Live: Hamas accuses Israel of delaying key aid to Gaza, Israel calls claims ‘fake news’

Israel says eight hostages will be freed

Israel said that a total of eight hostages, three Israelis and five Thais, were to be freed from Gaza on Thursday.

The three Israelis were Arbel Yehud, Agam Berger and Gadi Moses, the office of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, adding that five Thai citizens held in Gaza would also be freed.

Turkish President Erdogan to meet with Hamas leader

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with Hamas leader Muhammad Ismail Darwish in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan’s office said in a statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin also attended the meeting, as well as other Hamas officials.

Israel receives list of Gaza hostages to be released on Thursday

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel had received a list of hostages, held by Hamas, to be released on Thursday as part of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

“Israel received the list of hostages who are supposed to be released from Hamas captivity tomorrow,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Wednesday, adding further details would be given “after the families are updated”.

Israel accuses UNRWA of being ‘riddled’ with Hamas operatives

Israel alleged on Wednesday that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is full of Hamas operatives and reaffirmed its commitment to end ties with the agency this week.

“UNRWA equals Hamas. Israel has made public, irrefutable evidence, UNRWA is riddled with Hamas operatives,” government spokesman David Mencer told journalists as Israel prepares to cut its ties with the agency on Thursday.

“Israel makes clear… if a state funds UNRWA, that state is funding terrorists.

“UNRWA employs over 1,200 Hamas members, including terrorists who carried out the October 7 massacre,” Mencer alleged. “This isn’t aid, it’s direct financial support for terror.”

Israel, backed by Washington, will cease contact with UNRWA from Thursday, a move that has drawn condemnation from aid groups as well as US allies.

UNRWA’s offices and staff in Israel play a major role in the provision of healthcare and education to Palestinians, including those living in Gaza, devastated by 15 months of war with Israel.

Gaza ceasefire is ‘beginning of difficult healing journey’, mental health worker says

A mental health worker for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how the ceasefire has been a relief for the people of Gaza.

Zahra Legris is now back in Dublin after spending two months in the south of Gaza working for the charity. She says the return of thousands of Palestinians to what remains of their homes will be the start of a very difficult healing journey for them.

Palestinians say Israeli forces kill two in West Bank raids

The Palestinian health ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli forces killed two people in separate overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, including one in Jenin, where the Israeli military is conducting a major offensive.

The Ramallah-based ministry said in a statement that a 25-year-old man it identified as Osama Abu al-Hija was killed late on Tuesday in Jenin “as a result of an Israeli air strike”.

The military told AFP that an Israeli aircraft conducted a strike in Jenin on Tuesday night “after a terrorist threw an explosive device” towards troops.

The Israeli military has launched an intense assault on the Jenin area, now in its eighth day, to root out Palestinian militant groups.

Germany considers sending contingent to join EU Rafah border mission

Germany’s interior and foreign ministries are in consultations about sending a German contingent to the European Union’s civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah, spokespeople in Berlin said on Wednesday.

“We are in good consultations with the foreign ministry,” said an interior ministry spokesperson at a regular government news conference.

“These missions always start with a ramp-up to see how great the need is and how many people are required,” added the spokesperson.

The foreign ministry spokesperson said general conditions and ensuring the contingent would be deployed safely had to be taken into consideration.

The EU’s foreign policy chief said on Monday that the bloc would restart a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing.

Italy’s foreign and defence ministries have announced that Rome will send seven Carabinieri officers to join the Rafah mission, and they added that Spanish Guardia Civil officers and French gendarmes will also join the international force.

Trump, Witkoff got Gaza ceasefire deal ‘across the line’, adviser to Qatari PM says

FRANCE 24 spoke to Majed al-Ansari, an adviser to Qatari Prime Minister Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry.

He discussed the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas on January 15.

Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, played an key role in negotiating the deal. An outline of the agreement had been on the table on months.

But it was the “push” by incoming US President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that “got this across the line”, Ansari said.

Egyptian President Sisi says country will not participate in displacing Palestinians

Egypt will not participate in the displacement of Palestinians, which would be an “act of injustice”, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump said Egypt and Jordan should take in residents of the Gaza Strip.

According to a statement by the president’s office on Wednesday, Sisi said Egypt would work with Trump to reach peace between Israel and Palestinians based on a two-state solution.

Israel calls Hamas accusation over Gaza aid delays ‘fake news’

Israel on Wednesday dismissed accusations by Hamas officials of causing delays to aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip under a ceasefire deal.

“It’s totally fake news,” a spokesperson for COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry agency that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said after two Hamas officials told AFP Israeli actions were slowing down the delivery of key aid items. 

First aid ship for Gaza arrives at Egyptian port

A Turkish ship docked at Egypt’s El-Arish on Wednesday, delivering the first aid destined for Gaza through the port since a fragile ceasefire went into effect, a Turkish official and Egyptian sources said.

“We are prepared to heal the wounds of our Gazan brothers and sisters and to meet their temporary shelter needs,” Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on X on Wednesday. 

The ship was loaded with 871 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including 300 power generators, 20 portable toilets, 10,460 tents and 14,350 blankets, according to Yerlikaya.

A team from the Egyptian Red Crescent received the Turkish aid to make the necessary arrangements for its delivery to the Strip, a source at the port, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the Gaza Strip, said.

Two staff from the Egyptian Red Crescent also confirmed its arrival.

Hamas officials say Israel is delaying aid delivery to Gaza

Two Hamas officials on Wednesday accused Israel of delaying the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to Gaza, as agreed in the ceasefire deal, and warned that it could impact the release of hostages.

“We warn that continued delays and failure to address these points (delivery of key aid) will affect the natural progression of the agreement, including the prisoner exchange,” a senior Hamas official told AFP, while another offical said the group had asked mediators to intervene in the issue. Both spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Marco Rubio calls for Egypt to cooperate in stopping Hamas from governing Gaza

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty it was important to closely cooperate to ensure that Hamas can never govern Gaza again, the State Department said on Tuesday.

Welcome to our liveblog, where we post the latest news on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. To read about yesterday’s key developments, click here.