Israel will not withdraw from Philadelphi corridor as stipulated in ceasefire
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(LONDON) — Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor — the border separating Egypt and Gaza — as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, an Israeli official confirmed to ABC News.
“We will not allow Hamas murderers to once again roam our borders with pickup trucks and guns, and we will not allow them to rebuild strength from smuggling,” an Israeli official said in a statement.
The Philadelphi corridor was one of the main sticking points in negotiations between Israel and Hamas for months before the current ceasefire deal was reached. This refusal could lead to a crisis with both Hamas and Egypt, the key mediator, at a delicate time for the already fragile truce.
Israel was supposed to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor — and the entire Gaza Strip — on Saturday, the last day of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Israel was to complete its withdrawal from the corridor within eight days.
Management of the corridor is a red line for Hamas, which had refused to accept ceasefire proposals that did not require Israel to withdraw its troops from the border region.
Israeli officials have said in recent months that they believed the Israeli army had to stay in the Philadelphi corridor to prevent weapons being smuggled through the Egyptian border, back into Gaza, though Israel has destroyed tunnels in that area.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a meeting with local leaders that he had seen tunnels penetrating the border on a recent visit to the corridor.
Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant had publicly opposed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence that Israel must remain in the corridor — and in the Netzarim corridor, which divides north and south Gaza — to maintain its security and achieve its military goals and maintain its security.
In August, then-Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said holding on to any part of Gaza or the Philadelphi corridor are conditions Israel should not use as an excuse to break a potential deal with Hamas. The Israeli army can deal with both being out of Gaza and giving up control of Philadelphi, according to Halevi.
The first phase of the ceasefire ends on Saturday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(ROME) — Pope Francis is showing “some” improvement in his lab tests as the pontiff remains hospitalized with a respiratory tract infection, the Vatican said Saturday.
The pope “rested all night” and he has no fever, the Vatican said in a statement. His treatment has been slightly modified based on further “microbiological findings,” according to the statement.
The Vatican added, “To facilitate his recovery, the medical staff prescribed absolute rest; therefore, tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 16, the Holy Father will not lead the Angelus prayer; nevertheless, he intends to send the text for its publication.”
The pope was admitted to a hospital on Friday for “necessary tests” and to continue his ongoing bronchitis treatment, the Vatican said.
Medical tests are expected to continue over the weekend, Italian media reported.
“Pope Francis has been informed of the many messages of closeness and affection he has received and expresses his gratitude, as well as asking for continued prayers,” the Vatican added.
According to the ANSA Italian news agency, “multiple Vatican sources” earlier reported the pope spent “a quiet night” which is “consistent with the clinical picture for which he was hospitalized yesterday at the Gemelli [hospital] in Rome.”
All of the reports regarding the pontiff’s bill of health have been reassuring, indicating that his fever has also decreased since he was admitted to hospital, ANSA said.
ANSA also reported that “several sources” revealed that the pope had arrived on Friday at Gemelli very fatigued due to a difficulty in breathing related to an excess of phlegm and that the treatment he was undergoing at home had not yielded the expected results.
However, there is optimism at the Vatican about the new medical treatment started yesterday immediately after the tests, which established that the pontiff was suffering from an infection of the respiratory tract, according to ANSA.
Holy See spokesperson Matteo Bruni spoke to reporters in the press room on Saturday and said that Pope Francis “ate breakfast and read some newspapers.” He also added that “the tests and [medical] therapies” are continuing.
(LONDON) — London’s Heathrow Airport is now “safely able to restart flights” after a fire at a nearby electrical substation closed one of the world’s busiest airports on Friday.
However, even as the airport says it can restart flights, officials advised people not to travel “unless your airline has advised you to do so.” The airport said it hopes to “run a full operation” on Saturday.
“Our teams have worked tirelessly since the incident to ensure a speedy recovery. We’re now safely able to restart flights, prioritising repatriation and relocation of aircraft,” Heathrow said in a statement.
Heathrow Airport said the fire at the substation, which supplies power to the airport, caused a “significant power outage” and the airport was expected to be closed until 11:59 p.m. local time on Friday night.
“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens,” a spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said.
In total, 70 firefighters and 10 fire trucks responded to the blaze in west London when the London Fire Brigade brigade was first called at 11:23 p.m. local time. The fire was contained more than seven hours later at 6:28 a.m. on Friday morning, but was still burning at about 10% on Friday evening.
“This was a very visible and significant incident, and our firefighters worked tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible,” London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said. “Thanks to their efforts and coordinated multi-agency response, we successfully contained the fire and prevented further spread. “We will maintain a presence at the scene throughout the day, assisting the National Grid as they assess the site.”
Firefighters safely evacuated 29 people from neighboring properties and, as a precaution, a 200-meter cordon was established with around 150 people evacuated.
“Due to the significant smoke, we strongly advise local residents to keep their windows and doors closed, as some smoke will remain for a number of hours today. Scientific advisors will also be on-site this morning to conduct further assessments and monitor the air quality,” Goulbourne continued. “Our Control Officers handled more than 200 emergency calls, providing guidance and reassurance to the public. As the morning progresses, disruption is expected to continue, and we urge people to avoid the area whenever possible.”
Counter-terror police were on the scene at the Hayes substation, London’s Met Police confirmed to ABC News, but they cautioned it’s only because they could get the investigation done faster.
“We are working with the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire which remains under investigation. While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time,” Met Police said in a statement. “Given the location of the sub-station and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries.”
As many as 290,000 passengers could be impacted by the closure Friday, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. There were 665 flights scheduled to depart from Heathrow on Friday, with 145,094 seats. There were 669 flights scheduled to depart to Heathrow on Friday, with 145,836 seats, according to Cirium. The fire could affect another 270,000 passengers on Saturday, too, Cirium said.
“Accordingly, the impact of this incident can cascade over several days, as aircraft, crew, passengers are out of place, with limited spare aircraft and seats available to recover passengers,” Cirium said in a statement.
British Airways, which has a hub at Heathrow Airport, said it is advising travelers not to go to the airport and that they are working to notify passengers of their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, inbound flights to Heathrow are being redirected to other U.K. airports, officials said.
“Due to a power outage in the London Heathrow area, London Heathrow Airport is currently closed,” British Airways said. “As a result, customers due to travel from Heathrow on Friday are advised not to travel to the airport until further notice. This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers and we’re working as quickly as possible to update them on their travel options for the next 24 hours and beyond.”
The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large numbers of homes and businesses and led to some evacuations, the fire brigade said. Firefighters led 29 people to safety from neighboring properties and, as a precaution, established a cordon around the area and evacuated about 150 people.
“This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible,” Pat Goulbourne, assistant commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, said in a statement shortly before 2 a.m. local time.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, the fire brigade said.
ABC News’ Clara McMichael and Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The United States Secret Service said it has seized a Russian cryptocurrency exchange website, according to court documents unsealed on Friday.
The Justice Department also charged the two administrators of that website with a multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme, court documents said.
Between 2019 and 2025, Aleksej Besciokov, 46, a Lithuanian national and Russian resident, and Aleksandr Mira Serda, 40, a Russian national, allegedly controlled and operated Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Moscow.
The two allegedly “operated Garantex to launder the proceeds of criminal activity, including ransomware, computer hacking, narcotics transactions, and sanctions violations, and profited from the laundering. Garantex offered its services to the public first through the website Garantex.io and then through Garantex.org. Garantex also misled law enforcement, including the Russian police, about the identities of its customers,” the documents said.
The Justice Department said that since April 2019, Garantex has processed $96 billion in crypto transactions and noted that those proceeds were allegedly used to fund illicit activities.
“The seizure of website domains associated with Garantex’s operations and the freezing of over $26 million in cryptocurrency strikes a serious financial blow to cybercriminals worldwide,” said Michael Centrella, assistant director of the Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations. “Alongside our U.S. and international law enforcement partners, this coordinated action will prevent additional funds from falling into the hands of criminals.”
Court documents said Besciokov allegedly knew there were two different accounts linked to North Korean cyber threat actors but still let them use the cryptocurrency exchange.
The company was also under sanctions from the U.S. since at least 2022.
“By in and around early 2023, BESCIOKOV and his co-conspirators had also redesigned Garantex’s operations to evade and violate U.S. sanctions and induce U.S. businesses to unwittingly transact with Garantex in violation of the sanctions,” the indictment said. “For example, Garantex moved its operational cryptocurrency wallets to different virtual currency addresses on a daily basis in order to make it difficult for U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges to identify and block transactions with Garantex accounts.”
Besciokov and Serda also allegedly took steps to conceal themselves from Russian law enforcement, according to the court records.
