Palestinian groups say will release three Israeli captives on Saturday

TNA’s live coverage of the latest from the war on Gaza concludes for today.

Join us again at 0800 GMT for updates from the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has published a video showing Israeli hostage Sasha Troufanov, who is set to be released on Saturday.

The footage reportedly shows Troufanov walking along a beach in Gaza. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, his family has requested that the video and its images not be shared publicly.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed the death of 19-year-old Adel Ahmed Adel Bishkar, who was fatally shot by Israeli forces in Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Authority’s commission of prisoners’ affairs has released the names of 369 Palestinian detainees set to be freed on Saturday as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.

• Only eight will be welcomed by crowds in the occupied West Bank.
• Four will return to their homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
• Twenty-four serving life sentences will be exiled to Egypt.
• The remaining 333 were detained from Gaza after 7 October 2023 and will be sent back.

Iran barred Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Iran on Friday, in a standoff after Lebanon blocked an Iranian civilian flight following what Tehran described as an Israeli threat to attack it.

Lebanon halted an Iranian flight to Beirut this week after the Israeli military accused Tehran of using civilian aircraft to smuggle cash to Beirut to arm Hezbollah.

Iran said it would not allow Lebanese flights to land until its own flights were cleared to land in Beirut.

The standoff has left dozens of Lebanese citizens stranded in Iran for three days after attending a religious pilgrimage. They had been due to return to Beirut on Iran's Mahan Air before Lebanon barred the plane from landing.

Dozens of Hezbollah supporters cut off roads around Beirut's airport late on Thursday and Friday in protest.

The outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was injured on Friday after a convoy taking peacekeepers to the airport was "violently attacked," the mission said.

UNIFIL demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice, it said in a statement.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and army both condemned the attack in separate statements and said urgent measures would be taken to identify and arrest the attackers and prevent any violation of civil peace.

Shi'ite Amal movement, a Hezbollah ally, also said "the attack on UNIFIL is an attack on southern Lebanon," describing blocking of the roads as "a stab at civil peace."

Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN special rapporteur on judicial independence, has strongly criticised Trump’s sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling them a "direct assault on the international justice system."

Speaking to Turkish news agency Anadolu, Satterthwaite condemned the move against ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, warning it undermines global efforts to uphold the rule of law.

"[It’s a] direct attack on the international justice system. This is a court that was set up in order to once again try to found the primacy of law over conflict, over violence, and it’s a court that is set up to look at the very most grave crimes under international law," she said.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon demanded a "full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities" Friday after one of its vehicles was torched, wounding its outgoing deputy commander.

"Attacks on peacekeepers are flagrant violations of international law and may amount to war crimes," the UNIFIL peacekeeping force said. "We demand a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice."

Statement:

This evening a UNIFIL convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was violently attacked, and a vehicle was set on fire. UNIFIL’s outgoing Deputy Force Commander, who was returning home after ending his mission, was injured.

— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) February 14, 2025

The Lebanese army pledged Friday to take firm action against those behind the torching of a UN peacekeeping vehicle on the Beirut airport road, which had been cut by Hezbollah supporters for a second evening.

"Several areas, particularly the area around the airport... have been the scene of demonstrations marked by acts of vandalism and clashes, including assaults on members of the armed forces and attacks against vehicles" of the United Nations, the army posted on X, adding that troops would take "firm action to prevent any breach of public order and arrest troublemakers".

A vehicle emblazoned with the logo of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon was torched late Friday as supporters of Lebanese group Hezbollah again blocked the road to Beirut airport, according to news agency AFP.

The charred vehicle lay abandoned by the roadside as troops deployed in response to the protest.

There was no immediate confirmation of how the vehicle was set alight but it was the second straight day that Hezbollah supporters had blocked the road in protest at a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing.

For the first time, a UNIFIL SUV is on fire near Beirut Airport Road, where protesters are blocking streets for the night to pressure the government to resume Iran-Lebanon flights after Israel demanded they stop. #Lebanon #UNIFIL #Beirut pic.twitter.com/F2RqXNGver

— Hadi Htt | هادي حطيط (@HadiHtt) February 14, 2025

At least one United Nations' peacekeeper was wounded on Friday after Hezbollah supporters set a UN car alight near Beirut airport, a Lebanese security source told news agency Reuters.

There was no immediate comment from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. 

Hamas expects indirect negotiations with Israel for the second phase of an ongoing truce in Gaza to begin "early next week", an official of the Palestinian group said Friday.

"We expect the second phase of the ceasefire negotiations to begin early next week, and mediators are continuing discussions on this matter," Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said.

Another source familiar with the talks told news agency AFP that "mediators informed Hamas that they hope to start the second phase of negotiations next week in Doha".

Under the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States -- which came into effect on January 19 -- negotiations for the second phase were due to start on February 3.

The 42-day phase one revolves around the release of 33 Israeli captives in exchange for around 1,900 people, most of them Palestinian, being held in Israeli jails.

The second phase is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.

Hamas has said repeatedly that it is prepared to begin the second phase of negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the departure of a negotiating team to Doha on February 8 to discuss technical details of the ongoing agreement but it was not mandated to discuss phase two.

A group of Arab states at the United Nations has reaffirmed that Gaza should be part of an independent Palestinian state, rejecting former US President Donald Trump’s proposal to seize control of the enclave, displace its residents, and transform it into a large development project dubbed the "riviera of the Middle East."

"We, the Arab countries, want to see a riviera- a Palestinian Gazan Riviera in the independent and internationally recognised State of Palestine," a representative said in a video shared by the State of Palestine on social media.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has stated that an Arab-supported Egyptian initiative aims to rebuild the Gaza Strip without forcing Palestinians from their homes.

Speaking in Paris during a meeting with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, on the sidelines of a conference on Syria, Safadi reaffirmed opposition to any forced displacement of Palestinians, according to the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.

The statement also noted that both diplomats rejected former US President Donald Trump’s proposal to seize control of Gaza and relocate its residents to Jordan, Egypt, and other countries.

Earlier this week, Egypt announced it was developing a "comprehensive vision" for Gaza’s reconstruction—devastated by 15 months of Israeli bombardment—without displacing its population.

Jordan and Egypt are reportedly facing increasing US pressure to accept Palestinian refugees, a move widely condemned by Palestinians and Arab leaders.

An official in Gaza reports that Israel has yet to permit the entry of mobile homes, caravans, or heavy machinery for clearing rubble into the Palestinian enclave.

"No caravans, heavy equipment or machinery of those stationed on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing have entered Gaza so far," said Salama Maarouf, head of the Government Media Office, in a statement.

However, Maarouf expressed optimism that these supplies might be allowed in soon, citing "reassurances from relevant parties."

"We await its [Israel’s] commitment to the ceasefire agreement and the start of bringing in all necessary supplies listed under the [ceasefire] humanitarian protocol in the specified quantities and agreed schedule," he added.

He also highlighted the scale of the crisis, noting that nearly 1.5 million people have been left homeless due to the destruction of their homes, while Gaza’s entire population of 2.3 million endures severe shortages of basic services and a complete infrastructure collapse.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US counterpart Marco Rubio discussed Syria, Gaza, and the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as bilateral issues during their first in-person meeting in Munich on Friday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

Fidan told Rubio about Turkey's views on measures that regional countries in the Middle East can take against the Islamic State group, the source said, adding he had also called for the ceasefire in Gaza to be made permanent.

The two also "extensively discussed" possible developments on the achievement of peace between Ukraine and Russia, the source said.

Time is running out to get an accord to rein in Iran's nuclear programme as Tehran continues to accelerate its enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade, the UN's nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Friday.

Speaking to Reuters, Grossi said he had still not been able to have political consultations with the new US administration on the Iran issue, but that he would likely delay issuing a comprehensive report beyond on its nuclear activities beyond March because it would add little value to what had already been reported.

"I think we are running out of time, but it doesn't mean that we can't do it fast. The IAEA is there and has all the information and elements, but when it comes to the policy it's up to the countries," Grossi said in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Iran's foreign ministry on Friday accused Israel of disrupting flights between Tehran and the Lebanese capital Beirut.

"The threat by the Zionist regime to a passenger plane carrying Lebanese citizens has disrupted normal flights to Beirut Airport," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement.

Hamas prisoners' media office says Israel is expected to release 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Saturday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the administration of US President Donald Trump was making "wrong calculations" regarding the Middle East, adding that heeding "Zionist lies" would only exacerbate conflicts.

Turkey has rejected Trump's plan to remove the more than 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and claim US control of it. It has also said Israel's assault on Gaza amounted to a genocide, while calling for international measures against its government.

"Unfortunately, the United States is making a wrong calculation about our region. One should not be engaged in an approach that disregards the region's history, values, and accumulation," he said, according to a transcript of comments to journalists on a return flight from Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Erdogan said he expected Trump to realise his election campaign promises of taking steps for peace, rather than create new conflicts.

He said he saw no real signs of a ceasefire in Gaza despite a truce agreement between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, and added the Muslim world had still not been able to take a collective step on the issue.

Turkey will not allow "terrorist organisations" to take shelter in northern Syria and will not hesitate to take action in that regard, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

The new Syrian administration under Ahmed al-Sharaa appears to be determined to fight those terrorist organisations, Erdogan said, according to a transcript of his remarks to journalists on his return flight from a trip to Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Erdogan added that he discussed steps to be taken against those organisations during his meeting with Sharaa in Ankara earlier this month.

Ankara designates Kurdish-led armed factions as terrorists.

Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit this month on Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, a close source to the Saudi government said Friday.

The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will attend the summit, which will take place ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on February 27 on the same issue, the source said.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in Gaza said it will release one captive on Saturday, after Hamas announced earlier Friday that it would release three on the same day.

Islamic Jihad said it would release Russian-Israeli Alexandre Sasha Troufanov as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Syria's central bank said that an unspecified amount of Syrian currency had arrived at Damascus airport from Russia, where Syrian banknotes were printed under the rule of toppled president Bashar al-Assad, Syria's state news agency SANA reported on Friday.

The Vatican's lead diplomat on Thursday criticised President Donald Trump's plan for the US to displace Palestinians from Gaza and "take over" the territory, in the second rebuke of a Trump policy by a top Catholic official this week.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, said Palestinians must be allowed to remain on their territory. "No deportations, and this is one of the fundamental points," he said at an event in Rome late on Thursday evening.

"Whoever was born and has lived in Gaza must remain on their land," the cardinal said, according to the Vatican's official news outlet.

Parolin reiterated the Vatican's long-standing call for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Parolin's remarks came two days after Pope Francis also sharply criticised the Trump administration, issuing an unusual open letter to rebuke its recent crackdown on immigrants living in the US.

Fourteen Palestinian children, many with cancer, have been flown to Italy for medical treatment, the latest among dozens brought from Gaza following the war, the foreign ministry said Friday.

The children and their families, a total of 45 people, had on Wednesday crossed the Rafah border from Gaza into Egypt, where they underwent medical checks at the Italian hospital in Cairo, officials said.

They were flown to Italy on an Italian military plane, and greeted at Rome's Ciampino airport on Thursday evening by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Some of the children were due to be treated in the capital, the others heading north for treatment in hospitals including in Turin and Milan, a ministry spokesman said.

Two of the children disembarked in Rome were headed for the Vatican's Bambino Gesu hospital, which treated nine other Palestinian children last year. All those nine, ranging from one to 15 years old, have been discharged, a hospital spokesman told AFP.

The Israeli army continued carrying out raids across the occupied West Bank overnight and into Friday morning, Palestinian media reported.

Some areas which witnessed raids were in the city of Tulkarem, the nearby suburb of Thinnabeh, as well as the Askar refugee camp east of the city of Nablus, as well as the village of Jaba south of Jenin.

Israeli forces arrested one Palestinian youth east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday after pursuing him with a quad copter drone, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Western nations joined key players in the Middle East on Thursday in a pledge of support for war-torn Syria's delicate transition after the fall of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad.

Around 20 countries including Arab nations, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Japan agreed at the close of a conference in Paris to "work together to ensure the success of the transition in a process led by Syria".

The meeting's final statement also pledged support for Syria's new authorities in the fight against "all forms of terrorism and extremism".

The United States was notably absent from the list of signatories of the conference's final statement. A French diplomatic source said President Donald Trump's administration was still deciding its approach to Syria.

🔴 LIVE | Press conference by @jnbarrot on the Paris Conference on #Syria https://t.co/umyU2dvacx

— France Diplomacy 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo_EN) February 13, 2025

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has facilitated the ongoing captive-prisoner swaps between Israel and Hamas, said Friday it was "very concerned" about the condition of the remaining captives held in Gaza.

"The latest release operations reinforce the urgent need for ICRC access to those held hostage. We remain very concerned about the conditions of the hostages," the Red Cross said in a statement on X.