Middle Eastern Headlines at 6:55 p.m. GMT
Israeli airstrike hits a Gaza humanitarian zone as Netanyahu OKs a delegation to talks in Qatar
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The IndependentThe fatal lengths North Korean soldiers will go to to avoid capture by Ukraine
SPECIAL REPORT: The North Korean troops fighting for Russia are highly trained and will stop at nothing to avoid surrender, Ukrainian sources tell Sam Kiley, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor, in Sumy
- CNN
Four hostages freed but Israel blocks people in Gaza returning north
Hamas freed four female Israeli hostages on Saturday, in the second round of a deal between Israel and Hamas which also saw about 200 Palestinian prisoners released.
- Reuters
Inside the Ukrainian drone unit conducting deep strikes on Russia
As snow fell in a wooded area of Ukraine, the long-range attack drones accelerated one by one down an unlit, abandoned road and their whirring engines propelled them into the night sky. The unmanned aircraft carrying explosive warheads are part of a Ukrainian campaign of long-range drone attacks that aim to inflict blows on Russia far behind the front line as Moscow's troops advance in the east. "Our main goal is to conduct strikes to hit logistics hubs in the rear, ammunition warehouses and decrease our enemy's pressure on the front," said the battalion commander of the Ukrainian drone unit, who gave only the call sign Casper.
- CNN
Israel says it won’t withdraw from Lebanon by Sunday deadline
The Israeli government says its military will not withdraw from Lebanon by Sunday’s deadline, in violation of a deadline set in a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
- CNN
Six peacekeepers killed fighting rebels in eastern Congo, officials say, as rebels close in on Goma
Fighting with M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo left six United Nations peacekeepers dead, UN officials said Saturday.
- Euronews
Trump wants Jordan and Egypt to accept more refugees and 'just clean out' Gaza
“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”View on euronews
- BBC
Who are the four Israeli hostages released by Hamas in latest swap?
Female soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag have returned to Israel.
- The Independent
Who are remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and when might they be freed?
More than 250 foreign and Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in the 7 October attack, according to Israel, with 91 still in Gaza
- BBC
What we know about the Gaza ceasefire deal
Hostages and prisoners are being released in the first phase of deal between Israel and Hamas.
- BBC
Hamas names next Israeli hostages set to be released
Four are due to be freed in a second exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
- The Independent
There is a ceasefire in Gaza – but war in the West Bank could just be beginning
ON THE GROUND: Palestinians and Israelis have barely had time to process the end of a ruinous 15-month war before Israel launched a ‘major counter-terrorism’ operation in the West Bank. Bel Trew reports from Jenin where families are fleeing their homes as the bullets and bombs rain down, sparking fears of a new conflict threatening peace
- BBC
Gaza rescuers face toll of their work: 'I have become afraid of my own memories'
Throughout the Israeli bombardment, the Civil Defence was responsible for pulling the living and the dead from the rubble.
- France 24
Belarus votes in election poised to extend decades-long rule of Alexander Lukashenko
When Alexander Lukashenko emerged victorious from Belarus's presidential election in 2020, protesters came out on the streets to accuse him of election fraud and call for his resignation. But as Belarusians went to the polls Sunday, Lukashenko is all but certain to win a seventh term as the only leader most people in Belarus have ever known. Belarusians voted on Sunday in an election set to hand President Alexander Lukashenko a seventh term, prolonging his three-decade authoritarian rule.Lukashe
- Sky News
Gaza's rocky truce tested by delayed release of civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud
Israel had insisted that hostage Arbel Yehoud be released this week. This is because she is a woman, a civilian and alive, so therefore should be in the top category of hostages freed in this first phase of the ceasefire. It's suspected she could be being held by Islamic Jihad, another militant group in Gaza.
- BBC
Palestinians' return on hold as Israel accuses Hamas of breaching truce deal
Israel says it will not open a key road until plans are in place for the release of an Israeli civilian.
- CNN
Eleven killed as residents of southern Lebanon defy Israeli orders not to return home
Three people were killed and 44 others injured by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese government said, as residents of villages near the border defied orders by Israel’s military not to return to their homes.
- Euronews
Hamas announces names of next four hostages to be released on Saturday
The Palestinian militant group made public on Friday the names of the next four hostages that it plans to release as part of the ceasefire deal signed with Israel. Israel is expected to publish a list of its own, naming Palestinian prisoners it will release in return.View on euronews
- The Independent
Timeline: How a year of war in Gaza has unfolded as hostages released in ceasefire deal
Ceasefire reached fifteen months after Israel vowed to wipe Hamas ‘off the face of the earth’ following 7 October attack
- The Daily Beast
What Jennifer Aniston Says About Obama Affair Rumors
A wild story that Barack Obama is romantically involved with actress Jennifer Aniston has resurfaced amid growing rumors that the former president and his wife Michelle were headed for divorce. The Obama split rumors intensified after Michelle let her husband fly solo at two major presidential events: Jimmy Carter’s funeral, and Donald Trump’s inauguration. On Jimmy Kimmel in October, actress Aniston rejected the gossip after the late-night host handed her an In Touch magazine with a cover that
- Sky News
Migrants in shackles led on to US military plane - as Mexico refuses to accept deportation flight
US military aircraft have started flying detained migrants out of America on the orders of Donald Trump, as Mexico refused a request from his administration to allow a deportation plane to land in the country. It comes as the White House released images of men whose hands and ankles were shackled being led on to a plane. Mr Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted the photos on X and declared: "Deportation flights have begun."