Live blog: Dozens of bodies found in Gaza rubble as prisoners set free

Saturday, February 1, 2025

1414 GMT — Palestinian medics recovered 24 bodies from under the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave since October 2023 to 47,487, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said two people also succumbed to their wounds and another killed in the past 24 hours.

It added that another eight were admitted to hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the number of the injured to 111,588 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.

More updates 👇

1900 GMT — Netanyahu to depart Sunday for US to meet Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin a visit to the US on Sunday to meet President Donald Trump, his office said.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart tomorrow morning for his meeting with US President Donald Trump,” the premeir's office posted on X.

Netanyahu’s visit will be his first international visit since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him in November 2024, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.

1730 GMT — Israeli army sets more homes on fire in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army set fire to more buildings in Marjayoun district, southern Lebanon, again violating the November 27 ceasefire, state media reported.

According to the official National News Agency (NNA), the military set alight several homes and buildings in the towns of Rab El Thalathine and Odaisseh, and plumes of smoke were seen rising in the sky.

Israeli drones also dropped bombs on vehicles clearing rubble in the town of Taybeh.

The latest breaches bring the total number of ceasefire violations to 830, according to data compiled by Anadolu based on announcements from NNA.

1630 GMT — Norwegian football club donate revenue of match against Maccabi Tel Aviv to Gaza

Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt have announced donating ticket revenues from the January 23 UEFA Europa League game against Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv for humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"Glimt cannot, and will not, be unaffected by the suffering and violations of international law that are taking place in other parts of the world," read a club statement.

"We will donate all the ordinary ticket revenues from the home game against Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Red Cross and earmark aid work in the Gaza Strip. This amounts to NOK 735,000 ($65,000) - and is donated by all of us."

1440 GMT — Israel admits it failed to assassinate Hamas leader Haitham Al-Hawajri

Israel acknowledged that it failed in its attempt to assassinate Haitham Al-Hawajri, the commander of Hamas’s Al-Shati Battalion, despite claiming to have killed him in December 2023.

In a statement published by the Israel Hayom newspaper and Channel 12, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the December 3, 2023 strike targeting Hawajri was initially believed to have been successful.

"Following the attack, Israel security agency Shin Bet and the military assessed with a high degree of certainty that he had been eliminated and the army issued an official statement confirming it," Hagari said.

However, he added: "Further examination has revealed that the intelligence relied upon by Shin Bet, military intelligence, and the Southern Command was incorrect. Hawajri was not killed in the attack."

1330 GMT — Israel releases Palestinians in exchange for Gaza hostages

Israel released Palestinians from its jails in the fourth prisoner swap under the ongoing ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Thirty-two of the freed prisoners from the occupied West Bank were handed over to the International Red Cross from the Ofer Prison facility near Ramallah, in line with the terms of the January 19 truce.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered near the Ramallah Cultural Palace to welcome the freed prisoners, waving Palestinian flags and chanting in support of the resistance and Gaza.

Despite warnings, the crowd gathered to receive the prisoners, who raised victory signs in defiance of Israeli orders.

1212 GMT — 79 Israeli captives still held in Gaza: Report

Hamas continues to hold 79 Israeli hostages in Gaza following the release of three captives, according to Israeli media.

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that 20 of these hostages are expected to be released in the ongoing first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported: “Hamas still holds 79 hostages, and 20 of them are set to be released in the coming days as part of the first phase of the agreement.”

1149 GMT — Busses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners arrive in Gaza

Red Cross buses have arrived at European Hospital in southern Gaza, carrying Palestinians freed from Israeli jails as part of prisoner swap deal, live television footage showed.

Meanwhile, Almog Boker, a correspondent for Israel’s Channel 12, reported that at the end of this first phase, Hamas would still be holding 59 hostages, including 36 who are presumed dead.

1110 GMT — Health Ministry in Gaza says 50 patients left through Rafah crossing to Egypt

The health ministry in Gaza has said 50 Palestinian patients went through the Rafah crossing to Egypt, as the key gateway reopened as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.

Egyptian state-linked channel Al-Qahera News showed footage of the first of 50 evacuees and 53 companions, including a child with an autoimmune disease, crossing the border into Egypt to receive treatment.

1052 GMT — Rafah border crossing reopens to allow Palestinian patients into Egypt

The Rafah border crossing, the main entry and exit point for the Palestinian territory, has reopened for the first time since May 2024 to allow Palestinian patients to cross over from Gaza to Egypt to receive medical treatment, live television footage showed.

0949 GMT — 1st batch of Palestinians freed in 4th prisoner-hostage swap

Buses carrying released Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons arrive in the occupied West Bank's Ramallah following the release of three Israeli captives by Hamas.

0828 GMT — Hamas hands over third Israeli captive to Red Cross in Gaza City

Hamas has handed over US-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel, the last of the three hostages released by the group, to the Red Cross at Gaza Port, live television footage showed.

Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon were handed over by Hamas earlier on Saturday to a Red Cross official in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, in the latest stage of a phased exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

0717 GMT — Israeli military says two freed hostages back on Israeli soil

The Israeli military has said the two freed hostages had now crossed into Israeli territory after they were released by Hamas.

"A short while ago, the returning civilian hostages, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas, crossed the border into Israeli territory" accompanied by Israeli forces, the military said in a statement.

0641 GMT — Hamas hands over two Israeli captives to Red Cross

Palestinian resistance group Hamas handed over two Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, live television images have shown, with a third expected to be transferred later in the morning.

Ofer Kalderon, a French-Israeli dual national and Yarden Bibas were seen being handed over to a Red Cross official in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, in the latest stage of a phased exchange of captives for Palestinian prisoners.

US-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel is expected to be handed over in another location later on Saturday.

0200 GMT — Israel to free 183 Palestinians as Hamas to release 3 Israelis

Palestinian resistance group Hamas is set to free three Israeli captives in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners in the fourth such swap as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Palestinian Prisoners' Club spokeswoman Amani Sarahneh confirmed on Friday the updated number of Palestinian prisoners to be freed, revising an earlier announcement of 90 prisoners.

Hamas released the names of three Israeli captives on Friday as Ofer Calderon, Keith Siegel, and Yarden Bibas.

2249 GMT — Trump 'confident' Egypt, Jordan will take in Gaza's Palestinians

US President Donald Trump has said he is "confident" Egypt and Jordan would take in Palestinians uprooted from Gaza.

"I heard somebody said they're not going to, but I think they will. I feel confident they will," Trump said from the Oval Office.

Trump doubled down on Thursday on his controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, insisting that Egypt and Jordan would comply, despite their repeated rejections.

"They will do it. They will do it. They’re going to do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they’re going to do it," Trump told reporters when asked if he would consider measures to pressure Cairo and Amman to accept his plan.

2130 GMT — Israeli army abducts groom from Palestinian wedding

The Israeli army have stormed a wedding ceremony in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, abducting the groom and several guests for about an hour before releasing them, according to witnesses.

Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that an Israeli force raided the celebration for the Abu Turki family at the Sofia Hall in the Umm al-Dalia area of central Hebron.

Israeli forces detained the groom and several young men at the wedding for nearly an hour, forcing them to raise their hands, according to the witnesses.

They added that the troops also vandalised several cars parked near the wedding venue. The reason, behind the raid and detentions, however, remains unclear.

2104 GMT — Top diplomats, officials to meet in Cairo to discuss Gaza

The Egyptian capital of Cairo is scheduled to host a seven-party meeting that will discuss developments in the Gaza situation following the ceasefire agreement and ways to support the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

According to the Egyptian state news agency, the meeting will be attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

The secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, and the Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul-Gheit will also attend the meeting.

2100 GMT — Rubio discusses path forward in Gaza with Riyadh

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has discussed "the path forward in Gaza" in a call with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, the State Department said.

The Secretary and Foreign Minister discussed the path forward in Gaza and ways to advance shared interests in Syria, Lebanon, and across the region, to include Red Sea security and freedom of navigation, it said.

2100 GMT — Israel blows up houses in Jenin camp

As the Israeli military attack in the city and refugee camp of Jenin has entered its eleventh consecutive day, the occupation forces continued to blow up Palestinian houses in the camp, WAFA news agency reported.

They said that sounds of explosions could be heard in the camp as the occupation forces blew up Palestinians’ houses, particularly in the Ad-Damj, Abdullah Azzam and al-Beshr neighbourhoods.

Israeli military bulldozers ploughed through infrastructure, including the road leading to Jenin Government Hospital, resulting in extensive destruction at a time when the gun-toting soldiers impeded the movement of ambulances into and out of the hospital.

2100 GMT — University of Michigan suspends pro-Palestine group

A pro-Palestine group at the University of Michigan has been suspended for two years and will lose its funding in connection with protesters' demands for divestiture from companies doing business with Israel.

Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, also known as SAFE, was accused of violating the university's standards of conduct for recognized student organisations following a protest last spring outside a regent’s home and a demonstration without school permission on its Ann Arbor campus.

Tensions over Israel's genocidal war on Gaza led to emotional demonstrations on US campuses, including a wave of pro-Palestine tent encampments that led to about 3,200 arrests.

For our live updates from Friday, January 31, 2025, click here.