Live: Trump threatens Gaza residents with death as his team holds direct talks with Hamas about captives

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Monday that he had congratulated Germany’s Friedrich Merz on his election victory. According to the statement, Merz expressed gratitude and pledged to invite Netanyahu for an official visit to Germany.

Netanyahu’s office framed the invitation as a “blatant defiance” of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to classify him as a war criminal, dismissing the charges as “outrageous”.

Germany, as a signatory to the Rome Statute, is legally obligated to comply with ICC rulings, including the arrest of individuals wanted for war crimes. Hosting Netanyahu despite the ICC's decision would directly undermine its commitments under international law.

Jenin’s municipality has reported that Israeli forces have completely destroyed 120 homes and severely damaged dozens of others in Jenin refugee camp.

The Israeli occupation has also intensified its mass arrest campaigns, targeting residents in Jenin and surrounding villages as part of its ongoing crackdown.

In a statement on X, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced Israel’s deployment of tanks in the occupied West Bank, calling it part of its ongoing campaign of “genocide, displacement, and annexation.”

The ministry described the move, along with the forced expulsion of 40,000 Palestinians and Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz’s declaration that they would not be allowed to return, as a “grave escalation”.

“The ministry renews its urgent calls on the international community to intervene immediately to curb Israel’s unchecked aggression,” the statement read.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on European Union officials to use their upcoming meeting with Israeli representatives at the EU-Israel Association Council in Brussels to condemn Israel’s grave human rights violations.

“There can be no business as usual with a government responsible for crimes against humanity, including apartheid and acts of genocide, whose prime minister is wanted by the International Criminal Court for atrocity crimes,” said Claudio Francavilla, HRW’s associate EU director.

He stressed that the meeting should serve only to hold Israel accountable and to announce long-overdue consequences for its actions.

Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthi) forces fired surface-to-air missiles at a US fighter jet and drone this week but failed to hit either, according to two American officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

They did not clarify whether the attacks took place over the Red Sea or within Yemen’s airspace. One official suggested the incidents might indicate the Houthis are refining their targeting capabilities.

Footage shared by the Quds News Network and the Palestinian Information Center reveals the devastation caused by Israeli forces after they stormed the town of Burqin, west of Jenin the occupied West Bank.

The occupation military, backed by heavy machinery, tore up roads at the al-Abarah roundabout, rendering the intersection completely impassable. Massive piles of debris were left behind, further crippling movement in the area.

Hundreds of thousands gathered in Beirut to mourn Hezbollah’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an Israeli air strike in September.

During the funeral, Israeli fighter jets flew directly over the stadium in what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to intimidate the crowd and provoke Hezbollah.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who attended the funeral, condemned the flyover as a “violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.” He described it as a “pitiful attempt to terrify people who gathered only to mourn,” adding, “If that is not an act of terror, then what is?”

Good morning, Middle East Eye readers,

Here are some of the latest updates on Israel's was on Gaza: 

• US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is travelling to the region to push for an extension of the ceasefire, claimed that Gaza would remain uninhabitable for the next 15 to 20 years due to the destruction caused by Israel.

• Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, warned that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are escalating towards a full-scale war.

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denounced the Israeli military flyover during the Beirut funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, calling it a blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.

• Senior EU officials are scheduled to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Brussels on Monday, resuming direct engagement with Netanyahu’s government despite its ongoing atrocities.

• A report on global internet shutdowns revealed that Israel restricted internet access in Gaza six times in 2024, making it the worst offender in the Middle East and North Africa.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers, 

Our blog will soon be closing for the day. Here are some of today's main developments:

• Egypt and Qatar are pressuring Israel to release 620 Palestinian prisoners it had pledged to free after Hamas released six captives from Gaza under the ceasefire deal, according to a report by the Associated Press.

• Israeli troops attacked mourners attending the funeral of a Palestinian man in the town of al-Issawiya near occupied East Jerusalem, according to a report by the Wafa news agency.

• Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, received an invitation to attend an Arab summit in Cairo to discuss post-war governance in Gaza, AFP reported, citing the Syrian presidency.

• Israel said its troops would remain for many months in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank after its intensifying military operation displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians living there.

• Israel will not accept the presence of forces from Syria's newly established army in the southern outskirts of the capital, Damascus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

• Israeli forces stormed the town of Silat al-Harithiya, west of Jenin, and forced shop owners to close their shops, local sources reported. 

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was prepared to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip "at any moment" while vowing to complete the war's objectives "whether through negotiation or by other means".

• The Palestinian health ministry reported that 10 bodies were brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll since 7 October 2023 to 48,339.

• Israeli strikes hit Lebanon today, in addition to the deployment of fighter jets to fly over the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Egypt and Qatar are pressuring Israel to release 620 Palestinian prisoners it had pledged to free after Hamas released six captives from Gaza under the ceasefire deal, according to a report by the Associated Press.

An Egyptian official involved in the talks told AP that Egypt refused to discuss any Israeli demands until the prisoner release takes place.

In Khan Younis and the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, families who had waited for hours in the cold for the release of Palestinian prisoners were devastated after Israel's Prime Minister’s Office announced the delay.

Hamas called the move a “blatant breach” of the deal and announced suspending negotiations unless Israel frees the prisoners. 

The White House said on Sunday that it supports Israel's decision to delay releasing 600 Palestinian prisoners who were set to be freed after Hamas released six Israeli captives in exchange on Saturday.

President Donald Trump is prepared to support Israel in "whatever course of action it chooses regarding Hamas," a statement from National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said the prisoner release would be delayed until Hamas ends its ceremonies while freeing Israeli captives.

Hamas has called the delay a "blatant violation" of the truce and said Netanyahu is engaging in "procrastination and stalling tactics" to undermine the agreement.

Israeli troops attacked mourners attending the funeral of a Palestinian man in the town of al-Issawiya near occupied East Jerusalem, according to a report by the Wafa news agency.

Nael Obeid, 46, was released last week as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas after spending 21 years in detention, the report said. He died on Saturday after falling from the roof of his house.

Israeli soldiers stormed the town and fired tear gas at the Issawiya cemetery and nearby streets during the funeral.

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, received an invitation on Sunday to attend an Arab summit in Cairo to discuss post-war governance in Gaza, AFP reported, citing the Syrian presidency.

"The president of the Syrian Arab Republic, Mr Ahmed al-Sharaa, received an official invitation from the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt... to participate in the extraordinary Arab League summit" on 4 March in Cairo, the presidency statement said.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun told a visiting Iranian delegation on Sunday that the war-scarred country was "tired" of external conflicts playing out on its territory.

The high-level delegation was in Beirut for the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of Hezbollah which fought a war with Israel last year that ended in a November truce.

"Lebanon has grown tired of the wars of others on its land," Aoun told the Iranian officials, according to a statement shared by the newly appointed president, a former army chief seen as close to the West.

"Countries should not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries," he added.

Hamas will suspend negotiations unless Israel frees 602 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the six Israeli captives released yesterday, said Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi.

In a Telegram statement, Mardawi urged mediators to pressure Israel to uphold the ceasefire agreement.