Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners as ceasefire takes hold after Hamas returns 3 Israeli hostages

A female Palestinian prisoner is greeted after disembarking from a bus following her release from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP)
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A female Palestinian prisoner is greeted after disembarking from a bus following her release from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP)
Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners as ceasefire takes hold after Hamas returns 3 Israeli hostages
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A Palestinian prisoner is greeted as he disembarks from a bus after being released from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP)
Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners as ceasefire takes hold after Hamas returns 3 Israeli hostages
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People gather around a bus carrying freed Palestinian prisoners after their release from an Israeli jail as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, outside the Israeli military prison, Ofer, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 20, 2025. (REUTERS)
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Updated 20 January 2025
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Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners as ceasefire takes hold after Hamas returns 3 Israeli hostages

Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners as ceasefire takes hold after Hamas returns 3 Israeli hostages
  • The fighting has killed tens of thousands, destroyed large areas and displaced most of the population
  • Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure weakens Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the truce

RAMALLAH, West Bank: The first three hostages were released from Gaza and the first Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli custody as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold following 15 months of war, with mixed emotions and more difficult steps ahead over the next six weeks.
Palestinians across Gaza began making their way home, and the first trucks with a surge of humanitarian aid began to enter the devastated territory.
The ceasefire that began on Sunday morning raises hopes for ending the devastating conflict and returning the nearly 100 remaining hostages abducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. But major questions remain about whether fighting will resume after the six-week first phase.
First came the release of Emily Damari, 28; Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, in a tense handover to the Red Cross on a Gaza City street. Footage showed them surrounded by a crowd of thousands, accompanied by masked, armed men wearing green Hamas headbands.
The women were taken to Israeli forces and then into Israel, where they hugged family members fiercely and wept. Damari was shown raising her bandaged hand in triumph. The military said she lost two fingers in the Oct. 7 attack.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of people who gathered to watch the news on large screens erupted in applause. For months, many had gathered in the square weekly to demand a ceasefire deal.
“An entire nation embraces you,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Over seven hours later, the first Palestinian prisoners were released. They had been detained for what Israel called offenses related to its security, from throwing stones to more serious accusations such as attempted murder.
Israel’s military, which occupies the West Bank, warned Palestinians against public celebration — the release took place after 1 a.m. — but crowds thronged the buses after they left the prison, some people climbing on top or waving flags, including those of Hamas.
There were fireworks and whistles, and shouts of “God is great.” Those released were hoisted onto others’ shoulders or embraced.
The most prominent detainee freed was Khalida Jarrar, 62, a member of a secular leftist faction that was involved in attacks against Israel in the 1970s but later scaled back militant activities. Since her arrest in late 2023, she was held under indefinitely renewable administrative detention orders that were criticized by human rights groups.
The next release of hostages and prisoners is due on Saturday, with 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees to be freed over the ceasefire’s 42-day first phase. In just over two weeks, talks are to begin on the far more challenging second phase.
This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than a weeklong pause in November 2023, with the potential to end the fighting for good.
But Netanyahu, who had been under pressure from both the Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before Monday’s US inauguration, has said he has Trump’s backing to continue fighting if necessary.
Meanwhile, Israel’s hard-line national security minister said his Jewish Power faction was quitting the government in protest over the ceasefire, reflecting the political friction that some Israelis said delayed a deal. Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure weakens Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the truce.
‘Joy mixed with pain’
Across Gaza, there was relief and grief. The fighting has killed tens of thousands, destroyed large areas and displaced most of the population.
“This ceasefire was a joy mixed with pain, because my son was martyred in this war,” said Rami Nofal, a displaced man from Gaza City.
Masked militants appeared at some celebrations, where crowds chanted slogans in support of them, according to Associated Press reporters in Gaza. The Hamas-run police began deploying in public after mostly lying low due to Israeli airstrikes.
Some families set off for home on foot, their belongings loaded on donkey carts.
In the southern city of Rafah, residents returned to find massive destruction. Some found human remains in the rubble, including skulls.
“It’s like you see in a Hollywood horror movie,” resident Mohamed Abu Taha said as he inspected the ruins of his family’s home.
Already, Israeli forces were pulling back from areas. Residents of Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya in northern Gaza told the AP they didn’t see Israeli troops there.
One resident said they saw bodies in the streets that appeared to have been there for weeks.
Israelis divided over deal
In Israel, people remained divided over the agreement.
Asher Pizem, 35, from the city of Sderot, said the deal had merely postponed the next confrontation with Hamas. He also criticized Israel for allowing aid into Gaza, saying it would contribute to the militant group’s revival.
“They will take the time and attack again,” he said while viewing Gaza’s smoldering ruins from a small hill in southern Israel with other Israelis gathered there.
When President Joe Biden was asked Sunday whether he has any concerns about Hamas regrouping, he said no.
Immense toll
The toll of the war has been immense, and new details will now emerge. The head of the Rafah municipality in Gaza, Ahmed Al-Sufi, said a large part of the infrastructure, including water, electricity and road networks, was destroyed, in addition to thousands of homes.
There should be a surge of humanitarian aid, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza daily, far more than Israel allowed before. The UN humanitarian agency said more than 630 trucks with aid entered on Sunday, with at least 300 going to hard-hit northern Gaza.
“This is a moment of tremendous hope,” humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said.
Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the fatalities but does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants abducted around 250 others. More than 100 hostages were freed during the weeklong ceasefire in November 2023.
Some 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been displaced. Rebuilding — if the ceasefire reaches its final phase — will take several years at least. Major questions about Gaza’s future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.

 


Qatar’s prime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two

Qatar’s prime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two
Updated 03 February 2025
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Qatar’s prime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two

Qatar’s prime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two
  • Israel and Hamas last month reached complex three-phase accord that halted fighting in Gaza
  • Hamas has released 18 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinians 

DOHA: Qatar’s prime minister on Sunday called on Israel and Hamas to immediately begin negotiating phase two of the Gaza ceasefire, adding that there is no clear plan for when talks will begin.
“We demand (Hamas and Israel) to engage immediately as stipulated in the agreement,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at a press conference held jointly with Turkiye’s foreign minister in the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday.
According to the ceasefire agreement, negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal should begin before the 16th day of phase one of the ceasefire, which is Monday.
Israel and Hamas last month reached a complex three-phase accord that has halted the fighting in Gaza. Hamas has so far released 18 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
There are more than 70 hostages still held in Gaza.
The second stage of the accord is expected to include Hamas releasing all remaining hostages held in Gaza, a permanent end to hostilities and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
“There is nothing yet clear about where the delegations will come and when it’s going to take place,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Mediators have engaged with Hamas and Israel over the phone and Qatar has set an agenda for the next phase of negotiations, he said.
“We hope that we start to see some movement in the next few days. It’s critical that we get things rolling from now in order to get to an agreement before day 42.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he would begin negotiations on phase two of the agreement on Monday in Washington, when he is set to meet US President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff.
During his meeting with Witkoff, Netanyahu will discuss Israel’s positions in respect to the ceasefire, the prime minister’s office said. Witkoff will then speak with officials from Egypt and Qatar, who have mediated between Israel and Hamas over the past 15 months with backing from Washington.


Baghdad’s newly opened skate park offers safe space Iraqi youth have longed for

An Iraqi skateboarder performs a trick at a skatepark in Baghdad on February 1, 2025. (AFP)
An Iraqi skateboarder performs a trick at a skatepark in Baghdad on February 1, 2025. (AFP)
Updated 03 February 2025
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Baghdad’s newly opened skate park offers safe space Iraqi youth have longed for

An Iraqi skateboarder performs a trick at a skatepark in Baghdad on February 1, 2025. (AFP)
  • The facility, located within the Ministry of Youth and Sports complex near Al-Shaab International Stadium, was completed in three weeks with support from the German and French embassies

BAGHDAD: Car bombs and militant attacks are no longer a daily concern in the streets of Baghdad as they were in the chaotic years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, or at the height of the battle to push back the Daesh group.
But while violence has decreased, many young Iraqis say their opportunities remain limited.
Baghdad, a city of nearly 9 million, has seen some efforts to restore public parks and cultural spaces, but urban planning has largely overlooked youth-focused projects.
That may be starting to change.
The capital inaugurated its first skate park this weekend at a ceremony attended by foreign diplomats, sports officials and young athletes, in what many hope will be the beginning of a drive to build more spaces for recreation and creative expression.
“I have been waiting for this moment for five years,” said Mohammed Al-Qadi, 19, one of the park’s first visitors on Saturday.
Al-Qadi, like many skateboarders in Baghdad, used to practice in public spaces such as Al-Zawraa Park and Abu Nawas Street, where skaters were often chased off by authorities, risked colliding with cars and faced safety risks due to uneven terrain and lack of designated areas.
“Before, we were often forced to move or got injured because there were no proper places for us,” he said. “Now, we have a safe space, and I hope this is just the beginning.”
The facility, located within the Ministry of Youth and Sports complex near Al-Shaab International Stadium, was completed in three weeks with support from the German and French embassies.
The project underscores growing international interest in developing Iraq’s sports infrastructure, particularly for activities beyond the country’s traditional focus on soccer.
Al-Qadi and other enthusiasts are now pushing for the formation of a national skating federation that could pave the way for participation in international competitions, including the Olympics.
“We have 25 male and female skaters now, but with this park, that number will definitely grow,” Al-Qadi said.
The skate park also sparked enthusiasm among female skaters, despite lingering societal resistance to girls participating in the sport seen as rough and sometimes dangerous.
“I hope to compete internationally now that we finally have a place to train,” said Rusul Azim, 23, who attended the opening in sportswear and a hijab.
Skating remains far less popular in Iraq than soccer and other mainstream sports, but Azim said she believes the new facility will encourage more young people — especially women — to take up the activity.
Zainab Nabil, 27, also came to the opening of the park despite the fact that her family disapproves of her skating.
“I am here to show that women belong in this sport too,” she said, adding, “I hope there will be separate days for women and men, so more girls feel comfortable joining.”
For now, the skate park stands as a small but significant step toward providing Iraq’s youth with a place of their own. Many hope it will be the first of many.
“We need more places like this — safe spaces where young people can be active, express themselves, and dream of something bigger,” Al-Qadi said.
 

 


US-backed commander says his Kurdish-led group wants a secular and civil state in post-Assad Syria

US-backed commander says his Kurdish-led group wants a secular and civil state in post-Assad Syria
Updated 03 February 2025
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US-backed commander says his Kurdish-led group wants a secular and civil state in post-Assad Syria

US-backed commander says his Kurdish-led group wants a secular and civil state in post-Assad Syria
  • The Assad family’s 54-year rule in Syria came to an end in early December when insurgents led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, captured Damascus

HASSAKEH, Syria: The commander of the main US-backed force in Syria said Sunday the recent ouster of the Assad family from power should be followed by building a secular, civil and decentralized state that treats all its citizens equally no matter their religion or ethnicity.
The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, said in an interview Sunday that he recently met with Syria’s newly named interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa in Damascus. He said the two sides are negotiating with the help of mediators to find compromises regarding Syria’s future — including the future of the Kurds.
Abdi added that US troops should stay in Syria because the Daesh group will benefit from a withdrawal, which would affect the security of the whole region.
A new leader chosen after the fall of Assad
The Assad family’s 54-year rule in Syria came to an end in early December when insurgents led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, captured Damascus. The fall of Bashar Assad on Dec. 8. came after a nearly 14-year conflict that has killed half a million people and displaced half the country’s population.
Syrian factions that toppled Assad met in Damascus last week and named HTS leader Al-Sharaa as the country’s interim president. The groups suspended the country’s constitution adopted by Assad in 2012 and officially dissolved the army and Syria’s dreaded security agencies.
“The fall of the regime was a historic step and based on that a new Syria should be built without restoring the Baath party or its ideology,” Abdi said referring to Assad’s once ruling Baath party that was also dissolved last week. “We want to move Syria forward together.”
‘The matter was not discussed with us’
Asked about the meeting in Damascus last week in which Al-Sharaa was named interim president while the parliament, constitution and the army were dissolved, Abdi said: “We were not present there and we will not comment.”
“The matter was not discussed with us,” Abdi said adding that there are negotiations between Al-Sharaa and the SDF and “our stance will be based on the results of the negotiations.”
Abdi said that visits by SDF officials to Damascus will continue to try to reach an understanding with the new authorities. “We will continuously try to see how Syria of the future will look like,” Abdi said, adding that the vision of the SDF is based on dialogue and understanding.
Abdi revealed that members of the US-led coalition to fight the Daesh group, including the US, Britain and France, are mediating between the SDF and authorities in Damascus. He did not go into details.
Abdi said his group wants Syria to remain a united country with a central government in Damascus.
“Our vision of Syria is a decentralized, secular and civil country based on democracy that preserves the rights of all of its components,” he said referring to the country’s different religious groups, such as Sunni Muslims, Christians, Alawites, Druze and Yazidis and ethnic groups such as Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and Armenians.
“Syria is mixed and is not made up of Sunnis only. There are other identities,” Abdi said referring to the country’s Sunni Muslims who are the majority in the country. There have been concerns that HTS, which is rooted in the Salafi-jihadi ideology, might be working on turning Syria into an Islamic state, although in recent years Al-Sharaa has distanced himself from the group’s earlier stances and preached religious coexistence.
Kurds want a decentralized state but not autonomy
Abdi said the Kurds of Syria do not want to break away from the country or set up their own autonomous government and parliament as is the case in northern Iraq. He said the people of northeast Syria want to run their local affairs in a decentralized state.
“Syria is not Iraq and Iraq is not Syria and northeast Syria is not (Iraq’s) Kurdistan,” Abdi, whose forces control 25 percent of Syria, said.
Most of the country’s former insurgent factions have agreed to dissolve and to become part of the new army and security services, although it remained unclear exactly how that will work in practice. The SDF has not so far agreed to dissolve.
Asked whether he is ready to dissolve the SDF, Abdi said that in principle they want to be part of the defense ministry and part of Syria’s defense strategy. He said the details still need to be discussed and they have sent a proposal regarding this issue to Damascus and “we are waiting for the response.”
He said the SDF fighters have been fighting IS for 12 years and the rights of his fighters should be guaranteed.
US troops should stay in Syria
Speaking about IS, which his group played a major role in defeating, Abdi said that the extremists took advantage after the fall of Assad and captured large amounts of weapons from posts abandoned by Assad’s forces.
Abdi said US troops should stay in Syria because they are needed in the fight against IS.
In 2019, President Donald Trump decided on a partial withdrawal of US troops form the northeast before he halted the plans. “The reason for them (US troops) to stay is still present because Daesh is still strong,” Abdi said, using an Arabic acronym to refer to IS.
“We hope that the coalition does not withdraw,” Abdi said, adding that they are not aware of any US plans to withdraw from Syria. “We ask them to stay.”

 


Algeria’s president sacks finance minister, state TV says

Laaziz Faid, Finance Minister. (X @LaazizFaidMF)
Laaziz Faid, Finance Minister. (X @LaazizFaidMF)
Updated 03 February 2025
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Algeria’s president sacks finance minister, state TV says

Laaziz Faid, Finance Minister. (X @LaazizFaidMF)

ALGIERS: Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sacked his Finance Minister Laaziz Faid on Sunday, without giving details on the reasons behind the decision, state TV reported.
Tebboune appointed Abdelkrim Bou El Zerd to replace him.

 


New Syria leader faces territorial, governance hurdles

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria, December 30, 2024. (REUTERS)
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria, December 30, 2024. (REUTERS)
Updated 03 February 2025
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New Syria leader faces territorial, governance hurdles

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria, December 30, 2024. (REUTERS)
  • In his first address as president Thursday, he vowed to “form a broad transitional government, representative of Syria’s diversity” that will “build the institutions of a new Syria” and work toward “free and transparent elections”

DAMASCUS: The ousting of Bashar Assad ended decades of iron-fisted rule, but despite power now resting in Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s hands, Syria faces a fragile transition amid territorial and governance challenges.
Military commanders appointed Sharaa interim president weeks after Islamist-led rebel forces overran Damascus.
His nomination has been welcomed by key regional players Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia.
Syrians are “now fully dependant” on the intentions of the new authorities over the future of their country, said Damascus-based lawyer Ezzedine Al-Rayeq.
“Will they really take the country toward democracy, human rights?” he asked.
Sharaa led the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group, which spearheaded the rebel offensive that toppled Assad on December 8.
The group and other factions have been dissolved, with fighters set to be integrated into a future national force.
Sharaa has now traded his fatigues for a suit and a tie.
In his first address as president Thursday, he vowed to “form a broad transitional government, representative of Syria’s diversity” that will “build the institutions of a new Syria” and work toward “free and transparent elections.”
Sharaa had already been acting as the country’s leader before Wednesday’s appointment, which followed a closed-door meeting with faction leaders who backed the overthrow of Assad.
Rayeq said he wished the presidential nomination had been made “in a more democratic, participatory way.”
Authorities have pledged to hold a national dialogue conference involving all Syrians, but have yet to set a date.
“We thought that the national conference would see the creation of (new) authorities and allow the election of a president — perhaps Sharaa, or someone else,” Rayeq said.
“But if we are realistic and pragmatic, (appointing Sharaa) was perhaps the only way forward,” said Rayeq, who since Assad’s fall has helped found an initiative on human rights and political participation.

Authorities have suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament, while the army and security services collapsed after decades of Baath party rule.
Ziad Majed, a Syria expert and author on the Assad family’s rule, said Sharaa’s appointment “could have been negotiated differently.”
“It’s as if the heads” of the different armed groups chose Sharaa, Majed said, while noting the leader was effectively “already acting as a transitional president.”
Sharaa said his appointment followed “intense consultations” with legal advisers, promising a “constitutional declaration” and a “limited legislative council.”
Majed said most armed groups “recognize Sharaa’s leadership,” but noted unresolved tensions with fighters in the south and northeast.
Armed groups in the southern province of Sweida, including from the Druze minority, have been cautious about the new authorities, though two groups said last month they were ready to join a national army.
In the north and northeast, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces from a semi-autonomous Kurdish administration have been battling pro-Turkiye fighters.
Syria’s new rulers, also backed by Ankara, have urged the SDF to hand over its weapons, rejecting any Kurdish self-rule.
Majed said he expected “Sharaa and those close to him” to seek to “consolidate territorial control and control over armed groups,” but that other priorities would include reviving the war-battered economy.
He also cited sectarian challenges and the need for efforts to avoid “acts of revenge,” particularly against members of the Alawite community, from which the Assads hail.

Lawyer Rayeq said he supported grouping Syria’s ideologically diverse armed groups “under a single authority, whatever it is.”
If such a move were successful, “we will have put the civil war behind us,” he said.
Assad’s toppling has finally allowed Syrians to speak without fear, after years of repression, but concerns remain.
Dozens of Syrian writers, artists and academics have signed a petition urging “the restoration of fundamental public freedoms, foremost among them the freedoms of assembly, protest, expression and belief.”
The petition also called for the right to form independent political parties and said the state must not “interfere in people’s customs,” amid fears Islamic law could be imposed.
Spare car parts seller Majd, 35, said the authorities’ recent announcements were “positive,” but expressed concern about the economy.
“Prices have gone down, but people don’t have money,” he told AFP from a Damascus park with his family, noting hundreds of thousands of civil servants had been suspended from work since Assad’s overthrow.
Near the capital’s famous Ummayad square, vendors were selling Syrian flags, some bearing Sharaa’s image.
“It’s too early to judge the new leadership,” Majd said, giving only his first name.
He said he preferred to wait to see the “results on the ground.”