JERUSALEM: A freed ex-militant received a hero’s welcome in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after chaos during a Gaza hostage release briefly delayed the third Israel-Hamas exchange under a ceasefire deal.
At around dusk, two buses carrying released inmates left from the West Bank’s Ofer Prison after Israel said it had received assurances from mediators over the future “safe release” of captives.
Hundreds of joyous Palestinians greeted them when they arrived in Ramallah, an AFP correspondent said.
Flashing a victory sign, the first to disembark was Zakaria Zubeidi, 49, a former top militant leader jailed for attacks that killed several Israelis.
The cheering crowd immediately hoisted him onto their shoulders.
Israel’s prison service confirmed it had freed 110 inmates in the latest hostage-prisoner swap under the January 19 ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
Earlier in the day, after more than 15 months of captivity, three Israelis were freed by militants in Gaza alongside five Thais who were also captured in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Netanyahu had denounced what he called “shocking scenes” during the hostage releases in Khan Yunis, where television images showed gunmen struggling to control hundreds of Gazans seeking to witness the handover.
First to be freed Thursday was 20-year-old Israeli soldier Agam Berger, who was handed over to officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jabalia, northern Gaza.
Before her release, footage showed her on a stage with masked Hamas members in distinctive green headbands, being prompted to wave to onlookers.
The Red Cross said it facilitated the latest hostage-prisoner exchange but urged all parties to improve security and uphold agreements.
“The security of these operations must be assured, and we urge for improvements in the future,” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.
Another hostage and prisoner release is scheduled for Saturday, with three Israeli men set to be freed.
All the freed Israeli and Thai hostages were taken to hospitals after their return to Israel, the military said.
The two other freed Israelis are civilians Gadi Moses, 80, and Arbel Yehud, 29, both of whom also hold German nationality.
Yehud’s family, still awaiting the release of her partner and brother from Gaza, urged future releases to go ahead unhindered.
“We urge everyone not to let this open door close. Everyone must be brought home immediately so that we can heal as a society,” the family said.
Footage released by the Israeli military showed Moses, 80, in the tearful embrace of his family during their reunion at a reception center in southern Israel.
Netanyahu’s office named the freed Thais as Watchara Sriaoun, Pongsak Tanna, Sathian Suwannakham, Surasak Lamnau and Bannawat Saethao.
“It is confirmed everyone, my son did not die. Thank you, God,” a sobbing Wiwwaeo Sriaoun said at her home in rural Thailand as she heard confirmation her farm worker son was among those freed.
In war-devastated Khan Yunis, dense crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of Yehud and Moses near the childhood home of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who Israel killed in October.
On August 1, Israel’s military had announced the killing of the Hamas military chief, Mohammed Deif, but Hamas had never confirmed his death — until a statement from the group on Thursday announced his “martyrdom.”
The ceasefire hinges on the release of Israeli hostages taken during Hamas’s 2023 attack, in exchange for around 1,900 people — mostly Palestinians — in Israeli custody.
The truce deal has allowed a surge of aid into Gaza, where the war has created a long-running humanitarian crisis.
But Hamas accused Israel of slowing aid deliveries, with one official citing key items such as fuel, tents, heavy machinery and other equipment.
COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, called this “totally fake news.”
As the text of the agreement — mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States — has not been made public, AFP was unable to verify its terms on aid.
The ceasefire deal is currently in its first, 42-day phase, which should see 33 hostages freed in stages, excluding the Thais.
Negotiations for a second phase of the deal should start next Monday, according to a timeline given earlier by an Israeli official. This phase would cover the release of the remaining captives, the Times of Israel has reported.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for sealing the agreement, which took effect before his inauguration, and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in the talks, met Netanyahu in Israel on Wednesday.
Trump has invited Netanyahu to the White House on February 4, according to the premier’s office.
More than 376,000 displaced Palestinians have gone back to northern Gaza since Israel reopened access this week, according to the UN humanitarian office OCHA, with many returning to little more than rubble.
“My house is destroyed,” 33-year-old Mohammed Al-Faleh told AFP.
“The biggest problem is that there is no water,” he added. “Food aid is reaching Gaza... but there is no gas or electricity. We bake bread on a fire fueled by wood and nylon.”
Israel cut ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from Thursday following accusations some of its staff belong to Hamas.
UNRWA has long been the lead agency in coordinating aid to Gaza, and the United Nations said on Thursday it would continue working in all Palestinian territories despite the Israeli legislation.
Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after hostages freed
https://arab.news/9q3wz
Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after hostages freed
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- Buses carrying released inmates left from West Bank’s Ofer Prison after Israel said it had received assurances from mediators over the future “safe release” of captives
Israel says 3 Palestinian militants killed in West Bank
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- A Palestinian official confirmed that three people had been killed by Israeli forces
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it killed three “wanted terrorists” in the occupied West Bank Wednesday, and a Palestinian official reported that Israeli forces were holding the bodies of three people.
Soldiers “eliminated three wanted terrorists in the area of Al Faraa, who sold weapons for terror purposes,” the military said in a statement.
“Two additional wanted individuals were apprehended.”
A Palestinian official confirmed that three people had been killed by Israeli forces.
“Three people were assassinated, and their bodies are being held” by the Israeli forces, Tubas governor Ahmad Al-Asaad told AFP.
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has escalated since the October 2023 outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip.
At least 897 Palestinians including militants have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the Gaza war began, according to an AFP tally based on figures provided by the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.
At least 32 Israelis, including some soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or confrontations during Israeli operations in the West Bank over the same period, according to official Israeli figures.
Two jailed for 18 years over tower block collapse in Turkiye quake
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- There were 22 such blocks in the complex, nearly all of which collapsed when the first 7.8-magnitude tremor struck before dawn on Feb. 6, 2023, killing 1,400 people
- Wednesday’s verdict related to the collapse of Block B where 115 people died
ISTANBUL: Two senior figures involved in the construction of a part a huge Turkish residential complex that collapsed in the 2023 earthquake have been jailed for more than 18 years, local media reported Wednesday.
The case concerned an eight-story tower block at the Ebrar complex in the southeastern city of Kahramanmaras, Türkiye’s private NTV broadcaster said.
There were 22 such blocks in the complex, nearly all of which collapsed when the first 7.8-magnitude tremor struck before dawn on Feb. 6, 2023, killing 1,400 people.
Wednesday’s verdict related to the collapse of Block B where 115 people died, NTV said, with the judge handing senior contractor Tevfik Tepebasi and Atilla Oz, head of the cooperative that built the block, 18 years and eight months each for “causing death and injury through conscious negligence.”
There were four other defendants in the case, three of whom were acquitted for lack of evidence, while the fourth was being tried in absentia, NTV said.
Tepebasi — who was jailed shortly after the quake and is being prosecuted in several other quake-related cases — caused an uproar at one hearing a year ago when he told the court he should not be charged with a crime because: “I don’t know anything about construction.”
Quoted by NTV, several of the victims’ families said they were not satisfied with the sentences and the fact that three defendants were acquitted, saying they would appeal.
The earthquake killed more than 53,500 people in Turkiye and nearly 6,000 in neighboring Syria. It also razed 39,000 buildings and left another 200,000 severely damaged, leaving nearly two million people homeless.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pointed the finger at negligent building contractors, accusing them of cutting corners by using cheap concrete and ignoring basic construction standards, with more than 200 contractors and developers arrested in the immediate aftermath of the quake.
But there have been few, if any, investigations into the public officials who signed off on building permits and safety inspections, which can only be opened with the interior ministry’s permission.
Israel hostage forum says news of Bibas family deaths ‘heart-shattering’
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- Israeli authorities have confirmed that the remains of four hostages are due to be returned Thursday, though they have not officially identified them
JERUSALEM: An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza said it had received the “heart-shattering” news of the deaths of three members of the Bibas family whose bodies Hamas said it would hand over on Thursday.
“We received the heart-shattering news that Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement Wednesday, also naming the fourth hostage declared dead.
“This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts and the hearts of people all over the world.”
On Tuesday, Hamas said it would hand over the bodies of four hostages, including the three Bibas family members, as part of the ongoing first phase of a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
While their deaths are largely accepted as fact abroad after Hamas said they were killed in an Israeli air strike early in the war, Israel has never confirmed the claim.
Yarden Bibas, the boys’ father and Shiri’s husband, was abducted separately on October 7, 2023 and was released from Gaza in a previous hostage-prisoner exchange on February 1.
Israeli authorities have confirmed that the remains of four hostages are due to be returned Thursday, though they have not officially identified them.
How Beirut’s international airport became the latest flashpoint in Israel-Iran tensions
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- Lebanon’s move to block Iranian flights sparks pro-Hezbollah protests as US and Israel push to curb the group’s funding
- Analysts warn that escalating tensions could reignite war with Israel, with Hezbollah risking more than it can afford
LONDON: Just weeks after Lebanon formed its first government in more than two years, offering the crisis-wracked country a glimmer of hope, a decision to block commercial flights between Beirut and Tehran threatens renewed instability.
On Feb. 13, Lebanon blocked an Iranian plane from landing at Rafic Hariri International Airport after Israel accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of using civilian commercial flights to smuggle funding to Hezbollah.
Tehran quickly retaliated by blocking Lebanese flights.
The timing of the spat makes it especially noxious. Lebanon is expected to receive tens of thousands of visitors on Sunday for the funeral of Hezbollah’s late chief, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27.
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Lebanon’s ban on Iranian flights sparked protests among Hezbollah supporters, who blocked the road to the airport, clashed with the Lebanese army, and even attacked a convoy carrying UN peacekeepers, torching a vehicle and injuring two.
Makram Rabah, an assistant professor at the American University of Beirut, believes the new Lebanese government’s decision to block Iranian flights goes beyond efforts to combat the smuggling of illicit funds.
“I genuinely believe that this is not only a matter of smuggling money, which the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is trying to do — there are also weapons involved,” he told Arab News.
“The Lebanese authorities have been urged by the international community, particularly the US, to take a firm stand on this.”
Iranian flights landing in Beirut were already subject to strict inspections, which have also been extended to flights arriving from Iraq to help prevent illicit funds from reaching Hezbollah via Iran’s neighbor, the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported.
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Earlier this month, Iraqi Airways canceled a scheduled flight from Baghdad, with Beirut airport sources citing either a protest against the heightened security measures or logistical issues.
The decision came after an Iranian carrier underwent rigorous security checks at Beirut airport last month over suspicions it was transporting funds destined for Hezbollah.
The measures “are necessary given the recent war in Lebanon and Lebanon’s commitment to security protocols agreed upon with the US,” which helped broker the Nov. 27 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, an airport security source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
These are “preventative measures” designed to stop Lebanon’s only international airport from becoming a potential target of Israeli attacks, the source added.
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Measures such as these might also be a reflection of the new political realities in Lebanon since Hezbollah’s drubbing by Israel in their year-long conflict, which saw the militia’s leadership gutted and its once formidable arsenal greatly depleted.
Yeghia Tashjian, regional and international affairs cluster coordinator at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, believes Lebanon has “entered a new era” since the ceasefire.
“Unfortunately, few people are aware of the consequences and the steps that would have come after the signing of the Nov. 27 ceasefire agreement,” Tashjian told Arab News.
“Lebanon has entered a new era where the government is under immense pressure from the US and Israel. There is a feeling that the reconstruction and the Western aid will be conditioned with reforms and the full implementation of Resolution 1701.”
The US-brokered ceasefire demanded the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted to end the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. It called for Hezbollah to move north of the Litani River and for the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to deploy in the south.
The Nov. 27 deal also required Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days. However, many remain in border towns. Moreover, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project recorded 330 airstrikes and shelling incidents by Israel between Nov. 27 and Jan. 10.
Resolution 1701 had maintained relative peace in the region until the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza. In support of its Hamas allies, Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel, igniting cross-border clashes that soon escalated.
Over the course of the conflict, Israel told Iranian and Iraqi airlines not to land in Beirut, as they were suspected of transporting funds and weapons to Hezbollah. These airlines initially compiled but resumed flights after the Nov. 27 ceasefire.
However, following a warning last week from the US that Israel might shoot down Iranian commercial carriers entering Lebanese airspace, Beirut banned two Mahan Air flights, Lebanese security officials told the AFP news agency.
Tehran condemned the Israeli threats as a “violation of international law” and on Feb. 14 called on the International Civil Aviation Organization to “stop Israel’s dangerous behavior against the safety and security of civil aviation.”
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Despite calls from Hezbollah and Iran to reverse the ban, Lebanese authorities on Monday took the measures a step further, indefinitely extending the suspension of flights to and from Iran, which was originally set to be lifted on Feb. 18, citing Israeli threats to bomb Beirut airport.
Tashjian of the Issam Fares Institute believes the ban should be viewed in the broader context of the effort to dismantle Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon.
“The implementation of 1701 does not only address the area south of the Litani River as many think,” he said. “Reading the new agreement carefully, especially the first paragraph, it is clear that any kind of unauthorized force has to be dismantled.
“It is within this context that pressure on Hezbollah is growing. In the coming weeks, we may see additional pressure mainly on micro-finance enterprises affiliated with Hezbollah.”
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Lebanese academic and analyst Rabah says the new government in Beirut “needs to clean up its act and be more aggressive in defending its sovereignty.
“The airport issue and its entanglement in the regional power struggle is just one phase,” he said, adding that “there will be other ways to challenge Hezbollah, and Hezbollah will definitely hit back by challenging the state.
“This is a matter of Hezbollah as well as (Parliament Speaker) Nabih Berri and Haraket Amal (the Amal Movement) recognizing that their weapons are no longer an option — and this is basically one of the most difficult challenges.”
However, this shift is unlikely to happen immediately, says Firas Modad, a Middle East analyst and founder of Modad Geopolitics.
“Hezbollah and its partners are seeking to show that they still retain significant domestic power and are acting to prevent any talk of the group disarming,” Modad told Arab News.
“They have used the Beirut airport, an international and very serious pressure point, to do so. Their excuse is that Lebanon has banned Iranian flights due to Israeli threats.
“However, it is worth noting that flights were banned even when Hezbollah itself controlled Lebanon’s Public Works and Transport Ministry.”
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He added: “Iran and Hezbollah seem to have decided to pressure the new Lebanese authorities early on to ensure that the Shiites are not politically excluded.
“This is odd since the Shiite parties (Hezbollah and Amal) both got to choose ministers in the same way as all the other parties (were) represented in the new cabinet.”
While Lebanon’s new cabinet may appear to have sidelined Hezbollah, the group and its ally Amal, led by Berri, were allowed to name four of the 24 ministers, including Finance Minister Yassin Jaber — one of the government’s most coveted positions.
This came after Washington’s Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus said on Feb. 7, after meeting with President Joseph Aoun, that the US rejected the idea of Hezbollah participating in Lebanon’s government.
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Modad believes “it is very likely that Lebanon will remain under severe international pressure and Israeli threats to stop Hezbollah from refinancing, funding reconstruction, and rearming.
“Hezbollah does not have the ability to confront Israel or the West in order to prevent this,” he added. “It is therefore targeting the weakest link, which is its domestic partners and rivals in Lebanon.”
Describing the tactic as “extremely reckless,” Modad said: “Hezbollah knows that it is risking a three-front war, against its domestic rivals, Israel, and Syrian jihadi militias.”
He added: “The rhetoric Hezbollah uses to justify its actions is that it is the state’s responsibility to both rebuild Lebanon and to confront Israel.
“Hezbollah knows full well that the Lebanese state has no such capability — neither to fund reconstruction nor to challenge Israel militarily. And if Israel attacks the airport, this could restart the war and lead to even greater damage.
“Simply, Hezbollah is risking an escalation that it cannot afford. It is wounded and therefore keen to show that it remains strong. This may bring about uncalculated conflicts that severely damage Lebanon — and Hezbollah.”
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Echoing Modad’s view, Tashjian of the Issam Fares Institute said Lebanon is in no position to resist US demands.
“Lebanon’s resources, especially after the suicidal war, are limited,” he said. “Beirut therefore cannot resist any US pressure, especially given the regional changes and Iran’s reluctance to support its non-state allies.”
Lebanon, still suffering from a debilitating financial crisis that has gripped the country since 2019, was already crippled by years of economic decline, political paralysis, and other crises before Hezbollah’s war with Israel.
Moving forward, Tashjian believes “Lebanon needs proactive diplomacy.” This includes implementing Resolution 1701 and engaging with the US, while also working “with the Shiite leadership to ensure these policies do not isolate the community.”
Additionally, he suggests providing alternative solutions to address flight disruptions, such as engaging with Iran to operate flights by Lebanon’s national carrier — Middle East Airlines — or inspecting Iranian flights upon arrival in Beirut.
“A balanced foreign policy is needed to prevent any social and political explosion in Lebanon,” he said.
“Israeli military provocations and ceasefire violations continue, while Hezbollah struggles to grasp the postwar situation and convince its public that the country has entered a new era — one unlike the post-2006 war period.”
Iran lawmakers move to sack minister as rial plunges
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TEHRAN: Iran’s parliament on Wednesday received a motion from lawmakers seeking to dismiss Economy Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati amid a sharp decline in the national currency, the rial.
Under Iranian law, Hemmati must appear before the legislature within 10 days to defend his record in a session that could result in his removal.
Ahmad Naderi, a Tehran MP and member of the parliament’s presiding board, said 91 lawmakers had signed the motion.
The move follows closed-door talks between President Masoud Pezeshkian and Hemmati with MPs over the plunging rial, which has lost nearly half its value since Pezeshkian took office in July.
On the black market, the rial is now trading at more than 900,000 to the US dollar, compared with less than 600,000 in mid-2024.
The slide has accelerated since the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad, a longtime Iranian ally, on Dec. 8.
Decades of US-led sanctions have battered Iran’s economy, with inflation worsening since Washington pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.
US President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House in January, has revived his policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran, further tightening restrictions on the Islamic republic.
Pezeshkian has vowed to seek a return to the nuclear accord and the lifting of sanctions, but diplomatic efforts have so far to make any headway.