Netanyahu reportedly considering restarting war or halting exchanges to pressure Hamas, Israeli media says | LIVE

That concludes our live coverage of regional events for today. Thanks for joining us, we'll be back tomorrow morning with more reporting and analysis. Goodnight!

Lebanon

Islamic Jihad's armed wing, Seraya al-Quds, announced in a statement the death of one of its fighters, Abdelaziz al-Sahli, who hailed from Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in Saida. His body was found under rubble in the border village of Aita al-Shaab, in southern Lebanon's Bint Jbeil. Search and rescue and clearing operations are still underway in border villages devastated by Israeli bombardment and then further destroyed by occupying Israeli troops during the cease-fire.

Lebanon

Israeli warplanes and drones flew at low altitudes over several regions of the Bekaa and Hermel district, our correspondent in the region, Sarah Abdallah, reports.

Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly not interested in holding talks regarding phase two of the hostage deal, the Kan public broadcaster reported, cited by Times of Israel.

Instead, he is considering either restarting the war against Gaza for a brief period of time in order to pressure Hamas, or allowing the cease-fire to remain in place without any hostage-prisoner swaps, while giving mediators the time to pressure Hamas to additional concessions, Kan says.

According to Israel's army radio, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will not be arriving to the region at the beginning of next week as expected.

“Without significant American pressure, it will be difficult to extend phase 1 [of the cease-fire deal],” anonymous sources involved in the negotiations were quoted as saying by the radio.

The U.S. and Israel

The United States has announced that it approved the sale of $3 billion worth of munitions, bulldozers and other equipment to Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio  approved the sale to Israel of more than $2.5 billion worth of bombs, warheads and guidance kits, and nearly $300 million worth of bulldozers and other equipment, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) explained in a statement.

This is the second multi-billion-dollar sale from Washington to Tel Aviv in the space of a few weeks. In early February, the Trump administration had already approved the sale of bombs, munitions and missiles worth a total of $7.4 billion to Israel, which has been accused of genocide in both world courts.

Occupied West Bank

On the first day of Ramadan, Israeli military bulldozers demolished at least 11 buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reports.

In a report cited by Al Jazeera, Nihad al-Shawish, head of the camp’s Popular Committee, told the Anadolu news agency “several military bulldozers stormed the al-Manshiya neighborhood” and destroyed residential buildings. Israeli soldiers forced residents to evacuate, saying they were preparing for “large-scale detonations,” he said.

“The army has ordered all residents of the camp to leave,” al-Shawish said.

According to the U.N., at least 55 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the incursion was launched in January. The destructive and deadly assault has also displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians.

Gaza

In the past few days, Israeli troops have been drilling for a potential rapid return to areas in Gaza from which they withdrew under the current cease-fire, including a return to the Netzarim Corridor, Channel 12 reports. According to the Israeli outlet, the drills also include the forced displacement, yet again, of Palestinians from northern to southern Gaza.

Two Israeli army divisions are currently deployed to a buffer zone on the Gaza border, including the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border.

The Channel 12 report says Israel's Southern Command is on "heightened alert" and readying for a potential return to fighting at short notice, as Israel stalls talks for the next phase of the cease-fire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz are set to meet tomorrow along with other security officials to discuss preparations for a potential return to warfare in Gaza, and a review of all potential war fronts, the channel reports.

Syria

CENTCOM, the U.S. military command for the Middle East, announced in a statement that it had carried out an air strike in northwest Syria, “targeting and killing” Mohammed Youssouf Ziya Talay, the top military leader of Hurras al-Din, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.

The U.S. military bombed Syria over 70 times shortly after the fall of Assad, and has launched dozens of airstrikes targeting Islamic State and al-Qaeda since, including at least two directly targetting Hurras al-Din, in late January and mid-February.

On Thursday, CBS news reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had rolled back Biden-era limitations on American commanders, giving them more leeway to authorize airstrikes and special operation raids outside conventional battlefields, broadening the range of people who can be targeted.

Gaza

Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are protesting in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, as the first stage of the cease-fire comes to a close with no news of an agreement on the second.

"My brother was sacrificed by Netanyahu and his partners, who deliberately torpedoed a series of deals, for criminal, political and personal interests," said Danny Elgarat, the brother of Itzik Elgarat, whose body was returned to Israel on Thursday. "And they are doing it now. Even now we see how Netanyahu is sabotaging the deal and is torpedoing the next stage."

According to Associated Press, 59 hostages remain in Gaza, including 32 declared dead by Israel. Thirteen are soldiers and five are non-Israelis.

Gaza

The armed wing of Hamas has released a video showing a group of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, as uncertainty remains over what form the truce between Israel and the Palestinian movement might take from Sunday.

The video, which was posted on Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades' Telegram account shows three people, one of whom is the recently freed hostage Iair Horn as he is parting from his brother Eitan, still in captivity in Gaza. A third calls in Hebrew for the Israeli government to release him. At the end of the video, a message warns that “only a cease-fire agreement will bring them back alive.”

Cease-fire negotiations are up in the air, with the first phase set to expire today, the Israeli delegation having left Cairo yesterday with no progress made and no word on when negotiations for the second phase will recommence.

Gaza cease-fire

Hamas affirmed its determination to implement “the remaining stages” of the truce agreement with Israel, adding that it rejects the “presence of foreign forces” on Gaza Strip territory.

“We affirm our determination to complete the remaining stages of the agreement leading to a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire, the complete withdrawal of the occupying forces from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction and the lifting of the siege,” the movement wrote in an official statement to the Arab League participants, which are holding an extraordinary summit in Cairo on March 4 to discuss the Gaza cease-fire and U.S. President Donald Trump's announced plans for the region.

Gaza Cease-fire

No result has been announced from the ongoing negotiations in Cairo on the second phase of the cease-fire in Gaza, between an Israeli delegation and mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.

“The second phase is supposed to start tomorrow, Sunday,” a senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity, accusing Israel of continuing to "play for time and violate the agreement."

South Lebanon

Israeli fighter jets flew at low altitudes over the villages around Sour, Zahrani and Iqlim al-Touffah, according to our correspondent.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent envoys to Cairo on Thursday to discuss the second phase with Egyptian, Qatari, and U.S. mediators and was set to hold a security meeting later that night, according to Israeli media.

“The concerned parties have begun intensive discussions to examine the next phases of the cease-fire agreement, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of previously agreed-upon terms,” the Egyptian government announced Thursday.

However, as of this morning, there were no signs of consensus or indications that a Hamas delegation had arrived in the Egyptian capital.

Experts contacted by AFP believe the first phase of the cease-fire will likely be extended, as Israel prefers this scenario, who they say holds the upper hand.

“One thing is certain — the second phase will not start tomorrow [Saturday], but the cease-fire is unlikely to be broken either,” said Max Rodenbeck, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, on Friday.

The agreement includes a clause that automatically extends the first phase as long as negotiations for the second phase are ongoing.

Negotiations over a cease-fire coincide with the start of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, on Saturday. Amid the rubble of a war-ravaged neighborhood in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, residents hung traditional lanterns, and worshippers gathered for Tarawih, the nightly Ramadan prayers, in mosques across the territory.

Good morning, thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the cease-fires in Lebanon and Gaza and the events in the region. Today marks the last day of the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire, as uncertainty looms over future developments.

The first phase of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip ends today, but negotiations over the next stage — meant to ensure a permanent end to the war — have yet to reach a conclusion, even hours before the deadline.

The cease-fire, which took effect on Jan. 19, paused hostilities after 15 months of brutal conflict in the enclave. The agreement consists of three phases, each lasting 42 days.

During the first phase, which faced multiple near-breakdowns, Hamas released 25 hostages held in Gaza and returned the bodies of eight others. In exchange, Israel freed about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.

The second phase of the fragile truce is set to begin Sunday. It is expected to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas and hundreds more Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

A third phase would focus on the reconstruction of Gaza, a project the U.N. estimates will cost more than $53 billion.