Live blog: EU backs full return of displaced Palestinians to Gaza

Monday, February 24, 2025

1847 GMT — There can be no other solution other than a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the EU foreign policy chief said.

Speaking at a joint news conference after a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council, Kaja Kallas said: "We support the Palestinian Authority and its return to Gaza. We support the return of every displaced Palestinian for whom Gaza is their home."

She added: "When the time comes, the EU will also support Gaza's reconstruction, together with the regional actors. Palestinians must be able to live in Gaza."

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1837 GMT — West Bank Palestinians fear Gaza-style clearance as Israel squeezes Jenin camp

Israeli bulldozers have demolished large areas of the now virtually empty Jenin refugee camp and appear to be carving wide roadways through its once-crowded warren of alleyways, echoing tactics already employed in Gaza as troops prepare for a long-term stay.

At least 40,000 Palestinians have left their homes in Jenin and the nearby city of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank since Israel began its operation just a day after reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza after 15 months of war.

"Jenin is a repeat of what happened in Jabalia," said Basheer Matahen, spokesperson for the Jenin municipality, referring to the refugee camp in northern Gaza that was cleared out by the Israeli army after weeks of bitter fighting. "The camp has become uninhabitable."

1812 GMT — Israeli tanks part of 'plans to annex West Bank by force': Islamic Jihad

Palestinian resistance group Islamic Jihad said that an unusual deployment of Israeli tanks in the occupied West Bank, part of a major offensive that has displaced tens of thousands, may be a step toward annexation.

The torn-up streets surrounding the Jenin refugee camp in the territory's north were empty on Monday, an AFP journalist reported, as three Israeli Merkava tanks stationed at higher vantage points overlooked the area.

Displaced camp residents occasionally entered through a back alley to retrieve belongings from their homes.

1736 GMT — EU tells Israel 'cannot hide concern' over West Bank

The European Union pushed Israel over its operation in the West Bank and the fragile ceasefire in Gaza at a meeting with the country's foreign minister in Brussels.

"We are closely watching developments, and cannot hide our concern when it comes to the West Bank," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

Israel said on Sunday its troops would remain for many months in refugee camps in the northern West Bank after tens of thousands of Palestinians living there were displaced by an intensifying, weeks-long military operation.

1613 GMT — Erdogan slams Western Leaders over Gaza civilian deaths

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Western organisations and leaders who "watched the slaughter of more than 61,000 civilians, mostly women and children," have failed the test of humanity in Gaza.

1531 GMT — Tel Aviv not committed to Biden's Gaza plan, Israel tells US

Israel informed the United States that it is no longer committed to the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that was formulated during the administration of former president Joe Biden, Israeli daily Haaretz claimed.

Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer told US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff during their two meetings in Florida that "Israel is not committed to the three-stage plan of the Biden administration, even if it signed it."

"Netanyahu's plan, as Dermer presented it to Witkoff, is as follows: release all the remaining hostages in one big, single stage. Hamas will receive prisoners in return," Haaretz said.

According to the newspaper, if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand for releasing the hostages is not met, he will resort to "Plan B."

1527 GMT — Israel denies entry to EU parliament member over Gaza support

Israel announced that it will deny entry to European Parliament Member Rima Hassan, who is scheduled to arrive in the coming hours from Belgium, due to her support for Palestinians.

"Hassan, who is expected to land from Brussels in the coming hour, consistently works to promote boycotts against Israel in addition to numerous public statements both on social media and in media interviews," Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel's office said in a statement.

Hassan is a French national of Palestinian origin known for her supportive stance toward the Palestinian cause and for highlighting Israel's atrocities in Gaza.

1522 GMT — Gaza death toll nears 48,350 as more bodies found in rubble

Palestinian medics and rescue teams retrieved five more bodies from the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,346, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that the toll also included two Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire in the last 24 hours. Some 111,759 others were wounded in the Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 2023, the Health Ministry added.

1407 GMT — Human Rights Watch urges EU to avoid 'business as usual' with Israel

The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and the bloc's foreign ministers are urged to condemn Israel's war crimes during the EU-Israel Association Council meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Monday, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

In a statement, the rights group headquartered in New York called for a shift away from the EU’s "reluctance" to address serious violations of international law by Israel.

"There can be no business as usual with a government responsible for crimes against humanity, including apartheid, and acts of genocide, and whose sitting prime minister is wanted for atrocity crimes by the International Criminal Court," said Claudio Francavilla, HRW's associate EU director.

The non-profit emphasised the need for consequences, including sanctions against Israeli officials and a review of Israel’s compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

1331 GMT — Egypt vows swift Gaza reconstruction ‘in shortest possible time’

Egypt said that it is capable of rebuilding war-torn Gaza in the shortest possible time after Israel’s brutal war.

"Unfortunately, we have witnessed over a year of aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza, which has resulted in widespread destruction on Palestinian lands," Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam said in an event organised by the Egyptian Engineers Syndicate.

Egypt "has unequivocally affirmed - through President Abdel Fattah el Sisi, the Egyptian government, the Egyptian people, and our armed forces – its total rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land," added Sewilam.

He noted that Egypt "has confirmed that the only solution to achieving peace and security for all the peoples of the region is through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the entire Palestinian national territory, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital."

1310 GMT — Gaza faces health crisis as 170,000 tonnes of garbage pile up

Palestinian authorities warned of a health and environmental crisis in Gaza City as mountains of garbage were piling up amid Israeli restrictions.

"Gaza City is facing a major health and environmental disaster due to the accumulation of about 170,000 tonnes of garbage in the streets and temporary landfills," Gaza Municipality said in a statement.

It accused Israel of preventing municipal teams from reaching the main landfill east of the city following the destruction of 80 percent of the municipality’s machinery in Israeli bombardment. The municipal authority explained that its teams were transferring waste from the streets and residential areas to temporary landfills inside the city.

1151 GMT — EU, Israel resume dialogue with focus on Gaza's future

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called for a constructive dialogue but braced for criticism from some European countries as he arrived for talks in Brussels.

The Israeli minister is meeting senior European officials, reviving a dialogue with the European Union as the bloc considers a role in the reconstruction of Gaza following last month's fragile ceasefire deal.

"I'm looking for a constructive dialogue, an open and honest one, and I believe that this is what it will be," Saar told reporters on arrival.

"We know how to face criticism," he said, adding "It's okay as long as criticism is not connected to delegitimisation, demonisation, or double standards ... but we are ready to discuss everything with an open mind".

1053 GMT — UN rights chief calls for probe into 'grave violations of international law' across Gaza

The United Nations human rights chief repeated his call for an independent investigation into "grave violations of international law" across Gaza.

Speaking at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Volker Turk said: "In Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, where the suffering has been unbearable, I repeat my call for an independent investigation into grave violations of international law, committed by Israel in the course of its attacks across Gaza, and by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups." 


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1021 GMT — Israeli gunfire ignites fires at Palestinian homes in Gaza’s Rafah

Several Palestinian homes have caught fire after Israeli army fire in Rafah city in southern Gaza, witnesses said.

According to witnesses, Israeli drones and tanks opened fire towards central Rafah, setting several homes ablaze.

Israeli army fire was also reported in the eastern parts of Gaza City, but no injuries were reported.

The new attacks came despite a ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement that took hold in Gaza last month, pausing Israel’s brutal onslaught that killed more than 48,300 people and left the enclave in ruins.

Palestinian authorities have reported over 350 Israeli breaches of the ceasefire deal since January 19, including the killing of 92 people and injury of 822 others in Israeli attacks.

0906 GMT –– UN voices concern over West Bank violence, annexation calls

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is "gravely concerned" over the rising violence in the occupied West Bank and the human rights violations in Gaza.

Guterres, addressing the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, said: "I am gravely concerned by the rising violence in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and other violations, as well as calls for annexation".

"In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, violations of human rights have skyrocketed" since October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and the "intolerable levels of death and destruction in Gaza," caused by Israel, he said.

Describing the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas as "precarious," he urged: "We must avoid at all costs a resumption of hostilities. The people in Gaza have already suffered too much."

"It’s time for a permanent ceasefire, the dignified release of all remaining host ages, irreversible progress towards a two-state solution, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part," he added.

0745 GMT –– Israeli tanks roll into West Bank as Gaza talks stall

Israeli tanks moved into the occupied West Bank for the first time in decades in what Palestinian authorities called a “dangerous escalation,” after the defense minister said troops will rem in in parts of the territory for a year and tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled cannot return.

Associated Press journalists saw several tanks move along unpaved tracks into Jenin, long a bastion of armed struggle against Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism" in all refugee camps in the West Bank.

2213 GMT — US says it supports Israel in delaying Palestinian prisoners' release

The White House has said that it supports Israel's decision to delay releasing 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing what it described as the "barbaric treatment" of Israeli hostages by Hamas.

Delaying the prisoner release is an "appropriate response" to the Palestinian resistance group's treatment of the hostages, a statement from National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said.

President Donald Trump is prepared to support Israel in "whatever course of action it chooses regarding Hamas," he added.

2025 GMT — Israeli army raises military readiness near Gaza as ceasefire tensions grow

Israel's military increased its readiness near besieged Gaza amid the fragile ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army announced.

"Following a situational assessment, it was decided to increase the operational readiness in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement while clarifying that "no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines" were being made.

2000 GMT — Israel attacks funeral of released Palestinian prisoner

Israeli forces have attacked Palestinians attending the funeral of released Palestinian prisoner Nael Obeid, 46, in the town of Issawiya, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, WAFA news agency said.

The agency cited local sources reporting that the Israeli forces stormed the town and heavily fired tear gas at mourners attending Obeid's funeral.

For our live updates from Sunday, February 23, 2025, click here.