Live blog: Over $53B needed to rebuild Gaza — World Bank joint assessment

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

1844 GMT — More than $50 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza after the brutal Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave, according to an assessment released by the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank.

The Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment said that $53.2 billion is needed for recovery and reconstruction over the next ten years, with $20 billion needed in the first three.

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1818 GMT — German police forcibly relocate Gaza event in Berlin

An event in Berlin addressing issues surrounding Palestine and the ongoing conflict in Gaza was forcibly relocated by German police under intense political and police pressure, facing threats following the move.

The "Reclaiming the Discourse: Palestine, Justice, and Truth" event, featuring UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and prominent human rights figures, originally set to take place at Kuhlhaus Berlin, was moved to Junge Welt at Torstrabe 6 after the venue faced coercion from German politicians and Berlin police, Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) said in a statement.

The organisers, who had planned for a larger audience, were forced to scale down, with the venue now holding only 200 attendees. The in-house livestream was also cancelled, and the event will be streamed exclusively on YouTube.

1653 GMT — Gaza is not a 'bargaining chip': China

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the United Nations Security Council Gaza and the occupied West Bank are "not a bargaining chip in political trade-offs."

Wang said it was vital to uphold the two-state solution.

"Gaza and the West Bank are the homeland of the Palestinian people, not a bargaining chip in political trade-offs. The Palestinians governing Palestine is an important principle that must be followed in the post-conflict governance of Gaza," he said.

1506 GMT — Israeli army demolishes 7 Palestinian homes

The Israeli army has demolished seven more Palestinian homes in the West Bank amid military escalation in the occupied territory.

Army forces, escorted by military bulldozers, raided the town of Kafr al-Dik, west of Salfit city, and razed a house for alleged lack of a building permit, witnesses said.

Six more homes were brought down in the Masafer Yatta area near Hebron in the southern West Bank for lacking construction permits, local activist Fuad al-Amour.

1454 GMT — UN decries Israeli police raids on its schools in occupied East Jerusalem

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has condemned Israeli police raids on its schools in the occupied East Jerusalem.

"This is a violation of the basic right to education as well as of United Nations privileges and immunities," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

Witnesses said that police forces stormed the UNRWA-run Jerusalem Elementary School in Silwan town and interrogated its management members.

The raids also targeted another school in the Wadi al-Joz neighbourhood and a vocational training centre in the Qalandia refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem, they added. "Children and young people in East Jerusalem denied of their right to education in UNRWA schools," Lazzarini said.

1414 GMT — Israel confirms planned handover of six living Gaza prisoners, four bodies this week

Israel said it expects the bodies of four prisoners held in Gaza to be returned on Thursday, ahead of the release of six living captives on Saturday, confirming an earlier announcement from Hamas.

During indirect negotiations in Cairo between Israel and the Palestinian group, "agreements were reached according to which the six living hostages (due for release under) the first phase will be released on Saturday", said a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, referring to the truce agreement that went into effect last month.

It added that four hostage bodies would be returned to Israel on Thursday, ahead of four others next week.

1358 GMT — Hamas to release six Israeli prisoners on Saturday

Hamas's top negotiator has said the Palestinian group will release this week six living Israeli prisoners held in Gaza.

"The movement and the resistance decided to release on Saturday, February 22, the remaining living (Israeli) prisoners whose release was agreed in the first phase, numbering six", said Khalil al Haya in a televised address, referring to the terms of the truce agreement that went into effect last month.

1213 GMT — Palestinians find more bodies in Gaza rubble as death toll nears 48,300

Palestinian medics and rescue teams recovered six more bodies from the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,291, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that the toll also included one Palestinian killed by Israeli army fire in the last 24 hours.

According to the ministry, 13 injured people were also admitted to hospitals, taking the number of the injured to 111,722 in the Israeli onslaught.

1149 GMT — Qatar reports 'positive atmosphere' to start Gaza talks

Qatar reported a "positive atmosphere" to start negotiations for the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"There is a positive atmosphere that may encourage the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told a press conference in Doha.

He, however, noted that the talks have not started yet, expressing hope that the negotiations will start "soon."

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1133 GMT — Sisi to travel to Riyadh for discussions on Arab plan for Gaza

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el Sisi is expected to travel to Riyadh on Thursday for discussions on an Arab plan for Gaza, two Egyptian security sources said.

Arab states are expected to discuss a post-war plan for Gaza reconstruction, possibly to counter US President Donald Trump's proposal to redevelop the strip under US control.

1111 GMT — Arab League summit on Gaza postponed to March 4: Egypt

An extraordinary Arab League meeting on Gaza initially planned for next week has been postponed to March 4, host Egypt has said.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the new date was agreed with Arab League members as part of "substantive and logistical preparations" for the summit, which had been called in response to US President Donald Trump's proposal to take over the war-battered Gaza and displace its Palestinian inhabitants.

1046 GMT — Israel will begin negotiations on next phase of Gaza ceasefire this week

Israel will begin indirect negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal this week and it demands a complete demilitarisation of the enclave, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday.

Negotiations for the second phase of the deal were supposed to start on February 2 but Qatar, who together with Egypt and the United States is mediating between the sides, said the talks have not officially started yet.

"It will happen this week," Saar told a press conference in Jerusalem.

0913 GMT — Israel says its army to stay in 'buffer zone’ in Lebanon

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that the army will stay in five points in southern Lebanon, calling them a "buffer zone."

“Starting today, the IDF (army) will remain in a buffer zone in Lebanon in five strategic outposts and will continue to enforce forcefully and without compromise against any violation,” he said in a statement.

0913 GMT — Israel's cabinet meeting inconclusive on phase 2 of Gaza truce

The Israeli security cabinet met for five hours on Monday night but concluded without reaching any decisions on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported citing sources.

Meanwhile, an Israeli delegation travelled to Cairo on Monday to discuss the ongoing implementation of the deal's first phase. However, they are not expected to address the second phase until they receive directives from the political leadership.

0857 GMT — Israeli army demolishes Palestinian home in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army demolished a Palestinian home in the northern occupied West Bank amid military escalation in the occupied territory.

Army forces, escorted by military bulldozers, raided the town of Kafr al-Dik, west of Salfit city, and razed the house for alleged lack of a building permit, witnesses said.

The demolition came amid Israeli raids in the northern occupied West Bank that have killed more than 55 Palestinians and displaced thousands since January 21.

According to official figures, the Israeli army demolished 126 Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank last month, including 74 inhabited homes and 29 agricultural facilities.

0638 GMT — China announces fresh humanitarian aid for 60,000 families in Gaza

China has announced fresh humanitarian aid for thousands of families in Gaza, state-run media reported.

China International Development Cooperation Agency said Beijing will provide food packages to 60,000 families in Gaza.

"Regardless of how the situation evolves, China will continue to firmly support the Palestinian people in their just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights and promote an early and just resolution of the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution," the agency said.

0152 GMT — As Gaza's water crisis deepens, Oxfam warns of health emergency

The resumption of aid, including fuel for water facilities, has slightly improved access to clean water in parts of Gaza. However, Oxfam has reported that conditions remain dire, especially in north Gaza and Rafah, where water shortages are critical.

Fifteen months of Israeli military attacks have destroyed 1,675 kilometres of water and sanitation networks. In the hardest-hit areas, only seven percent of pre-war water levels are available, increasing the risk of disease.

Oxfam’s Humanitarian Coordinator, Clemence Lagouardat, called the situation catastrophic. She said residents are desperate, with parents skipping water to save it for their children and children walking miles for a single jerrycan.

In north Gaza, nearly all water wells are destroyed, leaving 700,000 returning residents without access. In Rafah, over 90 percent of wells and reservoirs are damaged, and water production has dropped to just five percent of pre-war capacity.

0038 GMT — Israel confiscates additional $90M in Palestinian tax revenues

Israel has decided to confiscate an additional $90 million from the Palestinian Authority's tax revenues and transfer the money to the families of Israelis allegedly killed in attacks by Palestinians, according to a report by TV7 Israel News.

The report said the Israeli Finance Ministry took the decision to prevent the Palestinian Authority from "continuing to reward terrorists and murderers" and to redirect the funds to "terror victims" and their families.

In a post on his X account, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich argued that the decision to redirect the funds to "victims of terror" was fair and moral.

"This is a necessary step in our national war. We will not allow the Palestinian Authority to promote terrorism," he said.

0014 GMT — Houthi, Iranian officials hold talks in Oman on Gaza ceasefire

Officials from Yemen's Houthi group and Iran held talks in Oman's capital Muscat focusing on the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, Yemen's Al Masirah TV reported.

The meeting brought together Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss "recent regional developments, including the enforcement of the Gaza ceasefire," according to the Houthi-run channel.

"We are closely monitoring regional developments, and Yemen's future actions in support of the Palestinian people will depend on the other party's (Israel's) full commitment to implementing the ceasefire terms," said Abdul Salam.

He emphasised the importance of coordination among relevant actors to support Palestinian rights and ensure stability.

2200 GMT — Mobilisation of Gaza Palestinians may lead to 'fundamental change': Former UN special rapporteur

The mobilisation of people in besieged Gaza could push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump off their path, a former UN special rapporteur said.

"We have reached a point where the desperation of the situation is such that only a mobilisation of people that can influence the behaviour of leading governments can bring about some kind of fundamental change that avoids the kind of path that Netanyahu and Trump seem to be walking at the moment," Richard Falk told a conference on Palestine at Istanbul University.

Saying he has been interested in the Palestinian issue for a long time and has been opposing the US government for its policies on this issue for decades, Falk described Trump's plans for the future of Gaza as a "dark vision."

2116 GMT — Pro-Palestine NGO files complaint with ICC against Israeli foreign minister

Belgium-based pro-Palestine non-governmental organisation the Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

The foundation announced over the weekend that it is seeking an arrest warrant for Saar for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel's carnage on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

As a "senior member of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's government and a key figure in Israel's decision-making," Saar has played "a central role in shaping and implementing policies that have led to mass displacement, collective punishment, and systematic attacks on Palestinian civilians," it wrote in a statement.

He provoked violence and obstructed international justice mechanisms while participating both directly and indirectly in the crimes, according to the statement.

2112 GMT — Israel begins to withdraw from some southern areas: Lebanon

A Lebanese security official said Israeli troops had started to pull out from some border villages as Lebanon's army moved in, hours before a deadline to implement a Hezbollah-Israel truce.

"Israeli forces are beginning to withdraw from border villages, including Mais al Jabal and Blida, as the Lebanese army advances," the official told the AFP news agency, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

For our live updates from Monday, February 17, 2025, click here.