Israel expands counter-terrorism operation in West Bank as Arab leaders counter Trump’s Gaza plan
Israel has killed a Hamas terror cell leader in the West Bank. It comes as Arab leaders reveal details of their plan for Gaza – which runs contrary to the vision of US President Donald Trump.
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The Israeli military has killed three Palestinians while in pursuit of a top Hamas terrorist.
Israeli forces “expanded the counter-terrorism operation in northern Samaria to additional areas in Jenin”, the military said, using the Biblical name for that part of the West Bank, adding a local Hamas leader was among those it killed in the overnight raid.
The military said that in an exchange of fire, troops killed “the leader of the Hamas terrorist network in the area” along with another Palestinian militant, and arrested three more.
It said during a further inspection of the premises where the militants were, troops killed a third armed militant “who posed an immediate threat”.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the alleged Hamas leader as Aser Saadiya, adding that his body was taken away by Israeli troops after he was shot dead in an eastern neighbourhood of Jenin.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli forces had handed over the body of another man in his 20s killed in east Jenin.
The head of Jenin’s government hospital, Wisam Baker, told AFP that a third man he identified as Jihad Alawneh was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
He said the 25-year-old had bled out after being shot in the thigh by Israeli troops.
The Israeli military launched a major offensive in the northern West Bank on January 21, deploying tanks in the territory for the first time in 20 years.
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ARAB LEADERS FLOAT BOLD PLAN FOR GAZA
Egypt has proposed an A$85 billion plan to rebuild Gaza over five years, focusing on emergency relief, infrastructure restoration and long-term economic development, according to a draft document seen by AFP.
The proposal, set to be discussed at an extraordinary Arab summit in Cairo, counters a plan floated by US President Donald Trump last month to assume control of war-torn Gaza and displace its Palestinian population, including to Egypt and Jordan.
Palestinians, along with Arab states and many of Israel and the United States’ partners, have condemned Trump’s proposal, rejecting any efforts to expel Gazans.
The draft plan outlines two phases: an early recovery phase and a reconstruction phase.
The early recovery phase, expected to last six months and cost A$4.8 billion, would focus on “removing mines and unexploded ordnance, clearing debris and providing temporary housing”.
To address immediate shelter needs in that phase, Egypt proposes setting up seven designated sites within Gaza to house more than 1.5 million displaced people in temporary housing units.
The plan also includes initial repairs to 60,000 partially damaged homes to accommodate 360,000 people.
The reconstruction phase would take place in two stages over four and a half years.
The first stage, running until 2027 with a budget of A$32 billion, would focus on rebuilding essential infrastructure, including roads, utility networks and public service facilities.
The second stage, extending to 2030 at an estimated cost of A$48 billion, aims to complete infrastructure projects, build another 200,000 housing units and establish industrial zones, a fishing port, a commercial seaport and an airport.
The plan proposes creating an internationally supervised trust fund to ensure efficient and sustainable funding, as well as transparency and oversight.
A Gaza administration committee, made up of independent technocrats and nonpartisan figures, would be formed under the Palestinian government to manage the territory for a transitional period of six months.
The move is described as a step toward enabling the Palestinian Authority to fully resume control.
HOSTAGE FAMILY RELEASE HEARTBREAKING PHOTO
The devastated family of Israeli hostage soldier Matan Angrest has released a photo showing him in captivity, from a video recorded by Hamas.
The photo is the first visual confirmation of the 21-year-old, who was taken from a tank at Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023.
The image, which Hamas has released as a sign of life, comes six months after the terror group released an audio recording of him, the Jerusalem Post reports.
“This is the first footage from a video of Matan Angrest, a soldier who was kidnapped while wounded and unconscious from a tank at the Nahal Oz outpost,” his family said in a statement.
“He had gone out with his team to defend the outpost and the kibbutzim. Matan was abducted in critical condition and is enduring unimaginable suffering, torture during interrogations, and inhumane conditions. Despite being severely wounded, he was not returned in the humanitarian phase, solely because he is an Israeli soldier.”
The statement continued: “We demand that the Israeli government complete all stages of the deal before proceeding with the next phase of the war and bring Matan — who is in mortal danger — and all the hostages home before sending more soldiers who may never return.”
Angrest, who served in a tank unit, was captured alongside his fellow soldiers Itai Chen, Daniel Peretz, and Tomer Leibovitz, who were all killed in battle, the Jerusalem Post reports.
HOSTAGE FAMILIES CLASH WITH GUARDS
Chaos erupted at Israel’s parliament as guards used physical force to prevent families and relatives of hostages from entering the visitors’ gallery to watch a debate on the October 7 attacks, including a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Members of the October Council, which represents October 7 survivors, former hostages, and victims’ families, were pushed and grabbed after they tried to ascend a stairwell leading to the gallery, The Times of Israel reports.
Footage of the incident shared by the group showed one guard wrestling a man to the floor, with his forearm across the man’s throat.
Three people subsequently required medical treatment, according to Hebrew media reports.
Several of the relatives were seen crying and hugging each other amid the violence before they were finally allowed into the gallery.
HAMAS HAS ‘ENOUGH FOOD TO FUEL AN OBESITY EPIDEMIC’: ISRAEL
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer has accused Hamas militants of hoarding supplies, saying they have more than “enough food” in Gaza a day after Israel blocked aid deliveries amid an impasse in truce talks.
Mr Mencer told a press briefing that the Palestinian group was hoarding supplies for its militants “for months and months” and has “enough food to fuel an obesity epidemic”, adding that “no one is going hungry in Hamas” and that “the supplies are there, but Hamas don’t share”.
DEADLY STABBING IN HAIFA
It comes as a stabbing in Israel’s city of Haifa left one person and the Israeli Arab attacker dead, authorities said, in the first fatal attack since the Gaza ceasefire began in January.
The stabbing came one day after Israel blocked aid to the Gaza Strip during an impasse over extending the truce in the Palestinian territory.
The six-week first phase of the ceasefire ended at the weekend. It had enabled the entry of vital food, shelter and medical assistance to Gaza.
The attack happened at a bus and train station in Haifa, a large coastal city in northern Israel home to a mixed Jewish and Arab population.
“A terrorist exited a bus, stabbed multiple civilians, and was subsequently neutralised by a security guard and a civilian at the scene,” the police said.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said they pronounced dead a man aged around 70, and treated four other wounded people.
Police identified the assailant as a member of Israel’s Druze Arab minority.
ISRAEL CUTS OFF AID AS TRUCE FALTERS
Israel stopped the entry of supplies into Gaza after it and Hamas hit an impasse over how to proceed with their fragile ceasefire.
As the 42-day first phase of the ceasefire closed, Israel gave its backing to an extension it said was put forward by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, which would cover the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided that, from this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will be suspended,” his office said in a statement.
“Israel will not accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas persists with its refusal, there will be other consequences,” it added.
– With AFP
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Originally published as Israel expands counter-terrorism operation in West Bank as Arab leaders counter Trump’s Gaza plan
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