Live: Israel delays release of 602 Palestinian prisoners

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take control of Gaza and forcibly displace its population, calling it “revolutionary.”

Speaking to his cabinet, Netanyahu said Israel and the US shared the goal of ensuring that Gaza “no longer poses a threat to Israel.” He praised Trump’s approach as “a completely different, much better vision for Israel – a revolutionary, creative approach.”

Netanyahu added that Trump was “very determined to implement it” and claimed his recent visit to Washington had secured “tremendous achievements.”

Mike Huckabee, a key ally of Donald Trump, and the US nominee to be ambassador to Israel has called for Hamas’s eradication, claiming the Trump administration is ready to reshape the Middle East in ways he described as “biblical.”

“As long as Hamas exists, that is a threat to the Israelis,” Huckabee told Fox News. “They want the destruction of the Jewish state. One thing we know is that Hamas is not going to be able to exist. That’s just a done deal.”

His remarks come as Trump has repeatedly pushed for the mass forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza—an agenda human rights groups warn amounts to ethnic cleansing—while also suggesting the US should seize control of the territory.

“Let’s hope that people will listen to President Trump. He’s not thinking outside the box. He throws out the box and says let’s start with a blank slate,” Huckabee added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at Shin Bet head Ronen Bar during a security cabinet meeting on Sunday after Bar raised concerns over the timeline for establishing a state commission of inquiry into the events of 7 October, sources at the meeting said Haaretz reported.

The Israeli army says it has seized weapons allegedly smuggled from Egypt, claiming a drone was spotted transporting arms into Israeli territory before they were confiscated in a ground operation.

“Earlier today, forces identified a drone that crossed from Egyptian territory into Israeli territory in the Paran Brigade area. After a pursuit on the ground, the smuggling was thwarted by forces that arrived at the location and located the drone and three weapons,” the military said in a statement.

The weapons were reportedly handed over to security forces, but Israel has not provided evidence of who was behind the transfer or its intended recipients.

Hamas has accused Israel of deliberately blocking humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza, violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

“Twenty-two days from the ceasefire have passed, and the Israeli occupation still hinders the implementation of the humanitarian protocol, especially the entry of tents, fuel, and heavy machinery,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanoua said in a statement.

He urged mediators to increase pressure on Israel to comply with the agreement and allow essential medical and relief supplies into Gaza to prevent further suffering amongst Palestinians.

While US President Donald Trump repeatedly declared, "It's all death in Gaza", the war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stood beside him.

Instead of arresting and punishing the perpetrator, Trump threatened the remaining survivors in Gaza with expulsion to as-yet-unknown destinations.

He openly advocated for the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip, aiming to remove all Palestinians - not just some but "all of them", as he stressed - from their destroyed homes and land.

As a real estate developer, Trump sees the world as nothing more than land to be bought or seized if necessary. Panama, Canada, Greenland and now Gaza are mere plots in his mind - each with a price tag or a temptation to conquer.

The scale of absurdity, war criminality and outright racism in his speech is simply incomprehensible.

Read more: My friend in Gaza’s response to Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan? It was not polite

Israel’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen, has reiterated his government's push for Saudi Arabia to absorb Palestinians and create a state within its borders, dismissing any possibility of Palestinian sovereignty on their own land.

“Whoever wants to establish a Palestinian state in their country can do it in their country, we will not oppose it,” Cohen told Israeli Army Radio. “There are Arab countries with vast territories and it is possible to establish a Palestinian state there.”

His remarks echoed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement on Thursday, when he responded to a journalist’s slip of the tongue on Israel’s Channel 14, saying: “The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there.”

These comments sparked immediate backlash from Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations, who denounced Israel’s continued attempts to erase Palestinian claims to their homeland.

A CBS poll has revealed that most Americans reject Donald Trump’s proposal for the US to take control of Gaza, calling it a “bad idea.”

According to the survey, 47 percent of respondents opposed the plan, while only 13 percent supported it. Another 40 percent said they were unsure or believed it depended on circumstances.

Despite this, Trump’s overall approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict received approval from 54 percent of those polled.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has claimed that Donald Trump will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and possibly Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to Reuters.

Speaking on Fox News, Herzog responded to a question about Trump’s suggestion that the US should take control of Gaza, saying: “President Trump is due to meet with major, major Arab leaders, first and foremost the king of Jordan and the president of Egypt and I think also the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well.”

Trump’s remarks, which implied Palestinians forcibly displaced by Israel should be resettled in neighbouring countries, have sparked outrage across the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu further inflamed tensions by suggesting that Saudi Arabia establish a Palestinian state within its own borders, stating: “The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there.”

His comments drew widespread condemnation, including from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi denounced Netanyahu’s statements as “dangerous and irresponsible,” accusing Israel of disregarding international law, UN resolutions, and the sovereignty of states.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz justified the killing of three Palestinians by Israeli forces near the Gaza border on Sunday, warning that anyone entering the so-called buffer zone would have “blood on their heads,” reported Haaretz.

Katz claimed Israeli troops had acted appropriately, stating, “Israeli forces acted appropriately in identifying threats and dealing with them, and it will be that way in the future.”

Earlier, medical workers in Gaza confirmed that Israeli gunfire had killed three Palestinians near the border fence.

Footage taken by an agricultural worker in Nahal Oz showed a large group of Palestinians near the fence, sparking alarm amongst Israeli settlers in the area.

As movement resumed along the Netzarim Corridor and Salah al-Din Street, many Palestinians returned to their neighbourhoods only to find them completely destroyed.

“What we saw was a catastrophe, horrific destruction. The [Israeli] occupation destroyed all the homes, shops, farms, mosques, universities, and the courthouse,” Osama Abu Kamil told AFP.

Abu Kamil, a resident of al-Mughraqa, had been displaced for over a year due to Israel’s assault, forced to take refuge in Khan Younis. Now back in the north, he has no home left. “I will set up a tent for me and my family next to the rubble of our house. We have no choice,” he said.

He described life in displacement as unbearable. “Life in Gaza is worse than hell.”

More than 20,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank due to Israel’s latest military offensive, an official has confirmed.

“The [Israeli] occupation has entirely destroyed the Jenin refugee camp and forcibly displaced more than 20,000 residents, leaving behind their homes, documents, and personal belongings,” Jenin Deputy Governor Mansour al-Saadi told Voice of Palestine radio.

With their homes in ruins, those displaced have little choice but to seek refuge in other parts of the occupied West Bank.

Saadi warned that Israel’s actions are part of a broader effort to erase the Palestinian refugee issue altogether.

Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians on Sunday, Gaza's civil defence agency reported, while the Israeli military said it had fired "warning shots" at Palestinians approaching its positions and hit them. 

Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, said there were "three martyrs and several injured as a result of Israeli occupation forces opening fire on civilians in the eastern areas of Gaza City".

He urged residents to avoid the eastern areas and Israeli military positions, emphasising the importance of following official directives.

Israel's military acknowledged that its forces had fired at individuals who approached their positions, saying: "Troops advanced military vehicles and fired warning shots toward the suspects."

It added that "several hits were identified after the shots were fired, and those approaching the barrier retreated".

The Israeli occupation forces have announced the start of military drills today, Sunday, across the occupied West Bank, the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea region, and the Golan Heights.

The Israeli prime minister’s spokesperson, Omer Dostri, said on Sunday that an Israeli delegation had arrived in Qatar's Doha for talks on the Gaza ceasefire.