Middle East: Hamas says hostages could die if war resumes

US President Donald Trump told American outlet Fox News he sent a letter to Iran's Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The White House said the letter is intended to negotiate a nuclear deal. 

Iran has not yet confirmed the letter's acceptance by Khamenei, who has final say over all matters of state.

During his first term in 2018, Trump pulled the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which restricted Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief on Tehran. That decision was criticized by former President Barack Obama, whose administration had entered into the deal in 2015.

The cost ofLebanon's reconstruction following the war between Israel and Hezbollahis estimated at $11 billion (€10.1 billion), a World Bank report says.

The report covered damage and losses in ten sectors across Lebanon from October 8, 2023 until December 20, 2024.

According to the World Bank, between three and five billion dollars will need to be publicly financed, including for infrastructure sectors, while between six and eight billion dollars are needed through private financing, mostly in the housing, commerce, industry and tourism sectors.

The report also says Lebanon's real gross domestic product went down by more than 7% in 2024, a significant setback compared to a projected growth of 0.9%  had the war not happened.
 

A Hamas delegation is in Egypt's capital Cairo to discuss the continuation of the ceasefire in Gaza, the AFP news agency reported, citing two senior officials in the Palestinian militant group.

In addition to meeting Egyptian officials to discuss the latest developments, the delegation is expected to "address matters related to launching the second phase of the deal," one official was cited as saying.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which has largely paused hostilities between the two sides and allowed much-needed humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, has been in force since January 19.

The Israeli military's chief spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, will step down in the coming weeks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced.

Hagari, previously the commander of the Israeli navy's Shayetet 13 elite unit, became a household name in Israel for his briefings to the media and the Israeli public since the war with Hamas started in October 2023.

This comes just two days after the Israeli army's new chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, was sworn in.

Israeli media report the move could be related to Hagari's critical comments on a suggested legislation by the Israeli government, for which Hagari ended up apologizing.

The Palestinian militant group Hamasurged US President Donald Trump to meet with Palestinian prisoners freed as part of the exchange deal with Israel.

This comes after Trump's meeting with eight freed Israeli hostages who were released as part of the truce agreement that took effect on January 19.

Bassem Naim, a senior leader of the Islamist group, wrote in an open letter that the US president should "show the same level of respect to freed Palestinian political prisoners … and listen to their stories."

Addressing US President Donald Trump's plan to take control of Gaza and resettle Palestinians in neighboring countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says his country is against such a move, also reiterating China's support for the two-state solution.

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict takes place again and again simply because the two-state solution is only half achieved," Wang said. "The state of Israel has long been a reality, but the state of Palestine is still far beyond reach."

Wang added that China supports the peace plan by Egypt and other Arab countries.

Israel will permit some Muslims over 50 and children to attend the Friday Ramadan prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Those allowed are men aged 55 or older, women aged 50 or older and children up to the age of 12.

According to the statement, Muslims holding an Israeli citizenship will face no limitation.

Muslims regard the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is part of the Haram al-Sharif complex, as the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. The site in the Old City of Jerusalem is also sacred to Jews and known as the Temple Mount.

This week is the first Friday in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

A conference in Geneva meant to discuss the protection of civilians in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories has been canceled after too few countries had accepted the invitation to attend it, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.

This comes after the UN General Assembly had asked Switzerland to convene the gathering to reaffirm the Geneva Conventions — the basis of international humanitarian law — due to concern for the Palestinians.

The meeting had to be canceled after no ministers from countries that are signatories to the conventions announced their participation. 

Israellabeled the planned conference as "part of the legal warfare" against the country.

The Palestinian militant group Hamashas said Israeli hostages it holds could be killedif Israel resumes fighting in the Gaza Strip.

According to Israeli intelligence, Islamist organizations in Gaza are still holding 24 hostages and 35 bodies of abductees. 

"Any escalation of aggression" against the Palestinian people would lead to the killing of a number of those abducted, a Hamas spokesperson said.

The US government confirmed it had held direct talks with Hamas about the release of hostages who hold American citizenship, changing long-standing US policy on talking to groups classified as terrorist organizations.