire. 

The US State Department has not yet commented on the latest developments.

Previous talks between Washington and Hamas have also addressed the release of American-Israeli captives being held inside Gaza.

Since 2 March, Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, cutting off all supplies. Food reserves that were built up during a brief truce earlier this year have nearly been exhausted.

On 18 March, Israel resumed its military offensive, effectively ending the ceasefire agreement reached with Hamas in January.

The Israeli government has not prioritised the safe return of captives amid its ongoing war on Palestinians in Gaza, a new investigation by Israeli news outlet Ynet has revealed.

According to the report published on Friday, both the government and the military are fully aware that army attacks pose a grave risk to the captives and have, in fact, already led to fatalities.

“The manoeuvre kills captives, not theoretically, it actually kills them,” a security source told Ynet. 

The source cited a specific incident in November 2023 as an example, in which an Israeli air strike killed three Israeli captives along with a senior Hamas military commander, Ahmed Ghandour.

“That’s what happens when you're pursuing two conflicting objectives at the same time,” said the source, who holds a senior position in Israeli intelligence.

Read more: Israeli officers admit assault on Gaza 'kills captives'

New footage circulating in Palestinian media appears to show undercover Israeli forces "executing" a Palestinian man in Nablus in the occupied West Bank while his hands were raised.

The video captures the moment Rami al-Kakhn, is gunned down by officers disguised in civilian clothing in broad daylight. The killing took place last Thursday in the occupied West Bank.

Despite al-Kakhn’s hands being visibly in the air, the undercover officers open fire.

Israeli police claimed the man was armed and that he was planning attacks. No evidence was provided to back their their allegations.

Social media personality Khaled Safi who publicised the video in a post on X said "the "occupation" (Israel) did not intend to carry out a legal arrest, but rather a cold-blooded field execution!"

US President Donald Trump has allegedly privately expressed frustration over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to intensify military operations in Gaza, according to a report by NBC News that cites sources within the US administration.

In what the outlet describes as closed-door conversations, the US president allegedly called the move a "wasted effort". The report also suggests tensions have flared between the two leaders over Iran.

Sources say Netanyahu was displeased with Trump’s recent comments on Iran’s nuclear programme. The Israeli leader reportedly raised the issue through Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who conveyed his concerns to Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Trump had stated that the US had not yet made a final decision on whether Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium under a potential new agreement — a remark that reportedly unsettled Israeli officials.

A US official noted that Israel remains “worried about any deal” involving Tehran.

NBC also reported that Netanyahu was angered by a separate US agreement with the Houthis this past week, which excluded Israel, and by Trump’s ongoing refusal to endorse a strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health says at least 19 people have been killed and 81 injured in the past 24 hours as Israel continues its bombardment of the besieged enclave.

The latest figures bring the overall death toll since 7 October 2023 to 52,829, with 119,554 others wounded in the ongoing assault.

At least 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza have lost their eyesight since the war began, according to the head of Gaza’s Eye Hospital.

Dr Abdul Salam Sabbah told Al Jazeera Arabic that the ongoing Israeli assault has left thousands more at risk of going blind due to severe shortages in medical supplies and equipment.

“The number of people who lost their sight in Gaza as a result of the war exceeds 1,500,” he said.

He warned that the situation could rapidly worsen without urgent international assistance. “Thousands of people are at risk of losing their sight due to lack of resources. We call on charitable and humanitarian organisations to help us provide medical supplies.”

Good afternoon, 

Here are the latest developments from Gaza and the region, as the Middle East braces for US President Donald Trump’s first visit to the Middle East:

• Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed 19 Palestinians in the past 24 hours. Earlier, health officials said the strikes, which killed mostly women and children, took place in Khan Younis and killed five members of a single family.

• Pope Leo used his first Sunday address to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of Israeli captives and the delivery of emergency aid into the besieged territory.

• Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he fully endorsed Trump's plan for Gaza aid during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Jerusalem. 

• Sources told NBC News that Trump is growing frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his decision to expand the war in Gaza, with the US president preferring to make a deal with Hamas instead. 

• Palestinian factions in Lebanon are wary of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' reported plan to push for their disarmament during a visit to Lebanon this week.