Israel

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip took hold in January.

Five exchanges between the two sides have freed 21 hostages and 730 prisoners so far.

Israeli authorities have seized any books relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem and detained its owners amid allegations they were “selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism.”

Israel says its forces have now withdrawn from a key Gaza corridor which means thousands of Gazans can now return home.

The Palestinians were released on Saturday afternoon in exchange for three Israeli civilian hostages whose gaunt appearances caused widespread condemnation.

The three hostages released on Saturday by Hamas appeared to be in much poorer physical condition than any of the other 18 returnees, sparking widespread condemnation among Israeli civic society and human rights groups.

Details of the planned exchange emerged as US President Donald Trump continued to talk up his widely criticised proposal to move all Palestinians out of Gaza and redevelop the Strip as an international travel destination.

The executive order signed by Donald Trump targets ICC officials who work in investigations related to the US and its allies, such as Israel.

US President Donald Trump accused the International Criminal Court of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”

The suggestion that the US could ‘take over’ and ‘own’ the devastated Gaza Strip was met with rebukes from the Middle East and beyond.