Israel
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has announced his country's decision to boycott the U.N. Human Rights Council, which he accuses of “propagating anti-Semitism,” reports AFP.
“This body has focused on attacking a democratic country and spreading anti-Semitism, instead of promoting human rights. The discrimination against us is obvious,” he said on X.
Gaza
The United Arab Emirates has rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, following U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to take control of the small territory and displace its inhabitants, reports AFP.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed in a statement “its categorical rejection of any infringement of the inalienable rights of the Palestinians and any attempt to displace them.”
The Arab League has described U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip as a “violation of international law” and a “recipe for instability,” reports AFP.
While “confident in the desire of the United States and its president to achieve a just peace in the region,” the League secretariat stressed that his proposal invites “the displacement of Palestinians, which is rejected both by Arab and international governments.”
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN that Republican officials are "trying to get the details" of President Donald Trump's Gaza plan, adding that he thinks it is "a good development."
"We have to back Israel 100 percent," Johnson told CNN. He said Trump's proposal was "a surprising development," but "one that we'll applaud."
Displacing Palestinians would be a moral abomination, Human Rights Watch Israel and Palestine director said on Wednesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to take over Gaza and displace most of its residents.
"It would be a moral abomination," Omar Shakir told Reuters.
"International humanitarian law forbids the forced displacement of the population of an occupied territory. When such forced displacement is widespread, it can amount to a war crime or a crime against humanity," added Shakir.
The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), which advocates for legal action against Israeli soldiers and officials suspected of complicity in Gaza war crimes, says that “Switzerland has opened a criminal investigation into a suspected Israeli war criminal on its soil.”
The probe is based on a complaint filed by HRF, said the statement shared on X.
“The complaint provides extensive evidence implicating the individual in war crimes and crimes against humanity, including attacks on civilians, destruction of homes and hospitals, forced displacement, and other grave violations of international law committed in the Gaza Strip,” it added.
The American Jewish Committee voiced concern Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take control of Gaza and relocate its Palestinian population, warning the plan could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts and regional stability.
"The president's surprising, concerning, and confusing comments on an American plan to 'take control' and 'own' Gaza and the relocation of its population raise a wealth of questions. First among them the impact of the president's announcement on the ongoing hostage-release agreement," the AJC said in a statement.
It stressed that "the release of all remaining hostages, and the agreement's ultimate fulfillment of the objective to rid Gaza of Hamas rule, must remain U.S. and Israeli priorities."
Gaza
Majed al-Ansari, a senior adviser to Qatar's prime minister, said that it is “too early” to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to evacuate Gaza, saying current efforts are focused on preparations for the second phase of cease-fire negotiations, Haaretz reported citing Fox news.
“There are all kinds of ideas coming from various sources, including the U.S.,” about "the day after" in Gaza, Ansari said. “It's too early to talk about it because we don't know how the war will end or what the situation in Gaza will be. From our perspective, we have made it clear that we have plans to rebuild Gaza with the Palestinians still there. I don't think this is the time to discuss specific ideas.”
Hundreds of Syrians who sought refuge in Cyprus after the start of the civil war more than a decade ago withdrew their asylum applications in the weeks following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Cypriot officials told Reuters.
"On average, 40 asylum applications filed by Syrians have been withdrawn every day since Dec. 9," said Nikolas Ioannides, Cypriot Minister of Migration.
He said that between Dec. 9, 2024 and Jan. 31, 2025, 1,367 Syrians expressed their intention to return to Syria, and 944 of them withdrew their asylum applications. Another 423 renounced their refugee or subsidiary protection status and 755 left Cyprus, Ioannides said.
Lebanese soldiers removed rubble and cleared roads in Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported. The army deployed in several neighborhoods of the village and reinvested one of its centers, located on the border.
In Maroun al-Ras, the Lebanese army and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) evacuated civilian cars and ambulances of the al-Rissala Scouts (linked to the Amal movement) which had been seized by Israel last week.
Jordanian King Abdullah II rejected "any attempt" to take control of the Palestinian territories and displace its residents after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to control the Gaza Strip.
During a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the monarch stressed "the need to stop settlement activities and reject any attempt to annex land and displace Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank," according to a statement from the royal palace.
Any forced transfer or expulsion from occupied territory is "strictly prohibited," stated the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, after Donald Trump's proposal to take control of Gaza and remove its population.
"The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law and must be protected by all states, as recently underlined by the International Court of Justice. Any forcible transfer or expulsion of persons from occupied territories is strictly prohibited," Türk stressed in a statement, saying that "international law is very clear."
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called his American counterpart Donald Trump's proposal to take "control" of the Gaza Strip "incomprehensible," saying that it is the Palestinians who must "watch over" their territory.
"Those who should watch over Gaza are the Palestinians, who need reparation for everything that was destroyed so that they can rebuild their homes, their hospitals, their schools and live with dignity and respect," the president said in an interview with Brazilian radio stations.
The proposal is "almost incomprehensible," he said. "And where will the Palestinians go? Where will they live? What is their country? It is something almost incomprehensible," the Brazilian president said, repeating accusations of "genocide" made by some officials or NGOs against Israel.
"What happened in Gaza was genocide, and honestly, I don't know if the United States, which is involved in all of this (the American policy of supporting Israel) would be the best placed to take care of Gaza," added the president, who also reiterated his commitment to a two-state solution.
An Israeli political source told Reuters that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House was "very successful and exceeded all our expectations and dreams."
The relationship between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump has never been better and closer, the source said, adding that Trump came up with "ingenious solutions" to the problems that have dogged the State of Israel since its establishment.
Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, says “The two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee for security, stability and peace.”
“It affirms its rejection of all calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland. We were born here, we have lived here and we will remain here. We appreciate the Arab position committed to these constants,” he said on X.
The head of the U.N. refugee agency called U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to occupy the Gaza Strip and displace its population "very surprising."
"It's very difficult to express oneself on this very delicate issue," Filippo Grandi told AFP in Brussels in an interview. "It's something very surprising, but we have to see concretely what it means," he said.
A Palestinian child was shot dead in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said she was “shocked by the disregard for international law, not only by Israel but by most countries in the international community.”
Speaking at a press conference in Copenhagen, she expressed frustration at the limited effect of international court rulings condemning Israel’s war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank.
“We are at a very interesting and dangerous crossroads [in Israel’s war on Gaza],” Albanese said. “After 15 months, the cease-fire ... offers a glimmer of hope. However, the situation on the ground remains dire.”
Albanese said her fears that Israel would use the war in Gaza to seize new territory and displace Palestinians were justified.
“Israel has committed acts of genocide in the fog of war,” she said.
Gaza "belongs to the Palestinians," Germany said of Trump's remarks.
The Israeli army set fire to homes in Rab al-Thalathine (Marjayoun), according to information from L'Orient Today's correspondent. Smoke rose above the village.
Hamas accused the U.S. president of "throwing oil on the fire" with his idea of a U.S. military occupation of the Gaza Strip and the forced transfer of Palestinians living in the territory.
"We ... condemn in the strongest terms [Donald] Trump's statements for a U.S. occupation of the Gaza Strip and the displacement of our people," a statement from the Palestinian movement said. These "violent" statements will "not contribute to the stability of the region but only add fuel to the fire."
Wajih Zahwi, a seven-year-old boy from Majdel Selm, died of his injuries from an Israeli drone strike in late January, according to information from L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.
The boy was injured in the head by a fragment of a bomb launched by an Israeli drone on Jan. 29.
Hamas accused the U.S. president of "throwing oil on the fire" with his idea of a U.S. military occupation of the Gaza Strip and the forced transfer of Palestinians living in the territory.
"We ... condemn in the strongest terms [Donald] Trump's statements calling for a U.S. occupation of the Gaza Strip and the displacement of our people," said a statement from the Palestinian Islamist movement. These "violent" statements will not "contribute to the stability of the region but only add fuel to the fire."
Trump's statements are "dangerous for stability" and "the peace process," a French government spokesperson said.
The municipality of Ramieh (Bint Jbeil) was informed by the Lebanese army's intelligence services that two checkpoints will be established shortly in the village, still under Israeli occupation, according to a statement published by the municipality.
"Work will also be carried out to open several secondary roads. In addition, on Feb. 7, the army's engineering corps will begin monitoring and clearing the rubble of the Israeli aggression in the city," the statement added.
The Israeli army continues to occupy several villages in south Lebanon, from which it must withdraw before the end of the period (extended at the end of January) of the application of the terms of the cease-fire, on Feb. 18. It continues to blow up houses and infrastructure in the localities where it remains deployed, while the Lebanese army continues to deploy in other areas.
Palestinians must be able to "live and prosper" in Gaza and the West Bank, British Foreign Minister David Lammy said, following controversial comments by U.S. President Donald Trump about his desire to take control of the Palestinian enclave.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II, hours after Donald Trump proposed taking control of the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian presidential source said.
Abbas traveled to Jordan this morning, the source told AFP, and is expected to discuss the U.S. president's proposal, including his previously-repeated suggestion to move Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan.
The future of Gaza lies in "a future Palestinian state" and not in the control of "a third country," the French Foreign Ministry said, quoted by AFP.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli finance minister and figure of the Israeli extreme right, promised to do everything to "definitively bury" the idea of a Palestinian state, the day after Donald Trump announced a plan for the American occupation of Gaza.
"The plan presented yesterday by President Trump is the real answer to Oct. 7," Smotrich said, referring to the Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war. "We will now work to definitively bury ... the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state."
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed "the importance of politically and economically strengthening the Palestinian Authority" in Gaza, hours after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to take "control" of the Palestinian territory.
In a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Abdelatty said Egypt was eager for the Palestinian Authority "to assume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip as part of the occupied Palestinian territories," according to a statement from his ministry.
Egypt and the Palestinian Authority call for reconstruction "without Palestinians leaving," AFP reports.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem as his representative in Lebanon, local media in Iran reported on Wednesday.
The Palestinian presidency "firmly rejects" Trump's plan to control Gaza, AFP reports.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to displace the population of the Gaza Strip "unacceptable."
"Trump's statement on Gaza is unacceptable," the minister said in an interview with Turkey's Anadolu Agency. "Expelling [Palestinians] from Gaza is an issue that neither we nor the countries in the region can accept. There is no question of even discussing it," he stated.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the policy of "maximum pressure" on Tehran, which Donald Trump said he wanted to exert, would be "a new failure," as was the case during the American president's first term.
"I believe that maximum pressure is a failed experiment and trying it again will lead to another failure," Araghchi told the press, after the American president said he wanted to exert "maximum pressure" on Iran, particularly against its nuclear program, repeating a phrase used during his first term.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) rejected any plans to transfer "the Palestinian people out of their homeland," after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted to take "possession" of the Gaza Strip and move its population elsewhere.
The Palestinian leadership "affirms its rejection of all calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland. Here we were born, here we lived and here we will remain," said Hussein Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO, in a message on his X account.
The PLO rejects "all plans to displace Palestinians from their homeland."
Hamas responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's statements about the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt with a "total refusal," according to Russia Today. These U.S. statements are "racist and do not respect any moral and humanitarian criteria," Hamas' statement continued.
The Palestinian movement considered that "the real objective of the [Israeli] occupation of the Strip is to provoke the exodus of the Palestinians."
"The resistance will continue until the Palestinian people regain their freedom and independence," Hamas added.
The White House meeting between Trump and Netanyahu came as delicate negotiations resume over the continuation of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the first phase of which came into effect on Jan. 19. Hamas announced Tuesday that "contacts and negotiations for the second phase" of the ceasefire had "begun."
Israel had earlier said it would send a delegation to Qatar, one of the three mediating countries along with the United States and Egypt, "at the end of the week" to discuss the continuation of the truce.
"Trump and Netanyahu must understand the reality of the Palestinian people. They are a people deeply rooted in their land, we will not leave it," Hatem Azzam, a resident of Rafah in southern Gaza, told AFP.
Good morning!
Thank you for joining us for our live coverage today.
Be sure to read the Morning Brief so you are caught up with what has been happening.
U.S. President Donald Trump made an extraordinary announcement yesterday, saying he wants to take "control" of the war-torn Gaza Strip, a proposal that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said could "change history." The U.S. president also reiterated that Gaza residents could move to Jordan or Egypt, despite opposition from those countries and the Palestinians themselves.
"The United States will take control of the Gaza Strip and we will do a good job with it," the American president said at a press conference alongside Netanyahu, referring to the Palestinian territory as a "demolition site." "We will take possession of it and will be responsible for dismantling all the dangerous bombs that did not explode and all the weapons," he added, stressing that the United States would "level the area and get rid of the destroyed buildings" to develop the Palestinian territory economically.
He did not elaborate on how he planned to do it, calling it a "long-term" project, but said he had spoken to other countries in the region who "loved" the idea.
"This is not a decision taken lightly," he said, repeating his wish to turn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri has slammed Trump's comments on Palestinian displacement, calling them a "recipe for chaos" in the Middle East.
Palestinian Ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour called on world leaders to "respect the wishes of the Palestinian people" to live in Gaza.
Netanyahu hailed Donald Trump as "the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House."
He said that an agreement to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel would "happen." Riyadh immediately denied this.
"Saudi Arabia will relentlessly pursue its efforts for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without this," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.
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