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

Recently released Israeli captive Agam Berger joined settlers in an overnight raid of Joseph’s Tomb in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. 

Berger, a surveillance officer in the Israeli army, had worked at Israel’s Nahal Oz base for two days when she was taken captive by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attack. 

She was released on 30 January as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, after 482 days in Gaza.

“I want to say thank you to you, the soldiers. Take care of yourselves, you are truly heroes,” the 20-year-old said during the Sunday night visit to the tomb, which is a contested site subject to regular incursions by Israeli settlers.

Berger was accompanied by her mother Meirav, Elyakim Levanon, a prominent settler rabbi, and Yossi Dagan, the far-right head of settler organisation the Shomron Regional Council. 

Read more: Released Israeli captive joins settlers in raid of West Bank tomb

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has voiced “deep concern over Israel’s decision to block aid into the Gaza Strip,” warning that such actions violate international humanitarian law.

In a statement on X, the organisation stressed that “IHL prohibits the denial of humanitarian aid to an entire population” and urged signatory states to ensure Israel complies with these legal obligations.

The PRCS noted that despite significantly increasing its humanitarian and medical services since the ceasefire, the scale of devastation means continued aid remains critical. It also emphasised that “Israel, as the occupying power, has a legal responsibility to maintain and meet the needs of Palestinians under occupation,” calling for the reopening of “all crossing points including Rafah and Beit Hanoun (Erez).”

The United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (Unrwa) has reported that around 260,000 children in Gaza have been participating in its remote learning programme since January.

The agency also stated that its psychosocial support teams have handled approximately 15,000 cases in the central and Khan Younis regions of the Strip.

Israeli forces have transferred the body of a Palestinian killed in Jenin’s eastern neighbourhood to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Earlier, armoured Israeli military vehicles stormed Jenin as part of an ongoing large-scale raid in the northern occupied West Bank.

Near Nablus, Israeli forces shot and wounded at least four Palestinians, including a 13-year-old who was hit in the chest with live ammunition.

In Jenin and its refugee camp, at least 27 Palestinians have been killed as the Israeli army’s raid enters its 43rd day.

Residents of Gaza report that the cost of essential goods has skyrocketed since Israel stopped all imports into the Strip, Al Jazeera reported.

Belal al-Helou described growing fear in Gaza City, where people are rushing to stockpile food. He noted that “prices have risen a lot” and warned that as long as the border crossings remain shut, “the prices will rise and increase even more”.

Adly al-Ghandour, another shopper, estimated that prices have already surged by “80 percent so far” and cautioned that if the closure continues, they could climb “200 percent”.

Good morning, Middle East Eye readers,

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

• Local officials in Rafah reported that Israel has shut down electricity to the city's two desalination plants, which supply around 20,000 cubic metres of clean water daily.

• Israeli forces returned the body of a Palestinian killed in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, to Red Crescent crews and injured four others near Nablus, including a 13-year-old boy shot in the chest.

• Reuters reports that an Egypt-led plan for Gaza’s reconstruction proposes a Governance Assistance Mission to replace the Hamas-run administration for an unspecified transitional period.

• The report emerges as Arab League members convene in Cairo today to discuss the Egyptian proposal amid concerns over Trump’s plan to take control of Gaza and displace Palestinians.

• Antonio Guterres welcomed the launch of the Berlin Initiative, a diplomatic effort led by former peace negotiators seeking a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday spoke via phone with his Omani counterpart, Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, the State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced. 

The two discussed "the state of the region, including the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the need to secure the release of all hostages, efforts to sustain assistance flows into Gaza, Syria’s political future, and the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon," the readout showed.

Rubio also "discussed the importance of permanently ending unlawful Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways," and "expressed his thanks for Oman’s critical and timely facilitation of the release of the MV Galaxy Leader crew, whom the Houthis had illegally detained for more than a year," Bruce said. 

Hamas was motivated to agree to the ceasefire because of the vague promise that it held for a permanent end to the war and cessation of fighting. For Israel, the most popular part of the ceasefire was getting back its captives, not ending the war.

Hamas's public captive handover ceremonies during phase I, where they displayed their military coherence, only reminded Israelis that they failed in their goal to eliminate the group in full, as the government had promised. 

The political costs of resuming the war are also shrinking for Israel's government. 

Read more: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could find it in his interest to resume Gaza war, as Arab states rush for post-war plan

Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign ministry, said on X on Monday that it is "concerned" about Israel's halt on aid to Gaza as the first phase of the ceasefire deal came to an end. 

"The parties to the conflict have an obligation to facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians," the message read. "Canada calls on the parties to engage constructively on continuing ceasefire negotiations, the only path towards stability and security."

Canada calls on the parties to engage constructively on continuing ceasefire negotiations, the only path towards stability and security.

— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) March 3, 2025

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.

"Special envoy Witkoff plans to return to the region in the coming days to work out either a way to extend phase I or advance to phase II," the spokesperson said.

"The President has made clear and Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio has repeatedly said all the hostages must be released immediately, and that includes American hostages."

Reporting by Reuters 

Israeli government officials, actors and the media industry have lashed out at Hollywood and the directors of the Israeli-Palestinian film No Other Land after it won the best documentary film award at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The film, co-directed by Palestinian journalist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, chronicles the Israeli army's attempts to expel the residents of the occupied West Bank area of Masafer Yatta - Adra’s hometown - from their land.

The film has received international critical acclaim for its documentation of Palestinian life under occupation and resistance to Israeli violence and attempts at displacement.

Various Israeli figures have accused the film and its creators of spreading false narratives, antisemitism and harming Israel's interests in the world.

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar of the Likud Party said on Monday that the film’s win was “a sad moment for the world of cinema”, adding that the film “distorted” Israel’s image on the international stage.

Read more: Israeli politicians and actors accuse Hollywood and film's directors of spreading lies

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. 

Hamas has said that it will only release Israeli captives in phases, per the ceasefire agreement, which Israel is now refusing to continue.

Aljazeera, citing the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, reported on Monday that Israel is carrying out air raids on the outskirts of the Syrian port city of Tartus.

This comes as the Israel Hayom daily indicates that Israeli officials have been asking the US to pressure Turkey to not to allow the formation of any groups hostile to Israel within Syria. 

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has long been backed by Turkey. 

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.

"Reminder to Kaja Kallas [High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy] and Ursula von der Leyen [President of the European Commission]: Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime. And desperately needed humanitarian aid must never be used as a bargaining tool."

"If the EU is genuine in championing international law and wants to be a credible player, it must stop excusing war crimes whether by Israel or Russia," Amnesty said. 

As Israel blocks aid to Gaza, shocking apologism from EU.

Reminder to @kajakallas & @vonderleyen:

Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime. And desperately needed humanitarian aid must never be used as a bargaining tool. https://t.co/j6nQaw3EVZ

— Amnesty EU (@AmnestyEU) March 3, 2025