Preparations in Beirut on eve of Nasrallah's funeral; Israel delays release of 602 Palestinians until after evening cabinet meeting | LIVE

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The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces asked in a statement "citizens who are not going to the funeral venues, with the exception of those heading to Beirut airport, to avoid certain roads to facilitate traffic, due to the influx of funeral participants" scheduled for tomorrow and "the high density of traffic at the entrances to Beirut, as well as the traffic pressure at the entrances to the southern suburbs (Khaldeh – Choueifat – Airport Road -–Al-Assad Highway)".

In addition, a large convoy of military and relief vehicles is on its way to Beirut to strengthen security ahead of the ceremony.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Saturday night to act "firmly" to bring home all hostages still held captive in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu hailed the return to Israel of six hostages earlier in the day as "a moment of joy and relief for their families and the entire nation," according to a statement from his office reported by AFP.

"The government of Israel is determined to continue to act firmly, to bring all our hostages home," both the living and the dead, he added.

Hamas on Saturday denounced "baseless lies" after Israeli leaders claimed the day before that the two little Bibas brothers, kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, had been killed in Gaza "by terrorists with bare hands."

"The false allegations that the criminal occupation (Israel) is spreading about the death of the Bibas children at the hands of their captors are nothing but lies and baseless falsifications," said Hazem Qassem, spokesperson for the Palestinian Islamist movement, in a statement reported by AFP, which specified that the hostages kidnapped in Israel had been treated with "responsibility" and according to "Islamic morality."

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would "recommend" but "not impose" his plan for the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip and displace the Palestinian population, appearing to back down on a plan that has sparked an international outcry and met with widespread opposition from Arab countries.

Trump made the statement Friday on a Fox News radio show where he spoke by phone.

"Well, we give Jordan and Egypt billions of dollars a year. So I was a little surprised that they said what they said," the American president stated, referring to the two countries' refusal to take in Gaza residents, as Trump has proposed. "And I say, my plan is the way to go. I think it's a plan that really works, but I'm not going to impose it. I'm just going to sit down and recommend it."

Since the morning, residents of Baalbek-Hermel have been traveling in cars with party flags and photos of Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine towards Nasrallah's funeral on Sunday in Beirut, reports L'Orient Today's correspondent in the Bekaa.

President Joseph Aoun said during a meeting in Baabda with U.S. Senator Rony Jackson, who is visiting Lebanon, that Lebanon's position is "firm and definitive" regarding the situation in the south of the country, particularly along the border with Israel.

The head of state insisted on the need for a total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the positions they still occupy, as well as the release of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel.

Gaza

Israel has reportedly delayed the release of 602 Palestinians who were supposed to be freed this afternoon in return for the six Israeli's Hamas released earlier today, according to reports from Israeli media.

According to Haaretz, which cited both Israeli and Palestinians sources, the Palestinian detainees will remain in custody until after Netanyahu's scheduled security consultation this evening, "at the least."

Families of those who, in accordance with the cease-fire agreement, should be released today, have told Haaretz they expect the handover to happen around 8 p.m. this evening.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly hold security consultations tonight “based on the goal of returning all of our hostages — the living and the dead,” a government source is cited as saying, according to a Times of Israel report.

The six hostages handed over today were the last living hostages slated to be released under the terms negotiated for the first phase of the cease-fire, however four names remain on the list of those agreed upon for the exchange: Shlomo Mantzur, Itzik Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi and Tsahi Idan. Hamas has indicated that these four are not alive.

Houthis from Yemen in Beirut to attend the funerals of Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine on tomorrow. (Credit: Lucile Wassermann/L'Orient Today)

South Lebanon

The Israeli army opened fire on vehicles belonging to the Southern Council that were unblocking roads where the occupying Israeli forces had set up barriers in the Abu al-Alaa vineyards near the village of Dabbakeh, east of Mais al-Jabal, in Marjayoun district. It's unclear whether anyone was injured. This incident follows an earlier once in which Israeli forces shot at a vacant parked car on the outskirts of Houla.

Hamas fighters at the site of the second hostage exchange in central Gaza, earlier this afternoon. (Credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters)

South Lebanon

The Israeli army opened fire on a parked car on the outskirts of Houla, in the Marjayoun district, causing it to burst into flames. According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South, initial information indicated that the vehicle was empty and completely stationary. The driver of the car had parked the car not far from a position where Israeli troops continued to occupy Lebanese territory in violation of the terms of the cease-fire agreement.

Gaza

The Israeli military and internal security service said in a joint statement cited by the New York Times that the sixth and last hostage set to be released today was in the hands of the Red Cross and would soon be handed over to Israeli forces in Gaza. That hostage is believed to be Hisham al-Sayed, the longest-held by Hamas in Gaza. Sayed, who suffers from schizophrenia, was released without ceremony in the north of the Strip.

The mausoleum in the Burj al-Barajneh neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs, where Nasrallah will be laid to rest. (Credit: Lucile Wasserman)

Lebanon

Ali Sherri, Yemeni political leader of the Zaydite party Hezb al-Haqq (the Party of Justice, or Truth, depending on the translation), told L'Orient-Le Jour that “only one plane from Yemen was able to land in Beirut two days ago, due to the restrictions imposed on Sanaa airport,” by the Houthis, in Yemen's capital.

"The Sayyed is our first master, and we are here to pay tribute to him,” he said, emotionally. According to him, “if these restrictions had not been in force, thousands of Yemenis, without exaggeration, would have made the trip to attend Hassan Nasrallah's funeral.”

"Words cannot describe how exceptional Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was," who, Sherri added, now in tears, “gave us back our pride,”

Occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have raided the West Bank homes of a number of Palestinians who are expected to be freed by Israel this afternoon as part of a seventh hostage exchange, Al Jazeera reports. Israeli soldiers threatened the soon-to-be-released detainees' families and demanded they not hold any celebratory events, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office (ASRA).

The monitor reports that homes were stormed in villages and towns in Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem. Israeli forces threatened families ahead of previous releases during the cease-fire and prevented families from getting near the military detention centers from which their loved ones were released.

(Credit: Lucille Wasserman/L'Orient Today)

Lebanon

Two posters hang side-by-side from a building in Beirut's southern suburbs. On the left, slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, assassinated by Israel in September and who will be laid to rest tomorrow. On the right, a caricature of Morgan Ortagus, U.S. President Donald Trump's deputy special envoy to the region under Steve Witkoff. The poster reads "You and your ally Israel have been defeated, crushed. You're not welcome."

Ortagus caused quite a stir during her visit to Beirut in February when she made hostile comments against Hezbollah and wore a ring adorned with the Star of David during her meeting with President Joseph Aoun. Israel killed almost 4,000 people in Lebanon, the majority civilians, in its massive bombing campaign against the country's south and east. Ortagus posted a photo online on Sunday in which she is holding a rocket, standing next to a Lebanese soldier.

(Screenshot via Reuters)

Gaza

The second hostage release of the day has been completed with the Red Cross convoy departing from Nuseirat in central Gaza with three hostages released by Hamas: Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert. The Israeli army confirmed shortly after that it had received the three men, who were all abducted from the Nova music festival. Two hostages were released this morning in Rafah and the sixth hostage will be released without ceremony in northern Gaza.

The three men were seen waving and smiling on stage in Nuseirat, flanked by Hamas fighters in front of the largest crowd yet to have gathered to witness a release. During the handover, Cohen, in the center, kissed the forehead of the fighter standing next to him.

The six Israeli captives already released or due to be released today by Hamas. (Credit: AFP)

Lebanon

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend Hassan Nasrallah's funeral tomorrow in Beirut, with more than 400,000 people from Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman having already arrived in the capital ahead of the event, according to a report from local outlet al-Diyar. Airfares have jumped to as high as $2,000 and hotels are at 90 percent capacity.

Gaza

According to Haaretz, the Israeli army is expecting one of the four hostages slated to be released in Nuseirat this afternoon to be released in a third location elsewhere in Gaza. The first two hostages this morning were released in Rafah, and Red Cross has arrived in Nuseirat for the second exchange.

Al Jazeera simultaneously reported that Hisham al-Sayed, a 37-year-old Bedouin Israeli who wandered into Gaza under unclear circumstances in 2015, will be handed over without ceremony in Gaza City in the north of the enclave, citing Palestinian sources. According to Human Rights Watch, in the years before he ended up in Gaza, Sayed was diagnosed with an "acute psychotic disorder" and schizophrenia. He has been held in the besieged enclave for 10 years.

Lebanon

Iranian Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf will be in Lebanon tomorrow for the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, AFP reports, citing Iranian media.

"Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and a number of parliamentarians, as well as state officials, will leave for Lebanon on Sunday to attend Nasrallah's funeral,” MP Alireza Salimi told the state-run IRNA agency today. Last night, Fars news agency reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was to accompany Ghalibaf to the ceremony.

Gaza

A convoy of Red Cross vehicles has arrived at the location for today’s hostage release in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, Al Jazeera reports. Four Israeli captives are expected to be released in the presence of a large group of civilian onlookers and Palestinian fighters, completing Hamas' end of the seventh hostage exchange, which will also include Israel freeing 602 Palestinians. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from ground, said the crowd is the largest seen at any of the previous handover ceremonies, but that the situation is under control.

Gaza

Hamas says it is ready to move to the second phase of the Gaza cease-fire deal and to carry out a comprehensive hostage-prisoner exchange to achieve a permanent cease-fire and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, Reuters reports. On Wednesday, Hamas said it was ready to release all hostages still held in Gaza “at once” during the second phase.

The first stage of the cease-fire expires on March 1 after 42 days. Negotiations for the second phase, while significantly delayed, were ultimately launched in Qatar on Tuesday.

West Bank

Two Palestinian children were shot and killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank yesterday. Ayman Nasser al-Haymouny, 12, was killed in Hebron while 13-year-old Rimas al-Amouri was shot in the Jenin governorate, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Israeli forces opened fire on Haymouny while he was visiting relatives and Amouri was shot in the abdomen while standing in the courtyard of her family home, Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) reported.

The killings come as the Israeli military carries out large-scale raids across the occupied West Bank for several weeks now, including in Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin and Nablus overnight.

Gaza

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club announced that 602 Palestinian prisoners will be freed in exchange for the six hostages released from Gaza, including 50 Palestinians who were given life sentences. One hundred and eight of the prisoners are to be expelled from the Palestinian territories, unable to return to their homes.

Since the beginning of the truce on Jan. 17, 23 Israeli hostages, including four bodies, have been handed over to Israel in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians held by Israel. A total of 33 hostages, including eight dead, are to be exchanged for 1,900 Palestinian detainees by March 1.

Gaza

Nael Barghouti, the longest-serving political prisoner in Palestine and, by some counts, the world, is set to be released today after nearly 45 years in jail. He was first jailed in 1978, then freed as part of a hostage exchange in 2011, and then detained again three years later. Barghouti is one of the 217 detainees being released by Israel who will immediately be deported, though it's unclear where to.

While still behind bars, Barghouti was slated to run in the May 2021 Legislative Elections as a candidate on Hamas' "Jerusalem Is Our Promise" list, but the elections were ultimately cancelled by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a move that was opposed by most Palestinian factions and that some analysts say was the result of internal rivalries within Fatah.

Gaza

The cease-fire between Hamas and Israel has threatened to collapse several times since it came into effect on Jan. 17. Despite these tensions, Hamas confirmed that it would release six Israeli hostages as planned today and claims they are the last living captives due to return to Israel by March 1, when the first phase of the cease-fire agreement concludes.

According to the Hostage Families Forum, the captives are Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, taken on Oct. 7, as well as Hicham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, both of whom wandered into Gaza some 10 years ago and have been hostage ever since.

Gaza

Hamas will hold two successive ceremonies today in the Gaza Strip for the release of six hostages. One will take place in Rafah, during which two hostages will be released, and one will follow in Nousseirat, in central Gaza, where four hostages will be freed. According to Haaretz, teams from the International Red Cross have arrived in the south of Rafah to prepare for the transfer of the hostages.

The body returned to Israel yesterday has been identified as that of Shiri Bibas, who was taken hostage along with her two sons Ariel and Kfir, during the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Bibas was supposed to be included among the bodies transferred over to Israel on Thursday, along with those of her two sons, but DNA testing of the remains revealed they were of an unidentified woman.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the region, notably the ongoing hostage exchange between Hamas and Israel, and the ongoing Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon of five areas along the border after the deadline for Israeli troops to withdraw from all Lebanese territory.

Tomorrow is the funeral for Hassan Nasrallah and his cousin and presumed successor, Hashem Saffiedine, who were both killed in massive bombing attacks against Beirut's southern suburbs that killed a yet-unknown number of civilians during the all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah last fall.