Monday, February 17, 2025
1205 GMT –– Gaza residents must return home with dignity, EU to tell Israel
The EU plans to tell Israel next week that Palestinians uprooted from their Gaza homes should be ensured a dignified return and that Europe will contribute to rebuilding the shattered territory, according to a document seen by Reuters.
A document outlining the draft EU position emphasises both Europe's commitment to Israel's security and its view that "displaced Gaza residents should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza".
"The EU will actively contribute to a coordinated international effort to early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza," it said, also calling for full humanitarian access.
"The EU deeply deplores the unacceptable number of civilians, especially women and children, who have lost their lives, and the catastrophic humanitarian situation notably caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza, in particular in the North."
1155 GMT — More bodies found in Gaza rubble as death toll approaches 48,300
Palestinian medics and rescue teams recovered nine more bodies from the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,284, the Health Ministry said.
A ministry statement said that the toll also included four Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire in the last 24 hours.
According to the ministry, 16 injured people were also admitted to hospitals, taking the number of injured to 111,709 in the Israeli onslaught.
1148 GMT — Israeli military claims it killed Hamas official in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military claimed to have killed a Hamas leader in southern Lebanon's Sidon area, it said in a statement.
The army said Muhammad Shaheen was the head of the operations department of Hamas in Lebanon and that he had recently been involved in promoting "terrorist plots" with Iranian direction and funding from Lebanese territory against Israeli citizens.
An Israeli strike on a car in Lebanon's southern port city of Sidon targeted an official in the Palestinian militant group, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters earlier. Lebanon's state news agency said rescuers had removed one body from the car but did not identify the victim.
0822 GMT — Saudi Arabia to host Gaza reconstruction plan meeting
Saudi Arabia will host a 5-way Arab meeting on Feb. 20 to discuss an Egyptian proposal for rebuilding Gaza without displacing its Palestinian inhabitants, an Arab League official said.
The planned meeting will be attended by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hossan Zaki, the assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, said in televised statements.
"It is possible that Palestine could be invited to the meeting to discuss the general framework of the (Egyptian) proposal that will be presented to the Arab summit," he added.
0822 GMT — Israeli army continues with raids in occupied West Bank
The Israeli army staged a new raid into the occupied West Bank city of Nablus amid escalating tensions, witnesses said.
Israeli forces stormed the old town of Nablus and searched several homes in the area, they added.
Israeli military also seized a Palestinian vehicle before withdrawing from the area, the witnesses said.
The raid came hours after the Israeli army concluded a military incursion in the old town of Nablus on Sunday, wounding 14 Palestinians, including four children.
0604 GMT –– Israel security cabinet set to discuss next phase of Gaza truce
Israel's security cabinet was set to discuss the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, after top US diplomat Marco Rubio and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united front against Hamas and Iran.
Rubio was in Israel on his first Middle East trip as President Donald Trump's secretary of state, and was slated to leave for Saudi Arabia on Monday.
"Hamas cannot continue as a military or a government force... they must be eliminated," Rubio said of the Palestinian Islamist group that fought Israel for more than 15 months in Gaza until a fragile ceasefire took effect on January 19.
0822 GMT — Israeli army continues with raids in occupied West Bank
The Israeli army staged a new raid into the occupied West Bank city of Nablus amid escalating tensions, witnesses said.
Israeli forces stormed the old town of Nablus and searched several homes in the area, they added.
Israeli military also seized a Palestinian vehicle before withdrawing from the area, the witnesses said.
The raid came hours after the Israeli army concluded a military incursion in the old town of Nablus on Sunday, wounding 14 Palestinians, including four children.
