Live blog: US wants to see continuation of Gaza truce as deadline looms

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

1916 GMT — The White House said that the United States wants to see the ceasefire in Gaza continue as the deal's first phase is set to expire this weekend.

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump and his administration "remained very much engaged."

"We want to see the ceasefire continue, and the president has made it very clear he wants to see all of the hostages who have been held in captivity in Gaza returned home," she told reporters

The first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which began on Jan. 19, includes three stages, each lasting 42 days, with negotiations required before moving to the next phase.

It is set to expire on Saturday.

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1754 GMT — At UN, Israeli former hostage appeals for ceasefire deal to go on

An Israeli woman kidnapped by Hamas recounted her ordeal at the United Nations Security Council, telling the 15-member body she did not think she would make it out alive, and pleading for a ceasefire to continue.

Noa Argamani was rescued by Israeli forces in June last year, eight months after she and her partner were taken by Hamas from a music festival in southern Israel. Her partner, Avinatan Or, is still held hostage and due to be released during the second phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

"I need to make sure that the world knows that: the deal must go on in full ... completely, in all the stages," she told the Security Council before then describing how a house she was held hostage in was blown up, trapping her in the rubble.

1750 GMT — Ireland urges states to stay focused on deteriorating West Bank situation

Ireland called on countries to keep their focus on the recent escalations in the West Bank.

Speaking at the high-level segment of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Neale Richmond, the minister of state for international development and diaspora, said: "We must remain focused on the deteriorating situation in the West Bank."

Richmond's remarks came as Israel expelled residents from three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank – Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams – as part of a month-long military operation. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the camps were now "empty" and would be occupied by Israeli forces for the coming year.

Addressing the broader Israel's war on Gaza, he said: "We need to see the ceasefire agreement fully implemented in all its phases, including the release of all hostages. There must also be continuing entry of humanitarian aid at scale, the provision of basic services and a framework for the return of those displaced from their homes within Gaza."

1628 GMT — 'Last chance' for 2-state solution to Palestine, Israel conflict: UN official

The UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process urged the international community to seize the "historic opportunity" for peace in the region, warning of a "last chance" for a two-state solution.

"The Middle East today is undergoing rapid transformation -- its scope and impact remain uncertain, but it also presents a historic opportunity," Sigrid Kaag told the UN Security Council, adding that it “may be our last chance to achieve the two-state solution."

Highlighting the devastation in Gaza, Kaag noted her visit to the region.

"In my last visit to Gaza, soon after the ceasefire came into effect, I was once again moved by the scenes of utter devastation and despair due to loss, trauma and a sense of abandonment by the international community.

"As part of the ceasefire deal, 1,135 Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been released so far.

1620 GMT — Egypt should run Gaza for 8 years: Israeli opposition leader

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Egypt should run Gaza for at least eight years once the war is over, in exchange for massive debt relief.

"The solution is Egypt will take responsibility for the management of the Gaza Strip for eight years with an option to extend to 15 years," he told the hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank in Washington.

"At the same time, its foreign external debt will be paid off by the international community and regional allies," Lapid, a former Israeli prime minister, continued.

Egypt would lead a "peace force" of the Gulf states and the international community "for the management and rebuilding of Gaza," he said.

1609 GMT — Syria calls for Israel's withdrawal from its lands

Syria condemned Israel's incursion into its territories and called for Israel to withdraw, according to the closing statement of a national dialogue summit organised by Syria's new government to outline the country's political roadmap.

Israel occupied a UN-monitored demilitarised zone within Syria after the ouster of regime leader Bashar al Assad.

1455 GMT — European Parliament delegation members denied entry to Israel

Two members of the European Parliament (MEPs), including Lynn Boylan who chairs the European Parliament’s EU-Palestine delegation, and two European Parliament staff members were refused entry to Israel.

Boylan, a left-wing MEP from the Sinn Fein party in Ireland, and fellow left-wing MEP Rima Hassan of the French political party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) were denied entry at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.

Boylan expressed outrage over the refusal. "This utter contempt from Israel is the result of the international community failing to hold them to account," Boylan said in a statement.

1442 GMT — Israel looks to extend phase one of Gaza truce

Israel is considering an extension of the 42-day truce in Gaza as it seeks to bring home the remaining 63 hostages while putting off agreement on the future of the enclave for now, Israeli officials said.

The initial phase of the ceasefire deal, launched with the backing of the United States and the help of Egyptian and Qatari mediators on January 19, is due to end on Saturday and it remains unclear what will follow.

"We are being very cautious," Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told reporters in Jerusalem when asked whether the truce might be extended without the start of talks on a second phase which would include difficult issues such as a final end to the war and the future governance of Gaza.

"There wasn't a particular agreement on that, but it might be a possibility," she said. "We didn't close the option of continuing the current ceasefire, but in return for our hostages, and they have to be returned safely."

If no agreement is reached by Friday, officials expect either a return to fighting or a freeze in the current situation in which the truce would continue but hostages would not return and Israel may block the entry of aid into Gaza.

1431 GMT — Gaza death toll from Israeli war close to 48,350: Health Ministry

Gaza’s death toll from Israel’s destructive war since October 2023 has reached 48,348, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said the body of one Palestinian was recovered from the rubble and another was killed by Israeli army fire in the last 24 hours.

Two more injured Palestinians were transferred to hospitals, taking the number of injuries to 111,761 in the Israeli onslaught, it added.

1420 GMT — Israeli forces launch new raid in Nablus, West Bank

The Israeli army killed a Palestinian and injured dozens during its raid on the city of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces "fired live bullets, stun grenades, and toxic tear gas at civilians near the western cemetery on University Street in Nablus,” according to the Palestinian news agency, Wafa.

A young man died from a gunshot wound to his chest, and four others were wounded after being struck with live ammunition to various parts of their bodies, added the agency.

The report said the injuries included "three civilians wounded by bullet shrapnel, one injured due to a fall, and dozens suffering from tear gas inhalation, including a 7-month-old infant."

1348 GMT — Disabled Palestinian stabbed by illegal Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank

A disabled Palestinian was stabbed by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, medics said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medics transferred a 20-year-old man to a hospital in the northern city of Tubas after he was stabbed in the abdomen by illegal settlers.

No details were provided about the circumstances of the attack. The knife attack came as the Israeli army continued deadly raids in the northern West Bank, where over 60 people have been killed and thousands displaced since last month.

1330 GMT — 59 Palestinian detainees died in Israeli prisons since war began

At least 59 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, a prisoners' affairs group said.

The victims include 38 prisoners from Gaza, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement. It accused the Israeli authorities of hiding the deaths of scores of Palestinian prisoners in detention.

The Commission of Detainees' Affairs said that a Palestinian prisoner, Musab Hani Haniyeh, died in Israeli custody.

Haniyeh, 35, from the southern city of Khan Younis, was arrested by the Israeli army on March 3, 2024. According to his family, Haniyeh was in good health before his detention.

According to Palestinian figures, at least 296 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli detention since Tel Aviv’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967.

1321 GMT — No further talks with Israel until prisoners are freed: Hamas

A Hamas official says Israel’s delay in the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners is a "serious violation" of the ceasefire agreement and talks on a second phase of the accord are not possible until they are returned.

As part of the agreement, Israel was supposed to release the prisoners last weekend after Hamas freed hostages from its Oct. 7, 2023, attack. But Israel delayed the release over the treatment of the captives, who were paraded before crowds.

In a written statement, Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group had "fully adhered to all provisions of the agreements" and that Israel’s delay "puts the agreement at risk of collapse, potentially leading to a resumption of war."

1212 GMT — WHO worries about West Bank violence, impact on healthcare

The World Health Organization is deeply concerned about violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the impact of "starkly rising" attacks on healthcare, its representative in the Palestinian territories said.

Israel sent tanks into the West Bank for the first time in more than 20 years on Sunday. It ordered the military to prepare for an "extended stay" to fight Palestinian resistance groups in the area's refugee camps.

"We are deeply concerned about the situation in the West Bank and the impact on health", Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the West Bank and Gaza, told reporters via video link from Gaza.

"We see the current flashpoints of violence, attacks on healthcare ... starkly rising in the West Bank."

1017 GMT — Egypt rejects proposals to displace Palestinians

Egypt rejects proposals to displace the Palestinian people to not "liquidate" the Palestinian cause and to avoid threatening the national security of countries in the region, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump has angered the Arab world with a plan to permanently displace the population of more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza, assert US control over the territory and turn it into an international beach resort.

Egypt will on March 4 host an emergency Arab League summit set to focus on Arab efforts to counter Trump's plan and calls for Egypt and Jordan to resettle displaced Palestinians from Gaza. Both countries reject the proposal, citing national security concerns.

1000 GMT — More Palestinian babies freeze to death in Gaza

Five newborn babies froze to death in Gaza amid cold weather in the Israeli-besieged Palestinian enclave, a local doctor said.

"Nine infants were hospitalised in the past two weeks due to health complications caused by severe cold," Saeed Salah, Director of the Patient’s Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in Gaza, told Anadolu Agency.

"Of the nine cases, five babies aged between one day and two weeks died," he added.

Salah said one baby is still on a ventilator due to his serious health condition, while three others were discharged from hospital.

0941 GMT — Israeli ex-minister 'proud' over images of inhumane treatment of Palestinian inmates

Israel's far-right former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir boasted about forcing Palestinian prisoners to kneel at gunpoint and paint over slogans they had written on prison walls, including "Arab Jerusalem."

“Proud of the Israel Prison Service, in the Ktzi'ot Prison (Negev Desert), it emerged that incitement inscriptions were written on the walls of several cells in the security wings,” Ben-Gvir wrote Monday on X.

Palestinian prisoners had written phrases such as “We will not forget, we will not forgive, we will not kneel, Jerusalem is Arab,” said the former minister, who also heads the far-right Jewish Strength (Otzma Yehudit) political party.

0917 GMT — Israeli army says Golan interceptor launch ‘false alarm’

The Israeli army confirmed that it fired two interceptor missiles towards "suspicious objects" that turned out to be a false alarm in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

A military statement said that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

According to Israeli media, sirens sounded in several Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights area over fear of falling shrapnel from the interceptor missiles.

0855 GMT — Egypt rejects displacement of Palestinians, threats to countries’ national security

Egypt rejects proposals to displace the Palestinian people in order to not "liquidate" the Palestinian cause and to avoid threatening the national security of countries in the region, according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency.

US President Donald Trump has infuriated the Arab world with a plan to permanently expel more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza, claiming the US will "take over" the territory and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East".

0724 GMT — Israel withdraws from West Bank town Qabatiya, leaving it destroyed

The Israeli army withdrew from Qabatiya, a town near Jenin city in the northern occupied West Bank, leaving homes and shops destroyed and infrastructure damaged in their wake.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the army forces completely evacuated Qabatiya after arresting several people and destroying shops and infrastructure.

The Qabatiya municipality reported that the Israeli army destroyed wastewater, electricity, water, and communication networks before leaving town.

0441 GMT — Red Cross warns about results of Israeli attacks on West Bank

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed concern over the situation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply concerned with the impact of ongoing security operations on the civilian population in Jenin and Tulkarem, Tubas and other locations in northern West Bank," it said in a statement.

Thousands of civilians have been displaced due to ongoing military raids, it said.

People are struggling to access basic needs such as clean water, food, medical care and shelter, the ICRC added.

0110 GMT — US senator files new set of resolutions to block arms sales to Israel

Senator Bernie Sanders last week filed four Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) that would block the sale of $8.56 billion in offensive US weaponry to Israel, his office said Monday.

Sanders said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "extremist government" has waged an "all-out war" against the entire Palestinian people.

"Tragically, much of this carnage has been carried out with American bombs and weapons," he said in the statement.

Netanyahu has used the US bombs to damage or destroy almost 70 percent of the structures in besieged Gaza, Sanders said, adding all of this has been done in "clear violation" of US and international law.

2254 GMT — Palestine calls for UN probe into alleged executions of prisoners in Israeli jails

Palestine called for a UN investigation into the alleged execution of prisoners in Israeli jails.

The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed announcements from Palestinian institutions that the number of known Palestinian deaths in Israeli prisons had risen to 59 since the start of Israel's genocidal war on October 7, 2023, after the death of a detainee from Gaza.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry expressed grave concern over the rising number of deaths among prisoners.

The ministry condemned the situation in the jails as a "serious escalation in the (Israeli) occupation's aggression and unprecedented torture and abuse against the prisoners," particularly affecting the thousands of detainees whose whereabouts and fates have not been disclosed.

It called for the UN Human Rights Council's investigative committee to perform its duties and investigate the execution of detainees in Israeli prisons, which it described as a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions.

2148 GMT — Israeli army prepares to occupy Gaza with US support — Smotrich

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israeli army is preparing to occupy besieged Gaza under the leadership of the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, in coordination with US President Donald Trump's administration.

Smotrich threatened the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, noting that its fighters "know very well that their time on the ground is limited until Israel returns to battle with all its strength, speed and lethal capacity that will defeat and destroy them."

"When we decide that the time has come to resume the war, you will be surprised by the unity, strength and lethal precision of our Gaza occupation," he added.

He noted that the Israeli military is preparing under the leadership of Chief of Staff Zamir, who will assume his duties in the first week of March, with political backing from the Trump administration, which "is finally speaking clearly about eradicating Hamas from the face of the earth."

2231 GMT — Pro-Palestine activists block access to Maersk headquarters in Copenhagen

Pro-Palestine activists blocked the entrance to the headquarters of shipping giant Maersk in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, demanding that the company cease transporting military equipment to Israel, according to reports from state media.

The activist group Mask off Maersk organised the protest, arriving early to block access to the company's main office on the Esplanade.

In addition to the blockade, some protesters climbed onto the roof above the main entrance, displaying banners with slogans such as "Break the connection to genocide!"

For our live updates from Monday, February 24, 2025, click here.