Alimi Heads to Europe to Coordinate Peace Efforts in Yemen

The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, leaving Aden (Saba)
The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, leaving Aden (Saba)
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Alimi Heads to Europe to Coordinate Peace Efforts in Yemen

The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, leaving Aden (Saba)
The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, leaving Aden (Saba)

The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, left Aden for Riyadh ahead of his European tour, including Belgium and Germany, to coordinate the stalled peace efforts with the Houthi militia.

According to a source in the Yemeni presidency, Alimi was scheduled to hold discussions with senior European officials about bilateral relations, national developments, coordinating efforts to achieve peace, and ending the war and the human suffering created by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

The source stated that Alimi would participate in the "Munich Security Conference," where international leaders, heads of organizations, and officials would discuss the current security challenges and policies.

The President and the seven members of the Council were struggling to fulfill the promises to rebuild institutions, achieve economic stability, provide services, restructure and unify government forces, complete state restoration, and end the Houthi coup, whether through peace or war.

Earlier, Alimi met with the UN envoy, Hans Grundberg, before landing in Aden, where he renewed his commitment to the just and comprehensive peace approach.

The Yemeni official asserted his support for regional and international efforts to push the Houthi militias to deal positively with all promising endeavors to launch an UN-led comprehensive political process that meets the aspirations of all Yemenis in restoring the state and achieving security and stability.

He also affirmed the Council's keenness to provide all facilities to the UN envoy to fulfill his mandate, underlining full support for the envoy's efforts.

Official sources noted that Alimi warned of the repercussions of the Houthis' actions against the private sector, the chambers of commerce, and the freedom of movement of individuals and goods between the governorates.

He called for strict international positions to reduce the human suffering these militias seek to exacerbate with the support of the Iranian regime.

Houthi militia is still rejecting proposals to renew and expand the truce, seeking new economic and political gains, including obtaining the largest share of the Yemeni oil revenues extracted from the liberated areas.

The Houthi militia targeted the oil ports in Hadramout and Shabwa, impeding the sale of crude oil since last October.

The UN envoy and European and regional parties are leading coordinated efforts, hoping to reach an agreement to renew the truce in Yemen to launch an inclusive political process leading to lasting peace.



Israel, Hamas Poised for Third Hostage-prisoner Exchange

An Israeli police officer looks on as a Red Cross vehicle is seen near the Israeli military prison, Ofer, on the day Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 19, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli police officer looks on as a Red Cross vehicle is seen near the Israeli military prison, Ofer, on the day Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israel, Hamas Poised for Third Hostage-prisoner Exchange

An Israeli police officer looks on as a Red Cross vehicle is seen near the Israeli military prison, Ofer, on the day Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 19, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli police officer looks on as a Red Cross vehicle is seen near the Israeli military prison, Ofer, on the day Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 19, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel and Hamas were set to carry out their third hostage-prisoner exchange on Thursday, with three Israelis and five Thai captives slated for release as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Gaza war.

A fourth exchange is scheduled for the weekend, but Hamas accused Israel on Wednesday of jeopardizing the deal by holding up aid deliveries, an allegation Israel dismissed as "fake news".

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identified the three Israelis to be released Thursday as Arbel Yehud, Agam Berger and Gadi Moses, adding that five Thai citizens held in Gaza would also be freed.

In a statement Wednesday evening, the Moses family said it had "received with great excitement the wonderful news of our beloved Gadi's return".

The ceasefire that took effect on January 19 hinges on the release of Israeli hostages taken during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, in exchange for 1,900 people -- mostly Palestinians -- being held in Israeli custody.

Hamas has so far released seven hostages, with 290 prisoners freed in exchange.

Israel is to release 110 prisoners, 30 of them minors, in exchange for the three Israelis to be released on Thursday, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group said.

The next swap on Saturday will see three Israeli men released, according to Netanyahu's office.

Aid trucks

The truce deal has allowed truckloads of aid into the devastated Gaza Strip, where the war has created a long-running humanitarian crisis.

But two senior Hamas officials accused Israel of slowing down aid deliveries, with one citing items key to Gaza's recovery such as fuel, tents, heavy machinery and other equipment.

"According to the agreement, these materials were supposed to enter during the first week of the ceasefire," one official said.

"We warn that continued delays and failure to address these points will affect the natural progression of the agreement, including the prisoner exchange."

Israel hit back at the accusation, with a spokesman for COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, calling it "totally fake news".

Between Sunday and 1100 GMT on Wednesday, "3,000 trucks entered Gaza", the spokesman said.

"The agreement says it should be 4,200 in seven days," he added.

As the text of the agreement -- mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States -- between the warring parties has not been made public, AFP was not able to verify its terms on aid.

Both Hamas officials said representatives of the group had raised the issue during a meeting with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Wednesday.

Forced displacement an 'injustice'

The ceasefire deal is currently in its first 42-day phase, which should see 33 hostages freed.

Next, the parties are due to start discussing a long-term end to the war.

The third and final phase of the deal should see the reconstruction of Gaza as well as the return of the bodies of any remaining dead hostages.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for sealing the agreement despite it taking effect just ahead of his inauguration, and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in the talks, met with Netanyahu in Israel on Wednesday

Trump has invited Netanyahu to the White House on February 4, according to the premier's office.

After the truce took effect, Trump touted a plan to "clean out" the Gaza Strip, calling for Palestinians to relocate to neighboring countries such as Egypt or Jordan.

The idea has faced strong backlash from both countries, as well as from European governments.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Wednesday that the forced displacement of Palestinians was an "injustice that we cannot take part in".

Jordan's King Abdullah II, meanwhile, stressed "the need to keep the Palestinians on their land and to guarantee their legitimate rights, in accordance with the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution".

More than 376,000 displaced Palestinians have gone back to northern Gaza since Israel reopened access earlier this week, according to the UN humanitarian office OCHA, with many returning to little more than rubble.

"My house is destroyed," 33-year-old Mohammed Al-Faleh told AFP. "This morning, we built a small room with two walls made from the remains of our home. There is no cement, so I used mud.

"We are facing great difficulties," he added. "The biggest problem is that there is no water -- all the water wells are destroyed. Food aid is reaching Gaza... but there is no gas or electricity. We bake bread on a fire fueled by wood and nylon."