Gaza

March 3, 2025 9:39 AM

Israel blocks aid into Gaza as ceasefire standoff escalates

Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said earlier that it had adopted a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza for the Ramadan and Passover periods, hours after the first phase of the previously agreed ceasefire e...

February 27, 2025 3:42 PM

Hamas says it’s ready for more ceasefire talks after prisoner exchange

Militant group Hamas said on Thursday it was ready to begin talks on the second phase of a ceasefire in Gaza after several hundred Palestinians were released from Israeli jails overnight in return for the bodies of four Israeli hostages. It was the final exchange of the six-week first phase of a ceasefire that came into effect on January 19 in the war in Gaza. Talks have yet to begin on a second phase, meant to lead ultimately to a permanent end to the war that began in October, 2023 when Hama...

February 25, 2025 2:35 PM

West Bank Palestinians fear Gaza-style clearance as Israel squeezes Jenin camp

Israeli bulldozers have demolished large areas of the now virtually empty Jenin refugee camp and appear to be carving wide roadways through its once-crowded warren of alleyways, echoing tactics already employed in Gaza as troops prepare for a long-term stay. At least 40,000 Palestinians have left their homes in Jenin and the nearby city of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank since Israel began its operation just a day after reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza after 15 months of war. "Jenin is...

February 24, 2025 4:46 PM

Ukraine hosts EU leaders as US backing frays three years since invasion

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that countries must work to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, calling for a just and lasting peace on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion. "We must spare no effort to bring an end to this conflict, and achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions," he told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. His remarks come ahead of a UN showdown on Ukraine lat...

February 24, 2025 12:31 PM

Israel sends tanks into West Bank, tells troops to ready for ‘extended’ stay

Israel sent tanks into the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than 20 years on Sunday as it ordered the military to prepare for an "extended stay" to fight Palestinian militant groups in the area's refugee camps. The move came as a fragile ceasefire in Gaza hit new hurdles after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a stop to the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees due to be freed under the truce, in retaliation for public displays of Israeli hostages handed ov...

February 22, 2025 11:06 AM

Arab leaders in Riyadh discuss ‘Palestinian cause’ and Gaza developments

Arab leaders discussed on Friday the joint efforts supporting "the Palestinian cause" and Gaza developments, during an informal meeting in Riyadh attended by Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan, the Saudi state news agency SPA said. Arab countries are rushing to formulate an alternative to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to redevelop war-torn Gaza into an international beach resort and his call on Egypt and Jordan to take in resettled Gaza Palestinians. Both countries reject the proposal, citing ...

February 21, 2025 12:55 PM

Israeli military says body released by Hamas is not of a hostage

The Israeli military said on Friday that one of the bodies released by Hamas did not belong to any of the hostages held in Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating an already shaking ceasefire. Two of the bodies were identified as infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, while a third body that was supposed to be their mother, Shiri, was found not to match with any hostage and remained unidentified, the military said. "This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organi...

February 18, 2025 11:04 PM

Israel to begin negotiations on second phase of Gaza ceasefire deal, minister says

Israel will begin negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, including an exchange of the remaining Israeli hostages with Palestinian detainees, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday, adding that Israel demanded a complete demilitarisation of the enclave. Negotiations for the second phase of the deal were supposed to be under way before the first phase ends on March 2, but Qatar said the talks have not officially started yet. A "Hezbollah model" in Gaza would not be ac...

February 18, 2025 11:14 AM

Humanitarian needs in Gaza remain overwhelming: UN

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire despite the ongoing ceasefire, while Israeli operations in the West Bank continue to result in casualties, according to the United Nations. "The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to deliver life-saving assistance across the Gaza Strip, but the scale of needs remains overwhelming, requiring urgent and sustained support," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated. OCHA reported that Gaza’s hospitals, includi...

February 12, 2025 1:05 AM

Netanyahu says Israel will end Gaza ceasefire if hostages not returned on Saturday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that if Hamas did not release Israeli hostages by noon on Saturday a fragile ceasefire in Gaza would end and the Israeli army would resume its offensive in the Palestinian enclave until the militant group is defeated. "In light of Hamas' announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I ordered the IDF to gather forces inside and around the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu said, speaking after a meeti...