Israel's security cabinet was to meet Monday to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, while Netanyahu voiced support for Trump's Gaza plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Palestinians should be given the choice to leave Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday signaled that he was moving ahead with US President Trump’s proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, calling it “the only viable plan to enable a different future” for the region.

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Monday killed the head of the militant Hamas group in the country, Israel's military said. The strike came on the eve of the deadline for Israel’s full withdrawal from southern Lebanon under the ceasefire agreement that ended the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The army said Muhammad Shaheen was the head of the operations department of Hamas in Lebanon and that he had recently been involved in promoting "terrorist plots" with Iranian direction and funding from Lebanese territory against Israeli citizens.

The strike came on the eve of the deadline for Israel’s full withdrawal from southern Lebanon under the ceasefire agreement that ended the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP video shot by