Israel’s Gaza invasion - Day 490

  • After 15 months of Israel’s invasion, ceasefire goes into effect at 2:15pm PKT on January 19

  • Truce terms include releasing 33 hostages for nearly 2,000 prisoners over six weeks

  • Hamas and Israel exchange hostages and prisoners in two swaps so far

  • Palestinians return to devastated areas in Gaza, aid trucks deliver relief

  • Over 47,000 Palestinians, 400 Israeli soldiers dead; nearly all of Gaza displaced

  • Multi-billion dollar challenges ahead to reconstruct decimated enclave

  • Hardliners oppose ceasefire in Israel, future governance of Gaza remains unclear

Published 08 Feb, 2025 01:10pm

Israeli army detains two Palestinians in West Bank ahead of captive exchange

Israeli forces detained two brothers in the town of Yammun, west of the city of Jenin ahead of the exchange of prisoners, Al Jazeera reports.

The Israeli forces placed several houses under siege in the town overnight.

 People gather before Hamas releases hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on Feb 8, 2025. — Reuters/Ramadan Abed
People gather before Hamas releases hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on Feb 8, 2025. — Reuters/Ramadan Abed

Published 08 Feb, 2025 02:26pm

Iran leader Khamenei meets top Hamas leaders in Tehran, state media says

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has met with acting Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and two other leaders of the Palestinian group in Tehran, Iranian state media reported, according to Reuters.

It gave no details about the meeting and only posted photos of Khamenei meeting al-Hayya, Mohammed Darwish, head of Hamas’ leadership council, and top Hamas official Nizar Awadallah.

Published 08 Feb, 2025 02:20pm

Hamas releases three Israeli captives

Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami have been freed from one location in Deir-el Balah in central Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Al Jazeera reports.

The captives have been taken by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Hamas set up a stage in the city for the handover with dozens of masked fighters present.

Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami are released by Hamas fighters in Deir el-Balah. — Reuters
Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami are released by Hamas fighters in Deir el-Balah. — Reuters

Published 08 Feb, 2025 01:47pm

Red Cross vehicles arrive in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah for captives’ handover

A convoy of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) vehicles has arrived at a captives’ handover location in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera reports.

Dozens of heavily armed Palestinian fighters and a controlled crowd of civilian onlookers are also at the site.

Published 08 Feb, 2025 12:34pm

Future of Gaza ceasefire deal hangs in balance

A question mark hangs over the future of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and the success of the truce may come down to the US, according to the head of a UK-based rights group.

Gershon Baskin, Middle East director of the International Communities Organisation, and a former hostage negotiator, told Al Jazeera that talks on the second phase of the agreement have yet to begin, with Israel dispatching a junior team to Doha, Qatar, that has no authority to negotiate.

“Netanyahu has not sent the heads of the [negotiating] team, he’s talked about changing the heads of the negotiating team, perhaps to take more control and limit the ability of the team to negotiate a deal,” Baskin said, ahead of the latest captives-for-prisoners exchange.

“But there’s no doubt that watching the hostages come home, being reunited with their families […] it is strengthening the will of the Israeli public to see that this continues, particularly with regard to those hostages that are still alive,” he added.

Published 08 Feb, 2025 11:44am

Stage set in central Gaza for first release of Israeli captives

The stage has been set at a site in central Gaza where three Israeli captives will be released by Hamas in just under an hour, Al Jazeera reports.

The captives will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Activity at the site is picking up, as crowds of civilians gather and Hamas fighters secure the area, with military vehicles carrying more fighters arriving, Al Jazeera said.

Banners on the stage read: “We are the flood, we are the war’s next day” and “total victory” — in a reference to a phrase used by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to describe Israel’s war on Gaza.

Published 08 Feb, 2025 11:06am

Dehumanisation of Palestinians is so normalised: poet Mohammed el-Kurd

Author and poet Mohammed el-Kurd says that the “dehumanisation” of Palestinians has been normalised, Al Jazeera reports, citing his interview with UpFront.

“Death is so quotidian that journalists report it as though they’re reporting the weather,” el-Kurd said, referring to the daily deaths in Gaza due to Israel’s onslaught.

“With a ceasefire currently in place, the fate of Palestinians remains uncertain. But what role does the Western gaze play in perpetuating a narrative that dehumanises Palestinians?

“And how does it shape our understanding of their struggle for justice and liberation?” he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

Published 08 Feb, 2025 10:31am

Israeli military continues raids on homes of Palestinian detainees set for release

The Israeli military has been carrying out raids across the occupied West Bank tonight on the family homes of Palestinians set for release as part of the fifth captive exchange between Israel and Hamas, Al Jazeera reports.

It quoted the Palestinian Information Centre (PIC) as saying that the family homes of five Palestinian detainees slated for release this morning have also been raided in the village of Deir Nidham, northwest of Ramallah.

Israeli forces also arrested “dozens” of Palestinians in the city of Qalqilya last night, according to PIC.

Updated 08 Feb, 2025 10:48am

3 Israelis, 183 Palestinians to be freed in latest Gaza truce swap

Hamas is set to hand over three Israeli hostages today in exchange for Palestinian detainees and prisoners in the latest stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at opening the way to ending the 15-month conflict in Gaza, Reuters reports.

Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy will be handed over, Hamas said.

In exchange, Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including 18 serving life sentences, 54 serving long sentences and 111 detained in Gaza during the conflict, Hamas media office said.

 The Grand Palace hotel stands damaged in Gaza City on Feb 6, 2025. — Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas
The Grand Palace hotel stands damaged in Gaza City on Feb 6, 2025. — Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Published 08 Feb, 2025 09:15am

UN chief calls on member states to ‘fully fund’ aid in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made a public call for the international community to “fully fund” humanitarian relief for the Palestinian people, Al Jazeera reports.

Guterres said in a post on X the UN is working “around the clock to reach Palestinians in need & scale up support”.

“That requires rapid, safe, unimpeded, expanded & sustained access,” he said.

“I call on Member Countries, donors & the international community to fully fund humanitarian operations & meet urgent needs.”

Published 08 Feb, 2025 08:34am

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is the first person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorised by US President Donald Trump that target the war crimes tribunal over investigations of US citizens or US allies, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters.

Khan, who is British, was named on Friday in an annex — not yet made public — to an executive order signed by Trump a day earlier, a senior ICC official and another source, both briefed by US government officials, told Reuters.

Published 08 Feb, 2025 08:32am

Trump administration backs big arms sales to Israel

US President Donald Trump’s administration has announced that it had approved military sales to Israel worth some $7.4 billion, despite Democratic lawmakers’ request that the sale be paused until he received more information, Reuters reports.

The Department of Defence announced that the State Department approved a package for Israel worth an estimated $6.75 billion that included munitions, guidance kits and fuses with Boeing Co BA.N among the principal contractors.

It also detailed a deal estimated at $660 million to sell Hellfire Missiles to Israel in which Lockheed Martin LMT.N would be the principal contractor.

Published 08 Feb, 2025 08:29am

Trump says he is in no rush on Gaza

US President Donald Trump has said he is in no rush to implement his plan to take over and redevelop Gaza, according to Reuters.

“We’re in no rush on it,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 10:07pm

Hamas accuses Israel of ceasefire breaches before next hostage-for-prisoner swap

Hamas has accused Israel of breaching their ceasefire accord in the latest stage in a fragile deal aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza, Reuters reports.

Hamas accused Israel of delaying the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying food and other humanitarian supplies agreed under the truce deal that took effect on January 19 and holding back all but a fraction of the tents and mobile homes needed to provide shelter to people returning to their bombed-out homes.

“This demonstrates clear manipulation of relief and shelter priorities,” Hamas said in a statement.

Read more here.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 10:01pm

Hamas says Israeli block on diggers affecting extraction of hostages’ bodies

Hamas has said Israel’s blocking of heavy machinery entering Gaza to clear rubble caused by fighting is affecting efforts to extract the bodies of hostages, AFP reports.

“Preventing the entry of heavy equipment and machinery needed to remove 55 million tons of rubble … will undoubtedly affect the resistance’s ability to extract from under the rubble the dead prisoners (hostages),” Salama Marouf, spokesman for Hamas’s media office in Gaza, told journalists.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 09:56pm

Hamas releases names of three hostages to be freed on Saturday

Hamas’ armed wing has released the names of three captives it said will be freed on Saturday in a fifth hostage-prisoner swap as part of an ongoing agreement with Israel for a Gaza ceasefire, AFP reports.

“Within the framework of the Al-Aqsa Flood deal for the prisoner exchange, the [Ezzedine] Al-Qassam Brigades have decided to release” the three hostages, Abu Obeida, spokesman for the armed wing, said on Telegram.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 09:48pm

Israel says ‘awaiting’ names of Gaza hostages to be freed on Saturday

Israel is “awaiting” a list of captives to be released from Gaza in a fifth hostage-prisoner exchange with Hamas scheduled for Saturday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told AFP.

Authorities are “awaiting” a list of hostages for release, spokesman Omer Dostri said. When asked specifically if the swap would take place on Saturday, Dostri said: “This is the plan.”

Published 07 Feb, 2025 07:51pm

Egypt galvanises Arab momentum against Trump’s Gaza plan

Egypt has said it has been in contact with Arab partners, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to firm up the region’s rejection of any displacement of Palestinians after US President Donald Trump said they should go from Gaza, Reuters reports.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had been in communication with counterparts from 11 nations, a statement said.

Those had emphasised “the constants of the Arab position on the Palestinian cause, rejecting any measures aimed at displacing the Palestinian people from their land, or encouraging their transfer to other countries outside the Palestinian territories”, it said.

Moving Palestinians would represent a “flagrant violation of international law, an infringement on Palestinian rights, a threat to security and stability in the region and an undermining of opportunities for peace and coexistence among its peoples”, Egypt’s statement said.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 05:46pm

Aid entering Gaza far below minimum required under ceasefire terms: Gaza Government

Gaza’s Government Media Office has issued a statement saying Israel is violating the terms of the ceasefire by not allowing the agreed minimum amount of aid to enter the enclave, Al Jazeera reports.

The deal allowed for the passage of 600 aid trucks daily, at a minimum, including 50 fuel trucks, as well as 60,000 mobile units and 200,000 tents, electric generators and their spare parts, solar panels and batteries.

“The amount of aid that entered the Gaza Strip is still far from the minimum required,” the statement said, as 8,500 trucks have entered the Strip since the agreement went into effect 20 days ago, instead of the required 12,000. Additionally, 2,916 trucks reached northern Gaza instead of 6,000.

The aid getting in was mostly food, the statement said, while aid for shelter did not reach 10 per cent of the agreed amount. Similarly, 15 fuel trucks entered Gaza instead of 50, it added.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 05:36pm

Aid entering Gaza ‘insufficient’: Global charity

Humanitarian aid has been entering Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect, but the 600 trucks going through the Rafah crossing on a daily basis are insufficient to respond to the needs of the population, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), a global aid agency.

“Prior to October 7, [2023], 500 trucks were entering Gaza on any working day — and that was when people were working and living in their homes,” Shaina Low, communications adviser at NRC, told Al Jazeera. “Now, we’re having 600 trucks enter each day and we’re in an emergency crisis setting.”

Additionally, aid organisations “faced incredible obstruction in getting aid into Gaza” during the past 15 months. “Now, we’re finally able to scale up our response, but there are still delays in screening certain types of material,” Low said.

Materials labelled as “dual use” by Israel, which include medical supplies, are facing restrictions. Delays are also caused by the limited availability of screening equipment employed by Israeli authorities to check aid trucks, the spokesperson added.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 04:18pm

ICC must be able to pursue ‘fight against global impunity’: European Commission chief

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of European Commission, says the International Criminal Court (ICC) must be able to pursue its fight against global impunity without hindrance, Al Jazeera reports.

“The ICC guarantees accountability for international crimes and gives a voice to victims worldwide. It must be able to freely pursue the fight against global impunity. Europe will always stand for justice and the respect of international law,” she wrote on X, without openly mentioning Trump’s sanctions on the court.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 04:00pm

UN’s humanitarian chief witnesses misery of Palestinians in northern Gaza

Tom Fletcher, the United Nations chief of humanitarian affairs, who is visiting northern Gaza, recounts “unimaginable destruction” in the enclave.

“Survivors tell me we have to bear witness. And that we must do more: to protect them, to deliver lifesaving aid, to maintain the ceasefire, to help them rebuild,” he said.

Published 07 Feb, 2025 03:45pm

‘Everything here is in ruins’ at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital: reporter

Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital is in “ruins”, Hani Mahmoud of Al Jazeera reports.

“As we tour around and get a sense of what happened here at al-Shifa Hospital, it is hard to imagine that this place at a point was quite busy with lots of noise,” Mahmoud says.

“This was the sound of ambulances, medical staff, patients and visitors here in the past. This used to be the largest public health facility in Gaza, but it is now very quiet. It is like a desert here,” he adds.

“Everything here is in ruins from the courtyard to hospital buildings. There are only a few people, who are trying to do some rehabilitation work for one particular section of the hospital,” the reporter said.

He adds that this is the part that was turned into a basic morgue, saying, “It does not serve much for medical care apart from being a transfer point to al-Ahli Hospital.”

Published 07 Feb, 2025 03:30pm

More patients in need of urgent medical care evacuated from Gaza

Al Jazeera reports that 49 patients in need of urgent medical care have left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.

This is the sixth group of critically ill patients who have been allowed to cross into Egypt since the ceasefire came into effect, but the number of people in need of urgent treatment that is unavailable in Gaza remains in the thousands.