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.
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Hamas freed three Israeli captives on Saturday in exchange for more than 180 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli custody in the fourth such swap under a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
Three buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of a ceasefire deal arrived in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Saturday, an AFP correspondent reported.
The prisoners, dressed in grey prison uniforms, were greeted by hundreds of Gazans who gathered around the buses as they approached the city's European Hospital.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 50 Palestinian patients, including 30 children with cancer, went through the Rafah crossing to Egypt on Saturday as the key gateway reopened as part of the deal.
Egyptian state-linked channel Al-Qahera News showed footage of the first of 50 evacuees, including a child with an autoimmune disease, and their 53 companions crossing the border into Egypt to receive treatment.
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.
At least 37 children crossed the Rafah border on Saturday to receive medical treatment in Egypt, as reported by Egypt's al-Qahera television.
Egyptian media captured scenes of several children being carried on gurneys and transferred to ambulances on the Egyptian side, with one girl filmed with an amputated foot.
WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised the critical need for medical evacuations from Gaza to continue, highlighting that thousands of lives depend on it.
"Today, with support from WHO and partners, 37 patients — 34 children and 3 adults — along with 39 companions, crossed from Gaza via Rafah to receive care in Egypt," Ghebreyesus said in a social media post.
He expressed gratitude to the Egyptian government for its continued support and provision of specialised care to Gaza's patients, urging for the acceleration of medical evacuations through all available routes.
Today, with support from @WHO and partners, 37 patients — 34 children and 3 adults — and 39 companions crossed out of #Gaza via Rafah to continue receiving care in #Egypt.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 1, 2025
We are grateful to the government of Egypt for their continued support and for providing specialised care… pic.twitter.com/bqHqNGVxhV
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opted not to send Israel’s negotiation team to Qatar for talks on the second phase of the ongoing ceasefire deal, according to an unnamed senior Israeli source cited by Walla news.
This decision is seen as a "worrying sign" for the successful implementation of the deal’s second phase, with one senior official expressing concern that it could disrupt the ongoing 42-day first phase.
As per the agreement, negotiations on the second phase were set to begin on Monday, marking the 16th day of the first phase.
There are growing reports suggesting Netanyahu may be considering resuming the war after the first phase, rather than progressing to phase two.
Walla reports that Netanyahu canceled a planned meeting with top security officials, including Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and hostage negotiator Nitzan Alon.
Instead, his military secretary, Roman Gofman, informed them that the premier had decided to postpone sending the team to Qatar.
Netanyahu is reportedly waiting until his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday before taking further action, though delaying the negotiations could breach the deal’s terms.
Additionally, Netanyahu is said to be considering appointing his ally, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, as the head of the negotiations team instead of Barnea, arguing the talks are more diplomatic and strategic than security-focused.
Hamas issued a statement regarding the ongoing fighting in the occupied West Bank, including Jenin, asserting that Israel’s annexation plans will fail.
The statement read:
"The occupation is desperate to stop the growing resistance in the occupied West Bank. We mourn the martyrs of Qabatiya and Jenin, and we affirm that the wave of resistance will not cease. All efforts to impose annexation and displacement will be thwarted.
We call for the unity of national and popular efforts in the West Bank and for escalating the confrontation against the occupation and its settlers."
Palestinian health authorities report that Israeli airstrikes in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, killed five people, including a 14-year-old boy.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike targeted a vehicle with “armed terrorists” but provided no further details.
This brings the death toll in Jenin and its refugee camp to 24 since the start of the Israeli assault 12 days ago.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is facilitating the transfer of patients from Gaza’s hospitals to the Rafah crossing, where they can be evacuated for medical treatment abroad.
Gaza’s healthcare system has been severely damaged by Israel’s military campaign, which has systematically targeted medical infrastructure and personnel.
“Today, Palestine Red Crescent ambulance teams assisted in transferring patients from hospitals in Gaza to the Rafah crossing for evacuation and treatment abroad,” the PRCS said in a social media statement.
Today, Palestine Red Crescent ambulance teams assisted in transferring patients from hospitals in #Gaza to the Rafah crossing for evacuation and treatment abroad. pic.twitter.com/NgrvvAzzVS
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) February 1, 2025
The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad claims to have attacked an Israeli infantry unit in Jenin as Israel’s military offensive in the occupied West Bank continues.
Al-Quds Brigades stated that its fighters, alongside members of Hamas’s Qassam Brigades and the Youth of Revenge and Liberation, ambushed 10 Israeli soldiers in the city’s eastern sector.
The group said it fired heavy volleys of gunfire from close range, resulting in “confirmed hits.”
"Our fighters were able to trap an infantry force of 10 soldiers as they attempted to fortify themselves inside a house and shower them with direct fire from zero distance," the statement read.
The assault comes amid Israel’s ongoing "Iron Wall" operation in Jenin, launched earlier this month just after a ceasefire was declared in Gaza.
Far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir has commended Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi following criticism from the Red Cross over the treatment of Palestinian detainees during their release.
Responding to complaints that detainees were shackled with their hands raised and made to wear handcuffs with derogatory inscriptions, Ben-Gvir defended the prison service’s approach.
"The terrorists’ lawyer doesn’t understand how there is a security organisation that doesn’t bow down to them and deals with them harshly – even when it is forced to release them because of a reckless deal," he said.
He went on to congratulate “Rabbi Kobi Yaakobi of Gondar” for his “determined policy.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin talks on the second phase of a ceasefire in Gaza on Monday during his visit to Washington, his office said.
The prime minister "spoke this evening with the US President's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
The two agreed that negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal will begin when they meet in Washington this coming Monday," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Saturday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu named retired Major General Eyal Zamir as Israel's new armed forces chief Saturday after his predecessor resigned last month taking responsibility for failing to stop Hamas's October 2023 attack.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have agreed this evening on the appointment of Major General (Res.) Eyal Zamir as the next chief of staff of the (Israeli military)," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
Zamir replaces Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, who resigned on January 21, two days after a fragile ceasefire took effect in Gaza which has now seen the release of 18 hostages by Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad.
Zamir, 59, has been serving as defence ministry director general since 2023 and, according to Israeli media, he retired from the military after losing out on the top job to Halevi.
Zamir had served as the deputy chief of staff until 2021 and prior to that was head of the army's Southern Command, which is responsible for Gaza.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and former U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the ceasefire in Gaza during a phone call on Saturday, according to Egypt’s presidential spokesperson.
The statement described their conversation as a "positive dialogue," highlighting the need to implement both phases of the ceasefire agreement.
Sisi and Trump also emphasised the importance of ongoing coordination and cooperation between their countries, particularly in economic and investment matters.
However, Sisi publicly rejected Trump’s suggestion that Egypt take in forcibly displaced Palestinians from Gaza.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has issued a warning to Zakaria Zubeidi, a former commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades who was released into the occupied West Bank on Thursday as part of the ceasefire agreement.
"One mistake and you’ll meet old friends," Katz wrote on X.
Zubeidi, who had previously served time in prison, was rearrested by Israel in 2019 over allegations of involvement in shooting attacks on Israeli settler buses, though no injuries were reported.
He had been awaiting trial and denies the charges, stating that he renounced violence after the Second Intifada to focus on political activism.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has urged all parties involved in the Gaza ceasefire agreement to ensure that detainees are released with “safety and dignity.”
“Prior to today’s operation, the ICRC reminded the parties of their responsibility to carry out transfers safely and with dignity,” the organisation said. It added that the details of the operation, including the timing and identities of those released, were agreed upon by the conflicting sides.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Red Cross protested after Palestinian detainees were seen being released with their hands cuffed and raised, wearing bracelets inscribed with the phrase "Eternity does not forget."
A spokesperson for Israel’s prison service defended the treatment, stating: “The prison fighters are dealing with the worst of Israel’s enemies, and until the last moment on Israeli soil, they will be treated under prison-like rule.”
The Israeli army arrested two Palestinian journalists on Saturday evening as they were working north of Hebron. Their equipment was also confiscated.
Journalist Ihab Al-Alami reported that he and his colleague, Nidal Al-Natsheh, were detained while documenting agricultural damage on Palestinian land. The journalist said the forces took three cameras.
Palestinian officials said an Israeli drone strike killed a 14-year-old boy on Saturday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, where Israel's military is conducting a major offensive.
Reached for comment, the military claimed the air force "struck armed terrorists in the Jenin area".
Two other people were also transferred to hospital after being wounded in the attack on an eastern neighbourhood of the city, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP that the teenager, Ahmad Sadi, and the two others "were hit by an occupation drone when they were in the street".
The United States released a statement celebrating the release of American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel.
"Today, Americans celebrate the return of American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel and two Israelis who were held captive by Hamas terrorists since October 7, 2023," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
"President [Donald] Trump and his administration have worked diligently to secure their release and are committed to freeing all remaining hostages," she adds.
Three buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal arrived to a cheerful crowd in the territory's southern city of Khan Younis on Saturday.
Some people stuck their heads out of the vehicles' windows as they tried to spot relatives or talk to people they knew in the crowd.
One teary-eyed prisoner kissed the palm of his hand before placing it on the bus window while someone on the other side matched the gesture.
Off the bus, one emotional prisoner finally raised his arms to take hold of a small child handed to him through the crowd.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club in Ramallah, 150 of 183 detainees were released on Saturday.
Palestinian ex-prisoner Shadi Qur'an arrives in Tulkarm, north of the occupied West Bank, after being freed as part of the prisoner exchange deal between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation. pic.twitter.com/GzByVTxYKg
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 1, 2025
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump shared a positive dialogue on a phone call, the Egyptian presidency spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.
The issues including the importance of continuing to implement the first and second phases of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and consolidating it, the statement said.
Sisi and Trump agreed on the importance of continuous coordination and cooperation between the two countries, it said.
(Reuters)
Israeli soldiers forced shops to close in south of Nablus, local sources told Wafa.
The soldiers stormed the town, ordering shops to close, and witnesses reported provocation and harassment.
A total of 183 prisoners, almost all Palestinians except for one Egyptian, were released on Saturday; videos show families being reunited with their loved ones in Ramallah.
Emotional moments as families reunite with freed Palestinian prisoners upon their arrival in Ramallah, part of the fourth batch of the prisoner exchange deal between the resistance and the Israeli occupation. pic.twitter.com/V7IZflz5vQ
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 1, 2025
It will take at least 12 years to rebuild Gaza's healthcare system, health experts warned.
The statement was said during an event called “The Great Protest in the White Tent”, held on Saturday in front of the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland - organised by healthcare professionals.
The professionals said that even if humanitarian aid is allowed to enter the enclave and reconstruction is permitted, it will take at least 12 years due to Israel's destination of the system.
#BREAKING
— ❀ N ✿ (@8zal) January 31, 2025
Over 100 healthcare groups from 30 countries have united to stage the 3-day White Tent protest outside the United Nations headquarters in Geneva to demand justice and humanitarian intervention for Palestinian healthcare workers in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/enOEtc6fvZ
The Gaza Health Ministry revealed that over 47,487 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October. Over 27 deaths have been reported, including 24 bodies recovered from debris and two succumbing to their injuries.
Israel's war has also injured over 111,588 civilians, with eight more injured overnight.
Tens of thousands are still trapped under the rubble, waiting to be rescued.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that prior to the captive exchange earlier on Saturday that "reminded the parties of their responsibility to ensure transfers are carried out safely and with dignity."
"The details of the operation, including who would be released and when, were agreed by the parties to the conflict," it added.
According to Haaretz, ICRC staff were shocked by the handover of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli prison service, which reportedly handcuffed prisoners with their hands above their heads wearing bracelets that say "the eternal people never forgets."
"The ICRC remains prepared to facilitate further release operations in the coming weeks, and to continue to bring critically needed aid into Gaza," the statement ended.
Today we safely transferred three hostages out of Gaza to Israel, and 175 Palestinian detainees from Israeli detention centres to Gaza and the West Bank. In total 183 detainees were released today. https://t.co/GWqjheHvQt pic.twitter.com/Vyoe1T80rh
— ICRC in Israel & OT (@ICRC_ilot) February 1, 2025
Powerful Arab nations have rejected US President Donald Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League released a joint statement on Saturday following a meeting of foreign ministers.
They said they reject any plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The statement warned that such plans “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples.”
Israel on Saturday demanded information from mediators who brokered a ceasefire in Gaza over the fate of three family members of freed captive Yarden Bibas.
"The Bibas family... has been living in constant fear for their lives for a long time... We continue to demand information about their condition from the mediators," said Gal Hirsch, Israel's hostage coordinator, in a statement, referring to Bibas's wife and two children who remain in Gaza.
Three buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of a ceasefire deal arrived in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Saturday, an AFP correspondent reported.
The prisoners, dressed in grey prison uniforms, were greeted by hundreds of Gazans who gathered around the buses as they approached the city's European Hospital.
A bus carrying Palestinian prisoners arrived at the West Bank town of Beitunia, where the inmates disembarked after they were freed from Ofer prison on Saturday, an AFP journalist reported.
The inmates departed from the Israeli prison in the occupied West Bank after Hamas handed over three Israeli captives in Gaza in a fourth such exchange agreed under the ceasefire deal.
An AFP correspondent reported that the bus had reached Beitunia near Ramallah, where prisoners were disembarked and greeted by cheering crowds of relatives.
A group of 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children began crossing to Egypt for treatment through Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Saturday, in the first opening of the border since Israel captured it nearly nine months ago.
The reopening of the Rafah crossing represents a significant breakthrough that bolsters the ceasefire deal Israel and Hamas agreed to earlier this month. Israel agreed to reopen the crossing after Hamas released the last living female hostages in Gaza.
Egyptian television showed a Palestinian Red Cross ambulance pulling up to the crossing gate, and several children were brought out on stretchers and transferred to ambulances on the Egyptian side.
The Israeli army continues with its assault on Tulkarm and its camp in the occupied West Bank for the sixth consecutive day, destroying infrastructure and displacing dozens of families.
Wafa reports the forces are patrolling the streets, raiding homes, turning residential and commercial buildings into military points and deploying snipers on its rooftops.
The army also launched strikes all night and continued to besiege the Shahid Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and the Israa Specialised Hospital.
The Israeli military on Saturday confirmed that Israeli-American captive Keith Siegel was in its custody.
"The returning hostage is currently being accompanied by IDF (military) special forces and ISA (internal security) forces on his return to Israeli territory, where he will undergo an initial medical assessment," the military said after the 65-year-old was released in a ceremony in Gaza City.
Buses carrying released Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons arrived on Saturday in West Bank's Ramallah, live television footage showed.
(Reuters)
freed Palestinian prisoners are heading to Ramallah on buses following their release as part of the fourth batch of the prisoner exchange deal between the resistance and Israel, under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. pic.twitter.com/ForySfM7ID
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 1, 2025
An Israeli campaign group said the release of three captives by Hamas on Saturday "brings a ray of light" after over 15 months of captivity in the Gaza Strip.
"Their release today brings a ray of light in the darkness, offering hope and demonstrating the triumph of the human spirit," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement after captives Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel and Ofer Kalderon were freed.
French President Emmanuel Macron shared his joy on Saturday over the release of Franco-Israeli hostage Ofer Kalderon "after 483 days of unimaginable hell" as a captive held in Gaza.
Macron said on X he shared the "relief and joy" of Kalderon's family and friends. The 54-year-old was taken on 7 October from the Nir Oz kibbutz along with his son and daughter.
Ofer Kalderon est libre ! Nous partageons le soulagement et la joie immenses de ses proches après 483 jours d’un enfer inimaginable.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 1, 2025
Nous pensons à Ohad Yahalomi, toujours aux mains du Hamas, et à sa famille. La France met tout en œuvre pour parvenir à sa libération sans délai.
Hamas handed over US-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel, the last of the three captives released on Saturday by the group, to the Red Cross at Gaza Port, live television footage showed.
Two captives arrived in Israel after Hamas handed them over to the Red Cross on Saturday as part of the fourth round of captive releases during the Gaza ceasefire deal. Dozens of Palestinian detainees are to be released from Israeli prisons in return.
Yarden Bibas, 35, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54, initially headed to a military base's reception point. Along the road, small groups of supporters waited for the convoys, waving Israeli flags.
Hamas released them to the Red Cross at a ceremony in Khan Younis, where each climbed on a stage and waved to onlookers.