al jazeera

By Lyndal Rowlands
     Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel and the US share a “common strategy” on Gaza’s future and hails President Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from the enclave.

    Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, says talks on phase two of the Israel-Hamas truce will continue this week as Netanyahu’s office said Israeli negotiators would travel to Cairo on Monday to discuss extending the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

    Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem says Israeli forces must withdraw completely from Lebanon by the February 18 deadline agreed in the truce brokered by the United States.

    Gaza’s Health Ministry has confirmed 48,271 Palestinian deaths in Israel’s war on Gaza, while 111,693 people have been wounded. The Government Media Office has updated its death toll to at least 61,709 people, saying thousands missing under the rubble are now presumed dead.

    At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, and more than 200 were taken captive.

    Where to next for Rubio?

    The US’s top diplomat is expected to depart Israel for Saudi Arabia today.

    Rubio’s visit to Riyadh comes after Saudi Arabia publicly rejected Trump’s proposal to “take over” the Gaza Strip by reiterating that it will not sign a normalisation deal with Israel until Palestinians receive an independent state.

    After Riyadh, Rubio is expected to travel to the United Arab Emirates on the final leg of his Middle East tour.

    It is worth mentioning that Rubio, who is in the region for the first time since taking office, broke with tradition during his visit to Israel by skipping a meeting with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. He also did not visit some of the top US allies in the region, Egypt and Jordan, on this tour.

    Families of Israeli captives mark 500th day since October 7 attacks

    The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has called for a nationwide fast to mark the 500th day of captivity for the Israelis remaining in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.

    The fast will start at 11.40am local time (09:40 GMT) and end at 8pm (18:00 GMT), with a rally in Tel Aviv, the outlet said.

    Key quotes from Rubio’s comments in Israel

•     “The president has been very clear: Hamas cannot continue as a military or government force,” Rubio said during a news conference with Netanyahu, stating that Hamas “must be eliminated. It must be eradicated.”
•     The US secretary of state also praised Trump’s “very bold” and “unambiguous view of what the future for Gaza should be”, even if the president’s proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza “may have shocked and surprised many”.
•     Rubio also spoke about Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria and Iraq, saying that “the common theme in all of these challenges is Iran. It is the single greatest source of instability in the region.”
•     “There can never be a nuclear Iran – a nuclear Iran that could then hold itself immune from pressure and from action. That can never happen.”
•     Rubio also a statement saying that Hamas’s decision to “hold hostages and even dead bodies reflects their sick depravity. I call on our partners to help impress upon Hamas’s leaders that they are playing with fire.”