Saturday, February 1, 2025
1414 GMT — Palestinian medics recovered 24 bodies from under the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave since October 2023 to 47,487, the Health Ministry said.
A ministry statement said two people also succumbed to their wounds and another killed in the past 24 hours.
It added that another eight were admitted to hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the number of the injured to 111,588 in the Israeli onslaught.
Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them, the ministry said.
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1440 GMT — Israel admits it failed to assassinate Hamas leader Haitham Al-Hawajri
Israel acknowledged that it failed in its attempt to assassinate Haitham Al-Hawajri, the commander of Hamas’s Al-Shati Battalion, despite claiming to have killed him in December 2023.
In a statement published by the Israel Hayom newspaper and Channel 12, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the December 3, 2023 strike targeting Hawajri was initially believed to have been successful.
"Following the attack, Israel security agency Shin Bet and the military assessed with a high degree of certainty that he had been eliminated and the army issued an official statement confirming it," Hagari said.
However, he added: "Further examination has revealed that the intelligence relied upon by Shin Bet, military intelligence, and the Southern Command was incorrect. Hawajri was not killed in the attack."
1330 GMT — Israel releases Palestinians in exchange for Gaza hostages
Israel released Palestinians from its jails in the fourth prisoner swap under the ongoing ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Thirty-two of the freed prisoners from the occupied West Bank were handed over to the International Red Cross from the Ofer Prison facility near Ramallah, in line with the terms of the January 19 truce.
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered near the Ramallah Cultural Palace to welcome the freed prisoners, waving Palestinian flags and chanting in support of the resistance and Gaza.
Despite warnings, the crowd gathered to receive the prisoners, who raised victory signs in defiance of Israeli orders.
1212 GMT — 79 Israeli captives still held in Gaza: Report
Hamas continues to hold 79 Israeli hostages in Gaza following the release of three captives, according to Israeli media.
The daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that 20 of these hostages are expected to be released in the ongoing first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported: “Hamas still holds 79 hostages, and 20 of them are set to be released in the coming days as part of the first phase of the agreement.”
1149 GMT — Busses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners arrive in Gaza
Red Cross buses have arrived at European Hospital in southern Gaza, carrying Palestinians freed from Israeli jails as part of prisoner swap deal, live television footage showed.
Meanwhile, Almog Boker, a correspondent for Israel’s Channel 12, reported that at the end of this first phase, Hamas would still be holding 59 hostages, including 36 who are presumed dead.
1110 GMT — Health Ministry in Gaza says 50 patients left through Rafah crossing to Egypt
The health ministry in Gaza has said 50 Palestinian patients went through the Rafah crossing to Egypt, as the key gateway reopened as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.
Egyptian state-linked channel Al-Qahera News showed footage of the first of 50 evacuees and 53 companions, including a child with an autoimmune disease, crossing the border into Egypt to receive treatment.
1052 GMT — Rafah border crossing reopens to allow Palestinian patients into Egypt
The Rafah border crossing, the main entry and exit point for the Palestinian territory, has reopened for the first time since May 2024 to allow Palestinian patients to cross over from Gaza to Egypt to receive medical treatment, live television footage showed.
0949 GMT — 1st batch of Palestinians freed in 4th prisoner-hostage swap
Buses carrying released Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons arrive in the occupied West Bank's Ramallah following the release of three Israeli captives by Hamas.
0828 GMT — Hamas hands over third Israeli captive to Red Cross in Gaza City
Hamas has handed over US-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel, the last of the three hostages released by the group, to the Red Cross at Gaza Port, live television footage showed.
Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon were handed over by Hamas earlier on Saturday to a Red Cross official in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, in the latest stage of a phased exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
0717 GMT — Israeli military says two freed hostages back on Israeli soil
The Israeli military has said the two freed hostages had now crossed into Israeli territory after they were released by Hamas.
"A short while ago, the returning civilian hostages, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas, crossed the border into Israeli territory" accompanied by Israeli forces, the military said in a statement.
0641 GMT — Hamas hands over two Israeli captives to Red Cross
Palestinian resistance group Hamas handed over two Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, live television images have shown, with a third expected to be transferred later in the morning.
Ofer Kalderon, a French-Israeli dual national and Yarden Bibas were seen being handed over to a Red Cross official in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, in the latest stage of a phased exchange of captives for Palestinian prisoners.
US-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel is expected to be handed over in another location later on Saturday.
For our live updates from Friday, January 31, 2025, click here.
