Tuesday, January 21, 2025
0913 GMT — The Palestinian Authority said US President Donald Trump's lifting of sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank would incite violence against Palestinians.
"Lifting sanctions on extremist settlers encourages them to commit more crimes against our people", the Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
The ministry pointed to recent attacks by Israeli settlers throughout the occupied West Bank that left 21 injured.
0747 GMT — Israel expected to release 200 Palestinians
Israel is expected to release 200 Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences and high-term sentences, in exchange for four Israeli women soldiers, who will be freed this week, a Hamas official said.
The statement was made by Nader Fakhouri, the media official in charge of the Martyrs, Injured and Prisoners Office of Hamas, and was released by the Prisoners Media Office affiliated with the group.
Fakhouri explained that "the second part of the first phase of the Palestinian resistance factions' agreement with the Israeli occupation will begin on Saturday, January 25".
"On Saturday, the resistance will announce the names of Israeli prisoners to be released, and in return, the (Israeli) occupation will provide a list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed," he added.
According to Fakhouri, "based on these two lists, the actual implementation will take place on Sunday, January 26, with the release of Palestinian prisoners and the handing over of Israeli prisoners".
07:06 GMT — Israeli settler attack in West Bank injures 21 Palestinians
As many as 21 Palestinians have sustained injuries as illegal Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian towns near the city of Qalqilya, northern occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medical teams treated those injured by the settlers' attacks in the towns of Jinsafut and Al-Funduq.
The victims suffered bruises as they were beaten by the settlers, and also suffered from teargas inhalation fired by the Israeli forces, the humanitarian group said.
The settler attacks come as a fragile ceasefire, brokered by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US, in Gaza went into effect on Sunday.
The intensified attacks also come immediately after newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on illegal Zionist Israeli settler groups and individuals for committing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
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07:47 GMT — Israel expected to release 200 Palestinians
Israel is expected to release 200 Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences and high-term sentences, in exchange for four Israeli women soldiers, who will be freed this week, a Hamas official said.
The statement was made by Nader Fakhouri, the media official in charge of the Martyrs, Injured and Prisoners Office of Hamas, and was released by the Prisoners Media Office affiliated with the group.
Fakhouri explained that "the second part of the first phase of the Palestinian resistance factions' agreement with the Israeli occupation will begin on Saturday, January 25".
"On Saturday, the resistance will announce the names of Israeli prisoners to be released, and in return, the (Israeli) occupation will provide a list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed," he added.
According to Fakhouri, "based on these two lists, the actual implementation will take place on Sunday, January 26, with the release of Palestinian prisoners and the handing over of Israeli prisoners".
01:12 GMT — Trump expresses scepticism over Gaza ceasefire
US President Donald Trump has expressed scepticism about the Gaza ceasefire deal when asked if he was confident that all three phases of the agreement would be implemented.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office as he signed executive orders, Trump said the blockaded enclave looked like "a massive demolition site" and that it had to be rebuilt in a different way.
01:07 GMT — Trump revokes sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank
US President Donald Trump rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on illegal Zionist Israeli settler groups and individuals for committing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the new White House website said.
The website said Trump rescinded Executive Order 14115 issued on February 1, 2024, which authorised the imposition of certain sanctions "on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank".
Trump's decision is a reversal of a major policy action by former president Joe Biden's administration, which had slapped sanctions on numerous Israeli settler individuals and entities, freezing their US assets and generally barring Americans from dealing with them.
For our live updates from Monday, January 20, 2025, click here.
