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Hamas says no more ceasefire talks until Israel frees prisoners

Israel has delayed the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners over the treatment of captives, who were paraded before crowds.(File/AP)
Israel has delayed the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners over the treatment of captives, who were paraded before crowds.(File/AP)
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Updated 25 February 2025

Hamas says no more ceasefire talks until Israel frees prisoners

Israel has delayed the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners over the treatment of captives, who were paraded before crowds.
  • Six babies die from cold in Gaza as displaced people shelter in tents and rubble
  • As part of the agreement, Israel was supposed to release the prisoners last weekend after Hamas freed hostages from its Oct. 7, 2023, attack

GAZA STRIP: A Hamas official says Israel’s delay in the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners is a “serious violation” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and talks on a second phase of the accord are not possible until they are returned.

As part of the agreement, Israel was supposed to release the prisoners last weekend after Hamas freed hostages from its Oct. 7, 2023, attack. But Israel delayed the release over the treatment of the captives, who were paraded before crowds. In a written statement on Tuesday, Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group had “fully adhered to all provisions of the agreements” and that Israel’s delay “puts the agreement at risk of collapse, potentially leading to a resumption of war.”

FASTFACT

There’s been no central electricity in Gaza since the first few days of the war, and fuel for generators is scarce. Many families huddle on damp sand or bare concrete.

The head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency on Tuesday called the exploding pagers and walkie talkies operation against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Syria a “turning point of the war,” which gave Israel momentum to deal a heavy blow to Hezbollah.
The devices used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously in two waves on Sept. 18 and 19. The attack killed at least 12 people — including two young children — and wounded thousands more.




A prematurely-born infant lies in an incubator at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Patient Friend's Benevolent Society hospital in Gaza City on February 25, 2025 amid the ongoing truce in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territory. (AFP)

Meanwhile, at least six infants have died from hypothermia in the last two weeks in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of people are living in tent camps and war-damaged buildings during a fragile ceasefire, Palestinian medics said on Tuesday.
Temperatures have plunged in recent days. The coastal territory experiences cold, wet winters, with temperatures dropping below 10 degrees Celsiusat night and storms blowing in from the Mediterranean Sea.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Farah, head of the pediatric department at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said it received the body of a 2-month-old girl on Tuesday. He said another two infants were treated for frostbite, with one of them discharged later.
Saeed Saleh, of the Patient’s Friends Hospital in Gaza City, said five infants aged one month or younger have died from the cold over the last two weeks, including a 1-month-old who died on Monday. He said another child has been placed on a ventilator.
Zaher Al-Wahedi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department, said it has recorded 15 deaths from hypothermia this winter, all of them children.
The ceasefire that paused 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas militants has allowed a surge in humanitarian aid, mainly food, but residents say there are still shortages of blankets and warm clothing, and little wood available for fires.
“It’s incredibly cold,” Rosalia Bollen, a spokesperson for the UN children’s agency, said earlier this month. “I have no clue how people can sleep at night in their makeshift tents.”


UN Security Council renews Lebanon peacekeeping mission ‘for a final time’

UN Security Council renews Lebanon peacekeeping mission ‘for a final time’
Updated 29 August 2025

UN Security Council renews Lebanon peacekeeping mission ‘for a final time’

UN Security Council renews Lebanon peacekeeping mission ‘for a final time’
  • Peacekeeping operation in Lebanon extended until the end of 2026, and will then begin a year-long ‘orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal’
  • The 15-member council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution after a compromise was reached with the US, a veto-wielding council member

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously extended “for a final time” a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon until the end of 2026, when the operation will then begin a year-long “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal.”

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), established in 1978, patrols Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

The 15-member council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution after a compromise was reached with the United States, a veto-wielding council member. The Security Council decided “to extend for a final time the mandate of UNIFIL.”

The resolution “requests UNIFIL to cease its operations on 31 December 2026 and to start from this date and within one year its orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal of its personnel, in close consultation with the Government of Lebanon with the aim of making Lebanon Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.” This will be the last time the United States will support an extension of UNIFIL, said acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea.

“The security environment in Lebanon is radically different than just one year ago, creating the space for Lebanon to assume greater responsibility,” she told the council. UNIFIL’s mandate was expanded in 2006, following a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, to allow peacekeepers to help the Lebanese army keep parts of the south free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.

That has sparked friction with Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon despite the presence of the Lebanese army. Hezbollah is a heavily armed party that is Lebanon’s most powerful political force.

“Decades since UNIFIL’s mandate was extended, it is time to dispel the illusion. UNIFIL has failed in its mission and allowed Hezbollah to become a dangerous regional threat,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said after the vote. The United States brokered a truce in November between Lebanon and Israel following more than a year of conflict sparked by the war in Gaza.

The US is now seeking to promote a plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Washington is linking the plan to a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, while also promoting a US- and Gulf-backed economic development zone in Lebanon’s south aimed at reducing Hezbollah’s reliance on Iranian funding.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the extension, noting that it “reiterates the call for Israel to withdraw its forces from the five sites it continues to occupy, and affirms the necessity of extending state authority over all its territory.”


Extremist minister Smotrich calls for Israel to annex Gaza

Extremist minister Smotrich calls for Israel to annex Gaza
Updated 28 August 2025

Extremist minister Smotrich calls for Israel to annex Gaza

Extremist minister Smotrich calls for Israel to annex Gaza
  • Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says if Hamas doesn't surrender Israel should annex a section of the territory each week

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday called on the government to begin annexing parts of the Gaza Strip if Palestinian militant group Hamas stands by its refusal to lay down its weapons.
The far-right minister, who has vocally opposed striking a deal with Hamas to end the nearly two-year war, presented his plan to “win in Gaza by the end of the year” at a press conference in Jerusalem.
Under Smotrich’s proposal, Hamas would be given an ultimatum to surrender, disarm and release the hostages still held in Gaza since the group’s October 2023 attack that triggered the war.
If Hamas refuses, Smotrich said Israel should annex a section of the territory each week for four weeks, bringing most of the Gaza Strip under full Israeli control.
According to Smotrich, Palestinians would first be told to move south in Gaza, followed by Israel imposing a siege on the territory’s north and center to defeat any remaining Hamas militants there, and ending with annexation.
“This can be achieved in three to four months,” he said.
His remarks come as Israeli forces press a major offensive aimed at seizing control of Gaza City — the territory’s largest — despite mounting concern for the fate of Palestinian civilians there.
The vast majority of Gaza’s more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war.
Smotrich in his remarks called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to adopt this plan in full immediately.”
The Palestinian militant group condemned the proposal, saying in a statement that it constituted an “open endorsement of the policy of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing against our people.”
Smotrich is one of several far-right members of Israel’s ruling coalition to have expressed support for re-establishing settlements in the Gaza Strip, from which Israel withdrew troops and settlers in 2005.
A staunch supporter of the settler movement who himself lives in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, Smotrich authorized last week a major project in that territory which critics say threatens the territorial integrity of any future Palestinian state.
Smotrich has said that the settlement project in the area known as E1, east of Jerusalem, was intended to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”


Once Africa’s breadbasket, Sudan faces a hunger crisis ‘unprecedented in scale and severity’

Once Africa’s breadbasket, Sudan faces a hunger crisis ‘unprecedented in scale and severity’
Updated 29 August 2025

Once Africa’s breadbasket, Sudan faces a hunger crisis ‘unprecedented in scale and severity’

Once Africa’s breadbasket, Sudan faces a hunger crisis ‘unprecedented in scale and severity’
  • Top UN official says over 638,000 people are experiencing catastrophic food insecurity, and more than half of world’s acute malnutrition cases are concentrated in Sudan
  • She praises humanitarian groups for their determination and efforts to reach vulnerable people under increasingly difficult conditions, calls for more funding and media attention

NEW YORK CITY: Sudan is enduring one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises, with 30 million people requiring emergency aid and more than 4 million displaced internally or as refugees.

The figures were given by Edem Wosornu, director of operations and advocacy at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who recently returned to New York following her third visit to Sudan since the civil war in the country erupted more than two years ago. She also visited neighboring Chad, which is hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from Sudan.

She detailed the devastating effects of the ongoing violence and the unprecedented hunger crisis that are ravaging the country. Key cities including Khartoum, El-Fasher and El-Geneina have suffered extensive damage amid the persistent fighting between rival military factions that has displaced millions and shattered basic infrastructure.

“Sudan, once known as the breadbasket of the Horn of Africa, is now facing a hunger crisis unprecedented in scale and severity,” Wosornu said, citing recent World Food Programme reports that estimated more than 638,000 people were living with the highest level of food insecurity, phase 5 on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which is characterized by famine-like conditions.

“More than half of the global acute malnutrition cases are here,” she added.

The conflict, now in its 860th day, has been marked by repeated violations of international humanitarian law, including drone strikes, shelling and ground attacks targeting civilian areas.

Wosornu warned that areas such as El-Fasher in North Darfur have been under siege for more than 500 days, severely restricting the delivery of lifesaving aid.

“Access remains the greatest challenge,” she said. “Despite ongoing negotiations, tens of trucks carrying food and medical supplies remain stranded at border crossings such as Nyala, unable to reach those trapped in conflict zones.”

Despite the obstacles, some progress has been made. UNICEF recently succeeded in delivering aid to hundreds of thousands of people in South Kordofan, Wosornu noted, a rare bright spot amid the widespread devastation. She praised humanitarian organizations for their determination and ongoing efforts to reach vulnerable populations under increasingly difficult conditions.

Describing the situation in the capital Khartoum, Wosornu said: “The city, once vibrant and bustling, is now a ghost town.

“Streets are littered with remnants of war — explosive ordnance, destroyed buildings — and basic services are largely absent. The trauma is palpable among residents, aid workers and officials alike.”

Yet, amid the ruins, she said she had observed signs of resilience: “I saw people sweeping streets and trying to restore normalcy.

“There is hope, but rebuilding will take many years and depends on a sustained ceasefire and peace.”

The crisis has also placed severe strain on neighboring countries, particularly Chad, which hosts more than 850,000 Sudanese refugees. Wosornu commended the Chadian government for keeping its borders open despite the overwhelming burden on local resources and security forces.

“One in every three people in eastern Chad’s provinces is Sudanese,” she said, adding that alarming levels of malnutrition and a cholera outbreak threaten both the refugees and their host communities.

Responding to concerns about international apathy and a perceived funding shortfall, Wosornu told Arab News: “While it may feel like the world has turned a blind eye, Sudan’s crisis funding is at 25 percent, which is higher than the global average of around 17 percent. Considering the scale and complexity of this emergency, that is not too bad.”

However, she stressed that the immense scale of the crisis demands increased funding and greater media attention.

“We urgently need more access for journalists and aid workers to tell the story and reach those in desperate need,” she said.

Wosornu called on all parties involved in the conflict to guarantee humanitarian access across the front lines, and urged the international community to press for an immediate end to hostilities.

“Sudan cannot continue like this. The war must stop. Only then can recovery and rebuilding begin,” she said.

In a direct appeal to donors and the international community, she added: “Providing life-saving assistance costs just 55 cents per person per day — that’s less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks. This small investment can save millions of lives.”


Official Lebanese source: ‘We are holding talks with Hezbollah about Day After, and all concerns are being addressed’

Official Lebanese source: ‘We are holding talks with Hezbollah about Day After, and all concerns are being addressed’
Updated 28 August 2025

Official Lebanese source: ‘We are holding talks with Hezbollah about Day After, and all concerns are being addressed’

Official Lebanese source: ‘We are holding talks with Hezbollah about Day After, and all concerns are being addressed’
  • ‘The army confiscated more than 80 percent of Hezbollah weapons south of the Litani River,’ official tells Arab News
  • ‘We possess French documents confirming the Lebanese ownership of the Shebaa Farms’
  • Source says political authority and the army commands defense strategy, and no one can replace them

BEIRUT: An official Lebanese source has confirmed to Arab News that the government is in direct talks with Hezbollah about the disarmament of non-state armed groups and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory.

The source said that concerns raised by the Shiite group “are being addressed.” 

“The Lebanese army is capable of fulfilling all its duties south of the Litani River,” the source said, referencing the UN Security Council resolution adopted on Thursday evening, which extended the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, until the end of 2026.

This resolution also envisions a phased withdrawal of UNIFIL forces from an area where they have served for more than four decades. 

“Let Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese army will carry out its duties to the fullest extent in coordination with UNIFIL forces,” the source said. “What is required is supporting the army to increase its capabilities.”  

The Lebanese Army has about 6,500 troops deployed south of the Litani River and is working to increase that number to 10,000. 

The source revealed that the Lebanese Army “has completed more than 80 percent of its mission south of the Litani River, confiscating all types of weapons it finds, without any objection from Hezbollah.” Contrary to general expectations, the group “has been cooperative,” the source said. 

“The Lebanese Army confiscates everything it encounters south of the Litani River,” the official said. “It either destroys it if it is unusable, and uses what is usable, according to estimates by military experts after inspecting the confiscated weapons.” 

Military experts estimate that weapons and ammunition generally have an expiration date of between 10 and 20 years, though this varies depending on the weapon type, manufacturing process and storage conditions. Factors such as humidity, heat and exposure to water can degrade the weapons, potentially turning them into hazards. 

“Neither the army nor the political leadership knows what remains of Hezbollah’s military arsenal, nor do Hezbollah officials themselves,” the source said. 

“There is no doubt that the resistance (Hezbollah), which is usually secretive in its operations, has a method that prevents us from assessing the size and status of its arsenal.” 

Addressing recent incidents, the source described the explosions that occurred during weapon confiscations in the south earlier this month — which killed six soldiers — as “incidents still under investigation.” The official confirmed that “in light of these events, the Lebanese army has adopted a more cautious approach.” 

Expressing optimism about Lebanon regaining full sovereignty over its territory, the source said: “The defense strategy is drawn up by the army command under the guidance of the political authority, and no one can replace them. 

“Lebanon’s long-standing military capabilities cannot be underestimated. The state also resorts to diplomacy to achieve sovereignty, and it is the decision-maker in war and peace, and everyone must coordinate with the state, not allow anyone to open a confrontation at their own expense.” 

The source emphasized that when the political authority drafted its ministerial statement — and earlier, when the president of the republic delivered his inaugural speech — no external party dictated their positions or demands. 

“The arms embargo is one of the provisions of the Taif Agreement and international resolutions, and its implementation does not mean surrender to Israel.” 

The source also said that the withdrawal of weapons from the Palestinian camps fell within the framework of the Lebanese decision, not the Israeli one. 

The source said that the government did not consider the step-by-step policy pursued by US envoy Thomas Barrack to implement the terms of the ceasefire agreement as a failure, despite Israel’s recent response linking its withdrawal from the Five Hills area to the Lebanese government’s enforcement of the arms embargo decision. 

“We judge the facts and exercise our convictions, and I believe that diplomacy in this area requires patience. The American paper and the Lebanese amendments to it, which were approved by the Council of Ministers, required dozens of hours of work.” 

The representative addressed concerns about allaying Hezbollah’s fears concerning the confiscation of its weapons and reassuring its supporters: “Hezbollah is present in the state, and anyone who wants to join the Lebanese Army is welcome, according to the conditions of membership. The idea of ​​compensating Hezbollah fighters is not a bad idea. I believe that joining the military establishment is a positive thing for their families, as they will receive social benefits.” 

On efforts to restore confidence among Hezbollah supporters in state institutions, the source revealed that “under-the-table discussions” have been taking place between Hezbollah and decision-makers “about the Day After.” 

The source acknowledged that “Hezbollah and its supporters are wounded, deeply hurt, and all concerns must be addressed, and work is underway to address them.” 

On the American proposal to establish an economic zone in the border area as a buffer zone, it was noted that the plan has not yet been officially discussed. 

“The state understands the concerns of the people of the region regarding this matter, and they are 100 percent right. If it is raised, Lebanon will certainly have its own reservations. No one accepts the separation of the people of the south from their land. What is most important, above all, is that Israel withdraws from the positions it occupies and that they cease their hostile actions,“ the official said. 

The source also reiterated Lebanon’s openness to all Arab assistance for reconstruction, especially from Gulf states led by ֱ. 

Concerning Lebanese-Syrian relations, the official indicated that “a Syrian delegation will visit Lebanon to discuss border demarcation, the issue of Syrian detainees, and trade relations.” 

On Lebanon’s stance if Syria decided to recognize the Shebaa Farms as Syrian rather than Lebanese territory, the source said: “It must prove this with documents. We have documents from the French state archives that confirm their Lebanese identity.” 


Israel says in talks ‘right now’ on south Syria demilitarization

Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.
Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.
Updated 28 August 2025

Israel says in talks ‘right now’ on south Syria demilitarization

Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.
  • Last week, Syrian news agency SANA reported that FM Asaad Al-Shaibani had met an Israeli delegation led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Paris on Aug. 19

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was engaged in talks aimed at the demilitarization of southern Syria, implicitly acknowledging for the first time contacts with the new Syrian regime.
Following deadly sectarian violence in Syria last month, Netanyahu met with a Druze leader in Israel, reassuring him that his government was negotiating to safeguard the religious community in Syria.
“We are focusing on three things: Protecting the Druze community in the Sweida governorate, but not only there; creating a demilitarised zone stretching from the Golan Heights (passing) south of Damascus down to and including Sweida; and establishing a humanitarian corridor to allow the delivery of aid,” the premier said.
“These discussions are taking place right now, at this very moment,” he added, according to a video shared by his office.
Last week, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani had met an Israeli delegation led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Paris on August 19.
Talks focused on de-escalation between the two countries and the situation in Druze-majority Sweida province after deadly sectarian clashes there last month, the news channel said
The French Foreign Ministry confirmed the meeting to AFP, saying it had been conducted “under US mediation” and that delegations from the two Middle Eastern neighbors had previously met on July 24 in the French capital.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the overthrow of President Bashar Assad in December, and occupied much of a UN-patrolled demilitarised zone on the Syrian-held side of the armistice line between the two countries.
Damascus has confirmed holding indirect contacts with Israel with the intention of returning to the 1974 disengagement agreement that created the buffer zone.
In July, Israel bombed Syrian government forces in the capital and in Sweida province to force their withdrawal from the southern region amid a wave of sectarian violence.
On Wednesday night, Israeli forces conducted an airborne raid on a site near the Syrian capital after bombing it several times, SANA reported Thursday.
Israel did not confirm the raid, but Defense Minister Israel Katz said its forces operate “in all combat zones” to ensure the country’s security.