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Israel Says Bodies of 3 More Hostages Killed on Oct 7. Recovered Overnight from Gaza 

Smoke billows after an explosion in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on May 21, 2024. (AP)
Smoke billows after an explosion in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on May 21, 2024. (AP)
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Israel Says Bodies of 3 More Hostages Killed on Oct 7. Recovered Overnight from Gaza 

Smoke billows after an explosion in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on May 21, 2024. (AP)
Smoke billows after an explosion in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on May 21, 2024. (AP)

The bodies of three more hostages killed on Oct 7. were recovered overnight from Gaza, Israel's army said Friday.

The bodies of Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, and Orion Hernandez were found and their families have been notified. The army said they were killed on the day of the attack at the Mefalsim intersection and their bodies were taken to Gaza.

The announcement comes less than a week after the army said it found the bodies of three other Israeli hostages killed on Oct. 7.

Hamas-led gunmen killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others in the Oct. 7 attack. Around half of those hostages have since been freed, most in swaps for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a weeklong ceasefire in November.

Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to both eliminate Hamas and bring all the hostages back, but he’s made little progress. He faces pressure to resign, and the US has threatened to scale back its support over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israelis are divided into two main camps: those who want the government to put the war on hold and free the hostages, and others who think the hostages are an unfortunate price to pay for eradicating Hamas. On-and-off negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt have yielded little.

Anger is growing at home at the government’s handling of the hostage crisis.

Earlier this week a group representing the families of hostages released new video footage showing Hamas’ capture of five female Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border on Oct. 7.

The video shows several of the young soldiers bloody and wounded. In one scene, a militant tells one of the terrified women she is beautiful.

The video sparked more protests across the country calling for the hostages’ release.

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Arab World

Israeli Approval of West Bank Land Registration Draws Outrage 

A Palestinian man from the village of Burqa, walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers after they announced their control over the historical Al-Masoudiya Ottoman era train station, which operated between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Tulkarm in the 1920s, just north of the city of Nablus, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 15, 2026. (AFP)
A Palestinian man from the village of Burqa, walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers after they announced their control over the historical Al-Masoudiya Ottoman era train station, which operated between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Tulkarm in the 1920s, just north of the city of Nablus, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Approval of West Bank Land Registration Draws Outrage 

A Palestinian man from the village of Burqa, walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers after they announced their control over the historical Al-Masoudiya Ottoman era train station, which operated between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Tulkarm in the 1920s, just north of the city of Nablus, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 15, 2026. (AFP)
A Palestinian man from the village of Burqa, walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers after they announced their control over the historical Al-Masoudiya Ottoman era train station, which operated between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Tulkarm in the 1920s, just north of the city of Nablus, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 15, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's government has approved a process to register land in the West Bank, drawing condemnation from Arab nations and critics who labelled it a "mega land grab" that would accelerate annexation of the Palestinian territory.

Israel's foreign ministry said the measure would enable "transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes" and was needed after unlawful land registration in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

But Egypt, Qatar and Jordan criticized the move as illegal under international law.

In a statement, the Egyptian government called it a "dangerous escalation aimed at consolidating Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territories".

Qatar's foreign ministry condemned the "decision to convert West Bank lands into so-called 'state property'," saying it would "deprive the Palestinian people of their rights".

The Palestinian Authority called for international intervention to prevent the "de facto beginning of the annexation process and the undermining of the foundations of the Palestinian state".

Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now called Sunday's measure a "mega land grab".

According to public broadcaster Kan, land registration will be reopened in the West Bank for the first time since 1967 -- when Israel captured the territory in the Middle East war.

The Israeli media reported that the process will take place only in Area C, which constitutes some 60 percent of West Bank territory and is under Israeli security and administrative control.

Palestinians see the West Bank as foundational to any future Palestinian state, but many on Israel's religious right want to take over the land.

Last week, Israel's security cabinet approved a series of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords in place since the 1990s.

Those measures, which also sparked international backlash, include allowing Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly and allowing Israeli authorities to administer certain religious sites in areas under the Palestinian Authority's control.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.

Around three million Palestinians live in the territory.

Arab World

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: An Unnamed Party Has Plans to Block Parliamentary Elections

A previous session of the Lebanese Parliament (National News Agency) 
A previous session of the Lebanese Parliament (National News Agency) 
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: An Unnamed Party Has Plans to Block Parliamentary Elections

A previous session of the Lebanese Parliament (National News Agency) 
A previous session of the Lebanese Parliament (National News Agency) 

A legal opinion issued by Lebanon’s Ministry of Justice’s Legislation and Consultations Authority, responding to a query from Interior and Municipalities Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Hajjar on expatriate voting, has further unsettled the electoral scene in the country.

The opinion addresses whether Lebanese citizens abroad may vote from their country of residence for all 128 seats in Parliament. If adopted by the government, it could spark a confrontation with a parliamentary bloc that rejects it, potentially jeopardizing the holding of elections scheduled for May.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reacted sharply, describing the opinion as “rejected, baffling, and not open to interpretation.”

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri said it was unprecedented “for a judge to suspend the implementation of a law rather than ensure its application,” adding that the law cannot be bypassed by a non-binding advisory opinion.

He went further, alleging that the opinion “reveals the existence of a plan to prevent parliamentary elections from taking place on time,” saying it was prompted by an “unnamed party”.

Berri stressed that the move “did not come out of nowhere,” but rather as part of advance planning to halt elections that must be held under the current electoral law.

He said he personally opened nominations for the polls to “cut off claims that I favor extending Parliament’s term,” rejecting suggestions that his Amal Movement fears waning popularity.

“We have chosen to submit to the ballot box,” he said, insisting he remains committed to holding elections on schedule and urging all sides to facilitate, not obstruct, the process.

Hajjar, who requested the opinion, is reportedly proceeding cautiously. Sources close to him told Asharq Al-Awsat he prefers consultations with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam before deciding whether to place the issue on the Cabinet agenda.

It remains unclear whether the government will embrace the advisory opinion - non-binding by nature - or use it to broker a compromise over proposed amendments to the electoral law.

Political sources downplayed the likelihood of a major clash, citing the country’s fragile conditions and escalating Israeli attacks, as well as the need for stability ahead of a Paris-hosted international conference on March 5 to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces. They noted that adopting the opinion would require legislative change.

Looking ahead, uncertainty persists over whether elections could be delayed under the pretext of disagreement on the law.

Sources point to waning international pressure to hold the vote on time, as foreign envoys now prioritize the state’s monopoly on arms - particularly north of the Litani River to the Awali - over electoral timelines.

While the international community is unlikely to demand a postponement, it appears to favor sequencing elections after progress on disarmament, arguing this would weaken Hezbollah’s leverage and advance the project of rebuilding the state.

 

 

Arab World

Fire at Yemen Shopping Mall Kills One, Injures 13

This picture shows a view from the fort on Sirah Island looking towards the old sea port of Aden in southern Yemen. (AFP/File)
This picture shows a view from the fort on Sirah Island looking towards the old sea port of Aden in southern Yemen. (AFP/File)
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Fire at Yemen Shopping Mall Kills One, Injures 13

This picture shows a view from the fort on Sirah Island looking towards the old sea port of Aden in southern Yemen. (AFP/File)
This picture shows a view from the fort on Sirah Island looking towards the old sea port of Aden in southern Yemen. (AFP/File)

One person was killed and 13 were injured after a fire broke out at ‌a ‌shopping mall ‌in ⁠the city of Marib, ⁠Yemen, on Sunday, state news agency Saba ⁠said.

The fire, ‌which ‌broke out ‌after midnight ‌on Saturday, destroyed the mall and damaged ‌nearby shops, Saba added. The death ⁠and ⁠injuries were all caused by suffocation, it said.