Live: Israel delays release of 602 Palestinian prisoners

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Jerusalem yesterday and is currently with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Statements are expected to be issued following the meeting.

Israel has received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs from the United States, after President Donald Trump lifted a block imposed on the export of the munitions by the administration of his predecessor Joe Biden, the Defense Department said on Sunday.

The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000-pound bomb, which can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius. 

The Biden administration sent thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel after 7 October 2023 but later held up one of the shipments. The hold was lifted by Trump last month.

"The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel tonight, released by the Trump Administration, represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States," Defence Minister Israel Katz said late on Saturday.

Reporting by Reuters

Israeli forces killed three Palestinian policemen east of Rafah on Sunday, the interior ministry has reported.

The officers were in the area to secure the entry of aid trucks into the strip.

In a statement, the ministry condemned the attack, and called on mediators and the international community to compel the occupation to stop targeting the police force, which is a civil apparatus,"

The Israeli military said it struck ‘several armed individuals’ in southern Gaza after they approached Israeli soldiers.

“Hits were identified,” it said in a statement.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates:

• Israeli forces killed killed three Palestinian police officers in Rafah, the Palestinian interior ministry is reporting.

• According to Kan, Israel is blocking the entry of temporary housing and heavy machinery into Gaza, contrary to the ceasefire agreement which stipulates that Israel must allow at least 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents in the strip during the first phase.

• Northern Gaza authorities say there is no clean drinking water and that no tents, mobile homes, or rubble-clearing vehicles have entered the area.

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday following the captive releases on Saturday.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers, 

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

• The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since 7 October 2023 has risen after a total of 25 deaths were recorded in Gaza hospitals over the last 28 hours, the enclave's health ministry has said.

• The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that the latest deaths brought the overall toll to at least 48,264, with another 111,688 wounded.

• Four of the released Palestinian prisoners who arrived in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, have been immediately transferred to a hospital due to the severity of their health conditions, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported.

• The Palestinian prisoners' media office has said that the poor health of the recently released Palestinian prisoners indicates the “extent of the crimes and violations inside the prisons”.

• Israeli forces have shot and killed a 19-year-old Palestinian man following a military offensive on the Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus, Wafa news agency reported, citing medical sources.

• The first bus carrying freed Palestinian detainees has arrived in the occupied West Bank's Ramallah, live footage showed. The detainees were greeted by a crowd of supporters, friends and family.

• Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (Unrwa), has warned that the agency is at a critical juncture due to a sustained misinformation campaign led by the Israeli government.

• Israeli settlers, backed by the Israeli military, have carried out an assault on the Palestinian village of Jalud, located south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency.  

• The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) have voiced their support for the “full implementation” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Jose Andres, founder of the nonprofit food relief organisation World Central Kitchen (WCK), has announced that a mobile bakery in Gaza is currently producing over 50,000 loaves of pita bread daily.

In a post on X, Andres praised the “brave, amazing teams working day and night to distribute meals to shelters, camps, and medical facilities,” adding that more mobile bakeries are on the way.

The initiative comes as Palestinians in Gaza face severe food shortages and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

WCK’s efforts aim to alleviate some of the suffering, but the scale of need remains immense due to ongoing restrictions and the impact of prolonged conflict.

For over 15 months, Israeli soldiers have taken to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other social media platforms to show off their handiwork in Gaza.

Now, this very evidence is being used to pursue war crimes charges against them across the globe, with the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation at the forefront of these efforts.

“You can’t massacre people, film yourself doing it, broadcast it to the world, confess to your actions, and then simply go about your life, sitting next to me at a cafe in Brussels,” says Dyab Abou Jahjah, president of the foundation.

He emphasises that their mission is clear: “We are going after war criminals wherever they go.”

Abou Jahjah says that the foundation has gathered over 8,000 pieces of evidence related to alleged war crimes by Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

Read more: The Belgian 'justice machine' pursuing Israeli soldiers worldwide for Gaza war crimes

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right former security minister, has demanded the government reignite the war in Gaza after Hamas failed to meet a deadline set by former US President Donald Trump to release all captives by 17:00 GMT on Saturday.

In a post on X, Ben-Gvir stated, “Prime Minister – Stop missing opportunities. They didn’t bring everyone back!” He urged the right-wing government to “embrace President Trump’s words and bring down hell on Hamas.”

Ben-Gvir, who resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet in January in protest against the Gaza ceasefire deal, has long advocated for aggressive military action.

His latest remarks reflect the hardline stance of far-right factions within Israel, who oppose any concessions to Hamas and push for continued violence in Gaza.

On the morning of Monday, 27 January 2025, I couldn't help but join the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians returning to their destroyed homes in northern Gaza.

I have no house there. My home, once in the south of the Gaza Strip, was destroyed. But it was the sense of defiance and a desire to be part of the collective spirit that moved me.

Before the war, travelling to Gaza City was a routine, hassle-free trip. 

I commuted there for work almost daily, with the journey taking no more than half an hour. The last time I had gone was on Thursday, 5 October 2023.

But the reopening of the road, which had been closed and blocked for so long, presented new challenges. 

Read more: Eyes were wet with tears, children cried. The long walk home to northern Gaza

Over the past few hours, Israeli forces and settlers have carried out multiple attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as reported by the Wafa news agency.

In the town of Surif, northwest of Hebron, settlers assaulted a young Palestinian man, striking him in the head with stones. Meanwhile, during widespread raids across the West Bank, Israeli forces detained several workers from Sur Baher, south of occupied East Jerusalem.

In Silwan, a neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities forced a Palestinian man to demolish his own home, a practice often used to displace Palestinian families. Further south, in the al-Maniya area near Bethlehem, settlers set fire to Palestinian-owned tents and pelted vehicles with stones.

In the village of Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah, settlers attacked residents and fired live ammunition at their homes, escalating tensions in the area.

According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli military anticipates withdrawing from Lebanon within days, coinciding with the deployment of Lebanese army forces. However, Israel insists on maintaining military control over five strategic points along the border with Lebanon.

The report also noted that Israel has not ruled out extending the current ceasefire with Lebanon. Efforts to finalise negotiations and complete the withdrawal align with a broader plan to allow residents of northern Israel to return to their homes within two weeks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention from day one of his "revenge" attack on Gaza, launched 16 months ago, was either ethnic cleansing or genocide in Gaza.

His ally in genocide for the next 15 months was former US President Joe Biden. His ally in ethnic cleansing is current US President Donald Trump. 

Biden provided the 2,000lb bombs for the genocide. Trump is reportedly providing an even larger munition - the 11-ton MOAB, or massive ordnance air blast bomb, with a mile-wide radius - to further incentivise the population’s exodus. 

Biden claimed that Israel was helping the people of Gaza by "carpet bombing" the enclave - in his words – to "eradicate" Hamas. Trump claims he is helping the people of Gaza by "cleaning them out"– in his words – from the resulting "demolition site". 

Biden called the destruction of 70 percent of Gaza’s buildings "self defence". Trump calls the imminent destruction of the remaining 30 percent "all hell breaking loose". 

Read more: Trump didn't invent the Gaza ethnic cleansing plan. It's been US policy since 2007

Norwegian Minister of International Development Asmund Aukrust, speaking to Al Jazeera, emphasised the critical need for humanitarian aid in Gaza and reiterated Norway’s commitment to a two-state solution.

“It is good to have a ceasefire in Gaza, which is important after months of fighting,” Aukrust stated. He highlighted the immense challenges facing the region, particularly the urgent task of clearing rubble caused by extensive bombing.

Aukrust affirmed Norway’s readiness to collaborate with all parties committed to achieving a two-state solution.

“Only a two-state solution will allow Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace,” he said, underscoring the necessity of a political resolution to the conflict.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has touched down in Tel Aviv, marking his first visit to the Middle East in his current role. Rubio is set to hold discussions with senior Israeli officials during his stay.

Upon arrival, he was welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and other representatives. 

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) have voiced their support for the “full implementation” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

In a joint statement issued during the Munich Security Conference, they emphasised the need for “the release of all hostages and the expansion of humanitarian aid in Gaza.”

The statement was also endorsed by the European Union’s high representative.

The G7, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, reiterated its backing for mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, and the US to achieve a lasting ceasefire.

“The G7 members stand behind the ongoing efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in continuing to work towards a permanent ceasefire,” the statement declared.