- Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza are crossing the so-called Netzarim Corridor and returning home to their loved ones in the north of the Strip for the first time since Israel’s war on the enclave began.
- Israel’s military says Palestinians will be allowed to cross al-Rashid Street by foot starting at 7am (05:00 GMT) and Salah al-Din Street by vehicle from 9am (07:00 GMT).
- This comes after Qatar announced that Hamas has agreed to release female Israeli captive Arbel Yehud and two others by Friday and provided information on the conditions of those set to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
- The US and Lebanon have announced the extension of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal until February 18 after Israeli forces failed to withdraw from southern parts of the country and killed 22 people seeking to return to their homes.
- Palestinians condemn US President Donald Trump’s proposal to “clean out” Gaza by forcibly displacing its residents to Egypt and Jordan, which raised concerns of ethnic cleansing.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 47,306 Palestinians and wounded 111,483 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.
- Pentagon chief calls Netanyahu, talks ‘mutual security interests’US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Israeli PM Netanyahu have talked for the first time on the phone since the Trump administration took power.They discussed “the unbreakable bond that exists between the United States and Israel”, a US statement said.“Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats. The secretary stressed that the United States is fully committed, under President Trump’s leadership, to ensure that Israel has the capabilities it needs to defend itself. Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.”
- Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, at a Senate Armed Services Committee [File: J Scott Applewhite/AP]
- Trump’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ idea unlikely to come to fruitionUS President Trump’s idea of the mass expulsion of Palestinians in Gaza to Jordan and Egypt is unlikely to ever happen, says Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani.“Even if he applies pressure on Jordan and Egypt, I think their leaderships will recognise the price of going along with Trump is going to be much greater than the price of resisting him – in terms of the survival of their leaderships for participating in something like this,” Rabbani told Al Jazeera, referring to Trump’s plan as “ethnic cleansing”.“This isn’t going to happen because Israel is not going to succeed in ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip after a war, after having failed to do so during a war.”When former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken went on a tour of Arab states to promote this idea late last year, he was met with a “blanket refusal”, Rabbani added.Meanwhile, Netanyahu is feeling the heat from his coalition partners over the ceasefire deal who view the Israeli leader as succumbing to US demands, the analyst said.“I think there’s a kind of a mix of personal, political and ideological factors at play. But ultimately, I think the key relationship to look at here is not that between Netanyahu and his coalition partners, or between Israelis and Palestinians, but between Washington and Israel – because Washington is the one calling the shots, and Israel has no choice but to comply.”
Israel’s “Failed” Attempt to “Ethnically Cleanse” Gaza Picked up by Trump - What lies ahead for Gaza?Rare scenes of joy among Palestinians and Israelis after 15 months of genocide in Gaza.Prisoners are exchanged for captives and Israeli soldiers withdraw. But what lies ahead – hope or more problems?
- Israel’s deadly assault on Jenin enters 7th dayThe Wafa news agency is reporting that the large-scale Israeli military operation on the occupied West Bank city has killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens.The latest victim was 26-year-old Abdul Jawad al-Ghoul, who died late on Sunday after being shot by Israeli forces, according to Wafa.The agency added that Israeli forces destroyed the Cinema Roundabout in the centre of Jenin, as well as shops in the area overnight. They also continued blowing up and burning homes in the Jenin refugee camp, and have razed large parts of the al-Dam and al-Bishr neighbourhoods, it added.
- Day of victory,’ says Palestinian returnee to north GazaA forcibly displaced Palestinian man returning to northern Gaza has pledged to build back up what Israeli forces tore down.“I will start rebuilding my home – brick by brick, wall by wall,” he told Al Jazeera. “We will start by removing the debris and rebuild it all over again.”The man said it was a day of victory despite all the losses, grief, and destruction.
LIVE: Israel lets Palestinians return to north Gaza for 1st time since war
