The Israeli forces will remain in five strategic locations in the south of Lebanon, near the border after the deadline of Tuesday for its complete withdrawal, an Israeli official said Monday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with the regulations.
The Government of Lebanon has opposed any additional delay in the Israeli exhibition under the high -fire agreement that ended the fight with the Hezbollah militant group. There were no immediate comments from Lebanese or Hezbollah officials. Earlier on Monday, an Israeli strike in Lebanon killed a Hamas leader.
The news occurred when the Israelis were marking on 500 from the attack of October 7, 2023 of Hamas, which lit the war in the Gaza Strip and extended throughout the region, eventually triggered a complete war between Israel and Hezbollah .
The war in Gaza stopped last month when a fragile fire seized. The first phase of the truce will end in early March, and it is not clear if it will extend to allow the release of dozens more than hostages, or if Israel will renew its military offensive against Hamas with the support of the United States.
Separately, a guard dog against Settlement said on Monday that Israel has issued a tender for the construction of almost 1,000 additional homes in the occupied West Bank.
La Paz now says that the development of 974 new housing units would allow the population of the Efrat settlement to expand by 40% and block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Hagit Oph, who directs the group’s liquidation monitoring, said the construction can begin after the hiring process and the issuance of permits, which could carry at least another year.
There were no immediate comments from the Israeli government.
Israel captured Bank, along with Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, in the Middle Eastern War of 1967. The Palestinians want the three territories for their future state and see settlements as a great obstacle to peace, a position with broad support international.
Liquidation expansion
President Donald Trump gave unprecedented support to settlements during his previous mandate. Israel has also constantly expanded settlements during democratic administrations, which were more critical but rarely took measures to stop them.
Israel has built more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, ranging from advanced positions of the hill to fully developed suburban communities, with apartments, shopping centers and parks.
More than 500,000 settlers live in the occupied West Bank, which houses about 3 million Palestinians. The settlers have Israeli citizenship, while the Palestinians live under military domain with the Palestinian Western Palestinian authority that manages population centers.
The Israeli government sees the West Bank as the historical and biblical heart of the Jewish people and opposes the Palestinian status, while human rights groups have accused Israel of discrimination against and oppression of the Palestinians in the West Bank.
La Paz now, which favors a negotiated solution of two states to the conflict, accused the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to press forward with the construction of settlements, while dozens of hostages captured in Hamas on October 7, 2023, they attack by languishing in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
“The Netanyahu government is operating ‘on steroids’ to establish facts on the field that will destroy the possibility of peace and commitment,” he said in a statement.
500 days
The Israelis made protests throughout the country on Monday asking that the high fire extends so that more hostages can be published. The protesters blocked a main intersection in Tel Aviv, and some protesters planned to fast for 500 minutes in a sample of solidarity with the captives.
“Everything that matters to me, all I want is for my friends to return. We had six of us living in unbearable conditions, in a space of six square meters (65 square feet). I left, but they are still there, ”said a hostage on Monday, a hostage that was released a week and a half ago, Israeli President Isaac Herzog. He added that hostages do not count days while they are captive, they count minutes and seconds.
Hamas will continue the gradual release of 33 hostages during the current phase of the truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces have retired from most of Gaza’s parts and allowed a wave of humanitarian aid.
But the two parties have not yet negotiated the second phase, in which Hamas would release more than 70 hostages, about half of which are believed to be dead, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a complete Israeli retreat and a High durable fire.
Netanyahu and the Trump administration have given contradictory signs about whether they want to continue the fire or renew the war. Both say they are committed to the eradication of Hamas and the return of all hostages, but those objectives are widely seen as incompatible.
The militants led by Hamas killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the attack of October 7, 2023 and kidnapped around 250. More than half of the hostages have been returned in agreements with hamas or other agreements, while that only eight have been rescued military operations.
The militant group, although weakened, remains in full control of the territory. Hamas has said that he is willing to give up power other Palestinians, but will not accept any occupation force.
Israel’s air and land war has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not say how many were combatants. The war destroyed vast areas of Gaza and at its peak had displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million.
Trump has asked that the population of Gaza be permanently relocated to other countries and that the United States takes possession of the territory and reconstructs it for others. Israel has welcomed the plan, while the Palestinians and Arab nations have universally rejected the idea.
Rights and expert groups say that the proposal, if it is implemented, would probably violate international law.
Meanwhile, the proposal has put more doubts about the future of Alto El Fuego. Hamas may not be willing to free the remaining captives, their only negotiation chips, if you think Israel will resume war with the aim of expelling the Palestinian population.
Hamas killed officer
An Israeli unmanned aircraft strike pointed to a car in the port city of the Puerto del Lebano de Sidón, the deepest strike from the Alto El Fuego between Hezbollah and Israel entered into force in November.
Israel said he attacked Muhammad Shaheen, the head of Hamas operations in Lebanon. The images that circulate online showed a car wrapped in flames. The strike occurred near a control point of the Lebanese army and the Municipal Sports Stadium of Sidon.
The original retirement deadline was at the end of January, but under the pressure of Israel, Lebanon agreed to extend it to February 18. It is not clear if Israeli troops will complete their withdrawal for Tuesday.
From Alto El Fuego, Israel has continued air attacks in the south and east of Lebanon, saying that it is aimed at military sites that contain missiles and combat equipment. Each side has accused the other of raping the truce.
