Israel withdraws from Netzarim Corridor as UN chief says Gaza ceasefire has averted famine

Local sources report that Israeli occupation forces have stormed the village of Beit Furik, east of Nablus. pic.twitter.com/gLNVDbIUjC

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 9, 2025

US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to taking control of Gaza on Sunday, suggesting that portions of the territory could be allocated to other Middle Eastern nations as part of a reconstruction initiative.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s proposal to expel Palestinians from Gaza, calling it a "scandal" and a clear violation of international law.  

"It’s an appalling idea, especially given the horrific devastation we are witnessing," Scholz said during a televised debate with his conservative rival, Friedrich Merz.  

Scholz criticized Trump’s suggestion to relocate Gaza’s population to Egypt and Jordan, noting that Middle Eastern countries have firmly rejected the plan. "Forcibly resettling Palestinians is unacceptable and a violation of international law," he claimed.  

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian woman, including one who was pregnant, in the Nur Shams refugee camp on Sunday, amid an expanding Israeli assault on the occupied West Bank.

Sondos Jamal Muhammad Shalabi, 23, and Rahaf Fuad Abdullah, 21, were killed during an Israeli raids on the camp located outside the city of Tulkarm in the north of the West Bank that began at dawn.

Shalabi and her husband were fired on by Israeli snipers as they were attempting to leave their home to safety during the raid, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that he is committed to buying and owning Gaza but could give sections of the land to other states in the Middle East to help in the rebuilding effort.

Trump made his remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take control of Gaza and forcibly displace its population, calling it "revolutionary".

Speaking to his cabinet, Netanyahu emphasised that both Israel and the US shared the goal of ensuring Gaza "no longer poses a threat to Israel."

He described Trump’s plan as "a completely different, much better vision for Israel—a revolutionary, creative approach".

Netanyahu further praised Trump’s determination to implement the proposal, claiming his recent visit to Washington secured "tremendous achievements" for Israel. The remarks come despite widespread global condemnation of the plan.

Breaking | The Palestinian Ministry of Health has announced the martyrdom of 20-year-old Eyas Adli Fakhri Al-Akhras, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the Nour Shams refugee camp. pic.twitter.com/4CI9bemzvU

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 9, 2025

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that there is no point to discuss what US President Donald Trump has said about a plan to take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

"From our perspective, there is nothing worth talking about the proposals brought up by the new U.S. administration regarding Gaza under the pressure of the Zionist lobby," Erdogan said in a news conference.

"This plan is completely futile...No one has the power to remove the people of Gaza from their homeland. The people of Gaza will continue to stay in Gaza, live in Gaza and protect Gaza."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday praised a proposal from President Donald Trump for US control of Gaza and the displacement of its population as "revolutionary," following his return to Israel from Washington.

Netanyahu said in an address to his cabinet that the two allies agreed on "ensuring Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel... President Trump came with a completely different, much better vision for Israel -- a revolutionary, creative approach," adding the US president is "very determined to implement it" and the visit to Washington had secured "tremendous achievements".

Hamas has accused Israel of obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza despite an ongoing ceasefire agreement.  

"Twenty-two days from the ceasefire have passed, and the Israeli occupation still hinders the implementation of the humanitarian protocol, especially the entry of tents, fuel, and heavy machinery," Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanoua said in a statement.  

He urged mediators to pressure Israel into fully adhering to the agreement, including allowing the entry of essential medical and relief supplies.

The Israeli military claims to have thwarted an arms smuggling attempt from Egypt after identifying a drone transferring weapons into Israeli territory. 

"Earlier today, forces identified a drone that crossed from Egyptian territory into Israeli territory in the Paran Brigade area. After a pursuit on the ground, the smuggling was thwarted by forces that arrived at the location and located the drone and three weapons," the army said in a statement. 

The confiscated weapons have been handed over to security forces for further investigation. It remains unclear which group was responsible for the smuggling or who the intended recipients were.

Israel’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen, has reiterated his government's push for Saudi Arabia to establish a Palestinian state within its borders. 

"Whoever wants to establish a Palestinian state in their country can do it in their country, we will not oppose it," Cohen told Israeli Army Radio. "There are Arab countries with vast territories and it is possible to establish a Palestinian state there."

Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing arrest warrants over war crimes and crimes against humanity, suggested that "the Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there".

A CBS poll has revealed that most Americans reject Donald Trump’s proposal for the US to take control of Gaza, calling it a "bad idea".

According to the survey, 47 per cent of respondents opposed the plan, while only 13 per cent supported it. Another 40 per cent were unsure or said it depended on circumstances.  

Israel’s withdrawal from a central Gaza area represents a continuation of Tel Aviv’s failure of reaching its war goals in the Palestinian territory despite 15 months of genocide, Hamas said on Sunday.

The Palestinian group’s comments came after the Israeli army said it began pulling out of the so-called Netzarim Corridor which splits the Gaza Strip in half — north and south — a key part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Both sides have carried out five exchanges of captives and detainees since the ceasefire came into effect in January, pausing Israel’s brutal offensive on the enclave since October 2023.

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The fragile ceasefire in Gaza has temporarily averted famine, allowing a surge of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.

However, United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warns that this relief is precarious and could swiftly reverse if the truce collapses.  

"The conditions are still terrible and people are still hungry," Fletcher said. "If the ceasefire breaks, then very quickly those [famine-like] conditions will come back again."  

Israeli forces are continuing their offensive on the al-Far'a refugee camp in Tubas, north of the occupied West Bank, for the eighth consecutive day.

Israeli army forced families to flee their homes and raided them, destroyed infrastructure and civilian property and interrogated civilians.

Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday despite a ceasefire being in place.

Medical sources said the forces opened fire on a group of people who were returning home near the east of Kuwait roundabout east of the city to inspect their homes after the forces withdrew from the Netzarim corridor.

An elderly woman was also killed in Khan Younis.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump was set to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and possibly Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, although he gave no dates for the talks.

Herzog did not say when or where the meetings would take place, nor did he discuss their potential content. He also noted that Trump is due to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah in the coming days, which Jordan's state news agency has already reported.

"President Trump is due to meet with major, major Arab leaders, first and foremost the king of Jordan and the president of Egypt and I think also the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well," Herzog said.

"These are partners that must be listened to, they must be discussed with. We have to honor their feels as well and see how we build a plan that is sustainable for the future," Herzog said.

(Reuters)

A long line of cars, tuk-tuks, small lorries and carts stretched along Gaza's Salaheddin Road on Sunday after Israel withdrew its forces from a strategic area bisecting the territory.

The traffic crawled slowly along the road, where mounds of earth had been piled high by now-departed Israeli bulldozers, into the eastern part of the Netzarim Corridor, which separates the northern Gaza Strip from its south.

"Indescribable," says journalist Hassan Aslih.

Scenes of extensive destruction have emerged from the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli forces this morning. pic.twitter.com/tC3M9z6ZGQ

— Nancy Abdallah🇵🇸🇾🇪🇱🇧 (@NanceAbdallah) February 9, 2025

The Israeli prime minister’s spokesman, Omer Dostri, said on Sunday that an Israeli delegation had arrived in Qatar's Doha for talks on the Gaza ceasefire. 

Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israeli forces shot dead three civilians on Sunday, while the military claimed it fired "warning shots" and hit Palestinians who had approached its troops in the territory.

Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, said there were "three martyrs and several injured as a result of Israeli occupation forces opening fire on civilians in the eastern areas of Gaza City".

He urged residents to avoid the eastern areas and Israeli military positions, emphasising the importance of following official directives.

The Israeli military acknowledged that its forces fired at individuals who approached their positions, saying, "troops advanced military vehicles and fired warning shots toward the suspects".

It added that "several hits were identified after the shots were fired, and those approaching the barrier retreated".

Famine has been mostly averted in Gaza as a surge of aid enters the territory during a fragile ceasefire, the United Nations humanitarian chief said Sunday. But he warned the threat could return quickly if the truce collapses.

Tom Fletcher spoke exclusively to The Associated Press after a two-day visit to Gaza, where hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid have arrived each day since the ceasefire began on 19 January.

“The threat of famine, I think, is largely averted,” Fletcher said in Cairo. “Those starvation levels are down from where they were before the ceasefire.”

He spoke as concerns grew over whether the ceasefire could be extended and whether talks were meant to begin on its more difficult second phase. The six-week first phase is halfway through.

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank shot dead two women on Sunday, including one who was eight months pregnant, with the military saying it had "targeted terrorists" in a raid.

Israeli forces launched an operation in the Nur Shams refugee camp, on the outskirts of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank, at dawn on Sunday, as part of an ongoing offensive in nearby camps, the military said.

The Palestinian health ministry said 23-year-old Sundus Jamal Muhammad Shalabi was killed in a pre-dawn incident, with her husband Yazan Abu Shola critically injured.

Three Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the Al-Zeitoun neighbourhood southeast of Gaza City, Gaza's civil defence announced.

"We call on citizens not to approach the eastern regions and Israeli border military sites and to adhere to the directives issued by competent authorities," the civil defence was quotes as saying by Al Jazeera. 

The Arab League said Sunday that remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appearing to suggest the establishment of a Palestinian state on Saudi soil showed "a complete detachment from reality".

"The logic behind them is unacceptable and reflects a complete detachment from reality," the regional bloc's chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in a statement, adding that ideas as the one aired by Netanyahu during a recent media interview "are nothing more than mere fantasies or illusions".

Israeli forces detained several journalists in the Jeni refugee camp, Wafa reports.

The army held three journalists, took their phones and searched their devices, and were then interrogated before being released under the condition they would not return to the camp.

The forces opened fire where the journalists were working.

Over 48,189 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October, while over 111,640 have been injured - medical sources told Wafa. Two Palestinians have been injured over the past 24 hours.

Over 14,000 remain trapped under the rubble, which the ministry confirms are dead.

The sources also said eight victims were brought to hospital in the enclave, including seven bodies were retrieved and one new fatality. 

Qatar condemned on Sunday a comment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting establishing a Palestinian state inside Saudi territory, the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.

Qatar, a key mediator in Gaza ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel, described Netanyahu's statement as "provocative".

Netanyahu appeared to be joking on Thursday when he responded to an interviewer on pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 who said "Saudi state" instead of "Palestinian state" before correcting himself.

(Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed US President Donald Trump's widely criticised plan to move Palestinians out of the war-battered Gaza Strip, saying Israel is willing to "do the job".

In a Fox News interview aired late Saturday as the premier was wrapping up a visit to Washington, Netanyahu defended Trump's proposal, which has sparked concern and condemnation across the Middle East and the world.

"I think that President Trump's proposal is the first fresh idea in years, and it has the potential to change everything in Gaza," Netanyahu said, adding that it represents a "correct approach" to the future of the Palestinian territory.

"All Trump is saying, 'I want to open the gate and give them an option to relocate temporarily while we rebuild the place physically'," Netanyahu said.

Trump "never said he wants American troops to do the job. Guess what? We'll do the job," Netanyahu declared.

Iran's top diplomat has said a proposal by US President Donald Trump to move Palestinians out of the war-battered Gaza Strip represents a threat to stability and security in the Middle East.

"Forcibly displacing Palestinians from Gaza is part of a scheme to eliminate Palestine in a colonial manner," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a late Saturday phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, according to an Iranian statement.

Araghchi said the plan "poses a serious threat to the stability and security" in the region.

A pregnant 23-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli security forces on Sunday in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Sundos Jamal Mohammed Shalabi, who was eight months pregnant, was struck by Israeli gunfire, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the foetus also did not survive and that Shalabi's husband was critically injured.

Details of Shalabi's death were not immediately clear. Israel's military had no immediate comment.

The Palestinian state news agency cited eyewitnesses as saying that Shalabi and her husband were shot by Israeli forces as they were trying to leave their home.

(Reuters)

Saudi Arabia affirmed its categorical rejection of remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about displacing Palestinians from their land, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Israeli officials have suggested the establishment of a Palestinian state on Saudi territory. Netanyahu appeared to be joking on Thursday when he responded to an interviewer on pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 who mistakenly said "Saudi state" instead of "Palestinian state", before correcting himself.

The kingdom said it valued "brotherly" states' rejection of Netanyahu's remarks.

"This occupying extremist mindset does not comprehend what the Palestinian territory means for the brotherly people of Palestine and its conscientious, historical and legal association with that land," it said.

(Reuters)

The Israeli military completed its withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor on a key highway in Gaza on Sunday as part of an ongoing ceasefire deal, a Hamas official told AFP.

"Israeli forces have dismantled their positions and military posts and completely withdrawn their tanks from the Netzarim Corridor on Salaheddin Road, allowing vehicles to pass freely in both directions," the official from the Hamas-run interior ministry said. An AFP journalist at the scene said that no Israeli forces were present on Sunday.

An Israeli official said Sunday that Israeli forces have begun withdrawing from a key Gaza corridor, part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas that is moving ahead.

Israel agreed as part of the truce to remove its forces from the Netzarim corridor, a strip of land that bisects northern Gaza from the south. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to discuss troop movement with the media.

At the start of the ceasefire, Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross Netzarim to head to their homes in the war-battered north, and the withdrawal of forces from the area will fulfill another commitment to the deal.

It was not clear how many troops Israel had withdrawn on Sunday.

Israeli security forces have expanded its military offensive to Nur Shams in the West Bank, an army spokesperson said on Sunday, announcing the expansion of a "military operation" in the occupied territory.

The army launched the offensive in Jenin on 21 January, described by officials as a "large-scale and significant military operation". The Israeli military claims several militants had been killed and a number of wanted suspects detained in the operation.

(Reuters)

The families of Thai farm workers held captive in Gaza for over a year arrived in Bangkok on Sunday.

The five Thais smiled as they walked into the arrivals hall at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport after being freed on 30 January as part of a ceasefire deal to end the war on Gaza.

The five - Watchara Sriaoun, Pongsak Tanna, Sathian Suwannakham, Surasak Lamnau, and Bannawat Saethao - landed in Bangkok at 7:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Sunday and were met by a small group of relatives and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.