[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

No right of return for Palestinians under Gaza plan: Trump

President Donald Trump said Palestinians would have no right of return to Gaza under his US takeover plan, describing his proposal in excerpts of an interview released Monday as a ‘real estate development for the future.’..

www.newagebd.net

No right of return for Palestinians under Gaza plan: Trump
Agence France-Presse . Washington 11 February, 2025, 01:06

A man pushes a tricycle cart loaded with mattresses and other belongings through a drenched section of the Wadi Gaza bridge along al-Rashid street between Gaza City and Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Monday as displaced people return home amid the current ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. | AFP photo

President Donald Trump said Palestinians would have no right of return to Gaza under his US takeover plan, describing his proposal in excerpts of an interview released Monday as a ‘real estate development for the future.’

Trump told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier that ‘I would own it’ and that there could be as many as six different sites for Palestinians to live outside Gaza — under the plan which the Arab world has rejected.

‘No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing,’ Trump said when Baier asked if the Palestinians would have the right to return to the war-battered enclave.

‘In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them because if they have to return now, it’ll be years before you could ever — it’s not habitable.’

Trump first revealed the shock Gaza plan during a joint news conference with visiting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, drawing outrage from Palestinians.

The US president pressed his case for Palestinians to be moved out of Gaza, devastated by the Israel-Hamas war, and for Egypt and Jordan to take them.

In the Fox interview — which will be broadcast Monday after the first half was screened ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday — Trump said he would build ‘beautiful communities’ for the more than two million Palestinians who live in Gaza.

‘Could be five, six, could be two. But we’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,’ added Trump.

‘In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent.’​

 

[Saif]

Israel says to resume Gaza fighting if hostages not freed Saturday

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on the premier to "open the gates of hell" if Israel doesn't get back "all the hostages... by Saturday".

www.thedailystar.net

Israel says to resume Gaza fighting if hostages not freed Saturday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu/Reuters

Israel threatened Tuesday to resume "intense fighting" in Gaza if hostages were not released this weekend, while Hamas insisted it remained committed to the ceasefire deal and accused Israel of violations.

Under the terms of the truce, which has largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, captives were to be released in batches in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody. So far, Israel and Hamas have completed five hostage-prisoner swaps.

But the deal has come under increasing strain in recent days, prompting diplomatic efforts to salvage it and Hamas to say it was "committed to the ceasefire".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF (Israeli military) will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated".

His threat echoed that of US President Donald Trump who said on Monday that "hell" would break loose if Hamas failed to release "all" Israeli hostages by Saturday.

The president proposed taking over Gaza and removing its more than two million residents.

"If all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday 12 o'clock... I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out," Trump said.

He reaffirmed his deadline while hosting Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday.

King Abdullah said on social media he "reiterated Jordan's steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians", adding it was "the unified Arab position".

Senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump's remark "further complicates matters".

"Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties," he told AFP.

Egypt, a US ally which borders Gaza, said Tuesday it plans to "present a comprehensive vision for the reconstruction" of the Palestinian territory which ensures residents remain on their land.

'Gates of hell'

Hamas has said it would postpone the next hostage release, scheduled for Saturday, accusing Israel of violating the deal and calling for it to fulfil its obligations.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged Hamas to proceed with the planned release and "avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza".

Yemen's Huthi rebels, who are aligned with Hamas and have attacked Israel throughout the war in support of the Palestinians, said they were "ready to launch a military intervention at any time in case of escalation against Gaza".

Netanyahu did not specify whether he was referring to all captives, but his Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on the premier to "open the gates of hell" if Israel doesn't get back "all the hostages... by Saturday".

The far-right politician demanded the "full occupation of the Gaza Strip" and an end to all humanitarian aid.

The Israeli military said it has reinforced its troops, while hostage families rallied outside Netanyahu's office in support of the ceasefire.

"There is a deal. Go for it!" said Zahiro, whose uncle Avraham Munder died in captivity.

In Gaza, resident Adnan Qassem was praying "the ceasefire holds".

"The ruling faction in Israel wants war, and I believe there is also a faction within Hamas that wants war," said the 60-year-old from Deir el-Balah.

'Humanitarian catastrophe'

Trump's latest threat came hours after Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said the hostage release scheduled for Saturday was postponed.

It accused Israel of failing to meet its commitments under the agreement, including on aid, and cited the deaths of three Gazans at the weekend.

But the group said "the door remains open" for the release to go ahead "once the occupation complies".

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 73 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the war has killed at least 48,219 people in the territory, figures the UN considers reliable.

A UN report issued on Tuesday said that more than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the "humanitarian catastrophe" in the devastated territory.​

 

[Saif]

Trump insists US to own Gaza, Jordan king pushes back

US leader stunned the world when he announced a proposal last week for the United States to "take over" Gaza

www.thedailystar.net

Trump insists US to own Gaza, Jordan king pushes back

US President Donald Trump (R) meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2025. Photo: AFP

President Donald Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his idea of exiling Palestinians and placing a rebuilt Gaza under "US authority," but faced pushback from visiting Jordanian King Abdullah II.

"I reiterated Jordan's steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position. Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all," Abdullah said on social media after the talks.

However, he told Trump that Egypt was working on a plan for how countries in the region could "work" with Trump on his shock proposal.

The Jordanian monarch also appeared to offer a sweetener to Trump, who the day before the visit floated the possibility of halting US aid to Jordan if it did not take in refugees.

"One of the things that we can do right away is take 2,000 children, cancer children who are in a very ill state. That is possible," Abdullah said as Trump welcomed him and Crown Prince Hussein in the Oval Office.

Trump replied that it was "really a beautiful gesture" and said he didn't know about it before the Jordanian monarch's arrival at the White House.

The US leader stunned the world when he announced a proposal last week for the United States to "take over" Gaza, envisioning rebuilding the devastated territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East" -- but only after resettling Palestinians elsewhere, with no plan for them ever to return.

Abdullah urged patience and said that Egypt was coming up with a response and that Arab nations would then discuss it at talks in Riyadh.

"Let's wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president and not get ahead of ourselves," Abdullah said.

Trump retreated from his previous talk of an aid halt to Jordan and Egypt, saying: "I don't have to threaten that. I do believe we're above that."

The Egyptian foreign ministry later said it plans to "present a comprehensive vision for the reconstruction" of the Gaza Strip that ensures Palestinians remain on their land.

It said Egypt "hopes to cooperate" with Trump's administration on the matter, with the goal of "reaching a fair settlement of the Palestinian cause".

'Tough guy'

Trump, however, kept pushing his plan to "own" Gaza and place it under "US authority," despite the fact that it is home to more than two million Palestinians who want their own sovereign state.

"We don't have to buy. We're going to have Gaza," Trump said.

"We're going to take it, we're going to hold it, we're going to cherish it."

But Trump, who made his fortune as a real estate tycoon did however deny that he would seek to personally develop property in Gaza. "No. I've had a great career in real estate," he said.

The meeting came as the Gaza ceasefire appears increasingly fragile, after Trump warned on Monday that "all hell" would break out if Hamas fails to release all hostages by Saturday.

Trump said he doubted that the Palestinian militant group would abide by the ultimatum -- but played down the risk of a longer threat to efforts to create a lasting peace between Israel and Hamas.

"It's not going to take a long time," Trump said. "A bully is the weakest person, and they're bullies. Hamas is bullies."

King Abdullah is a key US ally but last week rejected "any attempts" to take control of the Palestinian territories and displace its people.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected to visit the White House later this week, urged on Tuesday the reconstruction of Gaza "without displacing Palestinians."

Analysts say the issue is an existential one for Jordan in particular.

Half of Jordan's population of 11 million is of Palestinian origin, and since the establishment of Israel in 1948, many Palestinians have sought refuge there.

But Jordan is also keenly aware of the economic pressure Trump could exercise. Every year, Jordan receives around $750 million in economic assistance from Washington and another $350 million in military aid.

On social media after the Trump talks, Abdullah stressed that his "foremost commitment is to Jordan, to its stability and to the well-being of Jordanians."​

 

[Saif]

Houthi warns of military action if Gaza ceasefire fails

Yemen's Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has warned that his group is prepared to resume military operations against Israel if it breaches the Gaza ceasefire. In a televised address, al-Houthi emphasized the need for Arab and Islamic unity against US policies in the region and condemned any p

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Houthi warns of military action if Gaza ceasefire fails
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Feb 12, 2025 12:22
Updated :
Feb 12, 2025 12:22

Yemen's Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has warned that his group is prepared to resume military operations against Israel if it breaches the Gaza ceasefire.

In a televised address, al-Houthi emphasized the need for Arab and Islamic unity against US policies in the region and condemned any plans to displace Palestinians.

"The current stage must be a stage of Arab and Islamic unity," and criticized "American madness through the plan to displace the people of Gaza," he said on Tuesday.

He urged Arab nations to reject US influence, declaring, "This is an opportunity for the Arab countries to say 'No to America' and to get out of the house of American obedience."

The Houthi movement, which controls large swathes of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, has previously targeted vessels in the Red Sea, actions it describes as solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas conflict, reports Xinhua.

The 42-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Jan. 19, with Israel agreeing to withdraw its forces from the area.

As the truce reaches its midpoint, negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States aim to determine whether it will continue into a second phase, potentially involving the release of more hostages and Palestinian detainees.​

 

[Saif]

New push to salvage Gaza truce

Mediators Qatar and Egypt were pushing to resolve a crisis in the Gaza ceasefire on Wednesday, a Palestinian source said, after Israel and the United States told Hamas to release hostages this weekend or face a return to war...

www.newagebd.net

New push to salvage Gaza truce
Agence France-Presse . Gaza City 13 February, 2025, 00:21

Mediators Qatar and Egypt were pushing to resolve a crisis in the Gaza ceasefire on Wednesday, a Palestinian source said, after Israel and the United States told Hamas to release hostages this weekend or face a return to war.

Under the terms of the truce, which has largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, captives were to be released in batches in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody. So far, Israel and Hamas have completed five hostage-prisoner swaps.

But the deal has come under increasing strain in recent days, prompting diplomatic efforts to salvage it and Hamas to say it was ‘committed to the ceasefire’ after earlier saying it would postpone Saturday’s scheduled release.

‘Mediators from Qatar and Egypt are in contact with the American side,’ said the source on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the Gaza ceasefire.

‘They are working intensively to resolve the crisis and compel Israel to implement the humanitarian protocol in the ceasefire agreement and begin negotiations for the second phase,’ he said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged Hamas to proceed with the planned release and ‘avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza’.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that ‘if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF (Israeli military) will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated’.

His threat echoed that of US president Donald Trump who said on Monday that ‘hell’ would break loose if Hamas failed to release ‘all’ Israeli hostages by Saturday.

Trump has proposed taking over Gaza and removing its more than two million residents.

‘If all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday 12 o’clock I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,’ Trump said.

He reaffirmed his deadline while hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday.

King Abdullah said on social media he ‘reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians’, adding it was ‘the unified Arab position’.

Senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump’s remark ‘further complicates matters’.

‘Trump must remember that there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties,’ he said.

Egypt, a US ally which borders Gaza, said Tuesday it plans to ‘present a comprehensive vision for the reconstruction’ of the Palestinian territory which ensures residents remain on their land.

Hamas has said it would postpone the next hostage release, scheduled for Saturday, accusing Israel of violating the deal and calling for it to fulfil its obligations.

Yemen’s Huthi rebels, who are aligned with Hamas and have attacked Israel throughout the war in support of the Palestinians, said they were ‘ready to launch a military intervention at any time in case of escalation against Gaza’.

Netanyahu did not specify whether he was referring to all captives, but his finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called on the premier to ‘open the gates of hell’ if Israel doesn’t get back ‘all the hostages by Saturday’.

The far-right politician demanded the ‘full occupation of the Gaza Strip’ and an end to all humanitarian aid.

The Israeli military said it has reinforced its troops, while hostage families rallied outside Netanyahu’s office in support of the ceasefire.

‘There is a deal. Go for it!’ said Zahiro, whose uncle Avraham Munder died in captivity.

In Gaza, resident Adnan Qassem was praying ‘the ceasefire holds’.

‘The ruling faction in Israel wants war, and I believe there is also a faction within Hamas that wants war,’ said the 60-year-old from Deir el-Balah.

Trump’s latest threat came hours after Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said the hostage release scheduled for Saturday was postponed.

It accused Israel of failing to meet its commitments under the agreement, including on aid, and cited the deaths of three Gazans at the weekend.

But the group said ‘the door remains open’ for the release to go ahead ‘once the occupation complies’.

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 73 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the war has killed at least 48,219 people in the territory, figures the UN considers reliable.

A UN report issued on Tuesday said that more than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in the devastated territory.​

 

[Saif]

Israeli military calls up reservists as concern over Gaza ceasefire mounts

Palestinians walk past the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive, on a rainy day, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City February 6, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/Files Israel's military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumptio

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Israeli military calls up reservists as concern over Gaza ceasefire mounts
REUTERS
Published :
Feb 12, 2025 21:38
Updated :
Feb 12, 2025 21:38

Palestinians walk past the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive, on a rainy day, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City February 6, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/Files

Israel's military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to release more Israeli hostages and a nearly month-old ceasefire breaks down.

Concern that the ceasefire will collapse is growing as fury mounts in Arab countries over President Donald Trump's plan for the United States to take over Gaza, resettle its Palestinian inhabitants and build an international beach resort.

Under the ceasefire deal in force since January 19, Hamas agreed to free three more hostages on Saturday. But the Palestinian militant group said this week it was suspending the handover over what it said were Israeli violations of the terms.

Trump responded by saying all hostages must be freed by noon on Saturday or he would "let hell break out".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then warned on Tuesday that his country would resume "intense fighting" if Hamas did not meet the deadline, but did not say how many hostages should be freed.

Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to gather forces in and around Gaza, and the military announced it was deploying additional forces to Israel's south, including mobilising reservists.

Hamas' Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for a surprise visit to discuss the fragile ceasefire. A Hamas official told Reuters mediators Egypt and Qatar had stepped up efforts to end the current impasse.

The standoff threatens to reignite a conflict that has devastated the Gaza Strip, internally displaced most of its people, caused shortages of food and running water, and pushed the Middle East to the brink of a wider regional war.

Gazans expressed alarm that the ceasefire might collapse and urged Hamas and Israeli leaders to agree on an extension.

"We had barely started believing that a truce would happen and that a solution was on the way, God willing," said Lotfy Abu Taha, a resident of Rafah in southern Gaza. "The people are suffering. The people are the victims."

Israeli officials said government ministers had endorsed Trump's threat to cancel the ceasefire unless all hostages are released on Saturday.

Hamas said it remained committed to the agreement but has not agreed to release the hostages on Saturday.

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in Dubai that Trump's vision for Gaza could lead the Middle East into a new cycle of crises with a "damaging effect on peace and stability."

Trump has said Palestinians in Gaza could settle in countries such as Jordan and Egypt. Both reject the proposal.

Egypt will host an emergency Arab summit on February 27 to discuss "serious" developments for Palestinians.

In a sign of Arab anger over Trump's vision of Gaza, two Egyptian security sources said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would not go to Washington for talks if the agenda included Trump's plan to displace Palestinians.

The date for such a visit has not been announced, and the Egyptian presidency and foreign ministry did not comment.

SOME HOSTAGES ALREADY FREED

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and over 250 were taken as hostages into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

In response, Israel began its military offensive against Hamas which has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians in small, densely populated Gaza, according to Gaza health officials.

Hamas has freed 16 Israeli hostages from an initial group of 33 children, women and older men to be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in the first stage of the ceasefire deal. It also returned five Thai hostages.

Negotiations on a second phase, which mediators hoped would include agreement on releasing the remaining hostages and a full Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, should be under way in Doha but an Israeli team returned home on Monday.

Palestinians fear a repeat of the "Nakba", or catastrophe, when nearly 800,000 people fled or were driven out during the 1948 war that led to Israel's creation. Israel denies the account they were forced out. Trump has said they would have no right to return under his plan for Gaza.

Trump meanwhile wants Saudi Arabia, which wields heavy influence in other Arab and Muslim countries, to normalise ties with Israel. Riyadh has previously said it will not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.

Under his first administration in 2017-21, Trump brokered normalisation accords between Israel and some Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates.

Asked if the UAE could find common ground with Washington on Gaza, Abu Dhabi's ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, said Washington's approach was difficult. "But at the end of the day we're all in a solution-seeking business, we just don't know where it's going to land yet," he said.

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday that peace efforts in the region should be on the basis of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, state news agency WAM reported.

Trump's Gaza plan upended decades of US Middle East policy which called for a Palestinian state co-existing in peace alongside Israel as the solution to one of the world's most complex and volatile problems.

Aboul Gheit said the idea of the Arab Peace Initiative drawn up by Saudi Arabia in 2002 - in which Arab nations offered Israel normalised relations in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured during a 1967 war - would be reintroduced.​

 

[Saif]

Saudi Arabia to host Arab summit on Trump's Gaza plan

Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit on February 20 to discuss Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, a source with knowledge of the preparations said Friday.

www.thedailystar.net

Saudi Arabia to host Arab summit on Trump's Gaza plan

People carry flags and banners as they protest against US president Trump's proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and to move more than two million Palestinians out of the territory, in Amman on February 14, 2025. Photo: AFP

Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit on February 20 to discuss Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, a source with knowledge of the preparations 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.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, another source said the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas, would also attend.

Trump sparked a global outcry with his proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and to move more than two million Palestinians out of the territory, citing Egypt or Jordan as possible destinations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since suggested Saudi Arabia could also host Palestinians, in remarks that drew condemnation from the Arab world, but which some Israeli media characterised as a joke.

Arab countries have come together in a rare united front, outraged by the idea of displacing the Palestinians en masse.

For Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the "Nakba", or catastrophe -- the mass displacement of their ancestors during Israel's creation in 1948.

But Trump has threatened to cut off a vital aid lifeline to long-standing allies Jordan and Egypt should they refuse to come on board.

Jordan is already home to more than two million Palestinian refugees. More than half of the country's population of 11 million is of Palestinian origin.

Egypt put forward its own proposal for the reconstruction of Gaza under a framework that would allow for the Palestinians to remain in the territory.​

 

[Saif]

Hamas, Israel complete 6th hostage-prisoner swap

Palestinian militants released three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian inmates freed by Israel, completing the latest swap despite fears the Gaza truce deal was near collapse.

www.newagebd.net

Hamas, Israel complete 6th hostage-prisoner swap
Agence France-Presse . Khan Yunis, Palestinian Territories 16 February, 2025, 01:07

Relatives of freed Palestinian prisoners, released as part of the sixth hostage-prisoner exchange, celebrate with flag at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. | AFP photo

Palestinian militants released three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian inmates freed by Israel, completing the latest swap despite fears the Gaza truce deal was near collapse.

An AFP journalist saw masked Hamas gunmen parade the hostages onto a stage in front of a crowd in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis, where they were made to make statements into a microphone before being handed over to the Red Cross and taken back to Israeli territory.

Clutching gift bags given by their captors and certificates to mark the end of their captivity, the three men, flanked by fighters, called for the completion of further hostage exchanges under the ceasefire deal.

Not long after, a busload of Palestinian prisoners departed Israel’s Ofer Prison and was greeted by a cheering crowd in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, an AFP journalist said.

More buses took inmates from an Israeli prison in the Negev desert to the Gaza Strip, according to another AFP journalist.

Saturday’s swap, the sixth since the truce took effect on January 19, came after Hamas had threatened to pause hostage releases over alleged Israeli violations, while Israel had threatened to resume the war if it did.

The three hostages—Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov and Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn—had been held by Gaza militants since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war 16 months ago.

Friends and family members of the hostages shed tears of joy at the sight of their loved ones on Saturday.

‘Finally, Sasha can be surrounded by his loved ones and begin a new path,’ Trupanov’s family said in a statement.

Dekel-Chen’s wife, Avital, said in a call to her sister aired by Israel’s Kan public broadcaster: ‘My breath has returned. He looks so handsome.’

Later in the day, hundreds of Palestinians freed by Israel reached Khan Yunis, where they threw up victory signs and waved to a jubilant crowd, an AFP reporter said.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group, Israel was to release 333 Gazans who were taken into custody during the war, as well as 36 prisoners serving life sentences, 24 of whom were due for deportation under the terms of the truce deal.

Israel confirmed it had released a total of 369 prisoners.

Images broadcast on Israeli media showed Palestinian prisoners ahead of their release wearing sweatshirts featuring the prison service logo, a Star of David, and the slogan: ‘We will not forget and we will not forgive.’

After the deal had appeared to be on the brink of collapse, a Hamas official on Friday said the group expected talks on a second phase of the ceasefire to begin early next week. Another source familiar with the talks offered a similar timeline.

The negotiations on the second phase are meant to lay out steps towards a more permanent end to the war.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose country is Israel’s top backer and one of the truce mediators, is due to arrive in Israel late Saturday ahead of expected talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the truce.

An Israeli campaign group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, warned in a statement against the ‘collapse’ of the ongoing agreement, calling on the parties to ‘continue to use this momentum to make a swift and responsible agreement for everyone’ still held in Gaza.

Last week’s release sparked anger in Israel and beyond after the freed hostages were paraded onstage, with their emaciated state sparking concern over conditions in captivity.

There were also fears for Palestinians in Israeli custody after several were hospitalised following their release last week. The Red Crescent said four of those released on Saturday were also transferred to hospital in the West Bank.

The ceasefire has been under massive strain since US president Donald Trump proposed a takeover of the Gaza Strip under which the territory’s population of more than two million people would be moved to Egypt or Jordan.

Arab countries have come together to reject Trump’s plan, and Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday for a summit on the issue.

A joint statement from the heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem also said Gazans ‘must not be forced into exile’.​