Israel sends tanks into West Bank with Gaza ceasefire in doubt as first phase nears end – Middle East crisis live | World news

Welcome to our continuing live coverage of developments in the Middle East.

Hamas released six Israeli hostages on Saturday, but Israel suspended the handover of more than 600 Palestinians it was due to free from its prisons in exchange, putting the fragile ceasefire agreement in jeopardy.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed the handover indefinitely as he is demanding Hamas stop what he called its “cynical use of hostages for propaganda”.

“It has been decided to delay the release of terrorists that was planned for Saturday until the release of the next hostages is ensured, without the humiliating ceremonies,” he said.

In response, Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group will not hold talks with Israel through mediators on any further steps in the ceasefire agreement unless Palestinian prisoners are released as agreed.

As tensions over the ceasefire agreement rise, Netanyahu vowed yesterday to achieve the war’s stated objectives in negotiations “or by other means”.

“We are prepared to resume intense fighting at any moment,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has sent tanks into the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than two decades, with raids reported in numerous locations such as Hebron and Qabatiya.

The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said the latest raid across the West Bank was expanding, and that troops would remain in the area’s urban hotspots “for the coming year”, meaning approximately 40,000 people displaced by the assault will not be able to return to their homes.

• Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar will meet senior European officials in Brussels later today. He will co-chair a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in the first such session since 2022. The talks are set to focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza – caused by Israel’s assault on the territory – and changing regional dynamics.

• The White House said it supports Israel’s decision to delay releasing 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing the “barbaric treatment” of Israeli hostages by Hamas.
  Delaying the prisoner release is an “appropriate response” to the militant group’s treatment of the hostages, national security council spokesperson Brian Hughes said. Donald Trump is prepared to support Israel in “whatever course of action it chooses regarding Hamas,” he added.

• US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said he was headed to the Middle East this week to “get an extension of phase one” of the truce. “We’re hopeful that we have the proper time… to begin phase two, and finish it off and get more hostages released,” Witkoff told CNN. The first phase of the three-stage ceasefire agreement is due to end in just under a week’s time. Delayed talks on the second stage of the deal, which is supposed to involve a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, are due to start this week, but there is uncertainty about whether they will happen and if they do what kind of lasting result can be secured.