Live: Israel delays release of 602 Palestinian prisoners

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for resuming the fighting in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

His statements, made on a social media post, came after three buses had exploded in a parking area in Tel Aviv on Thursday night.

Smotrich said that the captive exchange that had taken place under the Gaza ceasefire deal had resulted in a “mass release of terrorists,” and that the truce has been “interpreted by our enemies as weakness.”

“Our response must be an immediate return to fighting and systematically crushing terrorism until it is destroyed, in Gaza and Judea and Samaria,” said the ultra-nationalist politician and leader of the Religious Zionist Party, referring to the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas has handed over the deceased body of a "Gazan woman" instead of Shiri Bibas, an Israeli captive.

He described the alleged move as a breach of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas.

On Thursday, Hamas released the bodies of four captives, including a mother and her two children. Israel says the body of an unidentified body received does not belong to Shiri Bibas.

“Not only did they abduct the father, Yarden Bibas, the young mother, Shiri, and their two small children, but in an indescribably cynical act, they did not return Shiri alongside her little angels. Instead, they placed the body of a Gazan woman in the coffin,” says Netanyahu.

Talks related to the second phase of the Gaza truce deal have not started yet with Israel, according to Hamas spokesperson.

Abdul Latif al-Qanouna, the Palestinian group’s spokesman, accused the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately “stalling the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement”.

He says that Hamas is ready to take part in the negotiations on the basis of the initial agreement.

Al-Qanoua stressed that Hamas is still waiting for Israel to implement all conditions of the “humanitarian protocol” related to the Gaza ceasefire.

He accused Israel of “using internationally banned weapons against Palestinian civilians,” and called for the formation of  “international committees to investigate war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza”.

Hamas’s statement was made Thursday night before Israel claimed that one of the four returned deceased bodies by the group was not of captives.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

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

• Israeli media says that the release of remaining living Israeli captives is expected to go on as planned on Saturday, despite controversy over Hamas’s alleged decision to hand over an unidentified dead body in place of an Israeli captive called Shiri Bibas.
• Trump’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler described Hamas’s handover of the unidentified body as “horrific” and a “clear violation” of the ceasefire.
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has denounced the “parading of bodies” of Israeli captives by Hamas on Thursday, stating the display violated international law.
• Arab leaders are meeting on Friday in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in a closed-door summit to discuss US President Donald Trump’s plan to “own” Gaza and resettle the Palestinians into other Arab nations. Saudi Arabia said the meeting is unofficial and is held in “the framework of the close brotherly relations that bring together the leaders”.
• Israeli forces attacked a number of Palestinian houses in the Jalazone refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an “intensive” military operation in the occupied West Bank after Thursday’s bus explosions in Tel Aviv.
• In a late hour on Thursday, three empty buses exploded in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, in the south of Tel Aviv. Three explosive devices detonated in what Israeli police described as a “terror” attack. No casualties were reported.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers, 

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

• Gaza's health ministry said that 22 bodies were recovered over the past 24 hours and brought to hospitals, bringing the total number of killed in Israel's war to 48,319.

• Additionally, 16 injured people were hospitalised, bringing the total to 111,749 since 7 October, 2023.

• Israeli forces are dropping leaflets across Gaza in an attempt to spread fear and intimidation among the civilian population and cause psychological distress. The messages are direct threats of mass displacement and Trump’s plan to "ethnically cleanse" Gaza.

• Over 590,000 children in Gaza are set to receive polio vaccinations, as Save the Children says "tens of thousands of children have missed routine immunizations" due to Israel's war.

• Amy Pope, head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), condemned the devastation inflicted on Gaza after visiting the southern part of the enclave on Thursday.

• The Israeli military said a convoy carrying the coffins of four captives, including what Hamas reported as the bodies of the Bibas family, entered Israel from Gaza on Thursday.

• Hamas said that al-Qassam and other groups in Gaza "did everything in their power" to protect the captives, but Israel's bombing campaign on the strip "prevented the rescue" of all the captives, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

• US special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, expressed cautious optimism on Thursday regarding negotiations for the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire despite significant obstacles.

• Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen outlet has reported that Israeli air strikes hit near Homs in Syria and the Aakar District in northern Lebanon, close to the Syrian border. The Israeli army has yet to comment.

• The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has adopted a resolution supporting Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, revealred The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

• The resolution followed extensive discussions between CPAC leaders and Yesha Council head Israel Ganz, who likened the move to the historic "Balfour declaration".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the army to launch a counterterrorism operation in the West Bank following a series of explosions on buses near Tel Aviv on Thursday.

Netanyahu’s office labelled the incident an attempted mass attack, though critics argue such military actions exacerbate tensions and perpetuate cycles of violence, further entrenching Israel’s oppressive occupation.

Israeli police said that bombs on three buses exploded in the city of Bat Yam south of Tel Aviv on Thursday evening local time, with an official saying that there were no injuries.

Defence Minister Israel Katz accused "Palestinian terrorist organisations" of carrying out the blasts while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to hold a security meeting.

"Preliminary report - Suspected terror attack. Multiple reports have been received of explosions involving several buses at different locations in Bat Yam," the police said in a statement. 

"These are identical explosive devices with a timer. Three have detonated, and two additional ones have been located and are currently being neutralised,” a police spokesperson told AFP.

Israeli police said they were searching for suspects.

Read more: Bus explosions hit central Israel ahead of Gaza ceasefire talks

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has adopted a resolution supporting Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, revealred The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

The motion, presented by KT McFarland, former deputy national security advisor under Donald Trump, asserts that “the United States and its allies should recognise Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”  

The resolution followed extensive discussions between CPAC leaders and Yesha Council head Israel Ganz, who likened the move to the historic "Balfour declaration".

Ganz said that the decision “grants political validity to biblical values and to justice.”

Critics, however, condemn the resolution as a blatant endorsement of Israel’s illegal occupation and a dangerous disregard for Palestinian rights and international law.

Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of all “civilian hostages and Palestinians arbitrarily detained”, following Hamas’s handover of four captives’ bodies on Thursday.

The organisation described the act as a “heartbreaking reminder” of the urgent need to free those unjustly held.

“Hostage-taking is a war crime. Civilians must never be abducted. All captives and detainees must be treated humanely and with dignity,” Amnesty stated in a social media post.

The Israeli army confirmed on Thursday that its fighter jets targeted what it said were “crossing points” on the Lebanon-Syria border, allegedly used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons.

Israel described the strikes as a response to “a blatant violation of ceasefire agreements” and vowed to continue operations to “remove any threat” and prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities.

Critics condemn these actions as aggressive provocations that violate Lebanon’s sovereignty and destabilise the region.

A Canadian activist and author, who has been likened to Noam Chomsky, was arrested by police in Montreal, Canada, on Thursday for criticising Israel and accusations of harassment from a pro-Israeli influencer.

Yves Engler has been a voracious critic of Israel and the Canadian military complex for over two decades.

After Montreal Police reached out to him about their plans to arrest Engler because of a complaint lodged against him by Zionist influencer Dahlia Kurtz, he took to social media to highlight the issue. While he admitted he had responded to Kurtz's "racist, violent, anti-Palestinian posts" on X, he said he had not harassed her. 

“I’ve never met Kurtz. Nor have I messaged or emailed her. Nor have I threatened her. I don’t even follow her on X (Twitter’s algorithm puts her posts in my feed).”

After Engler posted about his arrest and the allegations made against him, the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute organised an action campaign, and almost 3,200 people, by the time of publishing, had written to the Montreal police asking them to drop charges against Engler.

Read more: Prominent Canadian activist and author arrested for pro-Palestinian activism

The Israeli military has blocked access to several areas in the occupied West Bank, closing key checkpoints on roads leading into the territory.

The army stated it was intensifying operations against the Palestinian resistance.

Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen outlet has reported that Israeli air strikes hit near Homs in Syria and the Aakar District in northern Lebanon, close to the Syrian border. The Israeli army has yet to comment.

Despite an active ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel has repeatedly launched strikes, saying it is disrupting weapons smuggling to Hezbollah.

US President Donald Trump’s call for a mass forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip was meant to “shake up everyone’s thinking”, his envoy said on the eve of a meeting in Saudi Arabia by the US’s Arab allies to discuss Egypt’s plan for post-war Gaza.

"When the president talks about this, it means he wants to shake up everyone's thinking and think about what is compelling and what is the best solution for the Palestinian people," Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Thursday at an investment conference in Miami.

"For instance, do they want to live in a home there or would they rather have an opportunity to resettle in some sort of better place, to have jobs, upside and financial prospects," he added.

The US’s closest Arab partners were thrown into disarray when Trump said he wanted to empty Gaza of Palestinians and take over the enclave. But they have started to move on a counter-proposal. 

In fact, after a meeting between Trump and King Abdullah of Jordan earlier in February, they believe the king successfully convinced Trump to ditch his takeover idea in return for a post-war plan spearheaded by Cairo, an Egyptian official told MEE.

Read more: Reconstruction and rivalries: What to expect from Saudi Arabia's Gaza summit

Three explosive devices detonated on Friday evening local time on empty buses parked at separate locations in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.

The first two blasts occurred minutes apart, followed by a third explosion 15 minutes later. Suspicious bags, believed to contain additional explosives, were found nearby.

Initial reports suggest the explosions originated inside the buses, leading authorities to suspect coordinated attacks.

Security forces are sweeping through other buses in the city’s car parks. Israeli Defence Minister Katz has ordered the Israeli army to increase the intensity of West Bank operations in response to bus explosions, although there is no evidence yet that anyone from the occupied territories was involved.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold an urgent security assessment in response to the explosions in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, his office announced on social media.