Live blog: Israeli military admits its failure on October 7

Thursday, February 27, 2025

1700 GMT — The Israeli military drastically underestimated the capabilities of Hamas before its attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and "failed in its mission to protect Israeli civilians", a summary of an Israeli military investigation said.

The perception that Hamas was not interested in a full-scale conflict and that Israel would have ample warning if that changed went unchallenged for years, the summary said, resulting in a lack of preparedness and ability to respond to an attack.

"The belief was that Hamas could be influenced through pressures that would reduce its motivation for war, primarily by improving living conditions in Gaza," the report said.

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1722 GMT — At least 2 police officers injured in car-ramming attack in northern Israel

Ten people were injured in a car-ramming attack near Haifa in northern Israel, including two police officers, according to media reports.

Israel’s Army Radio said a car struck a group of people at the Karkur intersection. One of the injured was in critical condition and two others in serious condition, it said.

Channel 12 reported eight injuries, including three in serious condition, and confirmed police forces neutralized the suspect at the scene without disclosing his identity.

1713 GMT — All Palestinian groups should reconcile without delay: Turkish FM

All Palestinian groups should come together and reconcile without delay, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said during a meeting with Fatah Central Committee Secretary General Jibril al-Rajoub in Ankara, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on X.

Stressing that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas should lead the process, Fidan highlighted that all Palestinians must act in unity against Israel's expansionist policies, the ministry added.

1702 GMT — Israel army probe finds Oct 7 attack launched in three waves: official

An Israeli military probe published on Thursday found that Hamas' October 7 attack happened in three waves and at its height more than 5,000 people entered Israel from Gaza.

1639 GMT — Israel to restrict movement during looming Muslim holy month

Israel is to impose restrictions on movement during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when hundreds of thousands normally visit occupied East Jerusalem to pray, government spokesperson David Mencer said.

"The usual restrictions for public safety will be in place as they have been every year," Mencer told a press briefing.

The restrictions will target "people seeking to foment violence and attacks" but "all peaceful visitors" will be allowed access to religious sites, he said.

1531 GMT — Top Palestinian official visits Saudi Arabia for talks on Gaza, West Bank

A senior Palestinian official has arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks on developments in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization arrived in Riyadh to meet with Saudi officials, his office said, without giving details about the duration of his visit.

The visit comes amid difficulties facing negotiations on the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas and Israeli military escalation in the occupied West Bank.

1448 GMT — New group of freed Palestinian prisoners arrive in Gaza

A new group of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel arrived in Gaza under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

The freed prisoners, including women and children, were transferred by the Red Cross to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom (Karam Abu Salem) crossing, east of Rafah in southern Gaza, according to an Anadolu reporter.

They were later transported to the European Hospital in Khan Younis city for medical check-ups, he added.

1443 GMT — Gaza authorities decry Trump's 'colonialist' video

Authorities in Gaza have denounced as "colonialist" a video posted by US President Donald Trump on his social media account promoting his plan for Palestinian displacement from the enclave.

The 33-second video, which Trump shared on his social media platform Truth Social, opens with a scene of Gaza in ruins, displaying the inscription "Gaza 2025" in green, followed by "What's next?" in red, white, and blue.

The video then showcases towering skyscrapers and children gazing upward as dollar bills fall from the sky.

"This video and its degrading content reflect a colonialist mindset that distorts reality and seeks to justify Israeli occupation crimes by portraying Gaza as if it were a land without people," Ismail al-Thawabta, who heads Gaza's government media office, told Anadolu.

1437 GMT — Israel's actions in Golan Heights violate terms of 1974 deal: Russia

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said that Israel's actions in the occupied Golan Heights violate the terms of the 1974 Syria-Israel agreement on the separation of forces.

Responding to a question from an Anadolu correspondent at a press briefing in Moscow, Maria Zakharova reaffirmed Russia’s stance on Syria, emphasising the need to respect the country’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.

She urged all members of the international community to act responsibly, strictly adhere to international law, and avoid steps that could further escalate tensions in Syria. "This applies to Israel, whose actions in the Golan Heights violate the terms of the 1974 Syrian-Israeli agreement on the separation of forces.

"And of course, the Israeli Air Force's strikes on both civilian and military targets in Syria are of serious concern. Such aggressive actions clearly do not contribute to stability but instead exacerbate an already dire situation in the country," she stressed.

1337 GMT — Russian, Egyptian foreign ministers discuss Gaza ceasefire

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty over phone.

"During the conversation, there was a constructive exchange of views on pressing regional issues, with a focus on the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement emphasised the need to intensify international efforts to ensure the continued implementation of the three-phased ceasefire agreement in Gaza, facilitate detainee exchanges, and expand humanitarian aid deliveries to residents of the enclave.

1214 GMT — Israeli forces 'staying indefinitely' in Lebanon border buffer zone

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that Israeli forces were "staying indefinitely" in a buffer zone on the border with Lebanon, adding their deployment there was "situation-dependent".

"There is a buffer zone (on the border with Lebanon), it wasn't easy but I stood my ground, and we received a green light from the United States, we gave them a map, and we are staying indefinitely - this is situation-dependent, not time-dependent," Katz said at a conference, according to a statement issued by his office.

1208 GMT — Israeli delegation heads to Cairo for Gaza truce talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his negotiation delegation to depart for Cairo to continue Gaza ceasefire talks, his office said in a statement.

The first phase of the ceasefire deal is due to end this week.

1144 GMT — Gaza death toll from Israeli war exceeds 48,360

Gaza's death toll from Israel's brutal war since October 2023 has reached 48,365, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said the bodies of 17 Palestinians were recovered from the rubble in the last 24 hours. According to the ministry, 19 more injured Palestinians were transferred to hospitals, taking the number of injuries to 111,780 in the Israeli onslaught.

1144 GMT — Israel PM pledges to 'relentlessly' work to bring back all Gaza captives

Netanyahu has pledged to work "relentlessly" to bring back all the hostages held in Gaza after Hamas returned the bodies of four captives.

"To the dear families, we share in your pain," Netanyahu said in a statement. "I pledge that we will continue to act relentlessly until we bring everyone back. Until we return all our sons and daughters home."

1058 GMT — Philadelphi Corridor on Gaza-Egypt border to remain ‘buffer zone’: Israel

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt will remain a “buffer zone."

"The Philadelphi Corridor will remain a buffer zone just like (Israel's borders with) Lebanon and Syria,” Katz said in statements carried by Israeli Channel 12.

Israel is scheduled to start withdrawing from the 14-kilometre (8.69-mile) corridor on Saturday under a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.

0841 GMT — Israel frees 596 Palestinians after body handover

Israel released 596 Palestinians held in jails as part of the seventh exchange under the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner deal with Hamas.

It came after the Palestinian resistance group handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, 37 Palestinians were freed in Ramallah, central occupied West Bank and five in occupied East Jerusalem.

One prisoner received by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, in a coma, was transferred to a hospital in the West Bank. As many as 456 Palestinians were released and transferred to Gaza, according to Saleh Al-Hams, the nursing director at the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis.

"The prisoners are in a state of severe emaciation, with some unable to walk due to the intense beatings and torture they have endured," Hams said., adding that "most of the prisoners suffer from skin diseases, and one case was admitted to the hospital overnight due to lung fibrosis."

0652 GMT — Arab Parliament condemns calls for Palestinian displacement, rejects violations of Palestinian sovereignty

The Arab Parliament said that any plan advocating control over Gaza, violating Palestinian sovereignty, or displacing the Palestinian people from Gaza to other countries is "entirely condemned and rejected."

Following an emergency session held at the headquarters in Cairo, the legislative body of the Arab League in its final statement stressed displacement attempts constitute "a blatant violation of international laws, international resolutions, and an infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people."

The Arab Parliament also "firmly rejected any attempts aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause or imposing unjust solutions," asserting that any efforts "to forcibly displace the Palestinian people in any form amount to a crime against humanity under international law and the Geneva Conventions."

0630 GMT — Lebanese army uncovers Israeli spy devices in southern Lebanon

The Lebanese army said its specialised units discovered Israeli spy devices in southern Lebanon.

The army said in a statement that its specialised teams, during engineering surveying operations in areas in southern Lebanon, identified two spy devices planted by the Israeli army.

The devices, hidden inside trees and rocks, were equipped with cameras and sensors.

The army also published photos of the surveillance equipment, and said the relevant units worked on dismantling them.

0345 GMT — Palestinian government in Gaza discusses prisoner exchange

The Media Office of the Government in Gaza announced that it held discussions with a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) about Israel’s violations in Gaza and the "sensitive humanitarian and legal issues" in the ongoing prisoner exchange process.

During the meeting in Gaza City, Ismail al-Thawabta, the director of the Media Office, raised questions with the Red Cross delegation about the treatment of both Israeli and Palestinian prisoners in the exchange process.

Al-Thawabta highlighted the humanitarian and ethical approach that the Palestinian group Hamas follows when handing over the bodies of Israeli captives to the Red Cross, questioning why the same standard was not applied to Palestinian prisoners.

He criticised Israel for continuing to deliver the bodies of Palestinian detainees in "inhumane and uncivilised ways."

0300 GMT — No choice for Israel but to start 2nd phase truce talks — Hamas

Hamas said that Israel has "no choice but to start negotiations" on a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, after the group handed over the bodies of four Israelis taken captive during the attack of October 7, 2023.

"We imposed the synchronisation of the process of handing over the bodies of the enemy prisoners with the release of our heroic prisoners," the group said in a statement on Telegram, adding: "It has no choice but to start negotiations for the second phase.

0254 — Buses carrying released Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons arrive in Gaza

Buses carrying released Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons arrived in Gaza, live footage showed.

Israel had refused to release prisoners last Saturday.

2250 GMT — Israel has released Palestinians from Ofer Prison.

A bus carrying dozens of Palestinian prisoners arrived in the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, heading toward the Cultural Palace in Ramallah, where their families are waiting, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent.

The correspondent added that the bus was accompanied by teams from the International Red Cross.

Hamas' Prisoners Information Office said that among those released, 43 prisoners are expected to be freed to the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, out of a total of 620 prisoners set to be released.

0235 GMT — Hamas says ready to start talks on second phase of truce

Hamas said that Israel had "no choice but to start negotiations" on a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire after the group handed over the bodies of four Israelis in the latest exchange.

The resistance group also said that it abides by the ceasefire and is ready to start the talks on the second phase.

2243 GMT — Hamas hands over four hostage bodies to Red Cross

An Israeli security official has told the AFP news agency that Hamas had handed over four bodies to the Red Cross, while a senior leader from the Palestinian resistance said the bodies belonged to Israeli hostages.

"Four bodies transferred to the Red Cross from Hamas," the official said. "The four bodies were handed over a short while ago, and we are waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners," the Hamas official said, referring to the remains of the hostages.

2133 GMT — Israel has shown 'unprecedented disregard for human rights' in Gaza: UN human rights chief

The UN Human Rights Chief has accused Israel of showing an unprecedented disregard for human rights in its genocide in Palestine's Gaza.

"Nothing justifies the appalling manner in which Israel has conducted its military operations in Gaza, which consistently breached international law", said Volker Turk, while presenting a new report on the human rights situation in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

For our live updates from Wednesday, February 26, 2025, click here.