September 8, 2026 10:43 AM

Israeli clearance of Gaza rubble could destroy ‘evidence’, says UN expert

A U.N. expert said on Monday that Israeli clearance of rubble in Gaza could destroy valuable evidence of "atrocity crimes" and prevent the recovery of human remains. Israel's assault on Gaza — started after the deadly raid into Israel by Hamas in October 2023 — has generated around 61 million tons of wreckage and debris that could take seven years to clear, according to the United Nations. Francesca Albanese, the U.N. expert on the Palestinian territories, said evidence should be gathered ...

August 19, 2026 1:12 AM

Kushner’s talks with Israel, Hamas end without breakthrough on Trump Gaza plan

U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner left Jerusalem on Monday without a breakthrough after two days of talks with Israeli and Hamas leaders over a stalled U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza, with both sides standing firm on key demands. Kushner met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel a day after meeting the political leader of Hamas in Egypt in a bid to revive the plan. Israel has carried out air strikes and seized more territory in Gaza despite an October...

July 31, 2026 5:07 PM

Israel must approve Trump agreement before Hamas will implement, says Hamas official

Implementation of the deal to bring peace to Gaza announced by U.S. President Donald Trump will depend on Israel first meeting its commitments under an agreement reached last year, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Friday. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump announced a "major milestone" towards ending the war in Gaza, saying his "Board of Peace" had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups. The announcement followed months o...

July 20, 2026 10:20 PM

Hamas names Khalil Al-Hayya as new overall leader

Hamas has named Khalil Al-Hayya as its overall leader, according to a statement from the Palestinian militant group on Monday, in a move an analyst says could signal a tougher stance by the group towards disarmament calls. Hayya replaces Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in combat with Israeli forces in October 2024 as Hamas fought a full-scale, two-year war with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Hayya, the group's exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator, has become an increasingly central figure in the leade...

July 7, 2026 1:11 PM

Hamas dissolves Gaza government, Israel dismisses move as ‘stunt’

Hamas said on Monday it had dissolved its de facto government in Gaza and was ready to hand over to a group of Palestinian technocrats — a move it described as a step forward in a U.S.-backed plan for the enclave, but Israel dismissed as a "stunt". The militant group's promise to end its body overseeing ministries — which has run for more than a decade — was a key part of the plan for a civilian-ruled, post-war Gaza set out by U.S. President Donald Trump after the start of a fragile cease...

June 9, 2026 2:39 PM

UN inquiry finds Israeli forces shield settlers during attacks on Palestinians

Israeli authorities are directly involved in settler attacks that have killed, injured and displaced Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, while Israeli security forces provide protection to settlers, a U.N. inquiry said on Tuesday. The report by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory found that Israeli authorities have enabled settler attacks through financial and military support, in a climate of impunity fostered by judicial and law-enforcement bodies. It said att...

May 7, 2026 9:24 AM

Son of Hamas Gaza chief injured in Israeli strike, five others killed

Israel struck and critically wounded the son of the Hamas militant group’s top negotiator on Wednesday in air strikes that also killed at least five people across the Gaza Strip, according to medics and Hamas sources. Azzam Al-Hayya, son of Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas' exiled Gaza chief who had been leading indirect talks with Israel over the Palestinian enclave's future, was wounded in a strike that also killed another person in Gaza City, they said. Hayya had already lost three sons in previous...

March 16, 2026 9:25 AM

Israeli forces kill 16 people in Gaza and the West Bank, medics say

Israeli forces killed 16 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, health officials said, in one of the heaviest death tolls in a single day in weeks, as Israel continued to launch attacks on Lebanon and Iran. Medics and the interior ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza said an Israeli airstrike killed a senior police official and eight other officers when it hit their vehicle near the entrance to Zawayda town in the central Gaza Strip. At least 14 other people, mostly bystanders, were wounde...

February 16, 2026 11:40 AM

Israeli cabinet approves West Bank land registration, Palestinians condemn ‘de-facto annexation’

Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved further measures to tighten Israel's control over the occupied West Bank and make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians called a "de-facto annexation". The West Bank is among the territories that Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is faci...

February 2, 2026 2:33 PM

What’s next for Trump’s Gaza plan after Rafah reopening?

U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war was given a boost on Monday with the reopening of the enclave's Rafah crossing with Egypt. But difficult questions remain unaddressed, including whether Hamas will disarm. Trump's plan, now in its second phase, has been shaken by repeated Israeli attacks that have killed hundreds in Gaza, as well as resistance by Hamas militants to lay down their weapons. Israeli officials say they are preparing for a return to war if Hamas refuses to disar...