Sunday, February 9, 2025
0717 GMT — Israeli army withdraws from Netzarim corridor in Gaza
The Israeli military has withdrawn from an area of Gaza known as the Netzarim corridor, Hamas has said, a move that was expected under the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group.
An Israeli security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed the Israeli military was withdrawing from its positions in central Gaza.
Hamas has celebrated the withdrawal as a victory.
A satellite image also shows the Netzarim Corridor, an area of central Gaza being cleared by the Israeli military after invading and occupying it on August 20, 2024.
The Netzarim Corridor was set by the Israeli army to separate Gaza into northern and southern areas.
0729 GMT — Egypt to host emergency Arab summit on 27 February to discuss 'serious' Palestinian developments
Egypt will host an emergency Arab summit on 27 February to discuss what it described as "serious" developments for Palestinians, according to a statement from the Egyptian foreign ministry.
The summit comes amid regional and global condemnation of US President Donald Trump's suggestion to "take over Gaza" from Israel and create a "Riviera of the Middle East" after resettling Palestinians elsewhere.
0412 GMT — Saudi Arabia rejects remarks by Israel's Netanyahu about displacing Palestinians
Saudi Arabia has affirmed its categorical rejection of remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about displacing Palestinians from their land, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Israeli officials had suggested the establishment of a Palestinian state on Saudi territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to be joking this week when he responded to an interviewer on pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 who misspoke by saying "Saudi state" instead of "Palestinian state" before correcting himself.
While the Saudi statement mentioned Netanyahu's name, it did not directly refer to the comments about establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi territory.
0317 GMT — Pakistani-Iranian top diplomats reject Trump's Gaza plan
Top diplomats from Pakistan and Iran discussed the situation in the Middle East with a focus on Palestine's Gaza, rejecting US President Donald Trump's proposal to displace Palestinians as "troubling" and "unjust," according to a statement from Islamabad's Foreign Ministry.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to discuss the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
Commenting on Trump's proposal, Dar, who holds the portfolio of the deputy prime minister, emphasised that Palestinian land belongs to the Palestinian people and the only viable and just option is a two-state solution, under UN Security Council resolutions.
0255 GMT — Forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza 'not consistent with international law': Australia
The forcible displacement of Palestinians from besieged Gaza is 'not consistent with international law,' an Australian official said, adding that Canberra would continue to support the two-state solution, local broadcaster SBS News reported.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher made the remarks while responding to questions about President Donald Trump's plan for the US to "take over" Gaza.
Asked whether the policy would be aligned with international law, Gallagher said: "If you're talking forced displacement ... that is not consistent with international law."
0138 GMT — Hamas delegation in Tehran meets top Iranian officials
A Hamas delegation led by Mohammad Ismail Darwish, the head of Hamas' leadership council, met senior Iranian officials in Tehran.
The delegation met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to a statement from the Palestinian resistance group.
The delegation, which also included Hamas' Tehran representative Khaled al Qaddoumi, discussed the ceasefire in besieged Gaza.
0154 GMT — Released five Thai workers arrive in Bangkok
Five Thai workers released from besieged Gaza arrived in Bangkok.
Sarusak Rumnao, 32; Watchara Sriaoun, 33; Sathian Suwannakham, 35; Pongsak Thaenna, 36; and Bannawat Saethao, 27, were freed on January 30 as part of an exchange arrangement.
They were embraced by family members in the arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi airport.
2149 GMT — Israel displaces 400 Palestinians in West Bank refugee camp
A Palestinian official confirmed that 400 Palestinians have been displaced from the Al Faraa refugee camp in southern Tubas in the northern occupied West Bank on the seventh day of an Israeli assault on the camp.
Tubas and Northern Jordan Valley Governor Ahmed Al Asad told Anadolu Agency that "About 400 Palestinians from Al Faraa camp have been displaced so far amid the ongoing Israeli military operation."
"The occupation forces have designated what they call a safe passage, set up a military checkpoint at the camp's entrance, and are calling citizens in groups," he said.
"Each group consists of five people, and they are subjected to searches, their IDs are checked, and some are arrested. Today, they even opened fire and injured one displaced person."
2116 GMT — Israel to withdraw from Gaza's Netzarim Corridor: report
The Israeli army will completely withdraw overnight from its last positions in the Netzarim Corridor, which separates the northern besieged Gaza from the south, according to Israeli media.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that the army "is set to complete its withdrawal from its last positions along the Netzarim Corridor overnight into Sunday, marking the full military pullback from northern Gaza."
There has been no official comment by the Israeli army regarding the development.
2052 GMT — Arab League announces talks for Arab summit to discuss Palestinian issue
The Arab League revealed that communications are currently underway to hold an Arab summit to discuss the Palestinian issue.
It was communicated by Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, during a telephone interview on the Al-Qahera News Channel, following Bahrain's announcement of support for the proposal to hold an emergency Arab summit in Cairo to reject the resettlement of Palestinians.
Zaki explained that "there are current communications to hold an Arab summit to discuss the Palestinian issue, but the date has not yet been set."
2000 GMT — Palestine warns against Israel's continued 'ethnic cleansing' in West Bank
Palestine warned of Israel's ongoing "ethnic cleansing" in the northern occupied West Bank and called for a "firm" international response to force Israel to stop its crimes in refugee camps.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning "against the continued Israeli occupation forces committing the crime of ethnic cleansing and enforcing forced deportation and displacement of our people from the camps in northern the West Bank, emptying them of their residents, as is the case in the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Faraa camps, in a blatant violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the Geneva Conventions."
The Israeli government makes use of calls to expel our people from the Gaza Strip to deepen and expand their displacement from West Bank camps, altering their characteristics and reality, it added.
For our live updates from Saturday, February 8, 2025, click here.
