Live blog: Israeli air strike kills 6 in eastern Lebanon despite ceasefire

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Six people were killed and two others injured on Saturday in an Israeli air strike targeting the Shaira area in Lebanon’s eastern Baalbek district, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

“Six people were martyred and two others were wounded due to an Israeli air strike on the Shaira area, adjacent to the town of Janta,” NNA reported.

The Israeli military, in a statement, said its air force carried out the strike under the direction of intelligence services, claiming it targeted Hezbollah members inside a site in the Bekaa Valley, allegedly used for producing and storing strategic weaponry.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since November 27, ending months of mutual shelling between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated into full-scale conflict last September.

Despite the truce, Israel has committed over 840 violations, killing and injuring dozens in Lebanon, including women and children.

More updates 👇

1700 GMT — Israel putting Gaza ceasefire at risk of collapse: Hamas official

Israel's "lack of commitment" is putting the Gaza ceasefire in danger of collapse, a senior Hamas official told AFP with talks yet to start on its second phase.

In an interview with AFP, Hamas political bureau member and former Gaza health minister Basem Naim warned the deal was in danger, but said the Palestinian resistance group did not want to return to war.

The fifth release of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners took place on Saturday, about halfway through the six-week first phase of the ceasefire deal.

1650 GMT — Fifth prisoner swap under Gaza deal completed

Israel and Hamas completed their fifth prisoner swap under a fragile Gaza ceasefire deal, with the frail, disoriented appearance of the three released Israelis sparking dismay among their relatives.

Out of the 183 inmates released by Israel in return, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group said seven required hospitalisation, decrying "brutality" and mistreatment in jail.

An AFP correspondent later reported that more than 100 Palestinian prisoners had arrived in Gaza.

1609 GMT — Israeli negotiators in Qatar ‘unauthorised' to discuss 2nd phase of Gaza ceasefire: Report

Israel’s negotiating team set to travel to Qatar is not authorised to discuss the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, according to Israeli media.

The Israeli team includes Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages, and a former deputy chief of the Shin Bet domestic service, whose name was not disclosed.

"The Israeli team is not authorized to discuss the second phase of the deal," the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.

KAN said the mandate of the negotiating team is limited to discussing the continuation of the first phase of the agreement.

1600 GMT — Palestine, Egypt decry Israeli premier’s proposal to establish Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia

Palestine and Egypt strongly denounced a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to establish a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia, considering the call a violation of the kingdom's sovereignty.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called Netanyahu's proposal "racist and anti-peace,” and" an infringement on Saudi Arabia's sovereignty and stability."

The statement voiced complete support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia against the Israeli incitement, and urged the international community to condemn Netanyahu's statements.

For his part, Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said that the Israeli statements targeted the Saudi sovereignty, calling Netanyahu’s comments “a violation of international law and international conventions.”

“The State of Palestine will only be on the land of Palestine,” he added on his X account.

1450 GMT — Israel claims to have struck Hamas weapons depot in southern Syria

Israel claimed to have struck a weapons storage facility for the Palestinian group Hamas in southern Syria.

In a brief statement, the army said the weapons depot was hit in the Deir Ali area in southern Syria, claiming that the weapons were stored to carry out attacks against Israeli targets.

There was no comment from Syrian authorities or Hamas on the Israeli claim.

1445 GMT — Hamas official urges Arab countries not to recognise Israel

A senior Hamas official urged Arab countries not to recognise Israel, as Saudi Arabia is courted by the United States to join a small group of its neighbours in normalising ties.

"We call on them not to normalise," Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim told AFP. "We call on all Arab countries, both those currently normalising and those considering normalisation, to step back from this."

1130 GMT — 183 Palestinians freed for 3 Israeli captives amid truce deal

A bus carrying a group of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons arrived in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah under a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

According to an Anadolu Agency reporter, some 42 prisoners were aboard the Red Cross bus, who were greeted by a cheering crowd who gathered since early morning to welcome the freed detainees.

The detainees were set free from the Ofer military prison near Ramallah under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal that took effect on January 19.

Israel is set to free 183 prisoners on Saturday in swap for three Israeli captives released by Hamas early in the day.

Sixteen Israeli captives and five Thai workers have so far been released under the Gaza ceasefire in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

1011 GMT — Israeli army withdraws from occupied West Bank town after week-long assault

The Israeli army withdrew from the occupied West Bank town of Tammun after a week-long incursion, a local official has said.

"The army withdrew its forces suddenly and quickly, and evacuated all the houses that it had turned into military barracks after expelling their inhabitants," Tammun Mayor Najeh Bani Odeh said.

He said the Israeli forces have left a trail of destruction after its military offensives in the town.

1009 GMT — Gaza death toll nears 48,200 as more bodies found in rubble

Palestinian medics and rescue teams have recovered 22 more bodies from the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,181, the Health Ministry has said.

Earlier, the figure was revised by officials to nearly 62,000, having added thousands who are missing and are now presumed dead.

A ministry statement said that the toll included four Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the last 48 hours.

According to the ministry, five injured people were also admitted to hospitals, taking the number of the injured to 111,638 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the ministry said.

0917 GMT — Hamas hands three Israeli captives to Red Cross in 5th swap

Hamas has handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in central Gaza's Deir al Balah, live television showed.

The resistance group released Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi, and Or Levy in the fifth prisoner-captive swap under a ceasefire deal with Israel.

Israel confirms it has received 3 hostages freed by Hamas.

0838 GMT — Two children killed in wall collapse in Gaza City after Israeli strike

Two Palestinian girls have been killed in the collapse of a concrete wall of a house struck by Israeli warplanes in Gaza City, local authorities have said.

Another child was injured in the collapse that took place as the children were playing near the house, Salama Marouf, who heads the media government office in Gaza, added on his X account.

"To stop the martyrs' death toll, it is crucial to expedite the entry of heavy machinery and equipment, provide fuel, and allow specialized technical teams to access the rubble and debris to assess partially destroyed homes," Marouf said.

0828 GMT — Release of 183 Palestinian prisoners begins

Procedures for the release of 183 Palestinian prisoners from Ofer, Negev prisons begin as they board buses, Israeli media has reported.

0803 GMT — Red Cross team en route to collect Israeli captives in Gaza

A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza are on the way to collect Israeli captives from Hamas, an official involved in the operation has said.

0751 GMT — Israeli army raids homes of Palestinian detainees’ families ahead of their release

The Israeli army has launched a series of raids across the occupied West Bank targeting the homes of Palestinian detainees set to be released as part of the ongoing prisoner exchange deal under the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

According to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces stormed multiple homes, ransacked belongings, and issued warnings to families against celebrating their loved ones' release.

One of the targeted homes was that of senior Hamas leader Jamal Al-Tawil in Al-Bireh, where Israeli soldiers threatened his family with arrest if they held any celebrations.

0649 GMT — Hamas prepares for 5th prisoner swap under ceasefire deal with Israel

Hamas’ armed wing, Qassam Brigades, has started preparations ahead of the fifth prisoner exchange with Israel as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19.

According to an Anadolu correspondent, members of Qassam Brigades have been deployed in Deir al Balah in central Gaza in preparation for the handover of Israeli hostages to the International Red Cross Committee.

0417 GMT — Israel to release 183 Palestinians; Hamas to free three Israelis

Hamas has named three Israeli captives set for release today in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire deal.

The latest exchange follows official statements in which authorities in Gaza accuse Israel of blocking humanitarian aid and essential supplies from entering the territory.

0318 GMT — Hezbollah slams US envoy’s remarks during Lebanon visit

Hezbollah has criticised comments by US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus during her visit to Beirut, calling them an "interference in Lebanon’s sovereignty."

The newly appointed US envoy praised Israel for “defeating Hezbollah” and urged Lebanese leaders to push forward with reforms while ensuring the Lebanese armed group remains disarmed and excluded from the government.

Mohammad Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, denounced Ortagus’ remarks saying they were “filled with hatred and irresponsibility."

2125 GMT — War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump's ICC sanctions — report

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is the first person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorised by US President Donald Trump that target the war crimes tribunal over investigations of US citizens or US allies, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters news agency.

Khan, who is British, was named on Friday in an annexe — not yet made public — to an executive order signed by Trump a day earlier, a senior ICC official and another source, both briefed by US government officials, told Reuters.

The sanctions include freezing the US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.

2114 GMT — US approves $7.4B sale of bombs, missiles to Israel

The United States has announced the approval of a more than $7.4 billion sale of bombs, missiles and related equipment to Israel, which has used American-made weapons to devastating effect during the genocidal war in Gaza.

The State Department has signed off on the sale of $6.75 billion in bombs, guidance kits and fuzes, in addition to $660 million in Hellfire missiles, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

The agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of these possible sales.

"The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defence capability," it added.

2000 GMT — Trump calls his Gaza proposal a simple ‘real estate transaction’

US President Donald Trump has said his suggestions that Gaza's residents could be expelled and resettled elsewhere and the area redeveloped for tourism potential has "been very well received" around the globe.

The idea has actually been roundly criticised.

But Trump insisted that it was a simple "real estate transaction," and that the US is in "no rush to do anything."

Trump said "We don’t want to see everybody move back and then move out in 10 years" because of continued unrest.

1919 GMT — Arab-Americans oppose Trump's Gaza plan

In America's largest Arab enclave, where frustration with President Joe Biden's Gaza genocide policy led many to back Donald Trump, anger is now growing over the president's explosive proposal to seize control of the Palestinian territory.

But Dearborn voters say their only viable option in 2024 was to punish Democrats, leveraging their influence as a minority community on their core issue.

"I do not regret my vote," said Samra'a Luqman, a political activist in this Detroit suburb of 110,000, where most residents have Middle Eastern or North African heritage.

Previously a Democratic stronghold, Dearborn saw Trump win 42.5 percent of the vote in November, followed by Kamala Harris at 36.3 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 18.3 percent.

"We've seen the great march of return, emotions I can't even describe," said 42-year-old Luqman, describing the overwhelming joy of displaced Palestinians finally returning home despite the devastation. She credited Trump for making the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas possible.

For our live updates from Friday, February 7, 2025, click here.