AnewZ Morning Brief - 24 February, 2026
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th of February, covering the latest developments you need to...
Hamas plans to release four Israeli soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian detainees on Saturday under a ceasefire agreement to pause the Gaza conflict.
The Palestinian group Hamas is expected to release four Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for a group of Palestinian detainees as part of a ceasefire agreement aimed at halting the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The four soldiers – Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag – were stationed at an observation post near Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Hamas' media office reported that 200 Palestinian detainees are expected to be released as part of Saturday's exchange, including 120 serving life sentences and 80 with long-term sentences. This would mark the second exchange since the ceasefire began on Sunday, during which three Israeli civilians were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian detainees.
On Friday, Hamas identified the four hostages set for release, though Israeli officials have not made an official statement.
The ceasefire, facilitated through negotiations brokered by Qatar and Egypt with support from the United States, represents the first pause in hostilities since a brief truce in November 2023.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
Mexican authorities said on Sunday that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
An investigation into a protest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel on 19 February, where President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was staying, has revealed new details, placing the incident within a broader security context.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said on Monday it had received “credible reports” that at least 13 civilians were killed and seven others injured in overnight Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.
Four members of Syria’s Internal Security Forces were killed and two others injured on Monday (23 February) in an attack by the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group targeting a checkpoint west of Raqqa in northeastern Syria, the Interior Ministry said.
Georgia says it's increasing its focus on regional connectivity and infrastructure cooperation with Armenia, as competition over new transport routes and changing political dynamics reshape the South Caucasus.
More than 661,000 citizens of Uzbekistan have registered on licensed cryptocurrency platforms, as the country continues to formalise and regulate its digital asset sector, according to the National Agency for Prospective Projects (NAPP).
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment