Hostages released by Hamas have returned to Israel, Israeli military says

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip: Hamas released 13 Israelis and four foreigners late Saturday in the second round of swaps under a cease-fire deal, the Israeli military said, after the militant group initially delayed the exchange for several hours and claimed that Israel had violated the terms of a truce deal.
Shortly after midnight, the Israeli military said the released hostages, including four Thais, had been transferred to Israel. They were being taken to hospitals for observation and to be reunited with their families.

As Israel and Hamas pause Gaza fighting, legal scholars grapple with question of genocide

LONDON: Since Oct. 7, Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has brought the inconsistencies of international law into sharp focus, with allegations of double standards and the contention of a two-tier system in global politics.

Central in this dispute is the claim that Israel’s seven-week bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, together with the crude comments made by several members of its governing establishment, form the basis of the world’s latest genocide.

IDF soldier celebrates daughter’s 2nd birthday by detonating Gaza building

BEIRUT: A clip which appears to show an Israeli Defense Force soldier celebrating his daughter’s second birthday by detonating a house in Gaza went viral across websites and social media on Saturday.
“I dedicate this explosion to my daughter ‘princess Ayala’ on her birthday as she turns two today,” the IDF soldier is heard saying in Hebrew in the 43-second undated, unverified video that was shared and posted thousands of times by Internet users.

Houthi-held teacher’s union leader in coma in Sanaa

AL-MUKALLA: The head of a prominent Yemeni teachers’ union has been transferred from prison to hospital in Sanaa. Yemeni government officials and rights groups blame Abu Zaid Al-Kumaim’s Houthi captors for his deteriorating health, claiming they tortured him and refused to give him access to necessary medication.

Al-Kumaim, the head of the Teachers’ Club, has been moved from a Houthi-held jail and is currently in a “complete” coma in Al-Kuwait hospital.

Iran says it helped broker release of Thais held in Gaza

TEHRAN: Iran said Saturday it helped broker the surprise release of Thai nationals who had been held by Palestinian militants in war-ravaged Gaza since their shock attack on Israel last month.
On Friday, Hamas unexpectedly released 10 Thais and a Filipino, along with the 13 Israeli women and children that were part of a temporary truce deal with Israel.
Israel in turn freed 39 Palestinian women and children from its prisons.