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Syria president vows accountability for civilian killings

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday vowed that his government would hold accountable anyone who was involved in harming civilians, following days of deadly violence on the Mediterranean coast.

"We will hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians... or who overstepped the powers of the state," he said in a video posted by state news agency SANA, adding that a committee would be formed to "protect civil peace".

In its latest toll, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said 830 Alawite civilians were killed in "executions" carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.

The figures have not been independent verified.

(AFP)

Israel military appoints new top spokesman

Israel has announced the appointment of a new spokesman to replace Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, who has been the public face of the Israeli military's brutal war on Gaza.

A military statement said that the newly sworn-in chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, "has appointed (Brigadier General) Effie Defrin as the IDF spokesperson".

As a tank battalion commander, Defrin "fought and was wounded in the Second Lebanon War" in 2006, the statement said, adding that he went on to serve in "key roles", most recently as head of the International Cooperation Division.

The army announced on Friday that Hagari would be stepping down at the end of his term in March.

Israel to let Syrian Druze work in occupied Golan Heights

Israel will issue permits allowing Syrian Druze to work in the occupied Golan Heights, the Israeli Defence Ministry said Sunday.

The ministry did not say when the government would start issuing the permits.

The Golan Heights is home to 24,000 Druze, an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam and also live in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Israel captured most of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981.

US envoy says Gaza prisoner deal possible 'within weeks'

The US envoy who held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas said Sunday he was confident a prisoner-release deal could be reached "within weeks".

Speaking to CNN, Adam Boehler acknowledged that as a Jewish American it had been "odd" sitting face-to-face with leaders of a group that the United States has listed as a "terrorist" organization since 1997, but he did not rule out further meetings with the Palestinian militants.

Boehler said he understood Israel's "consternation" that the US had held talks at all with the group, but said he had been seeking to jump-start the "fragile" negotiations.

(AFP)

Israel's Ben-Gvir says backs Gaza electricity cut

Israel's far-right former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has said he supported the government's decision to cut electricity to Gaza, adding that "Israel should bomb the massive fuel storage that entered the sector as part of the miserable [ceasefire] deal".

Columbia U student 'detained' after pro-Palestine activism

A leading Palestinian activist and negotiator at the Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University has been "abducted and detained" by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to a US-based pro-Palestinian group.

Mahmoud Khalil, an Algerian citizen of Palestinian heritage and a US green card holder, was detained by DHS agents on Saturday evening following a targeted campaign by pro-Israel activists at the university, said Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG).

In a statement released on Sunday, WAWOG said DHS agents initially refused to identify themselves and threatened Khalil's eight-month-pregnant wife with detention if she stayed with her husband.

When the agents claimed that Khalil’s student visa had been revoked, his wife presented them with his green card. Despite this, one of the agents was overheard on the phone confirming Khalil’s green card status but later claimed that the State Department had "revoked that too".

During the incident, Khalil’s wife contacted his attorney, who asked the agents to provide a copy of the warrant. The agents reportedly hung up without presenting one.

Khalil is currently being held in detention with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and set to appear before an immigration judge.

Israel orders immediate halt to electricity supply to Gaza

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen has confirmed that electricity transmission to Gaza will be cut off "immediately", following earlier reports by public broadcaster Kan.  

Cohen announced the decision on X, by saying: "Enough with the talk, it’s time for action!" His order comes just a week after Israel blocked all goods from entering the enclave, a move that has drawn widespread international condemnation.

Israeli far-right minister says Trump's Gaza plan underway

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump's plan to remove Palestinians from war-battered Gaza was "taking shape", despite widespread rejection by governments in the region.

"This plan is taking shape, with ongoing actions in coordination with the (US) administration," Smotrich told an event in the Israeli parliament, adding that preparations were underway to form a managing body that would oversee displacement.

"This has the potential to create a historic change in the Middle East and for the state of Israel," said Smotrich, who has repeatedly backed resuming the war against Hamas and has expressed support for re-establishing permanent Israeli presence in the territory.

Read the full story here

Israel says it is cutting off its electricity supply to Gaza

Israel says it is cutting off its electricity supply to Gaza. The full effects of that are not immediately clear, but the territory's desalination plants receive power for producing drinking water.

Sunday’s announcement comes a week after Israel cut off all supplies of goods to the territory to over 2 million people. It has sought to press Hamas to accept an extension of the first phase of their ceasefire. That phase ended last weekend. Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.

Hamas has pressed to start negotiations on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase instead. The militant group on Sunday said it wrapped up the latest round of ceasefire talks with Egyptian mediators without changes to its position, calling for an immediate start of the ceasefire's second phase.

The new letter from Israel's energy minister to the Israel Electric Corporation tells it to stop selling power to Gaza.

Gaza has been largely devastated by the war, and generators and solar panels are used for some of the power supply.

Pro-Palestine activist arrested after climbing Big Ben

A man has been arrested after scaling Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster in central London, barefoot and holding a Palestinian flag.  

Following lengthy negotiations, he descended onto a cherry picker just after midnight and was taken away in an ambulance. Authorities have not yet disclosed the charges he may face.  

Police described the incident as "protracted" due to safety concerns for the man, officers, and the public.  

Nearby, a small group of supporters chanted "Free Palestine" from behind a police cordon.

German police attack pro-Palestine protesters

German police violently attacked female pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Berlin during a march marking International Women’s Day, in what activists describe as an escalating crackdown on Palestine solidarity movements.  

At least 28 protesters were arrested, while one police officer was reportedly injured, authorities said.  

The incident reflects a broader trend of repression against pro-Palestinian activism in Germany. Authorities have imposed sweeping restrictions, including bans on Arabic chants and speeches at demonstrations, citing "public security" concerns. Police have repeatedly used force to disperse protests, drawing condemnation from rights groups.

US-Hamas talks 'very helpful', says Trump's hostage envoy

US engagement with Hamas over the release of captives in Gaza has been "very helpful", according to Adam Boehler, former US hostage envoy under President Donald Trump.  

Boehler, speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, suggested that further meetings with the Palestinian group were not off the table. He expressed optimism that progress on Gaza could materialise within weeks but did not provide details.

Hamas praises US envoy Witkoff's role in ceasefire talks

Direct US engagement with Hamas has marked a significant shift in Washington’s longstanding policy of avoiding negotiations with groups it designates as "terrorist" organisations.  

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is set to visit the region for discussions on a potential Gaza truce.  

Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nono praised Witkoff’s involvement in securing the January 19 ceasefire, which halted large-scale Israeli attacks on Gaza.  

"We hope that he [Witkoff] will work to ensure the success of negotiations for the second phase [of the truce]," al-Nono told Reuters.

US envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Doha for Gaza truce talks

US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Qatar's capital Doha to secure a new agreement between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, according to reports, as Israel continues to refuse progress on the second phase of the agreed ceasefire deal.

Witkoff, who helped broker the initial Gaza ceasefire that went into effect on 15 January, will be joining Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli negotiators who will begin the new talks on Monday, according to Axios citing US officials.

The deal that the Trump administration is pushing for would see the release of remaining Israeli captives and extend the ceasefire until 20 April.

Read the full story here

Israel finance minister says Trump's plan 'taking shape'

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump's widely condemned plan to relocate millions of Gazans to other countries was "taking shape", but acknowledged it would be a massive logistical undertaking.

"This plan is taking shape, with ongoing actions in coordination with the administration... It involves identifying key countries, understanding their interests -- both with the US and with us -- and fostering cooperation," Smotrich said at an event in parliament, adding that preparations were underway to establish a large-scale body to oversee the displacement.

GHM: 48,458 killed since 7 October 2023

At least 48,458 Palestinians have been killed and over 11.897 have been injured since October 2023 - the Gaza Health Ministry revealed.

Five civilians were brought to hospitals across the Gaza Strip overnight in the past 24 hours.

The toll adds to thousands trapped under the rubble that the ministry has presumed dead - making the toll over 61,000.

Israeli forces blow up house in Jenin camp

Israel says it targeted militants planting bombs in Gaza

The Israeli military said it conducted an air strike Sunday on militants planting an explosive device in northern Gaza.

"Earlier today, several terrorists were identified operating in proximity to troops and attempting to plant an explosive device in the ground in northern Gaza," the military said in a statement.

13 arrested in Israel's latest raids in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have detained at least 13 Palestinians during their recent incursions across several areas of the occupied West Bank, including Hebron, el-Bireh, and Ramallah governorates, according to Wafa news agency. 

Among the arrested were seven people from Hebron, where Israeli soldiers also confiscated equipment from al-Ahli Hospital. Israel also detained one Palestinian from the town of Silwad in the Ramallah district and six from the village of Deir Qaddis, located 16 km west of Ramallah.

At least one killed in Gaza City

An Israeli military strike has claimed the life of at least one person and left others injured in Gaza City's Shujaya neighbourhood, according to local medical sources cited by Wafa news agency.

In central Gaza, a separate drone attack targeted the area near Maghazi camp, though Wafa reported no casualties from the strike.
 

UK, France, Italy, Germany hail Arab plan to rebuild Gaza

Britain, France, Germany and Italy on Saturday backed a proposal by Muslim-majority nations to rebuild Gaza as a "realistic path".

The counter-proposal to US President Donald Trump's plan to take over Gaza and displace its residents "promises -- if implemented -- swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza," the foreign ministers of the four countries said in a joint statement.

The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at an emergency meeting in Saudi Arabia, on Saturday formally adopted a plan put forward by the Arab League.

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Hamas says held several meetings with US over Gaza ceasefire

Several meetings had taken place between leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas and US hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler, Taher Al-Nono, the political advisor of the Hamas chief confirmed

Israeli strikes target Gaza city coast

Palestinian media reported that Israeli gunboats shelled sites along the coast of Gaza City, coinciding with gunfire in the area.

Hamas denies reports of temporary true agreement

Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi rejected reports claiming that the group was open to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan.

In a statement, Mardawi insisted that the Palestinian group remains committed to the previously agreed-upon truce and insists on moving forward with the second phase of negotiations. He categorically denied the circulating rumours, asserting that they were completely unfounded.
 

Israeli delegation to Doha to resume Gaza truce talks

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday evening that a delegation will head to Doha on Monday to resume truce and prisoner exchange talks.

This decision comes after increasing pressure from international mediators and support from the United States.

However, Israeli media reported that a source familiar with the matter denied claims of an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a temporary ceasefire during Ramadan.