Israel | DD News

August 21, 2025 4:44 PM

Israel Approves Controversial E1 Settlement Plan Despite International Condemnation

Israel on Wednesday approved the construction of 3,401 housing units in E1, a highly contentious area of the occupied West Bank that critics say will effectively divide Palestinian territory and undermine prospects for a two-state solution. The decision by the Higher Planning Council has triggered strong condemnation from the Palestinian Authority and international community. The approval represents the culmination of decades-old plans that had been repeatedly shelved under international pre...

August 20, 2025 10:02 PM

Israel approves settlement plan to ‘erase’ idea of Palestinian state

A widely condemned Israeli settlement plan that would cut across land which the Palestinians seek for a state received final approval on Wednesday, according to a statement from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The approval of the E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, was announced last week by Smotrich and received final go-ahead from a defence ministry planning commission on Wednesday, he said. Restarting the project ...

August 19, 2025 1:24 PM

UN Security Council debates future of Lebanon Peacekeeping Force amid US and Israel opposition

The United Nations Security Council convened on Monday to discuss a French-drafted resolution proposing a one-year extension of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate, set to expire on August 31, 2025, with the ultimate goal of withdrawing the peacekeeping force. The proposal has sparked significant debate, with Israel and the United States reportedly opposing the renewal, raising questions about the mission’s effectiveness and future. UNIFIL, established in 1978 to monitor the I...

August 19, 2025 9:54 AM

Hamas accepts proposed deal for ceasefire with Israel and hostage release, Egyptian source says

Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that includes the return of half the hostages held in Gaza and Israel's release of some Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian official told Reuters on Monday. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed the group's approval on Facebook. Hamas said other Palestinian factions informed mediators of their approval also. There was no Israeli response to the Hamas proposal itself but an Israeli official confirmed it was received. Egypt and Qata...

August 18, 2025 4:53 PM

Some Palestinians already leaving Gaza City ahead of Israeli offensive

Fearing an Israeli onslaught could come soon, some Palestinian families began leaving eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and some explored evacuating further south. Israel's plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests seen since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held by Palestinian militants in...

August 18, 2025 4:34 PM

US envoy says Israel should ‘comply’ with Lebanon plan to disarm militant groups

Top U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack said on Monday Israel should comply with a plan under which Lebanese militant group Hezbollah would be disarmed by the end of the year in exchange for a halt to Israel's military operations in Lebanon. The plan sets out a phased roadmap for armed groups to hand in their arsenals as Israel's military halts ground, air and sea operations and withdraws troops from Lebanon's south. Lebanon's cabinet approved the plan's objectives earlier this month despite Hezbollah's...

August 18, 2025 2:43 PM

Iran says it will continue talks with IAEA after curbing access

Iran will continue talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog and the two sides will probably have another round of negotiations in the coming days, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state media on Monday. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have been unable to access Iran's nuclear sites since Israel and the U.S. bombed them during a 12-day war in June, despite International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi stating that inspections remain his top pri...

August 17, 2025 10:25 AM

Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, spokesperson says

Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other shelter equipment starting from Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave "to ensure their safety," the Israeli military said on Saturday. This comes days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban centre, in a plan that raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, home to about 2.2 million people. Israeli...

August 13, 2025 5:10 PM

Israel pounds Gaza City, 123 dead in last 24 hours

Israel's military pounded Gaza City on Wednesday prior to a planned takeover, with another 123 people killed in the last day according to the Gaza health ministry, while militant group Hamas held further talks with Egyptian mediators. The 24-hour death toll was the worst in a week and added to the massive fatalities from the nearly two-year war that has shattered the enclave housing more than 2 million Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated an idea - also enthusiast...

August 13, 2025 2:13 PM

Hamas Delegation in Cairo for Ceasefire and Hostage Deal Talks

A senior Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for high-stakes talks with Egyptian officials aimed at securing a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza and resolving the hostage crisis. The negotiations, mediated by Egypt with support from Qatar and the United States, seek to revive a proposed 60-day truce plan that has stalled amid renewed tensions. The new Egyptian proposal calls for the release of all hostages held by Hamas, an end to the war, Gaza’s...