Live: Israel delays release of 602 Palestinian prisoners

The UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians, Unrwa, condemned the Israeli military use of its Arroub Camp Health Centre near Bethlehem as a temporary detention site on February 12, as a "blatant disregard for the inviolability of United Nations facilities".

“[The military] forcibly entered the health centre and used it for the detention and interrogation of tens of Palestinian residents rounded up in the camp,” a statement by the agency said.

“Unfortunately, this recent incident follows a pattern of forcible entries into Unrwa installations in the West Bank since October 2023, by both Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups”.

President Donald Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza not only alters long-held US policy in the Middle East; it also marks the end of the rules-based order that emerged after the Second World War. 

Trump’s remarks on Gaza leave no room for doubt: we are witnessing the assassination of the United Nations and all international institutions that were designed to restrict, if not prevent, the types of war crimes committed during two world wars. 

Such violence never stopped. But at least war crimes and crimes against humanity were recognised for what they were. 

Genocide and ethnic cleansing - just what Trump proposes to do in Gaza, and perhaps later to the rest of the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank and in Israel proper - are among the worst of these crimes. 

Read more: Trump's ethnic cleansing plan: No option left for the Palestinians but to stay and fight Opinion by Azzam Tamimi

Ireland's premier Michael Martin and deputy premier Simon Harris called for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine ahead of the Munich Security Conference this weekend.

Harris said it is a “critical moment" for the ceasefire and captive release deal and he plans to discuss Gaza with Arab, European and transatlantic partners.

“The only just and sustainable peaceful solution, for both Palestinians and Israelis, is a two-state solution,” said the deputy premier.

The Irish taoiseach also commented on Gaza, saying he plans to discuss “a lasting peace settlement, based on a two-state solution” between Israel and Palestine during the conference.

The Palestinian Prisoner's Society reported that Israeli forces have detained at least 380 people in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas governorates in the occupied West Bank since the start of the ongoing military offensive.

According to the Wafa news agency, the military's offensive in the Jenin refugee camp has destroyed 470 homes, either completely or partially, due to continuous shelling and demolitions.

Local sources reported that the 24-day assault on the Jenin refugee camp has forced 20,000 residents to flee amid widespread destruction and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Since the beginning of the offensive, Israeli forces have arrested at least 120 residents from Jenin and its refugee camp and conducted 14 air strikes.

Meanwhile, the military siege on the Tulkarm and Nour Shams refugee camps continues. Residents trapped on the outskirts of the Tulkarm refugee camp have issued urgent pleas for help as the blockade has cut off access to electricity, water, food, and medical supplies.

The US is attempting to pressure Egypt into accepting President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt, according to a report by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Citing Egyptian sources in Washington, the news outlet said that the Pentagon recently warned Egyptian military officials that it may begin restricting military aid, including supplies needed for weapons, if Cairo doesn’t cooperate with Trump’s plan.

The US-based Jewish Voice for Peace activist group and Israel’s Peace Now group have praised the 350 rabbis and dozens of others who signed an advertisement condemning President Trump’s plans in Gaza. 

"Jews say NO to ethnic cleansing! We’re proud to see so many members of the JVP Rabbinical Council represented among the 350 rabbis who took out this full-page ad in the New York Times today, using their voices in this moment to oppose Trump’s plans for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza," the group said.

Jews say NO to ethnic cleansing! We’re proud to see so many members of the JVP Rabbinical Council represented among the 350 rabbis who took out this full-page ad in the New York Times today, using their voices in this moment to oppose Trump’s plans for the ethnic cleansing of… pic.twitter.com/S4G27pyVe9

— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) February 13, 2025

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, 

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

• Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed China’s Xi Jinping's rejection of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plans.

• French President Emmanuel Macron said US President Trump's plan to expel up to two million Palestinians from Gaza would be an “extremely dangerous” move, and "the solution [in Gaza] is not a real estate solution", as he spoke to the Financial Times.

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States was eager to hear new proposals by Arab states on Gaza, said “they don’t like it, but the only plan right now is the Trump plan".

• The Israeli military continued carrying out raids across the occupied West Bank overnight, according to the Wafa news agency and other Palestinian media outlets.

• Hezbollah supporters in Beirut blocked the airport road and burned tyres to protest against a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital.

• Several Israeli air strikes hit Palestinian homes in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers, 

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

• The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said that three people were killed in the past 24 hours in Gaza, while 14 bodies were brought to hospitals, bringing the death toll of Israel's war on Gaza to 48,239.

• Israel killed 57 Lebanese civilians since November ceasefire said the UN

• Hamas has said it is committed to the Gaza ceasefire agreement and does not want to see it collapse.

• In a statement released on Monday, the Palestinian group says it is committed to the ceasefire agreement after initially saying it will delay releasing Israeli captives until Israel's violations end.

• The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan.

• A majority of Democrats in the US House of Representatives have called on President Donald Trump to abandon his proposal for an American "takeover" of Gaza, condemning it as both unlawful and unethical.

• More than 350 rabbis, along with Jewish artists and activists, have signed a full-page ad in The New York Times condemning Donald Trump’s call for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.

• A senior Trump administration official suggested that Washington may permit Israel to maintain control over five outposts in southern Lebanon, telling Haaretz: "Israeli presence in the five points directly bears on whether the government of Lebanon ultimately does what it has promised to do."

• The head of the UN Office for Project Services has compared the devastation in Gaza to the aftermath of “a massive earthquake”, warning that urgent recovery efforts are needed to prevent an even worse humanitarian crisis.

• Hezbollah supporters staged a protest on Thursday, blocking the road to Beirut’s airport and setting tyres ablaze in response to a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital, according to state media and an airport official.

Israeli officials anticipate receiving the names of three captives on Friday, ahead of their expected release by Hamas on Saturday, according to Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan.

Earlier, Hamas confirmed that it would proceed with releasing Israeli captives after Egypt and Qatar, acting as mediators, pledged to address obstacles hindering the implementation of a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied any agreement with Hamas regarding a prisoner exchange on Saturday.

Kan, citing unnamed government sources, reported that negotiations with Hamas over the agreement’s execution are still ongoing.

Hezbollah supporters staged a protest on Thursday, blocking the road to Beirut’s airport and setting tyres ablaze in response to a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital, according to state media and an airport official.

Demonstrators waved Hezbollah’s yellow flag and carried images of Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli airstrike in September, as well as Iran’s slain Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani, AFP footage showed.

The Lebanese army was deployed to the scene, with videos online capturing clashes between soldiers and protesters.

An official at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Lebanon’s Public Works and Transport Ministry had instructed the airport to notify Iranian carrier Mahan Air that two of its flights would not be permitted to land. The flights, originally scheduled for Thursday and Friday, have been rescheduled for next week, though no reason was given.

The new flight dates align with the deadline for full implementation of the November 27 ceasefire agreement, which ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of intense conflict.

Zul-Qarnain Nantambu has been handed a lifetime ban from NFL games after displaying Palestinian and Sudanese flags during the Super Bowl halftime show in an act of solidarity with Palestine and Sudan.

A dedicated New Orleans Saints supporter, Nantambu hopes the ban will be lifted in a few years. Speaking to Anadolu news agency, he said he had joined the performers on the field and revealed flags bearing the word “Gaza” before being forcibly removed by security.

His protest was seen by more than 127 million viewers in the US, with footage of the incident repeatedly aired during the broadcast.

With US President Donald Trump in attendance, Nantambu described the moment as an opportunity to deliver a message to global elites who "wouldn't want to see it."

He credited “God’s grace” for allowing him to bypass heavy security, including the Secret Service, CIA, and FBI, to carry out the demonstration.

Some of the most well-known Jewish creatives, including actor Joaquin Phoenix, playwright Tony Kushner, and comedian Ilana Glazer, joined 350 rabbis on Thursday to call for an end to US President Donald Trump's plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza.

The group made the call on Thursday in a full-page ad in The New York Times entitled, “Jewish People Say No to Ethnic Cleansing!” 

The move comes just over a week after Trump’s stunning announcement, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the US would expel Palestinians from Gaza, turn it into a beach resort, and not allow them to return. 

The decision has been roundly condemned by the vast majority of Democrats, allied governments, and international bodies. 

Read more: ‘Jews Say No to Ethnic Cleansing’: Hundreds of rabbis and artists reject Trump's Gaza plan

Denmark has announced an additional contribution of $1.4m to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) while expediting the disbursement of its annual $14.7m contribution instead of spreading it over the year.

In a statement, the Danish government said the extra funds would support Unrwa’s internal reforms and strengthen its operations.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the increased funding reflects Denmark’s commitment to the agency’s work.

Unrwa has provided assistance to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East for over 70 years, yet on 28 October, the Israeli Knesset moved to prohibit its activities within Israel and territories under Israeli control, further tightening restrictions on the agency’s operations.

The head of the UN Office for Project Services has compared the devastation in Gaza to the aftermath of “a massive earthquake”, warning that urgent recovery efforts are needed to prevent an even worse humanitarian crisis.

“What I saw in Gaza is similar to what you see in a massive earthquake, where things collapse completely,” Jorge Moreira da Silva said in a virtual press conference after visiting the besieged territory.

He stressed the immediate need to rebuild critical infrastructure, adding, “The recovery in Gaza is possible the same way that has been possible in places affected by massive earthquakes.”

Hospitals, he said, are grappling with extreme shortages of medical supplies, with life-threatening consequences. “Surgeries are being performed without anaesthesia, and infections are spreading due to the lack of antibiotics,” he said, noting that newborns are especially at risk.

Asked about US President Donald Trump’s proposal to seize control of Gaza and forcibly relocate its population, Moreira da Silva dismissed the idea. “Forced displacement is not consistent with international law,” he said. “Let’s not make the situation more difficult and complex than it is now.”

The Israeli military said on Thursday that its air force launched strikes on what it described as Hezbollah military sites in Lebanon, saying the locations contained weapons and launchers posing a threat to Israel.

According to the Israeli army, “terrorist activity in these sites is a clear violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” The statement said that Israel remains committed to these agreements while justifying its attacks as necessary to prevent Hezbollah from rearming.