Hamas disarmament in Gaza comes with ‘some sort of amnesty’: US official
Comment by US official on amnesty for Hamas members is seen as a ‘significant step’, as focus moves to next stage of Gaza ceasefire. Disarmament by Hamas in Gaza will be accompanied by “some sort of amnesty” for the Palestinian group, a United States official has said. The US official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity on Monday, made the comment after the body of the last Israeli captive in Gaza was recovered, a move that paves the way towards the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal agreed upon in October. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “We are listening to many of their people talk about disarming. We think they’re going to. If they don’t disarm, then they’ve breached the deal. We think disarmament comes along with some sort of amnesty, and candidly, we think we have a very, very good programme to disarm,” the official said, according to the Reuters news agency. Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said the official made the comment during a background briefing by senior officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration and reporters. “A senior administration official told reporters that Hamas agreed to disarmament and that it will happen,” Jordan said. “The same official also alluded to the fact – when the question was raised about whether Hamas could be recognised as a political entity in exchange for [dis]armament – the official said the possibility of amnesty for those Hamas fighters who lay down their weapons was part of the discussion,” Jordan said. “But the official didn’t get into any more details. Even so, the fact that that was put out there for reporters to discuss publicly is a significant step,” she said. Advertisement “How long is it going to take to work out these terms? Well, it certainly depends on what the Israelis, the Americans , their various interlocutors – the Qataris, the Turkish, the Egyptians – what they are all able to bring to the table with Hamas in order to get this figured out. But some sort of amnesty has now been publicly floated,” she added. On Monday, Israel confirmed that the remains of the last captive held in Gaza, Ran Gvili, had been positively identified and that all those held in the war-torn Palestinian territory “have now been repatriated”. Hamas said on Monday the return of remains of captives underscored its commitment to phase one of the ceasefire agreement, and that it had “fulfilled all its obligations in a clear and responsible manner”. Israel must now hold up its side of the ceasefire deal “without any deduction or delay”. “Especially the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions without restrictions, the entry of the Gaza Strip’s needs in the required quantities, the lifting of the ban on any of them, the complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and facilitating the work of the National Committee for the management of the Gaza Strip,” the group said. Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan states that once all captives are returned, Hamas members who decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage under the plan. The plan also states that aid must flow “freely” into the enclave, and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is to be reopened. Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan met Hamas officials in Ankara on Monday and discussed the second phase of the ceasefire agreement and humanitarian conditions in the enclave, a ministry source told Reuters. The minister briefed the Hamas officials about Turkiye’s efforts in international platforms, including Trump’s Board of Peace, to protect the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, the source added. Turkiye’s official Anadolu news agency reported that Fidan said efforts to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza “would continue with determination”. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,433
These are the key developments from day 1,433 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Published On 27 Jan 202627 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here is where things stand on Tuesday, January 27: Fighting At least two people were injured after Russian forces launched a drone and missile attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. The attack on Kharkiv also damaged apartment buildings, a school, and a kindergarten, while leaving 80 percent of the city and surrounding regions without power, Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Russian drones also hit a high-rise apartment building in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown southeast of Kharkiv. The head of the city’s military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, said the attack triggered a fire, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. A Russian drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital damaged parts of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine’s most famous religious landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement. In Russia, one person was killed following a Ukrainian drone attack in the border region of Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app. Ukraine’s military said it struck the Slavyansk Eko oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region overnight. The military said in a statement that parts of the primary oil processing facility were hit. There were no initial reports of casualties. One person was injured, and two business enterprises caught fire in the city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban – also in Russia’s Krasnodar – after fragments fell from a destroyed drone, the regional emergencies centre said. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed 40 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 34 in the Krasnodar region. Advertisement Military aid NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Ukraine’s interception rate of Russian missiles and drones has decreased due to Kyiv having fewer weapons to protect it from incoming attacks. Rutte urged allies to dig into their stockpiles to help defend Ukraine. Humanitarian aid Czechs have collected more than $6m in just five days in a grassroots fundraising effort to buy generators, heaters and batteries to send to Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands of people are freezing in sub-zero temperatures after Russian attacks on power plants, the online fundraising initiative Darek pro Putina (“Gift for Putin”) said. Ceasefire talks Talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are expected to resume on February 1, Zelenskyy said in his regular evening address. He urged Ukraine’s allies not to weaken their pressure on Moscow in advance of the expected talks. In a separate post on X, Zelenskyy said military issues were the primary topic of discussion at trilateral talks with the US and Russia over the weekend in Abu Dhabi, but that political issues were also discussed. He added that preparations are under way for new trilateral meetings. The US-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were held in a “constructive spirit”, but there was still “significant work ahead”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow. The talks should be viewed positively despite these differences, he added. The Kremlin also said that the issue of territory remained fundamental to Russia when it came to getting a deal to end the fighting, the Russian state’s TASS news agency reported. Moscow has insisted that for the war to end, Russia must take over all of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul denounced Russia’s “stubborn insistence on the crucial territorial issue” following the talks in Abu Dhabi. Politics European Union countries have approved a ban on Russian gas imports by late 2027, a move to cut ties with their former top energy supplier nearly four years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal welcomed the ban, saying in a statement that independence from Russian energy “is, above all, about a safe and strong Europe”. Germany’s Wadephul said that Russia is testing European countries’ resilience with hybrid tactics, such as the damaging of undersea cables, the jamming of GPS signals and the deployment of a shadow fleet of vessels to break sanctions, as its deadly war in Ukraine continues. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Budapest would summon Ukraine’s ambassador over what Orban said were attempts by Kyiv to interfere in a Hungarian parliamentary election due on April 12. In recent weeks, Orban has intensified his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and sought to link opposition leader, Peter Magyar, with Brussels and Ukraine. Pedestrians walk past a person with an amputated leg begging at a metro station during an air raid alert in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Monday [Sergei Gapon/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)
TV presenter killed in Israeli strike in southern Lebanon: Hezbollah
A Lebanese minister condemns the latest Israeli killing and calls on the international community to ‘take action’. A television presenter who worked for Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV station has been killed in an Israeli attack on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, according to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. The killing on Monday of presenter Ali Nour al-Din, who worked for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar, portends “the danger of Israel’s extended escalations [in Lebanon] to include the media community”, Hezbollah said in a statement. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Al-Manar TV confirmed that the attack in Tyre killed al-Din, “who previously worked at Al-Manar channel as a presenter of religious programmes”. Al-Din also served as the main preacher in Al-Hawsh, in the suburbs of Tyre, Hezbollah said, calling his killing a “treacherous assassination”. Lebanese Minister of Information Paul Morcos condemned the Israeli strike, saying on social media that such attacks were “sparing neither journalistic nor media crews”. “We declare our solidarity and condolences to the media family, and call on the international community to fully assume its responsibilities and take urgent action to put an end to these violations and ensure the protection of media professionals in Lebanon,” the minister said. Prior to al-Din’s killing on Monday, at least six Lebanese journalists had been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since 2023, according to a tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Other monitors put the death toll of Lebanese journalists at 10. Earlier on Monday, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said in a statement that one person was killed in an Israeli air strike in Tyre, although it did not immediately announce the name of the victim. The ministry added that a separate Israeli strike killed two other people in Kfar Rumman near the city of Nabatieh. Advertisement The Israeli military later admitted to the killing of al-Din, whom it referred to as a Hezbollah member, and said it struck two other people in the Nabatieh areas of southern Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024 to end more than a year of fighting, which saw Israel carry out air strikes across Lebanon that severely weakened the armed group. Despite the ceasefire, Israel has kept up regular attacks on targets in Lebanon and has maintained troops in five locations in southern Lebanon. Since the ceasefire, Israeli strikes have killed more than 350 people in Lebanon, according to the AFP news agency, while Lebanese authorities have been facing growing pressure from the United States and Israel to disarm Hezbollah. On Monday, Hezbollah called on supporters to gather in its strongholds across Lebanon to express support for its ally Iran, which the group said was facing “American-Zionist sabotage and threats”. The call came as a US aircraft carrier strike group arrived in the Middle East and US President Donald Trump continued to threaten Tehran with an attack. In a televised address to supporters, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem warned that any attack on Tehran would also be an attack on Hezbollah, adding that any new war on Iran would ignite the region. Qassem also warned against any attempt to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, adding that Hezbollah considered such a threat “directed at us as well”. Tehran has warned the US that an attack would be met with a “regret-inducing response” that could affect the entire Middle East region. Adblock test (Why?)
On Republic Day, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta inaugurates development works worth Rs 327 crore in JJ clusters
On Republic Day on Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta invited representatives from JJ (Jhuggi-Jhopri) clusters across the national capital to the Chief Minister Jan Seva Sadan to complete the inaugural infrastructure works in these areas.
Uttar Pradesh: CM Yogi Adityanath sets new deadline for Ganga Expressway, mega project to be completed by this date, check details
While reviewing the Ganga expressway project, CM Yogi highlighted the significance of the 594-kilometre-long highway, stating that it will provide historic strength to the state’s connectivity and become a strong base for industrial, agricultural, and logistics activities.
Delhi Traffic Alert! Vijay Chowk, Raisina Road to be closed for Beating Retreat Dress Rehearsal today; check alternate routes, diversions
According to the advisory, traffic restrictions will remain in force during the rehearsal hours from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM today to ensure the smooth conduct of the event and to facilitate the movement of participating contingents and officials.
India-EU trade deal: Pact to be signed today, here’s what to expect from ‘mother of all deals’
After nearly two decades of stalled negotiations, both sides are signalling political readiness to close one of the most complex trade pacts India has ever attempted.
Kolkata Warehouse Fire Tragedy: 7 dead, 21 missing in Anandapur blaze; rescue operation underway
According to reports, the fire broke out around 2.30 am at the warehouse in Nazirabad, where 25 people had stayed overnight inside the decorators’ unit, while three others were in the momo factory.
Delhi-NCR weather: Rain, gusty winds lash city, AQI remains poor; check IMD forecast
Delhi-NCR on Tuesday morning experienced light rainfall accompanied by a thin layer of smog that covered parts of the area, registering a ‘poor’ Air Quality Index (AQI) of 294, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). During the early hours, the India Gate and Kartavya Path witnessed smog settling over the area.
Gov. Greg Abbott wants Texas universities, schools to disclose information on H-1B visa hirings
The Texas governor expects an action plan later this week, saying he doesn’t see “any reason” visa holders should be employed in schools.