All 80 people on board a plane which crashed and overturned while landing in Toronto have survived, officials said. The Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis skidded along the runway with flames visible and it came to a halt upside down as firefighters came to the rescue. Survivors said they were suspended upside down in their seats and had to release themselves, dropping on to the ceiling before clambering out on to the snow-covered tarmac. Eighteen people were injured but only a small number are thought to be seriously hurt, and investigators are looking into what caused the crash. There were 76 passengers and four crew on board the 16-year-old CRJ900 aircraft, made by Canada's Bombardier company. In an evening briefing, Deborah Flint of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority called the response by emergency personnel "textbook" and credited them with helping ensure no loss of life. Delta said the incident happened at about 14:15 ET (19:15 GMT) on Monday. Twenty-two passengers were Canadian nationals and the rest were "multinational", Ms Flint said. The airport was closed after the incident, but flights into and out of Toronto Pearson resumed at about 17:00 local time. Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said it was working to "gather information and assess the occurrence". Two runways will remain closed for several days for investigation and passengers have been told to expect some delays. Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken said "the runway was dry and there was no cross-wind conditions". That contradicted earlier reports of wind gusts of more than 64km/h (40mph) and a crosswind. "We skidded on our side, then flipped over on our back," he said, adding that "there was a big fire ball out the left side of the plane". Like Mr Nelson, Ashley Zook took immediately to social media to express her disbelief, filming herself saying: "I was just in a plane crash. Oh my God." Of the eighteen people taken to hospital, a child, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s suffered the worst injuries, said Ontario air ambulance service Ornge. After the crash, the airport's arrival and departure boards showed scores of delays and cancellations to flights. Some passengers told the BBC that they were now stuck in Toronto for days. James and Andrea Turner were in customs - located right before the departure gates - when they were suddenly told to evacuate. "They got rid of everybody from customs to security, and then put everybody back to the general area," James said, adding that the departures hall was packed as a result.

Israel's security Cabinet was due to meet ahead of the expected beginning of second phase negotiations as part of the government's ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel's security Cabinet was set to meet Monday to discuss the second phase of the government's ceasefire deal with Hamas, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his support for President Donald Trump's plan to take over the Gaza Strip. Following a call with Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, Netanyahu instructed Israel's negotiating team to depart for the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Monday to discuss the "continuation of the implementation" of the first stage of the deal that has brought a pause to deadly fighting in Gaza, the Israeli leader's office said in a statement Sunday. Netanyahu's office said the negotiating team would receive "instructions for the continuation of negotiations on Phase B issues" after the Israeli security Cabinet's discussion on the matter as it pushed back on reports suggesting Israel had dispatched the negotiating team under U.S. pressure. Branding those reports "fake news," Netanyahu's office said in a statement there had been "no American pressure to send a delegation to negotiate Phase 2." Still, plans for further negotiations come after Netanyahu said Sunday following a visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Israel and the Trump administration had formed a "joint strategy" to ensure that the "gates of hell will open" if Hamas does not eventually release all of the hostages who remain held captive in Gaza — a key requirement of the current ceasefire deal. He also said Israel was "committed" to Trump's widely condemned plan to take over Gaza, where tens of thousands of people have been killed and much of the infrastructure destroyed during Israel's offensive in the enclave. That campaign began after around 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, with 251 people taken hostage into Gaza in an assault that marked a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Since then, more than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to local health officials, though researchers estimate the death toll could be significantly higher. At least 60% of the territory’s infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, has been destroyed, according to estimates from the United Nations. Hailing Trump's proposal to take over Gaza as a "revolutionary vision," Netanyahu said the U.S. and Israel had also come up with a "joint strategy" to see it through and bring about a "completely different Gaza." In a meeting Sunday with a U.S. Senate delegation led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz further said he believed Trump's plan for Gaza was "the only one that can guarantee security for the residents of the south and the state of Israel, in light of the lessons learned from the events of Oct. 7." Hamas on Sunday accused Netanyahu of looking to “return to aggression” in Gaza as it accused Israel of “hesitation in starting the second phase of negotiations.” The militant group also accused Israeli forces of carrying out a bombing east of Rafah city in southern Gaza, which it said killed three police officers. Video captured by NBC News’ crew on the ground in Gaza on Sunday appeared to show people mourning over their bodies after they were taken to the European Hospital in Khan Younis. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops had “operated to distance several suspects who approached them” and were perceived as posing a threat. It added that forces on Sunday had fired to distance “suspicious vehicles” that were advancing north from central Gaza along a route unauthorized for passage under the ceasefire agreement and that the trucks had not been inspected, which it said violated the terms of the truce. That came as concerns grew over the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now said in a news release Sunday that Israel had issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler housing units that could significantly expand the population of the Efrat settlement in the territory. The organization warned that such a development would also risk further blocking the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Middle East war, building and expanding Jewish settlements there that are widely considered illegal by the international community, a charge Israel rejects. The West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem would form the internationally recognized future state Palestinians seek — and the expansion of settlements, as well as Trump's plan to take over Gaza, presents major obstacles to that effort.

Lebanon’s government has opposed any further delay in the Israeli pullout under the ceasefire agreement that ended fighting with Hezbollah. Israeli forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon near the border after Tuesday’s deadline for their full withdrawal, an Israeli official said Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Lebanon’s government has opposed any further delay in the Israeli pullout under the ceasefire agreement that ended fighting with the Hezbollah militant group. There was no immediate comment from Lebanese or Hezbollah officials. Earlier on Monday, an Israeli strike in Lebanon killed a senior Hamas leader. The news came as Israelis were marking the 500th day since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which ignited the war in the Gaza Strip and rippled across the region, eventually setting off a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah. The war in Gaza was paused last month when a fragile ceasefire took hold. The first phase of the truce is set to end in early March, and it’s unclear whether it will be extended to allow the release of dozens more hostages, or if Israel will renew its military offensive against Hamas with U.S. support. Separately, an anti-settlement watchdog said Monday that Israel has issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the occupied West Bank. Peace Now says the development of 974 new housing units would allow the population of the Efrat settlement to expand by 40% and further block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Hagit Ofran, who leads the group’s settlement monitoring, said construction can begin after the contracting process and issuing of permits, which could take another year at least. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government. Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state and view the settlements as a major obstacle to peace, a position with wide international support. Settlement expansion President Donald Trump lent unprecedented support to the settlements during his previous term. Israel has also steadily expanded settlements during Democratic administrations, which were more critical but rarely took any action to curb them. Israel has built well over 100 settlements across the West Bank, ranging from hilltop outposts to fully developed suburban communities, with apartment blocks, malls and parks. Over 500,000 settlers live in the occupied West Bank, which is home to some 3 million Palestinians. The settlers have Israeli citizenship, while Palestinians live under military rule with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centers. The Israeli government views the West Bank as the historical and biblical heartland of the Jewish people and is opposed to Palestinian statehood, while human rights groups have accused Israel of discrimination against and oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank. Peace Now, which favors a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of pressing ahead with settlement construction while dozens of hostages captured in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack languish in captivity in the Gaza Strip. “The Netanyahu government is operating ‘on steroids’ to establish facts on the ground that will destroy the chance for peace and compromise,” it said in a statement. 500 days Israelis held protests across the country on Monday calling for the ceasefire to be extended so that more hostages can be released. Demonstrators blocked a main intersection in Tel Aviv, and some protesters planned to fast for 500 minutes in a show of solidarity with the captives. “All I care about, all I want, is for my friends to return. There were six of us living in unbearable conditions, in a six-square-meter (65-square-foot) space. I got out, but they are still there,” Ohad Ben Ami, a hostage who was released a week and a half ago, told Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday. He added that hostages don’t count days while in captivity, they count minutes and seconds. Hamas is set to continue the gradual release of 33 hostages during the current phase of the truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces have pulled back from most parts of Gaza and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid. But the two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, in which Hamas would release more than 70 remaining hostages — around half of whom are believed to be dead — in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire. Netanyahu and the Trump administration have given conflicting signals over whether they want to continue the ceasefire or renew the war. Both they say are committed to the eradication of Hamas and the return of all the hostages, but those goals are widely seen as incompatible. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and abducted around 250. More than half of the hostages have been returned in agreements with Hamas or other deals, while just eight have been rescued in military operations. The militant group, though weakened, remains in full control of the territory. Hamas has said it is willing to relinquish power to other Palestinians but will not accept any occupying force. Israel’s air and ground war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The war destroyed vast areas of Gaza and at its height had displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million. Trump has called for Gaza’s population to be permanently relocated to other countries and for the United States to take ownership of the territory and rebuild it for others. Israel has welcomed the plan, while Palestinians and Arab nations have universally rejected the idea. Rights groups and experts say the proposal, if implemented, would likely violate international law. The proposal has meanwhile cast further doubt over the future of the ceasefire. Hamas may be unwilling to release the remaining captives — its only bargaining chips — it if believes Israel is going to resume the war with the goal of expelling the Palestinian population. Hamas official killed An Israeli drone strike targeted a car in Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon, the deepest strike since the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect in November. Israel said it targeted Muhammad Shaheen, the head of Hamas’ operations in Lebanon. Footage circulating online showed a car engulfed in flames. The strike occurred near a Lebanese army checkpoint and Sidon’s municipal sports stadium. The original withdrawal deadline was in late January, but under pressure from Israel, Lebanon agreed to extend it to Feb. 18. It remains unclear whether Israeli troops will complete their withdrawal by Tuesday. Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it is targeting military sites containing missiles and combat equipment. Each side has accused the other of violating the truce.

Australian lawmakers and experts say there has been a rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023. With homes vandalized, synagogues on fire and residents on edge, Australia is grappling with a surge in antisemitic attacks that has prompted dozens of arrests across the country in what its leaders say is a “national crisis.” Australian lawmakers and experts say there has been a rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023. Between the start of the war and September 2024, there were more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents in Australia, three times the figure for the same period a year earlier, according to a report in December by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the Australian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress. Over the past 16 months, Jewish Australians have faced “an unprecedented rise in antisemitism across the country,” according to a parliamentary inquiry report tabled Wednesday. Homes, cars and schools have been set on fire or spray-painted with anti-Israel messages, and there have been arson attacks against a synagogue in Melbourne and a child care center in Sydney. Last month, police said they had disrupted a potential antisemitic attack after they discovered a caravan containing explosives in a Sydney suburb. This week, two nurses in a Sydney hospital were suspended for saying they would kill Jewish patients or refuse to treat them in a video chat with a TikTok user who told them he was from Israel. The Australian government’s response to the antisemitic incidents has been criticized by Jewish groups as well as Israel. “The epidemic of antisemitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on the social media platform X last month. “We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease!” Last week, Australian lawmakers almost unanimously passed tough hate crime laws that include mandatory jail time for giving a Nazi salute in public. “We want people who are engaged in antisemitic activities to be caught, to be charged and to be put in the clink,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. Opposition leader Peter Dutton agreed. “This is a time of national crisis,” he said. The laws have been welcomed by Jewish communities. “Prison sentences and fines are called for if there is to be any hope of stamping out this hateful behavior,” the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said in a statement last week. A home formerly owned by the group’s co-chief executive was among those targeted. The attacks have been concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s most populous cities and home to 85% of the country’s Jewish population. Most of them have been “small-scale, low-technology attacks,” said Julian Droogan, head of the Department of Security Studies at Macquarie University in Sydney. An exception was the trailer laden with explosives, which Droogan said “was quite remarkable and almost without precedent in recent years.” While police have arrested dozens of Australians in connection with the arson, they have also said they are investigating whether the attacks could be part of a large-scale concerted effort by foreign actors paying criminals for hire. “So part of our inquiries include: Who is paying those criminals, where those people are, whether they are in Australia or offshore, and what their motivation is,” Australia Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said last month. Local police are enhancing their efforts as well. This month, police in New South Wales, the Australian state that includes Sydney, said they had doubled to 40 the number of investigators on a task force formed to investigate antisemitic crimes and patrol schools and places of worship. “Children shouldn’t feel scared to go to school, people shouldn’t feel afraid to go to prayer or practice their religion,” Commissioner Karen Webb said in a statement. The Israel-Hamas war and protests around it have been a sensitive issue in Australia, where some rallies have devolved into clashes between protesters and police officers. In October, police in New South Wales cited security risks and policing costs in trying to ban a pro-Palestinian rally marking the one-year anniversary of the start of the war, which has killed about 1,200 people in Israel and more than 46,000 people in the Gaza Strip. “We often look at Australia as geographically detached, and it is. But we forget to mention that the rest of the world is represented within Australia in microcosm,” Droogan said. “So conflicts and disputes in the world regularly manifest in the Australian community.” The tensions have extended to Australian schools, with multiple universities urging pro-Palestinian protesters to shut down encampments similar to those set up on campuses in the United States. There have been increased reports at universities of antisemitic graffiti, protests and chants, according to the parliamentary inquiry report, which urged universities to adjust their definition of antisemitism to more closely align with one that Palestinians and some civil rights groups say mutes criticism of Israel. Some Jewish groups say that in an attempt to address growing antisemitism, lawmakers and university campuses have instead politicized the issue and worsened prejudice against Palestinians and other groups. “To address antisemitism on campus, we must also address the racism faced by other racialized groups, including First Nations, Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, and Asian staff and students,” Sarah Schwartz, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, said in a statement Friday.

The secretary of state said Iran, which has long funded militant groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, threatens Middle East stability. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Iran remains the “single greatest source of instability” in the Middle East and threw his full support behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A meeting between the two in Jerusalem came as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — a militant group backed by Iran — lasted into a second month despite being tested to its limit this week. Despite the fragile truce, Rubio said Hamas must be “eradicated” and praised President Donald Trump’s “bold” plans to take control of Gaza and displace Palestinians to other countries. While hostage and prisoner exchanges, the future of the ceasefire, and the possibility of lasting peace have dominated recent discussions between the nations, Netanyahu told members of the press after the meeting that no issue was “more important than Iran.” Rubio said in Jerusalem that Iran was “behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence” and “behind everything that threatens peace and stability.” Iran has long funded militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Yemeni-based Houthi militants, though it is not behind other groups in the region such as Islamic State. Its proxies have fueled conflicts across the region, while the nation is simultaneously advancing its missile program. Its leadership opposes Israel and the U.S. While Iran has not yet pursued building a nuclear bomb, a 2023 report released by watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency also found the country had begun enriching uranium close to weapons-grade levels. “We agreed that the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons, and we also agreed that Iran’s aggression in the region has to be rolled back,” said Netanyahu, adding that Israel had “dealt a mighty blow” to Iran in the past year and a half. In a string of setbacks for the country, Iran’s proxy forces in Lebanon and Gaza have been weakened by fighting Israel, while the swift collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime — which Tehran also supported — also represented a devastating defeat. Netanyahu said that with U.S. support, “we can and will finish the job,” without elaborating on what that would mean in practice. The pair also released a joint statement after the meeting insisting that Israel and the United States had a “shared strategy” regarding the future of Gaza, “including when the gates of hell will open.” Hamas and the Iranian government did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, although Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told NBC News in an interview Tuesday that the militant group was committed to the ceasefire deal, to which “it adheres fully and not selectively as the Israeli side does.” Responding to Trump’s earlier threat, Qassem added that Gaza was already “living in a state of hell.” The comments appeared to reference Trump’s warning last week that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas did not release “all” the remaining hostages on Saturday. As Hamas released three hostages on Saturday, he wrote on Truth Social that “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES,” adding that “the United States will back the decision they make!” While Israel has maintained the ceasefire despite Trump’s deadline, the meeting in Jerusalem offered no clear messaging around the future of the deal or further conflict in Gaza. Rubio said that Hamas “cannot continue as a military or government force,” adding that the hostages “need to come home” without mentioning the second phase of the ongoing ceasefire, negotiations for which were meant to begin earlier this month.

European leaders, who meet for a summit on Ukraine next week, now have no doubt about where they stand with the Trump administration after Vance’s bracing speech. The past week has left America’s European allies reeling and searching for alternatives after the Trump administration seemingly set itself in opposition to a rules-based system that the U.S. and its trans-Atlantic friends have spent decades building together. Not only did Vice President JD Vance wade into European politics, lambasting its leadership and interfering in Germany’s upcoming election on behalf of its far right, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth all but nullified American military support for Ukraine, and President Donald Trump flirted with unilateral peace talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. While the U.S., as the West’s superpower, and most of Europe — the European Union is an economic market of 500 million people — have spent the period since the end of World War II in political, military and commercial sync, the continent stands at the precipice of a generational change. Europe’s leaders “cannot accept the fact that what was the U.S. is not the U.S. anymore,” and that the continent could no longer call it an ally, former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said in a briefing with reporters. “In the weeks and months, you will see the people of Europe waving their hand and asking from their government a very strong government,” said de Villepin, who served under French President Jacques Chirac in the 2000s. With a blistering attack on Europe’s culture, commitment to democracy, migration policies and the “danger from within,” Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference — which was supposed to focus on the war in Ukraine — tore up Washington’s decadeslong alliances. Vance’s silence on the almost three-year war also sent a clear message to Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending,” he told the conference in Munich. “From now on, things will be different, and Europe needs to adjust to that.” Vance’s dismissal of Ukraine spoke to the broader view that the U.S. no longer considers European involvement in negotiations with Russia as vital to peace talks. The Kremlin framed a recent phone call between Putin and Trump as a shift toward peace talks between Russia and the United States. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to Saudi Arabia to initiate peace negotiations, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. Zelenskyy, still excluded from discussions in Saudi Arabia as of late Saturday, has been left sidelined, and European leaders shared the Ukrainian president’s unease. After years of disunity and dithering, the leaders of the E.U. and the U.K. are worried they no longer have a seat at the table in negotiations that may reshape their ally’s borders, and are set to gather in Paris this week for a summit on the war, in response to concerns the U.S. is moving ahead without them. “Europe urgently needs its own plan of action concerning Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Saturday. “Or else other global players will decide about our future. Not necessarily in line with our own interests.” Still, Ukraine is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the faltering rapport between Europe and the U.S. over policy and ideology. At the heart of Vance’s speech was a direct attack on European democracy and culture. The vice president told the conference that he was worried less about the threats of Russia or China and more about “the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard took a different approach, somewhat muddying the waters in Munich by saying challenges from “Russia, China, Iran and North Korea demand a united front.” But analysts say Trumpist foreign policy — involving stopping almost all funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development and seeking to shake off Kyiv — may create an opportunity for America’s rivals. China’s foreign ministry responded on Saturday to events in Munich, saying it wants to “strengthen solidarity” and “practice multilateralism” with Germany and the European Union in what can only be read as thinly veiled comment on the Trump administration’s capriciousness. Europe’s leaders can expect more of the same, said Keir Giles, a senior fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank. “It would be astonishing if not just China, but other adversaries of Europe were not to take advantage of the split and the gaps this presents,” Giles told NBC News. Meanwhile, Vance’s criticism of European leaders for shunning far-right parties was taken as an endorsement of those parties, which are on the rise in Europe, especially in the context of his later meeting with Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The AfD is poised to play kingmaker in any coalition emerging from elections in Germany next week. There has long been a taboo against allying with the party, which has won the support of key Trump adviser Elon Musk. The normally mild-mannered German Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused Vance of interfering in Germany’s elections. “That is not appropriate, especially not among friends and allies. We firmly reject that,” he told the conference. Perhaps even more striking, Germany’s conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz felt the need to publicly state that he expected the U.S. to respect the results of the upcoming elections. Even so, Europe’s leaders had few reasons to be surprised despite Vance’s ferocious attack, according to Chatham House’s Giles. Giles told NBC News that Europe has ignored decades of signals that U.S. patience has been “wearing thin” with Europe’s reliance on American defense and that Vance’s rhetoric on immigration and his outreach to the far right would resonate with European voters. Both Vance and Hegseth this week echoed Trump’s long-standing view that Europe should contribute more toward its own defense. In the latest consequence of that policy, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was preparing to raise his country’s defense spending ahead of a visit to meet Trump, Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper reported. Starmer will hope to win favor in Washington with the funding boost when he visits at a crucial time for both the Ukraine talks and the political balance of its E.U. neighbors. Next week, Germany goes to the polls in an election in which the AfD is expected to perform well. It may be the first test for the shifts that Vance described in Munich. The schism “is not invented out of thin air,” Giles said. “There’s a reason populist parties across the continent tap into a deep vein of frustration with Europe’s elites.”

Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Alexander Troufanov and Iair Horn will be freed under the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Hamas will free three hostages — Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Alexander Troufanov and Iair Horn — on Saturday, a spokesperson for the militant group said Friday. Abu Obaida, a spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing Al Qassam Brigades, told NBC News on Friday that Hamas will release the three hostages according to the terms of the ceasefire deal it brokered with Israel on Jan. 19. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel had “received” the list of names from Hamas in an official statement Friday. Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, is an American Israeli who refurbished old buses into mobile tech classrooms for underserved children. He was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz, where was living with his wife and their two daughters. Iair Horn, 46, is an Argentine Israeli who was also kidnapped from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz along with his brother Eitan Horn, 38, who remains in captivity. Sasha Alexander Troufanov, 29, is a Russian Israeli who was abducted along with his family in kibbutz Nir Oz. His father was murdered in captivity, while his female relatives were released last November. Troufanov will be freed separately by the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad, the group said Friday. Hamas' announcement comes after it reversed a warning issued Thursday that it would indefinitely postpone hostage-prisoner swaps over Israeli violations of the truce, after holding talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Wednesday. Under the first phase of the deal, due to last 42 days, Hamas has incrementally released 16 of 33 hostages. During the Hamas-led terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, 1,200 people were killed and 251 captured, according to Israeli officials. The ensuing military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and forcibly displaced most of its 2.3 million population.

The Nigerian government has condemned Canada for denying visas to its senior military officers, including the head of the military. Chief of Defence Staff Gen Christopher Musa said half of his delegation, who were supposed to be in Canada for an official assignment on Wednesday, were left in Nigeria after not getting the correct paperwork. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo condemned the action by Canadian officials, terming it "disrespectful" to the West African country. The Canadian High Commission in Nigeria said it was aware of the matter but declined to give further details for "privacy reasons" on the specific individuals involved. It comes two weeks after Canada introduced new regulations that grant immigration officers explicit authority to cancel temporary resident documents under specific circumstances. The changes were aimed at bolstering border security, maintaining the integrity of visa programmes and protecting public safety, according to the Canadian authorities. Speaking on Thursday, Gen Musa said how he and his colleagues were blocked from attending an event in Canada meant to honour war veterans. "We were invited along with our team, but while half of us got visas, the other half was denied. It's very disappointing," he added. He termed the incident a "wake-up call" for Nigeria to strengthen its sovereignty and "refuse to be taken for granted". Nuhu Ribadu, a national security adviser, who spoke at the same event on Thursday, expressed disappointment at the move, calling it "disrespectful" saying Canada "can go to hell". "This is yet another reason we must work hard to make Nigeria work," Mr Ribadu added. During an interview on Nigerian TV on Friday, Tunji-Ojo said Canada's action was unjustifiable, noting that diplomatic channels could have been used to address any concerns. "If that can happen to the chief of defence staff, then I am worried for an average Nigerian," the interior minister said. He was however hopeful that the matter would be resolved diplomatically to ensure mutual respect between both nations.

The militant organization reversed its earlier pledge to postpone the next hostage-prisoner swap after it accused Israel of violating the terms of their fragile ceasefire. Israel promised to mass forces inside and around Gaza and reiterated that “intense fighting” would resume if Hamas did not release three hostages by noon Saturday. “We’re talking about these Israeli hostages arriving back in Israel,” David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, said Thursday. “If that does not happen by Saturday, noon, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intense military operations until Hamas is fully defeated.” Earlier, Hamas said it would release hostages according to a schedule outlined in the ceasefire agreement, a reversal of its previous warning that it would indefinitely postpone hostage-prisoner swaps over Israeli violations of the truce. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told NBC News on Thursday that there were “positive signs of an agreement” after a Hamas-led delegation held talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday. The hard-won truce looked close to collapse earlier this week after Hamas accused Israel of shooting at civilians, blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid and inhibiting Palestinians’ passage into northern Gaza. Negotiators are hashing out the second phase of the agreement's three-stages. Tensions also surged as President Donald Trump said that Palestinians should be displaced from the Gaza Strip so the area could be redeveloped. Hamas said this week that Israel had violated the terms of the ceasefire by shooting at civilians, blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid into the enclave and inhibiting Palestinians’ passage to northern Gaza. Trump also threatened to let “all hell break out” in Gaza if the hostages were not released as planned. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would resume “intense fighting.” Repeating Netanyahu's warning, Mencer said that under the existing ceasefire deal, Israel expected three live hostages to be released Saturday and not all, as Trump suggested. But Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz kept up his country’s response to the week’s back-and-forth briefings, saying in a statement late Wednesday that “the gates of hell will open upon” Hamas if it did not free any more captives. The hostage crisis erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants seized 251 people during the worst terrorist attack in Israel's history. Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, due to last 42 days, Hamas has incrementally released 16 of 33 hostages. The ensuing military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and forcibly displaced most of its 2.3 million population. Katz’s remarks are characteristic of those across Israel’s hard right, which has representatives in the country’s coalition government and has in recent days been buoyed by Trump’s plan to eject Palestinians from Gaza and threats against Hamas. Arab leaders have this week stepped up efforts to mediate the standoff and curb Trump’s plan to resettle almost 2 million Palestinians in neighboring Jordan and Egypt and redevelop the war-torn Gaza Strip into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Egypt plans to host an emergency Arab summit on Feb. 27 after Trump extended an open invitation to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to discuss the matter at the White House. In a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, the country said it would work with Trump to “achieve a comprehensive and just peace in the region by reaching a just settlement of the Palestinian cause.”

Canada's provincial and territorial leaders say they had a "constructive" meeting at the White House as they sought to make their case against the tariffs the US president has threatened to impose on the country. It is the first time all 13 premiers have visited the US capital together, illustrating how seriously a potential trade war is viewed by Canada. President Donald Trump's threat to impose 25% import taxes on all goods from Canada, and 10% on energy, was paused for 30 days earlier this month after Canada adopted new border measures. On Monday, Trump added another threat, saying he planned to add a 25% tax on all global steel and aluminium imports to the US beginning 12 March. On Wednesday afternoon, the premiers secured a last-minute meeting with senior Trump advisers after spending the day sitting down with US lawmakers. "We had a very constructive conversation," Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters as the premiers who attended the meeting left the White House. British Columbia Premier David Eby said White House advisers "urged us to take the president at his word" on Trump's stated reasons for the tariffs, such as border security and ensuring the US is not taken advantage of in trade relationships. "There were some very frank moments across the table," he said. The premiers' overall message is that the two countries are better as economic allies, and that Canada is a secure partner for commodities like energy, metals and critical minerals. More than 75% of Canada's exports go to the US and the two economies are highly integrated. If the steel and aluminium tariffs go ahead it will particularly affect Canada, which supplies the US with more of the products than any other country. If both the metals and blanket tariffs come into force they would stack, essentially doubling the steel and aluminium tariffs on Canada. Also on Wednesday, Canada's Finance Minister Dominic Leblanc met Howard Lutnick, Trump's pick to lead the commerce department, and Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council. He said they discussed how deeply integrated the steel and aluminium sectors are between the two countries. "I'm confident we have their attention," he said. Trump has said the metals tariffs would boost domestic US production. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday said: "This administration believes these tariffs will protect our national security and put American workers first." Three American goods that could rise in price due to metal tariffs With Trump's tariffs looming - will countries scramble to cut deals? On the wider 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports, Trump has cited concerns over illegal immigration and the flow of drugs into the US from its neighbours. Canada has vowed swift retaliation to Trump's tariffs though it has said the ultimate goal is to avoid any levies. On Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed a new fentanyl tsar as part of his country's efforts seeks to address border concerns. Kevin Brosseau, a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and intelligence adviser to Trudeau, will take on the role immediately. He is expected to be in Washington DC in the coming days. Speaking at a news conference near the Ontario-New York border, he said he will focus on joint US-Canada efforts to target fentanyl trade. Less than 1% of fentanyl intercepted at the US border comes from Canada, according to figures from Ottawa. "Getting the number to zero is in fact a goal, and should be our goal," Mr Brosseau said. Canada is implementing a $1.3bn (£1bn) border plan that includes nearly 10,000 frontline workers and more resources to halt the flow of fentanyl, a synthetic drug 50 times stronger than heroin. Much of it was announced before Canada and the US hammered out the tariff pause. There are also new Black Hawk helicopters and drones to monitor the 8,890km (5,525 mile) boundary. Since returning to the White House last month, Trump has been in one trade standoff with Canada and America's other neighbour, Mexico. He agreed on 4 February to delay for 30 days his threat of 25% tariffs on all goods arriving from both countries. Trump has framed tariffs as a tool for growing the US economy, protecting jobs and raising tax revenue. Economists, however, have warned that tit-for-tat tariffs could raise prices for a wide range of products, including cars, lumber, steel, food and alcohol. Canada and Mexico are the top US trade partners, along with China. Trump moved forward with a 10% tariff on all goods entering the US from China, which as retaliated with countermeasures against US goods.