Live: Israel delays release of 602 Palestinian prisoners

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese said on Thursday that Israel's decision to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council was "extremely serious".

"It shows the hubris and the lack of realisation of what they [Israel] have done. They insist in self-righteousness that they have nothing to be held accountable for, and they are proving it to the entire international community," Albanese told Reuters.

Israel has informed the United Nations Human Rights Council that it will follow the US in withdrawing its participation, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday.

"The decision was reached in light of the ongoing and unrelenting institutional bias against Israel in the Human Rights Council, which has been persistent since its inception in 2006," said Saar in a letter to UNHRC President Jorg Lauber which he posted on the social media platform X.

Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel would turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the fighting ends and that no US soldiers would be needed there.

"The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. The Palestinians ... would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region," Trump said in a Truth Social post.

"No soldiers by the US would be needed!" he added. 

Trump: Israel will turn over Gaza to the U.S. at the conclusion of the fighting. No U.S. troops would be needed pic.twitter.com/TkBEuxQ6Tc

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) February 6, 2025

Britain will oppose any efforts to move Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to neighbouring Arab states against their will, a foreign office minister said on Thursday.

"There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip," development minister Anneliese Dodds told parliament.

The Israeli army has confirmed the death of an Israeli officer and a soldier, as well as the injury of eight others, in a crane collapse accident in the northern Gaza Strip due to stormy weather conditions.

Israel’s public broadcaster said that the crane collapsed due to strong winds and fell on a tent with soldiers inside of it.

Reports in Israeli media say the army is investigating this incident, which it described as “serious and reflects a lack of preparation for weather conditions”.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied to Donald Trump's idea of displacing Palestinians from Gaza, saying “it is the first good idea” he has heard.

Trump’s proposal, which he first floated on 25 January 2025, was widely decried as amounting to ethnic cleansing. 

"I mean, what's wrong with that? They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza,” Netanyahu told Fox News.

"This is the first good idea that I've heard," he added. "It's a remarkable idea, and I think it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone."

Netanyahu added that he did not believe Trump suggested sending US troops to fight Hamas in Gaza or that Washington would finance rebuilding efforts.

Israeli officials close to the Hamas-Israel ceasefire negotiations, however, expressed concerns to Israeli news outlet Haaretz that Trump's statement will impact the upcoming hostage release, this Saturday.

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday rejected the suggestion by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz that Spain should accept displaced Palestinians from Gaza.

On Wednesday, Albares rejected Trump's proposal to displace Palestinians and take over Gaza to create a "Riviera of the Middle East."

"I want to be very clear on this: Gaza is the land of Gazan Palestinians and they must stay in Gaza," Albares told reporters.

Speaking to Al Jazeera English, Fu Cong, China’s UN ambassador, said that Donald Trump’s Gaza displacement proposal is "beyond comprehension”.

“I’m sure you noticed that the Arab countries have rejected this proposal. As far as China is concerned, we are opposed to any attempt to change the demography of the [Palestinian] occupied territories.”

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, 

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

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called US President Trump's idea of displacing Palestinians from Gaza "remarkable" and that there was “nothing wrong” in pursuing it.  The plan itself has been widely decried as amounting to ethnic cleansing.

• Three Palestinians have been injured after being beaten by Israeli soldiers at the Hamra checkpoint in the northern Jordan Valley, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Al Jazeera Arabic reports.

• Iran's foreign ministry rejected Thursday what it called a "shocking" plan laid out by US President Donald Trump to take over Gaza and "forcibly displace" Palestinians. 

• Malaysia sees any proposal for the forced displacement of Palestinians as constituting ethnic cleansing and a violation of international law, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with senior US representatives, on Thursday, including Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune in the morning and House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson in the afternoon.

• At least one person has been killed and others injured as a wall collapsed in Gaza, amid stormy conditions, Al Jazeera reported.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

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

• Commenting on his own plan to “overtake” and “own” Gaza, US President Donald Trump said that “everybody loves” it. His remarks came as he was asked about his reaction to the proposal by reporters in the Oval Office, despite the global condemnation to his plans.
• The United Arab Emirates voiced its rejection of any attempt to displace the Palestinian people and deny them “inalienable rights”
• Republican US House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson said that US president Donald Trump is taking "bold" and "decisive" measures to try to ensure peace in Gaza.
• The Arab League has said that US President Donald Trump's proposal to take over "Gaza" and displace Palestinians would violate international law and cause further instability.
• UN secretary general Antonio Guterres is expected to say in a UN meeting scheduled today how it is "essential to avoid ethnic cleansing" while dealing with the situation in Gaza after the war.
• The Lebanese Hezbollah political advisor Hussein Moussawi described US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plans as “criminal”.
• Former Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir pledged in a statement on Wednesday to Israeli Channel 14 that he will return to the government if the plan for Gaza suggested by US President Donald Trump is implemented.

After an Israeli request through mediators, Hamas has approved to hand over the bodies of an Israeli captive and her two children, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

A source told Al Jazeera that the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, had not been handed over until now due to Israel’s refusal to send heavy equipment into Gaza to get them out from under the rubble.

Shiri and her husband Yarden were taken captive on 7 October 2023 along with their children. The husband was released on Saturday, but Hamas said the rest of the family was killed by an Israeli strike in November 2023.

We have all called out former US President Joe Biden’s role in acting as the quartermaster general for Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. And rightly so. 

But Biden did more than enable a war to continue for 15 months. He laid the foundation for something much worse to follow. It was not just a case of impotence; it was malice aforethought.

That has now been put into words and policy by his successor, Donald Trump.

Some, particularly those who voted for Trump in the swing states, have been lulled into thinking that after the great horrors of what happened under Biden’s watch, Trump could only do better.

They were lulled into thinking that Trump was sincere in his desire to shut down the war in Gaza, even for the wrong reasons.

Read more: If Trump tries to take over Gaza, Palestinians will die where they stand

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the Pentagon was prepared to look at all options regarding Gaza.

“The president is willing to think outside the box, look for new and unique, dynamic ways to solve problems that have felt like they were intractable… We’re prepared to look at all options,” Hegseth said before the start of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon.

His remarks come a day after President Donald Trump said that he would like the US to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip.

“I would just say, on the question of Gaza, the definition of insanity is attempting to do the same thing over and over and over again,” Hegseth said.

European Union foreign policy spokesperson said the Gaza Strip should be an essential part of the future of Palestine, adding that the EU was committed to a two-state solution.

“We took note of President Trump’s comments. The EU remains firmly committed to a two-state solution, which we believe is the only path to long-term peace for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the spokesperson said.

“Gaza is an integral part of a future Palestinian state,” he added.

This comes after US President Donald Trump proposed to "take over" and "own" Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubia said President Donald Trump has offered that America take responsibility for Gaza and "help with reconstruction" and "rebuild".

Speaking at a press conference in Guatemala City, Rubia said Trump’s plan is a unique offer to step in and clear destruction in Gaza. He added that the proposal is not meant to be a hostile one and that details need to be worked out.

His comments come amid wide global condemnation and shock following Trump’s suggestion to “take over” and “own” Gaza.