Live: Israel delays release of 602 Palestinian prisoners
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah agreed that Gaza must be rebuilt without forcing Palestinians from their land, according to a statement from Egypt’s presidency, following a phone call between the two leaders on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump continues to push a plan to resettle Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan, an initiative both nations have firmly rejected.
Independent MP Ayoub Khan has tabled a motion in parliament urging the British government to "urgently establish" a visa scheme for Palestinians with family ties in Britain.
The move comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that the government would seek to prevent Palestinian refugees from living in the UK using a refugee scheme established for Ukranians.
"Recognising the humanitarian crisis continuing to be faced by many Palestinians," Khan's motion reads, "it is imperative that the UK underscores its commitment to humanitarian aid and support for those affected by conflict by facilitating their ability to reunite with families already residing in Britain."
Starmer insisted in parliament that the Home Office will shut a "legal loophole" that allowed a Palestinian refugee family from Gaza to stay in the UK.
This came after it emerged that a judge ruled six Palestinians from Gaza - a mother, a father and four children - could remain in Britain using the Ukraine Family Scheme, a visa programme originally established for Ukranian refugees fleeing the war following Russia's invasion.
Read more: Motion for new Palestinian visa scheme tabled in UK parliament
U.S. President Donald Trump asked Jordanian King Abdullah to ensure Hamas understands the "severity of the situation" if captives are not released by Saturday's deadline, the White House said on Wednesday.
"The president reiterated that Hamas must release all hostages, including all Americans, by Saturday, and asked for the King's assistance in ensuring that Hamas, as well as the leaders of the region, understand the severity of the situation," the White House said in a statement.
The two leaders held "a warm and productive working meeting at the White House" on Tuesday, it said.
Reporting by Reuters
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said that a clinic it supports in northern Gaza is receiving an influx of people in need of medical attention after the Israeli withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor.
Sanabel Sulaiman, an MSF nurse in Gaza City warned that most of the medical centres in the north were destroyed by Israeli bombardment and that resources are scarce, impeding their ability to treat the incoming patients.
Sulaiman, who works at the MSF-supported Sheikh Radwan primary health centre, said that the number of patients has increased by around 80 percent since people began returning to the north.
“We have to perform burn dressings on the same bed for multiple patients.” she said in a video posted by MSF on X.
Sulaiman reported that the centre has received many children who come in barefoot.
"They have problems with their toes. They have infected wounds that need attention," she said. "When we ask the parents if they can get treatment, they tell us, no it is very difficult".
“We have to perform burn dressings on the same bed for multiple patients.”
— MSF International (@MSF) February 12, 2025
Since people started moving from southern to northern Gaza, our teams in northern Gaza have treated an influx of people needing medical care.
Learn more 👇 pic.twitter.com/YQMMBE8HCs
The terrified families of Israelis being held captive in Gaza are calling on US President Donald Trump to stop the ceasefire deal from collapsing and have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of purposely sabotaging the agreement.
Though Hamas has regularly released captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees since a ceasefire in Gaza took hold on 19 January, the fragile deal is now in serious danger.
Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod has been held in Gaza since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, is now in Washington trying to convince officials to keep the agreement on track.
"Netanyahu always sabotages the deal,” he told Middle East Eye, “whether by ordering soldiers to fire on Gazans who are approaching the perimeter or by the issue of humanitarian aid."
Trump has caused chaos in recent days by declaring that the United States should take over the enclave and all its 2.2 million Palestinians should be permanently expelled.
Read more: Israeli captives' families implore Trump to keep Gaza ceasefire on track
The Committe to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said that a record number of journalists were killed globally in 2024, with Israel responsible for nearly 70 percent of the deaths.
In a statement, the CPJ said that at least 124 journalists were killed in 18 countries in 2024, amounting to the deadliest year for reporters and media workers since the committee started recording the numbers more than three decades ago.
The CPJ said that 85 journalists were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and accused Israel of attempting to stifle investigations of incidents, shift blame onto journalists and ignore its duty to hold people to account for the killings.
When approached for comment, the Israeli army said not enough information was provided on the alleged incidents and that it was therefore not able to check them, adding that it takes all operationally feasible measures to mitigate harm to journalists and civilians.
"The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists," it added.
Reporting by Reuters
The announcement on 15 January that a ceasefire deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza was met with jubilation and sighs of relief in the region.
After 15 months of brutal violence that saw over 48,200 Palestinians killed, millions displaced and the Gaza Strip reduced to rubble, the plan for a halt to the destruction and the beginning of the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian detainees on 19 January seemed to augur some hope for calm.
But since the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president and his declared plan to "clean out" two million Palestinians from Gaza, alongside accusations by Hamas that Israel has failed to stick to the terms of the agreement, the ceasefire is now in doubt.
With Trump warning of dire consequences without the release of the remaining Israeli captives by noon on Saturday, Middle East Eye takes a look at how we got here:
Read more: A timeline of the fragile Gaza ceasefire
The armed wing of Islamic Jihad said on Wednesday that the fate of the remaining captives held in Gaza depends on the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The only way to retrieve hostages and for stability to come back is through a swap deal," the group's spokesperson said on Telegram.
Reporting by Reuters
Egypt and Qatar are intensifying efforts to 'save' the Gaza ceasefire deal after pressure from the United States and Israel to resume military operations, state-affiliated Egypt's al Qahera news TV reported on Wednesday, citing an Egyptian source.
On Monday, Hamas postponed the release of captives held in Gaza, citing multiple Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned that "hell will break loose" if they are not released on Saturday.
Reporting by Reuters
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has insisted on the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country by the deadline of 18 February, as per the ceasefire agreement.
His comments follow reports that Israel had requested that its troops remain at five posts in the country until 28 February.
In comments carried by Lebanon's National News Agency, Aoun called on EU countries to “pressure Israel to complete its withdrawal within the deadline of 18 February, and to return the displaced Syrians to their country after the reasons for their remaining in Lebanon no longer exist”.
A Hamas delegation has arrived in Cairo to continue Gaza ceasefire talks, the group said in a statement.
It added that the delegation's meetings with Egyptian mediators were already underway.
On Monday, the group said it would suspend the release of captives held in Gaza, citing Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the delayed return of displaced people to areas of Gaza, and the Israeli hampering of aid entry into the strip
Israel has requested for its troops to remain in five posts in southern Lebanon until 28 February, Reuters is reporting citing two Lebanese sources.
According to the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, the date for the withdrawal of troops was 26 January. The deal had already been extended until 18 February before the latest extension request.
US President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending aid to South Africa was framed as a righteous intervention. He positioned himself as the defender of an embattled minority, wielding sanctions to punish a government he accused of racial discrimination.
His target? A land-reform policy aimed at dismantling the entrenched economic and structural inequalities left by apartheid.
To his supporters, the story was simple: white farmers under siege, land confiscated without cause, another battle in the so-called war on western civilisation.
But the truth is far more insidious. This is not about justice. It is about shielding the last remnants of apartheid, propping up settler-colonialism, and preserving a world order built on racial and territorial supremacy.
Trump did not act alone. Behind him stood two powerful forces: a network of libertarian billionaires with ties to apartheid-era South Africa, and the pro-Israel lobby, both long invested in maintaining systems of racial and territorial dominance.
Read more: From South Africa to Palestine: Trump's war to defend apartheid Opinion by Soumaya Ghannoushi
Hamas says it welcomes Jordan and Egypt’s rejection of US President Donald Trump's plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.
“We appreciate the positions of our Arab brothers and all countries of the world that expressed their rejection of plans to displace our people or liquidate their national rights,” Hamas added in a statement.
“We affirm that our people will remain committed to their land and homeland and will not accept any solutions that detract from their legitimate rights to freedom and independence.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also stated that he appreciates the "courageous" stance of King Abdullah of Jordan and reiterated the importance of coordinating Arab efforts, according to the Wafa news agency.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will not travel to Washington for talks at the White House if the agenda includes US President Donald Trump's plan to forcefully displace Palestinians from Gaza, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters.
In a call between Trump and Sisi on 1 February, the US president extended an open invitation to Sisi to visit the White House, the Egyptian presidency said. No date has been set for any such visit, a US official said.
Sisi has repeatedly said that Egypt would never participate in a large displacement of Palestinians across the border.
