Palestine

March 20, 2025 9:18 AM

After airstrikes, Israel says it has launched new ground operation in Gaza

The Israeli military said on Wednesday its forces resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as a second day of airstrikes killed at least 48 Palestinians, according to local health workers. The renewed ground operations came a day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023, shattering a ceasefire that has largely held since January. The Israeli military said its operati...

March 6, 2025 9:04 AM

Trump warns Hamas as US holds unprecedented talks for Gaza hostages

The United States broke a longstanding diplomatic taboo by holding secret talks with Hamas on securing the release of U.S. hostages held in Gaza, Reuters reported on Wednesday, while President Donald Trump warned of "hell to pay" should the Palestinian militant group not comply. U.S. hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler has the authority to talk directly with Hamas, the White House said when asked about the discussions, which broke with a decades-old policy against negotiating with groups that th...

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 20, 2025 1:51 PM

Hamas hands over bodies of youngest Gaza hostages taken from Israel

Hamas handed over the bodies on Thursday of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, the two youngest captives taken by Hamas in their October 7, 2023 attack and among the most potent symbols of the trauma inflicted that day. Red Cross vehicles drove away from the handover site in the Gaza Strip with four black coffins that had been placed on a stage. Each of the caskets had a small picture of the hostages. Hamas handed over the bodies of the two ...

February 11, 2025 8:51 AM

Trump says Hamas should free all hostages by midday Saturday or ‘let hell break out’

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Hamas should release all hostages held by the militant group in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose canceling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and "let hell break out." Trump cautioned that Israel might want to override him on the issue and said he might speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But in a wide-ranging session with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration with the condition of the last group of host...

February 10, 2025 9:07 AM

Trump wants US to own Gaza, suggests Middle East states aid in reconstruction

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is committed to buying and owning Gaza, but could allow sections of the war-ravaged land to be rebuilt by other states in the Middle East. “I'm committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back.” Trump made his remar...

February 6, 2025 8:46 AM

Trump aides defend Gaza takeover proposal but walk back some elements

President Donald Trump's top aides staunchly defended his push to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza and have the U.S. take over the war-ruined enclave, but they also backed away from elements of his proposal in the face of international condemnation. A longtime New York property developer, Trump drew rebukes on Wednesday from world powers Russia, China and Germany, which said it would foster "new suffering and new hatred." Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia rejected the proposal outright. Bare...

February 5, 2025 10:28 PM

Jordan’s king rejects any displacement of Palestinians after Trump floats Gaza takeover idea

Jordan's King Abdullah said on Wednesday he rejected any attempts to annex land and displace Palestinians. He spoke after U.S. President Trump said on Tuesday the United States would take over Gaza after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and develop it economically, an idea that elicited widespread international condemnation. "His Majesty King Abdullah II stresses the need to put a stop to (Israeli) settlement expansion, expressing rejection of any attempts to annex land and displace the Pa...

February 5, 2025 9:09 AM

Netanyahu calls Trump “greatest friend Israel has ever had in White House”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised former US President Donald Trump, calling him the “greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.” He made these remarks during a joint press conference with Trump on Tuesday, after being invited as the first foreign leader to visit the US following Trump’s second-term oath-taking ceremony. “I’m honored that you (President Trump) invited me to be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in your second term. This is a ...

Palestinians, who were forcibly displaced as a result of Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip for more than 15 months, try to get warm by lighting fire as they continue to wait at a point close to the Netzarim Corridor on al-Rashid Street to return to their homes in the north after the completion of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement on January 26, 2025 in Gaza City, Gaza. Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images

January 27, 2025 9:33 AM

Hamas to release three Israeli hostages as Israel allows Gazans to return home north

Palestinian militant group Hamas will hand over female Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud and two other hostages before Friday, mediator Qatar said on Sunday, and Israel said it would allow residents of the northern Gaza Strip to go back home early on Monday. In a statement, Qatar's foreign ministry also said Israel will in return allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that civilian Arbel Yehud, so...