Hamas names more captives to be freed but says Israel violating deal
- Hamas names three Israeli captives to be released on Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners following a tense delay that came after the group accused Israel of breaching their ceasefire by preventing humanitarian aid and other key supplies from entering Gaza.
- Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken captive from Kibbutz Be’eri during the cross-border Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted that day from the Nova music festival, will be handed over on Saturday, Hamas says.
US House speaker reiterates ‘ironclad’ support to Israel
Johnson has reiterated his “steadfast commitment” to the US-Israeli partnership.
“Our support for Israel remains ironclad,” Johnson told reporters after a meeting with Netanyahu at the US Capitol.
Johnson said he and Netanyahu discussed the “special” partnership between the two countries.
“I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for his unrelenting commitment to making the region and the world a safer place amid really extraordinary challenges,” Johnson said. “What Israel has done in the past seven months really is a testament to what can be accomplished when we do not let the enemy set the rules.”
Netanyahu for his part said Trump’s “critical” decisions, including renewing the supply of weapons and signing an executive order to impose sanctions on ICC officials, show the US commitment to Israel.
Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant face arrest warrants issued by The Hague-based court in November on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
Trump says in ‘no rush’ to push Gaza plan
Trump says he is in no rush to implement his plan to take over and redevelop Gaza.
“We’re in no rush on it,” the US president told reporters at the White House.
Trump’s bombshell announcement on Tuesday that the US would “take over” and “own” Gaza stunned Palestinians and the international community, prompting widespread condemnation.
Hezbollah responds to Trump’s envoy
Mohammad Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, has rebuked Ortagus for her call to exclude the group from the Lebanese government.
Raad said in a video message that the US deputy Middle East envoy’s remarks “are full of hatred and irresponsibility”.
“They aim to insult a national component of Lebanon that is part of the National Accord and Lebanese political life,” he added. “Her statements are a blatant interference in Lebanon’s sovereignty and a violation to all diplomatic norms and obligations of international relations.”
Ortagus had also congratulated Israel for defeating Hezbollah. But Raad rejected her assertion, saying that the Lebanese people were “victorious”, and they revealed the “ugly image of the aggressor that is carrying out a genocide against civilians”.
Netanyahu invites US House speaker to visit Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited US House Speaker Mike Johnson to visit Israel this year.
“You’re invited to Israel this year in Jerusalem. I know you’re busy but find space to do that. You’ll be welcomed with a red carpet,” Netanyahu told Johnson during remarks following their meeting at the US Capitol.
Netanyahu’s remarks come on the heels of his recent visit to Washington, DC.
He was the first foreign leader to be hosted by President Trump in his second term at the White House.
Lebanon presidency distances itself from US envoy comments
We reported earlier that US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus said after a meeting with Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun that the participation of Hezbollah in the incoming Lebanese government is a “red line”.
Now the Lebanese presidency is distancing itself from Ortagus’s remarks.
“Some of what was said by the US deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus in Baabda [the presidential palace] only represents her own view points, and the presidency is not concerned with it,” Aoun’s office said in a brief statement shared on social media.
Ortagus’s visit to Beirut comes as Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam is scrambling to put together a cabinet that is expected to include most major political parties in Lebanon.
Hezbollah and its top ally the Amal Movement – known as the Shia duo – have dozens of members in the 128-seat Lebanese Parliament.
