Netanyahu says Rafah crossing to remain shut 'until further notice' after several reports of a reopening | LIVE

That concludes our live coverage of events for today. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back again tomorrow morning as we continue to follow the latest news updates. Goodnight!

Netanyahu says Rafah crossing shut until all hostages' bodies are returned

Netanyahu has ordered Rafah border crossing, the only one to one not leading into Israel, but which is under Israeli control, "to remain closed until further notice," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement cited by Haaretz.

"Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfills its obligations to return the hostages and the bodies of the deceased, and to implement the agreed-upon terms" of the ceasefire, the office added.

Earlier today, the World Health Organization told Haaretz that the crossing between Egypt and Gaza would open on Monday for the transfer of sick and wounded. The Palestinian Embassy in Cairo also said it would open on Monday for the return of Palestinians into Gaza.

Israeli media says Azerbaijan has agreed to contribute soldiers to 'International Stabilization Force' in Gaza

Egyptian honour guards march to take their positions during a welcoming ceremony for US President Donald Trump upon his arrival at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in Sharm al-Sheikh on Oct. 13, 2025, to attend a summit on Gaza. (Credit: Saul Lo

Azerbaijan has agreed to contribute troops to Trump's "International Stabilization Force" (ISF) meant to act as an international security force in post-war Gaza, Times of Israel reports, citing three government officials familiar with the matter.

To date, Indonesia is the only country to publicly commit to contributing troops to the ISF, declaring that it would send 20,000 soldiers as part of a mission that, according to a Guardian report, the U.S. and certain European states are aiming to have granted a U.N. mandate. A U.N. Security Council motion is currently being drafted to this end. These same parties are pushing for Egypt to lead the force.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, during a multilateral meeting on the U.N. General Assembly sidelines last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Trump that Ankara was also prepared to send forces to Gaza.

It’s unclear whether Israel will allow the presence of Turkish forces in Gaza, though, amid the collapse of ties between the two countries since the start of the Gaza war.

Rafah crossing to reopen on Monday, Palestinian embassy in Egypt announces

The Palestinian embassy in Egypt said Palestinian citizens living in Egypt who want to return to Gaza will be able to do so through the Rafah border crossing starting on Monday, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the embassy called on anyone who wishes to travel to register ahead of time.

It added that the embassy “will communicate with citizens and inform them of the gathering times and locations in preparation for movement towards the Rafah border crossing."

The border crossing has been largely closed since May 2024.

Jewish film festival in Sweden postponed after cinemas wont screen films, citing security concerns

The organizers of the Jewish International Film Festival say they were forced to postpone the event because cinemas in Malmö, Sweden, would not screen the films, with some citing safety and security concerns, the Associated Press reports.

This year's Jewish International Film Festival was supposed to celebrate 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden and was scheduled to run Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, according to its website.

The organizers, in a statement posted on the website on Thursday, said they were “stonewalled by all commercial and art-house cinemas in the city.”

As frustration rose globally toward Israel's continuation of the military offensive against Gaza — which has since halted through a truce agreement brokered by the U.S. — violent acts targeting Jewish people and religious sites have also been on the rise.

Israel kills bulldozer driver in drone strike in Sour district

The excavator driven by Ahmed Baalbaki, which was attacked with three missiles by an Israeli drone on Oct. 18, 2025, killing him. (Photo sent to L'Orient Today by residents)

A man was killed by an Israeli drone that fired three missiles at the excavator he was operating in the area between the town of Deir Kifa, in Sour district, and the town of Kfar Dounin in neighboring Bint Jbeil district.

According to our correspondent in the South, the victim, whose name is Ahmed Baalbaki, was still alive when ambulances arrived on the scene, but later succumbed to his injuries.

170,000 people in Gaza need surgery that cannot be performed in the enclave

The director of the Medical Relief Society in Gaza said that 170,000 injured individuals require surgical procedures that cannot be carried out due to a lack of medical equipment in the besieged enclave, according to Al Jazeera.

Israel continues to keep the Rafah border crossing with Egypt closed and is blocking other key crossings, preventing large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Humanitarian organizations, the U.N., and Palestinian authorities say the border crossings must also be opened for medical evacuations.

Witkoff to travel to Israel tomorrow evening as Israel lobbies US to pressure Hamas

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Israel tomorrow evening, Axios reported last night. The Axios report was followed this morning by news in Israeli media that U.S. Vice President JD Vance would also be in Israel on Monday.

According to Axios, Witkoff's meetings in Israel will be geared toward moving Trump's cease-fire deal past the first stage, which has been largely successful so far.

However, Israel is apparently pressuring Trump to, in turn, pressure Hamas into returning the bodies of deceased hostages faster. Hamas has repeatedly stated that locating and unearthing the hostages' bodies from underneath the rubble of Israeli bombardment is proving a difficult task.

In a phone call, Trump told Netanyahu he is aware of the problem and is working on it, Axios reports, citing an Israeli official.

"We think Hamas is holding between seven to ten bodies that it can return at any minute. They choose not to do it and are creating a crisis,: the official claimed.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has said it received a report of an incident 116 nautical miles (214 km) east of the Yemeni port of Aden, in which a vessel was hit by an unknown projectile, causing a fire, Reuters reports. Authorities were investigating, UKMTO added.

Gaza receives bodies of 15 deceased Palestinians as hostage exchange continues

Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza today, bringing the total number handed over to 135, the Gaza Health Ministry announced in a statement cited by AFP.

As part of the first stage of the cease-fire deal brokered Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned. This latest round of exchanges started with Hamas sending the body of a 75-year-old Kibbutz Nir Oz resident last night.

There are 18 remaining bodies of hostages left in Gaza. Hamas has reiterated the difficulty of both locating and retrieving the bodies amid the mass destruction caused by Israeli bombardment against the Strip. A senior Turkish official said last week that Turkey would take part in a joint task force along with Israel, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt to assist in the search.

UN aid chief foresees 'massive job' in rebuilding Gaza as he tours the devastated Strip

The United Nations' aid chief took stock of the monumental task of restoring basic necessities in the devastated Gaza Strip today, as a cease-fire entered its second week.

In a short convoy of white U.N. jeeps, relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team wound their way through the twisted rubble of shattered homes.

Surveying the damaged pumping equipment and a grim lake of sewage at the Sheikh Radwan wastewater plant, Fletcher told AFP the task ahead for the U.N. and aid agencies was a "massive, massive job."

The British diplomat said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes trying to dig latrines in the ruins. "They're telling me that most of all they want dignity," he said. "We've got to get the power back on so we can start to get the sanitation system back in place.

"We have a massive 60 day plan now to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school."

Vance due in Israel on Monday to discuss next stages of cease-fire

U.S. Vice President JD Vance plans to visit Israel on Monday to discuss the progress of the deal to return slain hostages in Gaza and end the war, Times of Israel reports, citing Israel's Channel 12 news.

Vance will also discuss advancing to the second stage of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which concerns Hamas' disarmament and the establishment of an international authority to administer Gaza. In its response to the cease-fire proposal, Hamas agreed to the first stage, which includes hostages exchanges and Israel's partial withdrawal, but said that discussions around the further stages would need to take place "within a unified Palestinian national framework."

ICC rejects Israeli appeal of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

The International Criminal Court rejected Israel's bid to appeal against arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over the Gaza war, AFP reports.

In a November ruling that made headlines around the world, the ICC found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The ICC also issued arrest warrants for three top leaders from Hamas but dropped these after they were all killed by Israel.

The warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant — who have overseen Israel's onslaught against Gaza and the killing of tens of thousands of people — sparked outrage in Israel and also in the United States, which has since slapped sanctions on top ICC officials.

Hamas returns 10th hostage body, identified by Israel as Nir Oz resident

Netanyahu's office announced this morning that the body of a deceased hostage Hamas returned overnight has been identified as 75-year-old Eliyahu Margalit, AFP reports.

According to a military statement, Margalit was killed at Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack. This brings the number of remaining hostages' bodies in Gaza to 18, out of an initial 28.

The Israeli military "informed the family of the abductee Eliyahu Margalit... that [the body of] their loved one has been returned to Israel and his identification has been completed," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

It added that "we will not compromise... and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen abductees, down to the last one."

The remains of the hostage who died in captivity were transferred to Israeli security forces in Gaza via the Red Cross, and returned to Israel for identification at a medical analysis center, the office stated last night.

Nobel Peace Prize winner calls Netanyahu to tell him she 'greatly appreciates' his 'actions during the war'

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado called Netanyahu yesterday, reportedly hailing the fight against "totalitarian forces," in what Israel presented as an endorsement of its Gaza offensive.

In a post on X, Netanyahu's office said Machado told the Israeli leader she "greatly appreciates his decisions and resolute actions in the course of the war" — in which Israel killed more than 68,000 people — and also praised the "agreement for the release of the hostages in Gaza."

But in a separate post on X, opposition leader Machado, who won the Nobel for leading resistance to authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro, avoided all mention of Israel and Gaza, AFP reports.

In a carefully worded statement, she said Venezuelans knew that achieving peace "requires immense courage, strength, and moral clarity to stand against the totalitarian forces that oppose us."

Read more here. 👈

Israel attacks olive harvesters in southern Lebanon

An Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade at residents harvesting olives in in Bastra, near the town of Kfar Shuba, in Hasbaya district. No injuries were reported, according to our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.

The border villages of Blida and Houla, in Marjayoun district, have asked their residents to register before heading to their olive groves this harvest season, so that they can notify Israeli forces occupying nearby Lebanese territory along the Blue Line of their movements.

The head of the Houla municipal council said the measure is meant to "ensure the safety of farmers and residents," noting that "the Israeli enemy targets everything it sees."

Israel kills 11 members of family for crossing the 'yellow line'

Israeli forces killed 11 members of a Palestinian family in Gaza late last night, the deadliest single violation of the latest Gaza cease-fire since it took effect eight days ago, Al Jazeera reports.

The seven children, three woman, and a man were killed for crossing the "yellow line" in Gaza City, an elusive demarcation for Israeli withdrawal that Palestinians without access to electricity or internet are not well informed of.

The Israeli army fired a tank shell at the civilian vehicle in which the Abu Shaaban family was riding, in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, Gaza's Civil Defense told Al Jazeera.

The family was trying to reach their home, in order to find out what condition it was in, civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a statement.

“They could have been warned or dealt with differently,” Basal said, adding that “what happened confirms that the occupation is still thirsty for blood, and insists on committing crimes against innocent civilians.”

Hamas aims to keep grip on Gaza security and as for disarmament, 'it depends,' senior official says.

Hamas intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period, a senior Hamas official told Reuters, adding that Hamas' disarmament depends on factors yet to be determined, voicing two positions that reflect the difficulties facing the American plan to secure an end to the war.

Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal also said the group was ready for a cease-fire of up to five years to rebuild devastated Gaza, with guarantees for what happens afterwards depending on Palestinians being given "horizons and hope" for statehood.

Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday in an interview from Doha, where Hamas politicians have long resided, Nazzal defended the group's crackdown in Gaza, where it carried out public executions on Monday. There were always "exceptional measures" during war, he said, adding that those executed were criminals guilty of killing.

Read the full report here. 👈

Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in the region.

We'll be focusing mostly on Gaza, where the bodies of deceased hostages are being sought out amid the rubble in order to return them to Israel, thus completing phase one of the cease-fire deal. In Gaza, Hamas has also launched a security campaign, cracking down on other armed gangs and clans in the Strip in a bid to establish control over areas previously occupied by Israel.

We'll also be focusing on southern Lebanon, where Israel has stepped up its attacks, just the latest in a non-stop stream of cease-fire violations since the agreement was reached last November. Recently, Israel has bombed a cement factory in Ansar and a facility housing excavators and bulldozers near Msayleh. Millions of dollars in damage have been incurred in what is being described as attacks against southern Lebanon's attempts to rebuild following the war.

That concludes our live coverage of events for today. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back again tomorrow morning as we continue to follow the latest news updates. Goodnight!

Netanyahu says Rafah crossing shut until all hostages' bodies are returned

Netanyahu has ordered Rafah border crossing, the only one to one not leading into Israel, but which is under Israeli control, "to remain closed until further notice," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement cited by Haaretz.

"Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfills its obligations to return the hostages and the bodies of the deceased, and to implement the agreed-upon terms" of the ceasefire, the office added.

Earlier today, the World Health Organization told Haaretz that the crossing between Egypt and Gaza would open on Monday for the transfer of sick and wounded. The Palestinian Embassy in Cairo also said it would open on Monday for the return of Palestinians into Gaza.

Israeli media says Azerbaijan has agreed to contribute soldiers to 'International Stabilization Force' in Gaza

Egyptian honour guards march to take their positions during a welcoming ceremony for US President Donald Trump upon his arrival at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in Sharm al-Sheikh on Oct. 13, 2025, to attend a summit on Gaza. (Credit: Saul Lo

Azerbaijan has agreed to contribute troops to Trump's "International Stabilization Force" (ISF) meant to act as an international security force in post-war Gaza, Times of Israel reports, citing three government officials familiar with the matter.

To date, Indonesia is the only country to publicly commit to contributing troops to the ISF, declaring that it would send 20,000 soldiers as part of a mission that, according to a Guardian report, the U.S. and certain European states are aiming to have granted a U.N. mandate. A U.N. Security Council motion is currently being drafted to this end. These same parties are pushing for Egypt to lead the force.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, during a multilateral meeting on the U.N. General Assembly sidelines last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Trump that Ankara was also prepared to send forces to Gaza.

It’s unclear whether Israel will allow the presence of Turkish forces in Gaza, though, amid the collapse of ties between the two countries since the start of the Gaza war.

Rafah crossing to reopen on Monday, Palestinian embassy in Egypt announces

The Palestinian embassy in Egypt said Palestinian citizens living in Egypt who want to return to Gaza will be able to do so through the Rafah border crossing starting on Monday, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the embassy called on anyone who wishes to travel to register ahead of time.

It added that the embassy “will communicate with citizens and inform them of the gathering times and locations in preparation for movement towards the Rafah border crossing."

The border crossing has been largely closed since May 2024.

Jewish film festival in Sweden postponed after cinemas wont screen films, citing security concerns

The organizers of the Jewish International Film Festival say they were forced to postpone the event because cinemas in Malmö, Sweden, would not screen the films, with some citing safety and security concerns, the Associated Press reports.

This year's Jewish International Film Festival was supposed to celebrate 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden and was scheduled to run Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, according to its website.

The organizers, in a statement posted on the website on Thursday, said they were “stonewalled by all commercial and art-house cinemas in the city.”

As frustration rose globally toward Israel's continuation of the military offensive against Gaza — which has since halted through a truce agreement brokered by the U.S. — violent acts targeting Jewish people and religious sites have also been on the rise.

Israel kills bulldozer driver in drone strike in Sour district

The excavator driven by Ahmed Baalbaki, which was attacked with three missiles by an Israeli drone on Oct. 18, 2025, killing him. (Photo sent to L'Orient Today by residents)

A man was killed by an Israeli drone that fired three missiles at the excavator he was operating in the area between the town of Deir Kifa, in Sour district, and the town of Kfar Dounin in neighboring Bint Jbeil district.

According to our correspondent in the South, the victim, whose name is Ahmed Baalbaki, was still alive when ambulances arrived on the scene, but later succumbed to his injuries.

170,000 people in Gaza need surgery that cannot be performed in the enclave

The director of the Medical Relief Society in Gaza said that 170,000 injured individuals require surgical procedures that cannot be carried out due to a lack of medical equipment in the besieged enclave, according to Al Jazeera.

Israel continues to keep the Rafah border crossing with Egypt closed and is blocking other key crossings, preventing large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Humanitarian organizations, the U.N., and Palestinian authorities say the border crossings must also be opened for medical evacuations.

Witkoff to travel to Israel tomorrow evening as Israel lobbies US to pressure Hamas

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Israel tomorrow evening, Axios reported last night. The Axios report was followed this morning by news in Israeli media that U.S. Vice President JD Vance would also be in Israel on Monday.

According to Axios, Witkoff's meetings in Israel will be geared toward moving Trump's cease-fire deal past the first stage, which has been largely successful so far.

However, Israel is apparently pressuring Trump to, in turn, pressure Hamas into returning the bodies of deceased hostages faster. Hamas has repeatedly stated that locating and unearthing the hostages' bodies from underneath the rubble of Israeli bombardment is proving a difficult task.

In a phone call, Trump told Netanyahu he is aware of the problem and is working on it, Axios reports, citing an Israeli official.

"We think Hamas is holding between seven to ten bodies that it can return at any minute. They choose not to do it and are creating a crisis,: the official claimed.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has said it received a report of an incident 116 nautical miles (214 km) east of the Yemeni port of Aden, in which a vessel was hit by an unknown projectile, causing a fire, Reuters reports. Authorities were investigating, UKMTO added.

Gaza receives bodies of 15 deceased Palestinians as hostage exchange continues

Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza today, bringing the total number handed over to 135, the Gaza Health Ministry announced in a statement cited by AFP.

As part of the first stage of the cease-fire deal brokered Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned. This latest round of exchanges started with Hamas sending the body of a 75-year-old Kibbutz Nir Oz resident last night.

There are 18 remaining bodies of hostages left in Gaza. Hamas has reiterated the difficulty of both locating and retrieving the bodies amid the mass destruction caused by Israeli bombardment against the Strip. A senior Turkish official said last week that Turkey would take part in a joint task force along with Israel, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt to assist in the search.

UN aid chief foresees 'massive job' in rebuilding Gaza as he tours the devastated Strip

The United Nations' aid chief took stock of the monumental task of restoring basic necessities in the devastated Gaza Strip today, as a cease-fire entered its second week.

In a short convoy of white U.N. jeeps, relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team wound their way through the twisted rubble of shattered homes.

Surveying the damaged pumping equipment and a grim lake of sewage at the Sheikh Radwan wastewater plant, Fletcher told AFP the task ahead for the U.N. and aid agencies was a "massive, massive job."

The British diplomat said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes trying to dig latrines in the ruins. "They're telling me that most of all they want dignity," he said. "We've got to get the power back on so we can start to get the sanitation system back in place.

"We have a massive 60 day plan now to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school."

Vance due in Israel on Monday to discuss next stages of cease-fire

U.S. Vice President JD Vance plans to visit Israel on Monday to discuss the progress of the deal to return slain hostages in Gaza and end the war, Times of Israel reports, citing Israel's Channel 12 news.

Vance will also discuss advancing to the second stage of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which concerns Hamas' disarmament and the establishment of an international authority to administer Gaza. In its response to the cease-fire proposal, Hamas agreed to the first stage, which includes hostages exchanges and Israel's partial withdrawal, but said that discussions around the further stages would need to take place "within a unified Palestinian national framework."

ICC rejects Israeli appeal of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

The International Criminal Court rejected Israel's bid to appeal against arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over the Gaza war, AFP reports.

In a November ruling that made headlines around the world, the ICC found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The ICC also issued arrest warrants for three top leaders from Hamas but dropped these after they were all killed by Israel.

The warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant — who have overseen Israel's onslaught against Gaza and the killing of tens of thousands of people — sparked outrage in Israel and also in the United States, which has since slapped sanctions on top ICC officials.

Hamas returns 10th hostage body, identified by Israel as Nir Oz resident

Netanyahu's office announced this morning that the body of a deceased hostage Hamas returned overnight has been identified as 75-year-old Eliyahu Margalit, AFP reports.

According to a military statement, Margalit was killed at Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack. This brings the number of remaining hostages' bodies in Gaza to 18, out of an initial 28.

The Israeli military "informed the family of the abductee Eliyahu Margalit... that [the body of] their loved one has been returned to Israel and his identification has been completed," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

It added that "we will not compromise... and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen abductees, down to the last one."

The remains of the hostage who died in captivity were transferred to Israeli security forces in Gaza via the Red Cross, and returned to Israel for identification at a medical analysis center, the office stated last night.

Nobel Peace Prize winner calls Netanyahu to tell him she 'greatly appreciates' his 'actions during the war'

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado called Netanyahu yesterday, reportedly hailing the fight against "totalitarian forces," in what Israel presented as an endorsement of its Gaza offensive.

In a post on X, Netanyahu's office said Machado told the Israeli leader she "greatly appreciates his decisions and resolute actions in the course of the war" — in which Israel killed more than 68,000 people — and also praised the "agreement for the release of the hostages in Gaza."

But in a separate post on X, opposition leader Machado, who won the Nobel for leading resistance to authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro, avoided all mention of Israel and Gaza, AFP reports.

In a carefully worded statement, she said Venezuelans knew that achieving peace "requires immense courage, strength, and moral clarity to stand against the totalitarian forces that oppose us."

Read more here. 👈

Israel attacks olive harvesters in southern Lebanon

An Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade at residents harvesting olives in in Bastra, near the town of Kfar Shuba, in Hasbaya district. No injuries were reported, according to our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.

The border villages of Blida and Houla, in Marjayoun district, have asked their residents to register before heading to their olive groves this harvest season, so that they can notify Israeli forces occupying nearby Lebanese territory along the Blue Line of their movements.

The head of the Houla municipal council said the measure is meant to "ensure the safety of farmers and residents," noting that "the Israeli enemy targets everything it sees."

Israel kills 11 members of family for crossing the 'yellow line'

Israeli forces killed 11 members of a Palestinian family in Gaza late last night, the deadliest single violation of the latest Gaza cease-fire since it took effect eight days ago, Al Jazeera reports.

The seven children, three woman, and a man were killed for crossing the "yellow line" in Gaza City, an elusive demarcation for Israeli withdrawal that Palestinians without access to electricity or internet are not well informed of.

The Israeli army fired a tank shell at the civilian vehicle in which the Abu Shaaban family was riding, in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, Gaza's Civil Defense told Al Jazeera.

The family was trying to reach their home, in order to find out what condition it was in, civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a statement.

“They could have been warned or dealt with differently,” Basal said, adding that “what happened confirms that the occupation is still thirsty for blood, and insists on committing crimes against innocent civilians.”

Hamas aims to keep grip on Gaza security and as for disarmament, 'it depends,' senior official says.

Hamas intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period, a senior Hamas official told Reuters, adding that Hamas' disarmament depends on factors yet to be determined, voicing two positions that reflect the difficulties facing the American plan to secure an end to the war.

Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal also said the group was ready for a cease-fire of up to five years to rebuild devastated Gaza, with guarantees for what happens afterwards depending on Palestinians being given "horizons and hope" for statehood.

Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday in an interview from Doha, where Hamas politicians have long resided, Nazzal defended the group's crackdown in Gaza, where it carried out public executions on Monday. There were always "exceptional measures" during war, he said, adding that those executed were criminals guilty of killing.

Read the full report here. 👈

Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in the region.

We'll be focusing mostly on Gaza, where the bodies of deceased hostages are being sought out amid the rubble in order to return them to Israel, thus completing phase one of the cease-fire deal. In Gaza, Hamas has also launched a security campaign, cracking down on other armed gangs and clans in the Strip in a bid to establish control over areas previously occupied by Israel.

We'll also be focusing on southern Lebanon, where Israel has stepped up its attacks, just the latest in a non-stop stream of cease-fire violations since the agreement was reached last November. Recently, Israel has bombed a cement factory in Ansar and a facility housing excavators and bulldozers near Msayleh. Millions of dollars in damage have been incurred in what is being described as attacks against southern Lebanon's attempts to rebuild following the war.