Gaza Updates: Hamas to swap six Israeli captives for 602 Palestinian prisoners

Saturday, February 22, 2025

07:12 GMT — Hamas to swap 6 Israeli captives for 602 Palestinian prisoners

Israel will receive six more captives from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees after accusations over the return of a misidentified body this week threatened to derail a fragile truce.

The six, the last living hostages from a group of 33 due to be freed in the first stage of the ceasefire deal agreed last month, were expected to be handed over at around 0630 GMT, according to officials from the Palestinian group Hamas.

In return, Israel is expected to release 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in its jails in the latest stage of an exchange that has held up despite a series of problems that have come close to sinking it on different occasions.

06:28 GMT — Body of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas identified: Israel

An Israeli kibbutz confirmed the death of Gaza hostage Shiri Bibas, after the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had transferred more human remains to Israeli authorities without saying whose they were.

06:00 GMT — Hamas says Netanyahu's Tulkarem raid shows 'military bankruptcy'

Hamas resistance group has criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's storming of Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank as a "showy move reflecting political and military bankruptcy."

The Palestinian group said Netanyahu's raid on the resilient Tulkarem camp was intended to cover up his repeated failures and retreat in facing the resistance of Palestine's people.

The group emphasised that Netanyahu is accustomed to "such transparent theatrics," noting his previous threats in Gaza's Netzarim Corridor and Philadelphi Corridor [Salah al-Din Corridor, which he eventually abandoned.

05:21 GMT — China supports rectifying historical injustices

China said it will continue to make efforts to "correct historical injustice thoroughly" for Palestine, according to a statement.

"With the Palestinian issue at the core of the Middle East issue, China will continue to stand firmly with Arab brothers and make efforts to correct historical injustice thoroughly, and restore lasting peace in the region at an early date," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in South Africa where the two attended the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

"Saudi Arabia opposes the forced evacuation of the Palestinian people in Gaza, highly appreciates China's adherence to principles and justice on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, and hopes and believes that China will continue to play an active role in peace in the Middle East," Faisal told Wang, the statement said.

04:30 GMT — Hamas returns remains of Israeli captive

Hamas resistance group in Gaza has returned over remains of Shiri Bibas to the Red Cross.

The Red Cross confirmed in a short statement they had received human remains inside Gaza and transferred them to Israeli authorities.

Speaking during a phone interview with Al Araby, a Qatar-based television network, Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi, confirmed the fighters handed over the body of Bibas to the Red Cross.

04:00 GMT — Israel killed 100 Palestinians since 35-day truce: officials

Israel killed 100 Palestinians and wounded 820 since a ceasefire agreement took effect more than one month ago, Gaza Media Office reported.

The report, shared by Media Office Director Salama Maarouf on X, also accused Israel of hindering the implementation of the "humanitarian protocol" linked to the ceasefire.

Maarouf noted that the most recent fatality occurred early on Friday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. He added that since the agreement began January 19, the Israeli military had committed more than 350 violations, with the most significant being the obstruction of humanitarian aid stipulated by the ceasefire protocol.

03:22 GMT — Map shows Israel occupying 44.5% of West Bank

A Palestinian organisation has released a map that showed that 44.5 percent of the occupied West Bank is now under direct Israeli control.

The map, included in a report from the Palestine Liberation Organization's Negotiations Affairs Department, highlights the illegal settlement expansion in the area, showing that in 2024, Israel established five new illegal settlements and 50 new outposts.

According to the map, 44.5 percent of the occupied West Bank is under direct Israeli control or has been incorporated behind the separation wall. The report noted that the illegal Zionist settler population in the West Bank has tripled since 1995, reaching approximately 740,000 in 2024.

For our live updates from Friday, February 21, 2025, click here.