What you need to know
- Three more Israeli hostages are due to be released in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebukes Trump’s Gaza takeover proposal
- Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said negotiations with the US would not solve the region’s problems
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit the Middle East next week
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February 7, 2025
Hamas names Israeli hostages to be released Saturday
Palestinian militant group Hamas has published the names of three Israeli hostages it intends to release on Saturday.
Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who were taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri during the cross-border attacks on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, who was abducted from the Nova music festival the same day, will be handed over in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners.
Of those, 18 have been serving life sentences in Israel, 54 are serving long sentences and 111 were detained in the Gaza Strip during the war, according to Hamas.
Friday’s announcement was delayed by several hours after Hamas accused Israel of delaying the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza as agreed under the ceasefire deal which took effect on January 19.
“This demonstrates clear manipulation of relief and shelter priorities,” read a statement from the group, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and other governments.
The Israeli military denied the accusation and warned that Israel would “not tolerate violations by Hamas.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4qBnG
February 7, 2025
Top Hezbollah lawmaker slams US ‘interference’ after envoy visit
Saim Dušan Inayatullah
Lebanese lawmaker Mohammed Raad accused Washington of “blatant interference” in Lebanese politics after the US’ deputy Middle East envoy, Morgan Ortagus, said that Hezbollah should not be allowed to be part of the Lebanese government.
Raad heads the pro-Hezbollah bloc in the Lebanese parliament, which is part of Lebanon’s governing coalition.
Ortagus had described Hezbollah’s participation in Lebanon’s government as one of Washington’s “red lines” and hailed what she called Israel’s defeat over the militant group.
Several countries, including the US, Israel and Germany, consider Hezbollah to be a terrorist group. The European Union designates its armed wing as a terrorist organization.
Raad’s comments come a day after Israel said its forces hit two sites in Lebanon despite a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qBS4
February 7, 2025
HRW warns of consequences of US aid freeze in Syria
Zac Crellin
Human Rights Watch has warned that the Trump administration’s cuts to overseas aid could worsen “life-threatening conditions” in camps in Syria that hold relatives of members of the “Islamic State” group.
“The US government’s suspension of foreign aid to non-governmental organizations operating in these camps is exacerbating life-threatening conditions, risking further destabilization of a precarious security situation,” HRW said in a statement on Friday.
Trump’s aid freeze casts doubt on assistance programs
Hiba Zayadin, a senior Middle East researcher at HRW, said the situation in the camps would need to be included in discussions about Syria’s future.
“People detained unlawfully in al-Hol and Roj camps should not be left to languish forever,” he said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4q9iX
February 7, 2025
Rubio to visit Middle East next week
Zac Crellin
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first official visit to the Middle East next week, a State Department official said on Thursday.
Rubio will first attend the Munich Security Conference in Germany before traveling to Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia from February 13-18.
The US official said Rubio would discuss Gaza and Donald Trump’s plan to disrupt the “status quo” in the region, Reuters reported.
https://p.dw.com/p/4q9uX
February 7, 2025
Iran’s Khamenei warns against fresh nuclear talks with US
Zac Crellin
Iran’s supreme leader on Friday urged his government not to negotiate with the Trump administration after the US president proposed fresh nuclear talks.
“You should not negotiate with such a government. It is unwise. It is not intelligent. It is not honorable to negotiate,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a meeting with army commanders.
Khamenei said the United States had already “ruined, violated and tore up” a 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration. Donald Trump, a Republican, pulled out of the deal in 2018, during his first presidential term.
“We must understand this correctly: They should not pretend that if we sit down at the negotiating table with that government, problems will be solved,” Khamenei said.
“No problem will be solved by negotiating with America,” he said, citing previous “experience.”
On Wednesday, Trump suggested striking a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran which insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran had agreed to scale back its nuclear program and submit to international inspections, in exchange for sanctions relief.
https://p.dw.com/p/4q9fs
February 7, 2025
German Chancellor Scholz emphasizes ‘complete rejection’ of Trump’s Gaza plan
Saim Dušan Inayatullah
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he did not support a proposal by US President Donald Trump to permanently move Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.
“We must not resettle the population of Gaza to Egypt,” Scholz said at a campaign event ahead of Germany’s February 23 elections.
Scholz expressed his “complete rejection” of the proposal.
The chancellor called for countries to prevent further escalation in the Middle East and work to ensure peaceful coexistence between Israel and a future Palestinian state.
Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza sparks global backlash
Earlier this week, Trump said the United States would take “ownership” of Gaza as he spoke at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He also said Gaza Palestinians could be resettled in other countries in the region. Multiple Arab governments quickly issued statements rejecting the idea.
On Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reiterated Berlin’s position that the Gaza Strip belongs to the Palestinians, adding that any expulsion from Gaza would be contrary to international law.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qAHZ
February 7, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Zac Crellin | Saim Dušan Inayatullah | Wesley Dockery
This blog will have all the latest developments in the Middle East region, from the newest reactions to Trump’s Gaza takeover proposal to the latest happenings in Lebanon, Syria, Iran and elsewhere.
In addition to the latest news, DW will bring you in-depth analysis and video of events happening in the region.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qAFn