Thursday, February 27, 2025
16:20 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.
15:31 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.
14:48 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.
14:37 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.
13:37 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.
12:14 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.
12:08 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.
11:50 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.
11:44 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."
10:58 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.
08:41 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.
06:52 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."
06:35 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.
06:30 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.
06:20 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.
05:45 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.
04:34 — 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.
03:50 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.
03:25 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.
02:43 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.
02:00 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.
