Middle Eastern Headlines at 5:01 p.m. GMT
Israel detains the director of one of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals during a raid
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The TelegraphHamas warns Israel of ‘repercussions’ as hostage release row escalates
Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaching the terms of the ceasefire deal on Saturday after four more hostages were released from Gaza.
- INSIDER
North Korean forces are being slaughtered fighting for Russia, harming combat operations, intel says
Britain's defense ministry said about 1,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and about 3,000 more had been wounded fighting against Ukraine.
- Evening Standard
Freed Israeli hostages reunited with families in prisoner swap under Gaza ceasefire deal
Soldiers released by Hamas on Saturday in exchange for prisoners said to be in ‘stable’ condition
- The Independent
The 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
- Reuters
Four Israeli soldiers swapped for 200 Palestinians; north Gaza shut over hostage still held
JERUSALEM/CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) -Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, but a delay in freeing another hostage prompted Israel to block hundreds of thousands of Gazans from returning to the enclave's bombed-out north. The four Israelis freed in the second swap of the week-old Gaza truce were led onto a podium in Gaza City amid a large crowd of Palestinians and surrounded by dozens of armed Hamas men. The hostages waved and smiled before being led off, entering Red Cross vehicles to be transported to Israeli forces.
- Associated Press
Middle East latest: Israel says it won't complete its withdrawal from Lebanon by Sunday
Israel’s military says it won’t complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Sunday as outlined in its ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah militants. The confirmation came Saturday while another fragile ceasefire — between Israel and the Hamas militant group — saw a second release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody. The ceasefire deal for Lebanon gave both sides 60 days to remove their forces from southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese army to move in and secure the area.
- 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
- Euronews
13 international peacekeepers killed as fighting rages in eastern DR Congo
Fighting with M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo has left at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead, UN and army officials said on Saturday.View on euronews
- CNN
Australia is grappling with a rise in antisemitic attacks. Police are investigating links to paid criminals
Sydney restaurateur Judith Lewis couldn’t save the mezuzah, a framed parchment inked with Hebrew prayers, that was hanging in her family’s café when arsonists set it alight in the early hours one Sunday in late October.
- Reuters
Israel orders thousands of Lebanese not to return to border area
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The Israeli army ordered thousands of displaced Lebanese not to return to villages near the border until further notice, a day after it said its forces would remain in south Lebanon beyond a Sunday deadline to withdraw. The deadline is part of a ceasefire that ended last year's war between Hezbollah and Israel. Brokered by Washington and Paris, the deal stipulated that Israeli forces should withdraw from south Lebanon as the Iran-backed group's weapons and fighters are removed from the area and the Lebanese army deploys, within in a 60-day period which ends on Sunday.
- 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.
- Euronews
UN suspends travel into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen after staffers detained
The Houthis have previously detained UN staffers, as well as individuals associated with the then US Embassy in Sanaa and aid groups.View on euronews
- Associated Press
15 reported killed in Lebanon as Israeli forces remain after a withdrawal deadline
MAYS AL-JABAL, Lebanon (AP) — Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on Sunday opened fire on protesters demanding their withdrawal in line with a ceasefire agreement, killing at least 15 and injuring more than 80, Lebanese health officials reported. The dead included two women and a Lebanese army soldier, the Health Ministry said in a statement. People were reported wounded in more than a dozen villages in the border area.
- Associated Press Videos
Freed Israeli hostages are reunited with family members in Israel
Four female Israeli soldiers who were taken in the attack that sparked the war in Gaza were reunited with family members in Israel on Saturday.
- Associated Press
Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?
The release of four female Israeli soldiers from Hamas captivity on Saturday came at a heavy cost for Israel. Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners, 120 of them serving life sentences, from its jails as part of a ceasefire deal.
- CNN
Fifteen 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 releases four Israeli hostages in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners
Israeli authorities said they released 200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of the ceasefire deal, hours after four Israeli soldiers were released.View on euronews
- France 24
Israeli troops kill several, wound dozens as hundreds of residents try to return to south Lebanon
At least 15 people were killed and dozens more were wounded on Sunday after Israeli troops reportedly opened fire on residents trying to return to their homes in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces remain on the ground despite the end of the 60-day withdrawal period stipulated in the ceasefire agreement that ended the war with Hezbollah. Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on Sunday opened fire on protesters demanding their withdrawal in line with a ceasefire agreement, killing at least 11 and injur
- 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.
- AFP News
DR Congo battles intensify, Western nations ask citizens to leave Goma
The DR Congo army and M23 fighters clashed outside Goma on Friday as the UK, US and France urged citizens to leave the main city in the country's volatile east, warning the situation could deteriorate rapidly.US, British and French nationals were urged to leave Goma while airports and borders were still open, in online statements or in messages sent directly by email or text.