Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Hamas said the “door remains open” for the militant group to release Israeli hostages under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal, if mediators put pressure on Israel to respect the agreement.
Hamas said it will delay the exchange of hostages planned for Saturday until further notice because of Israeli breaches of the truce.
US President Donald Trump warned “all hell would break out” if the captives were not freed by “Saturday at 12 o'clock”.
In a statement on Telegram released on Tuesday but dated on Monday, Hamas said the “door remains open for the exchange to proceed as planned if Israel abides by its obligations”. It added that it made the announcement five days before the scheduled release to give mediators time to put pressure on Israel to adhere to the terms of the truce.
Hamas accused Israel of breaching the agreement “on a regular basis” and called for strict adherence, rather than selectively complying to the terms.
The group said Israel delayed the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza. It also said the Israeli military shelled and shot at Gazans across the enclave, obstructed the entry of tents and machinery to remove rubble and delayed the delivery of medicine.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis are ready to launch attacks on Israel if it resumes attacks on Gaza and does not commit to the ceasefire deal, the group’s leader Abdulmalik Al Houthi said in a televised speech on Tuesday.
The group had attacked Israeli and other vessels in the Red Sea, disturbing global shipping lanes, in what they said were acts of solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians during Israel’s war on the enclave.
Israeli troops on Monday completed their withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor, which split the enclave in two, and hundreds of Palestinians began returning to their homes in the north. Hours after Israeli troops withdrew, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli troops on Sunday shot and killed three civilians in Gaza city.
“The postponement of the release of prisoners is a warning message to the occupation,” Hamas said.
The tension comes during the first phase of a fragile pause in the Gaza war and before talks on the second phase take place. Under the terms of the ceasefire, brokered by the Egypt, Qatar and the US, Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
During the first six weeks of the truce, Hamas had agreed to release 33 hostages captured in the attack on October 7, 2023, in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Both sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire began on January 19, releasing 21 hostages and more than 730 jailed Palestinians.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas's plan to delay the next hostage release was “a complete violation” of the agreement, adding that he instructed the military to be at the highest level of alert. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostage co-ordinator said the government intended to live up to its end of the deal.
Mr Netanyahu also moved up a security cabinet meeting, Israeli media reported.
The Israeli government faces renewed demands to negotiate the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which observers say is far more complicated than the first phase because it calls for the release of all remaining hostages and extends the truce indefinitely. Hostage families have increased their pressure on authorities after the condition of the hostages released at the weekend raised concerns about the well-being of the remaining captives.
Hamas's announcement came as Mr Trump repeated his proposal to remove Palestinians from Gaza and have the US take ownership of the war-ravaged enclave, suggesting Gazans could be relocated to Jordan and Egypt. Amman and Cairo have repeatedly rejected the suggestion.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
