Three Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals are expected to be freed from Gaza by Hamas on Thursday, Israel has said.

Two women, civilian Arbel Yehud, 29, and military observer Agam Berger, 20, have been named along with an 80-year-old man, Gadi Moses, as the Israelis set for release.

If completed, it will be the third hostage release of the latest Gaza ceasefire deal. In exchange for the Israeli hostages, 110 Palestinians are being freed from Israeli jails.

The Thai hostages’ names have not yet been made public. Their release would be a unilateral move by Hamas, and would not constitute part of the deal. They are reportedly agricultural workers who were abducted from Israel where they worked. Thailand’s government has said six of its citizens are still being held hostage in Gaza.

Their names are Watchara Sriuan, Bannawat Seatho, Sathian Suwannakham, Nattapong Pinta, Pongsak Tanna and Surasak Lamnau.  Thailand said two other Thai hostages – Sudthisak Rinthalak and Sonthaya Oakkharasri – are believed to be dead.

The names of the 110 Palestinian prisoners set to be freed by Israel have not been released either, but it’s thought they include at least 30 women and children, as well as prisoners sentenced to life terms.

Their release is part of the third such exchange since the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January. Seven women have already been freed alive in exchange for more than 290 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

A fourth hostage release involving three men is expected to take place on Saturday, the Israeli government said.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

More than 47,310 people in Gaza have been killed since then in Israel’s offensive, the majority of them civilians, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says.

[BBC]

A Malaysian court has fined a Singaporean influencer for falsely claiming that she was nearly kidnapped at a mall near Malaysia’s border with Singapore.

A post by beauty influencer Amyra Laila Ho went viral after she claimed that a couple tried to abduct her after forcing her to sniff tea leaves that left her feeling dizzy and numb.

However, police said their investigations disproved her claim, which went viral and sparked discussions about security in Johor Bahru.

Johor Bahru lies on one end of the roughly one-kilometre long causeway that links the southern tip of Malaysia to the north of Singapore. Millions cross over every day, making it one of the world’s busiest border crossings.

Ho pleaded guilty to providing false information to a police officer and was fined 1,000 ringgit ($228; £183), which she immediately paid, Singaporean and Malaysian media said.

Ho’s post where she detailed the alleged abduction attempt also appears to have been taken down from her Instagram account, which is under the name Venus Ho.

She had claimed that the abduction attempt happened after she refused to buy tea leaves from the couple.

She added that they then tried to abduct her. The man held her arm and pretended to be her husband while the woman took her bag containing 400 ringgit.

She said her alleged attackers fled and pushed her to the floor when passersby started noticing what was happening.

“Based on CCTV recordings and technical evidence, no movement involving the victim was detected at the location,” M Kumar, police chief for Johor state, which includes the city of Johor Bahru, told reporters.

Malaysian police said that after Ho posted about the alleged abduction attempt, “Social media influencers also commented on the issue, framing it as a threat to the safety of tourists visiting Johor”.

Police added that strict action would be taken against “anyone who deliberately spreads rumours or manipulates facts to cause public anxiety, particularly concerning safety issues”.

Johor Bahru lies on one end of the roughly one-kilometre long causeway that links the southern tip of Malaysia to the north of neighbouring Singapore.

About 300,000 commuters pass through the causeway daily, according to Singaporean media. Singapore and Malaysia also recently designated the area as a special economic zone, where they hope to attract more investments.

[BBC]

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she has been placed under judicial investigation over Italy’s surprise release of a Libyan citizen who had been wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a video message shared on social media on Tuesday, Meloni said she was suspected by prosecutors of embezzlement and aiding and abetting a crime.

Osama Najim – also known as Almasri – is the head of Libya’s judicial police and the director of an infamous detention centre in Mitiga, near Tripoli.

Mr Najim was arrested in Italy on 21 January and unexpectedly freed days later “due to a legal technicality”, the interior ministry said.

The ICC, which said it had not been consulted, swiftly issued another arrest warrant for Mr Najim and demanded an explanation from the Italian authorities.

In the video, Meloni said the Rome appeals court released Mr Najim because the ICC warrant had not been sent to the Italian justice ministry.

“At that point, so as not to let him go free on Italian territory, we decided to expel him and repatriate him immediately, with a special flight,” Meloni said.

Last week, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said that Mr Najim had been expelled because of the “danger” he posed – a comment which was derided by the opposition.

The decision to free Mr Najim was heavily criticised by the opposition and NGOs such as Amnesty International, which said Mr Najim was guilty of “horrific violations committed with total impunity”.

Videos that showed a jubilant crowd welcoming Mr Najim as he stepped off an Italian government plane in Tripoli caused particular uproar.

Meloni said that Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and the cabinet undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano, had also been placed under investigation. Being placed under investigation in Italy does not mean that formal charges will necessarily follow.

In a defiant tone, the Italian PM appeared to hint at political motives for the investigation.

She pointed out the lawyer who filed the complaint, Luigi Li Gotti, was a former left-wing politician, while the prosecutor leading the case, Francesco Lo Voi, recently investigated Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on an unrelated matter.

Meloni ended the video saying that she could not be “blackmailed or intimidated”.

“This may be why I’m unpopular among those who don’t want Italy to change and improve,” she said. “But that’s precisely the reason I intend to continue on my way, protecting Italians, especially when the nation’s safety is at stake, head held high with no fear.”

Matteo Renzi of the opposition party Italy Alive (IV) – who was among the first to denounce Mr Najim’s release – said he felt Meloni was “exploiting” the investigation to “feed her usual victim complex”.

Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right, anti-migrant Brothers of Italy party, has headed Italy’s ruling right-wing coalition since 2022.

She has repeatedly vowed to crack down on immigration and has pledged to stop boats heading to Italy from North Africa, vowing to put an end to illegal departures and human trafficking.

Meloni, like other leaders before her, has worked with Libyan authorities and militias, providing them with financial and technical support under controversial agreements to tackle illegal immigration, including training and funding for the Libyan coast guard which intercepts migrant boats.

(BBC)