Live: Israel delays release of 602 Palestinian prisoners

Israel has continued to block the entry of temporary housing into the Gaza Strip despite an agreement to allow it as part of the ceasefire.

Tens of thousands of mobile homes are still stuck at the Rafah crossing with Egypt, awaiting Israeli permission to enter the besieged Palestinian territory.

Israel had agreed under the terms of the ceasefire to allow 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents into Gaza, but so far only 20,000 tents have been allowed in and no mobile homes.

Aid started flowing into Gaza over the weekend following a tense showdown between Israel and Hamas that threatened the ceasefire deal concluded in January. 

US President Donald Trump had declared his plan to "clean out" two million Palestinians from Gaza and "own it", alongside accusations by Hamas that Israel has failed to stick to the terms of the agreement.

Read more: Israel continues to block entry of temporary housing into Gaza

The main reason behind the United States' push to ban social media application TikTok is due to Israel’s image rather than fears of Chinese infiltrations, congressional insiders have revealed.

At the Munich Security Conference, US Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, said he wished to reveal what he called the “real story” behind the recent legislations to restrict the Chinese-owned application.

Warner’s fellow panelist Mike Gallagher, a former US congressman and current Palantir executive, was the one who first introduced the bill in 2023, claiming TikTok was a national security threat.

“So we had a bipartisan consensus,” Gallagher said. “We had the executive branch, but the bill was still dead until October 7th. And people started to see a bunch of antisemitic content on the platform and our bill had legs again.”

According to independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, this case follows many reports of Israeli officials and lobbyists telling anyone they could in Washington about TikTok’s effect on young Americans’ public view of Israel.

A memo produced by the State Department for its Near East Affairs diplomats, which Klippenstein obtained, describes how Israel's deputy director general for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, Emmanuel Nahshon, blamed the youth’s opposition to the war on Gaza on TikTok’s algorithm. 

Read more: US TikTok ban linked to pro-Palestine content rather than China threat, insiders reveal

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said US President Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly transfer Palestinians from Gaza could start within weeks.

Speaking at a meeting with journalists on Saturday, the far-right minister confirmed that discussions with US teams have begun to implement the mass displacement plan.

"Preparations have started amongst our teams, alongside teams of the US President Donald Trump," Smotrich told reporters, according to Israel Channel 12. 

He explained that the plan involves two key components.

"One is to find countries that can receive people, and two, it's a huge logistical operation to take such a large number of people out of here."

Smotrich expressed confidence that the process would begin soon and that Palestinians would want to leave their homeland. 

"I think most of them will want to," he stated, adding that "it is a process that is going to start in the coming weeks, even if it starts at a slower pace, bit by bit it will gather speed and intensify".

Read more: Smotrich says Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians to start within weeks

Iran has said that US and Israeli threats against it were a blatant violation of international law, and that the two countries could not "do a damn thing" to hurt Tehran.

The comments came following a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem on Sunday, during which the two said they were determined to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions and its influence in the Middle East.

Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a "mighty blow" to Iran since the Gaza war began, and that with the help of President Donald Trump, "I have no doubt we can and will finish the job".

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responded on Monday: "When it comes to a country like Iran, they cannot do a damn thing.

"You cannot threaten Iran on one hand and claim to support dialogue on the other hand." 

The New York Times recently published a viral opinion video featuring journalist Ezra Klein. Analysing Donald Trump’s political strategy, Klein suggested that not every statement the US president makes should be taken seriously. 

Trump’s approach, the video notes, relies on making a barrage of outrageous declarations designed to capture public attention, while his administration quietly advances its true agenda. 

Klein’s argument is bolstered by insights from Steve Bannon, Trump’s former senior adviser, who elaborates on the administration’s modus operandi during Trump’s first term.

Klein’s assertions reveal, almost dystopically, the liberal left’s complacency in underestimating Trump’s tangible impacts on vulnerable communities who lack political or military power. 

Trump’s first presidency demonstrated a clear seriousness in matters such as immigrant deportation, killing the Iran nuclear deal, relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and brokering normalisation agreements between Israel and Arab states. 

Read more: Trump’s Gaza ethnic cleansing plan is no bluff. It's what Israel has always wanted

Israel's military claims to have killed a Hamas commander in an airstrike near Sidon in southern Lebanon on Monday.

According to the Israeli army, Muhammad Shaheen was "eliminated" for allegedly planning attacks from Lebanon with support from Iran. However, these claims remain unverified, and Israel has repeatedly used similar justifications for its cross-border strikes.

A man who was reportedly hunting Palestinians was arrested over the weekend after shooting two Israelis in Miami Beach, mistaking them for Palestinians. 

Mordechai Brafman, 27, was detained on Saturday night and faces two counts of attempted second-degree murder. 

Surveillance footage showed Brafman's truck making a U-turn, stopping directly in front of a vehicle, exiting his truck and shooting at two people inside the vehicle.

He shot at the vehicle 17 times with a semi-automatic handgun, the arrest report stated.

One of the victims was wounded in the shoulder, while the other suffered a graze wound on the forearm. Brafman, described by Israeli outlet Ynet as a "Florida Jew", was arrested shortly after the shooting. 

Read more: Two Israelis shot in Miami by man who thought he was targeting Palestinians

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has raised concerns that Israel may not fully withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon by the agreed deadline on Tuesday.

“We are afraid that a complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow,” Aoun said, stressing that “the important thing is to achieve the Israeli withdrawal, and Hezbollah’s weapons come as part of solutions the Lebanese agree on.”

The truce, which took effect in late November, paused Israel’s ground assault and cross-border attacks with Hezbollah that had lasted for over two months, forcing tens of thousands of people in both countries from their homes. However, doubts remain over whether Israel will honour its commitments under the agreement.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has delivered essential supplies to Gaza, including reproductive health materials, dignity kits, menstrual hygiene products, and support for newborns and mothers since the ceasefire.

However, the agency stresses that these efforts are far from sufficient, calling for greater funding and unrestricted access to those in need.

“Most importantly, we need to ensure that this ceasefire holds and that we’re able to deliver on what we are promising to women and girls,” said Nestor Owomuhangi, a UNFPA representative in Palestine.

“They are worried that the current cessation of hostilities may not last, and they are calling on us, the UN system and the international community to make sure that peace prevails.”

The situation remains dire, as Israel's destruction of homes and infrastructure has left countless women and girls struggling to access essential services, further deepening the humanitarian crisis.

"Civilising has always been the West's default burden and mass murder the shiniest tool in its box. The Americans had their 'manifest destiny', the French had their Algeria, the British had their Kenya, the Australians had their Tasmania and the Germans..."

"And now together they have Gaza."

A lot has changed in historic Palestine since Joe Sacco first published his groundbreaking comic book series of the same name between 1993 and 1995, later collected as a graphic novel in 2001.

Much has stayed the same.

When he first arrived in December 1991, the First Intifada was still underway, the Palestinian uprising that first alerted much of the world to their plight in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Read more: Cartoonist Joe Sacco on Gaza: Is this land ground zero for the apocalypse?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman, Omer Dostri, dismissed the possibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing Gaza, Haaretz reported.

Responding to reports that Hamas had expressed willingness to hand over control of the enclave to the PA, Dostri stated on X that such a scenario was "not going to happen."

Israel has consistently sought to prevent any form of Palestinian sovereignty, using both military force and political manoeuvring to maintain its control over the occupied territories.

Hamas has expressed gratitude for the African Union Summit’s final statement, which denounced Israel’s assault on Gaza.

The group described Africa’s stance as a continuation of its historic struggle against colonialism and oppression. It also said the continent’s solidarity provides vital support for the Palestinian people as they resist Israeli aggression.

Hamas called Africa’s position a clear message to the international community, urging it to act decisively to stop Israel’s attacks and hold its leaders accountable. The movement also urged African nations to take concrete steps by intensifying political and legal pressure on Israel.

Israel’s security cabinet is set to meet on Monday to discuss the next stage of the ceasefire with Hamas, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to Saudi Arabia as part of his regional tour.

“Hamas cannot continue as a military or a government force … they must be eliminated,” Rubio said in Israel after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Human rights organisations have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, while the International Court of Justice ruled last year that Israel’s actions could amount to genocide. A final ruling is still pending.

Netanyahu claimed Israel and the US share “a common strategy” and warned that “the gates of hell will be opened” if all captives held in Gaza are not released. Since the ceasefire deal began on 19 January, Hamas has freed 19 captives.

Earlier we reported that an Israeli drone has dropped a hand grenade in the main square of Kfar Chouba, a town in southern Lebanon near a school according to the country’s National News Agency (NNA)

An Israeli military drone targeted a vehicle in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, killing one person, according to Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen.

Mordechai Brafman, 28, a staunch pro-Israel supporter, fired 17 rounds at a father and son in Miami Beach, wounding both. Believing he had killed them, he reportedly told police, “I killed two Palestinians.”

The victims, who were actually Israeli tourists—a father and son—sustained injuries, with one shot in the shoulder and the other grazed on the forearm. Authorities confirmed they had no prior connection to Brafman.

Israeli outlet Ynet identified the victims as Israeli citizens vacationing in Florida.

Channel 7 News in Miami also noted that Brafman had previously spoken out against vandalism at a local bagel shop displaying an Israeli flag, calling for "unity" and less division.