Five Arab countries, the PA and the Arab League reject Trump’s proposal to relocate Gazans to Egypt and Jordan | Live

Syria

Ten Proturk fighters were killed in fighting with Kurdish-dominated forces in northern Syria, where nine people also died in an attack, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), reports AFP.

The violence took place in the area of Manbij, a town in Aleppo province that fell to Proturk groups in December after years in the hands of Kurdish forces.

Middle East

Abdel Fattah al-Sissi has told U.S. President Donald Trump that the world is counting on him to achieve a “permanent” peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, according to a statement from the Egyptian president quoted by AFP.

According to the statement, the two heads of state had a telephone exchange during which Sissi stressed that “the international community was counting on President Trump's ability to reach a permanent and historic peace agreement putting an end to the conflict that has existed in the region for decades.”

Lebanon

⚡The funeral of former Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah will take place on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Shiite party announced, in a statement.

“The ceremony will begin with a solemn funeral in the presence of those who loved him and his fellow travelers. The funeral ceremony and burial will follow,” the statement continued.

In this context, the party calls on all its supporters to actively partake in the solemn event, “to bid farewell to the leader who devoted his life to serving the resistance and defending the nation's dignity.”

“The banner of jihad will continue to be waved, and we will pursue the path of resistance until total victory,” the statement concludes.

The Israeli army blew up several homes in the locality of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon, Mountasser Abdallah, who added that the sound of the explosions resounded in the neighboring villages.

Syria

The director of Manbij's national hospital said that three people were killed in a car bomb explosion, which also left several injured in the northeastern Syrian town, according to local media.

This is not the first time such an event has occurred in Manbij, the scene of regular clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the YPG Kurds, and the pro-Turkish Syrian National Army (SNA) militia. Another car bomb exploded in downtown Manbij on Jan. 21.

Southern Lebanon

An Israeli army patrol set fire to houses in the village of Wazzani, while Israeli planes were flying over the city of Sour and surrounding villages, according to our correspondent.

Hospitals in Gaza have received 27 bodies over the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

At least one of these bodies is from a new Israeli airstrike, while two others are of Palestinians who succumbed to injuries from previous strikes. The remaining 24 bodies were recovered from the rubble, the ministry's statement said.

This latest update brings the total death toll since the start of the Israeli offensive to 47,487, while 111,588 Palestinians have been injured, according to the ministry.

Foreign ministers from five Arab countries, meeting in Cairo, have welcomed Egypt’s initiative to organize an international conference on Gaza’s reconstruction in cooperation with the United Nations. The territory has been largely devastated by 15 months of Israeli bombardment. No date has yet been set for the conference.

This week, new U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff stated that rebuilding the Palestinian enclave could take "between 10 and 15 years."

Meanwhile, a U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) report published in May 2024 estimated that reconstructing the destroyed buildings in Gaza could take until 2040.

South Lebanon

In the area between Robb Thalathin and Odaisseh, where the Israeli army has been advancing and set fire to homes earlier in the day, explosions have been heard, and additional buildings are now in flames, according to our correspondent.

South Lebanon

Following reports of the Lebanese Army's deployment in Aitaroun, the municipality confirmed that, according to available information, troops entered the northern part of the village, reaching the "Tawfeer" supermarket, and have been clearing the area of numerous explosives and mines.

The deployment "is expected to continue in the village and its surroundings over the next two days," the municipality added, noting that no Israeli presence has been observed "either in the village or near the earth barriers at its entrance."

The municipality reiterated its call for residents to wait before returning to the village until the Lebanese Army has completed demining the streets.

Hamas declared in a statement that the Palestinian prisoners released by Israel today are now receiving medical treatment in hospitals due to "abuse and torture they suffered" in Israeli prisons.

The group asserted that this situation "confirms the brutality of what prisoners endure in Israeli detention facilities."

"These horrific and ongoing violations against our heroic prisoners constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," Hamas added, calling on the international community, the United Nations, and NGOs to hold Israel accountable.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners' Association reported that the recently released detainees show signs of torture, malnutrition, infections, and scabies.

South Lebanon

The Lebanese Army has entered Aitaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, our correspondent reports.

Representatives from five Arab countries, the Palestinian Authority, and the Arab League have issued a joint statement rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, stating their opposition "under any circumstances or justifications."

In a communiqué released after a meeting in Cairo on Saturday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, along with representatives from the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League, emphasized their commitment to working with the Trump administration toward a "just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East" based on a two-state solution.

The successive transfers of the three Israeli hostages from Gaza to Israel and the 183 Palestinian detainees from Israeli detention centers to Gaza and the West Bank have been successfully completed, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced in a statement, according to Reuters.

A new report reveals a significant increase in Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and other parts of the occupied West Bank.

According to the report, this surge is driven by pressure from the far-right Religious Zionism party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and the Jewish Power party, led by former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, as well as figures from Likud and the "Land of Israel Lobby" in the Knesset.

Last Sunday, Israeli authorities issued demolition orders for all homes in Khirbet al-Numan, a village near Bethlehem, according to the weekly report on settlements.

The orders, affecting 45 homes, were issued on the grounds of lacking permits. Between October 2023 and January 2025, Israeli forces have demolished 320 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem.

Buses transporting Palestinian prisoners released under the Gaza ceasefire agreement have arrived at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reports.

A large crowd has gathered around the vehicles to celebrate the return of the former detainees.

The Rafah border crossing, at the southernmost point of the Gaza Strip, has opened for the first time since May 2024, allowing 50 patients to leave, according tp the Gaza Health Ministry.

Dr. Mohamed Zaqout, the ministry’s director-general, stated that around 6,000 people were ready for evacuation, while 12,000 required urgent medical care. The reopening of the terminal comes as part of the cease-fire agreement, following the fourth prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

South Lebanon

The Israeli army has set fire to several houses between Odaisseh and Robb Thalathin, in the Marjayoun district, according to our correspondent. A column of smoke is rising above these areas.

The Israeli military has issued a statement confirming that Haitham Khouwajari, commander of Hamas’s Al-Shati Brigade, is alive, following an Al Jazeera report claiming he was seen at the hostage release site in Gaza City on Saturday.

In December 2023, the Israeli army had announced that he was killed in an airstrike. "After the attack, the Shin Bet and the army determined with high probability that he had been eliminated. […] A more in-depth review shows that the terrorist was not killed in this attack," the statement reads. The announcement was also shared by the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on social media.

One of the buses transporting Palestinian detainees from Israel’s Ofer prison has arrived in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports.

The 32 prisoners released in this first convoy have disembarked from the Red Cross bus. They were greeted by their families, sparking scenes of jubilation amid a large crowd gathered to welcome the 183 Palestinian prisoners set to be released today.

The Red Cross has expressed outrage over the way Israel’s prison administration handled the release of detainees from Ketziot prison today, according to a security source.

The organization reportedly protested that the prisoners were transported in handcuffs, with their hands raised above their heads, and wearing bracelets inscribed with the phrase "eternity does not forget."

In response, the spokesperson for Israel’s prison administration stated: "The prison fighters are dealing with Israel’s worst enemies, and until the very last moment on Israeli soil, they will be treated as prisoners. We will make no compromises on our people's security."

Live television footage shows a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners leaving Israel’s Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera.

A total of 183 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released today under the cease-fire agreement.

Egypt will host a meeting of foreign ministers from seven Arab countries today to discuss the situation in Gaza and support for UNRWA following Israel’s ban on the agency, Egyptian media report.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will meet in Cairo. Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit will also attend the discussions.

On Thursday, the Israeli government formally enforced its ban on UNRWA operations in occupied East Jerusalem, forcing the agency to vacate its offices in the city.

South Lebanon

A drone also dropped six bombs on excavators clearing rubble in search of bodies and missing persons in central Taybeh (Marjayoun). Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes continue to fly over the western sector of the border area, while the Israeli army has set fire to several houses in Robb Thalathin.

South Lebanon

The municipality of Aitaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district of South Lebanon, has urged residents not to head toward the village "until the Lebanese Army has deployed there," following reports of the imminent arrival of Lebanese troops and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the still-occupied locality.

While acknowledging and respecting the "nostalgia" of residents who have yet to return to their lands still under Israeli occupation, as well as their "determination to bury the martyrs and rebuild," the municipality warned that returning too soon "poses a danger."

"Therefore, our fellow citizens must not enter the village under any circumstances before receiving official authorization from the Lebanese Army," it added.

The cease-fire implementation period, which included a complete Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon, was initially set to conclude on Jan. 27. On that date, hundreds of residents from border villages marched south alongside the Lebanese Army and were able to reclaim several localities, despite Israeli gunfire that left dozens dead. The deadline was subsequently extended by 22 days, until Feb. 18.

Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel has been handed over by the Red Cross to the Israeli military, Haaretz confirms. The newspaper also reports that a Hamas commander, whose death had been claimed by the Israeli military several months ago, was spotted in footage taken at the port of Gaza City during the hostage release.

Israeli media add that Franco-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, released earlier this morning by Hamas, is on his way to Sheba Hospital, where he will reunite with his family and receive medical treatment, according to a statement from the Israeli military.

Gaza

Israeli-American Keith Siegel was handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza this morning during the third and final hostage release of the day organized by Hamas as part of the truce with Israel, AFP journalists reported.

Siegel was released at the port of Gaza City in the north of the Gaza Strip. An hour earlier, Yarden Bibas — whose wife and two children have not returned from Gaza — and Franco-Israeli Ofer Kalderon had also been freed in Khan Younis, in the south of the territory.

South Lebanon

The Lebanese Army is expected to enter the village of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) this morning and deploy there, awaiting the withdrawal of Israeli forces in accordance with their commitment to the cease-fire monitoring committee, according to our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah.

Earlier this morning, Israeli soldiers set fire to houses in the Harika area, near Aitaroun. Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes continue to fly over various regions of southern Lebanon.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that he shared "the immense relief and joy" of the relatives of Franco-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, who was freed "after 483 days of unimaginable hell" in the hands of the Palestinian Hamas.

He also expressed his thoughts for the last Franco-Israeli hostage still held by the Islamist movement, Ohad Yahalomi, and assured that France was "doing everything possible to secure his immediate release."

Ofer Kalderon was freed by Hamas and handed over by the ICRC to the Israeli military. Like Ohad Yahalomi, he was among the first 33 hostages whom Hamas had initially agreed to release.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, discussed "the path forward in Gaza" during a phone call yesterday, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.

The two officials also discussed "ways to advance shared interests in Syria, Lebanon, and across the region, including Red Sea security and freedom of navigation," the statement said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that his government "embraces the two repatriated individuals," adding that their families have been informed that Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon are now in the hands of Israeli authorities.

"The Israeli government, along with all security agencies, will accompany them and their families," the statement posted on X reads, reaffirming its "commitment to repatriating all abducted and missing individuals."

Syria

Despite the destruction of documents and other evidence of crimes committed in Syria under Bashar al-Assad’s regime, U.N. investigators emphasized yesterday that "a lot of evidence" remains intact.

"A significant amount of evidence has been found in the country, and we will not face major difficulties in ensuring justice is served," said Hanny Megally, a member of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria. The sudden fall of President Bashar al-Assad last month, after decades of dictatorship, has allowed the commission to gain access to the country—something it had struggled to achieve since the start of the civil war in 2011.

More details here.

Syria

10 people were killed by armed men in an Alawite village, according to AFP, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

As per the agreement, negotiations are set to resume on Monday to discuss the terms of the second phase. This phase aims at securing the release of the remaining hostages and achieving a definitive end to the war, a goal opposed by some members of the Israeli government.

The Oct. 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data, including hostages declared dead. Out of 251 abducted individuals, 79 remain in Gaza, at least 34 of whom are confirmed dead, according to the Israeli army.

Following the exchange, the Rafah crossing, in the far south of Gaza, is set to reopen under the cease-fire agreement for the first time since Israel took control of it in May 2024. This will allow for the evacuation of sick and wounded individuals, according to a Hamas source and another source close to the negotiations, cited by AFP.

The European Union deployed its assistance mission on-site yesterday. The World Health Organization expects that about 50 patients will be evacuated today.

In exchange, Israel is required to release 183 Palestinian detainees, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, a West Bank-based NGO.

15 hostages — 10 Israelis and five Thais — along with 400 Palestinian prisoners, have already been freed since the cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect, following more than 15 months of devastating war in Gaza.

During the six weeks of the first phase of the truce, a total of 33 Israeli hostages, including eight deceased, are expected to be returned to Israel in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. The fate of the Bibas family remains a source of anguish in Israel. In 2023, Hamas announced that Shiri Bibas and her two sons — Kfir, now 2, and Ariel, 5 — had died in an Israeli airstrike, but Israeli authorities have never confirmed their deaths.

The Red Cross has announced that it is on its way to retrieve a third hostage, Israeli-American Keith Siegel, according to Haaretz.

The cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas includes the phased release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

As part of this arrangement, Franco-Israeli Ofer Kalderon and Israeli Yarden Bibas were freed this morning by Hamas after 484 days in captivity. They were handed over by the ICRC to the Israeli army and have returned to Israel, according to a military statement. The two men, who had been held in Gaza, were "escorted by special forces into Israeli territory," the army specified.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East, including the 14th day of the truce in Gaza, which has temporarily halted a 471-day war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

We will also be following the latest developments in Lebanon, where the cease-fire terms agreed upon on Nov. 27 between Israel and Hezbollah have been extended for another 22 days. Additionally, we will cover the situation in Syria, nearly two months after the fall of the Assad regime.