2 hours ago Slim Hamas parades show hollowness of either side’s claims to victory in Gaza

Proof of group’s survival demonstrates stalemate that gave rise to ceasefire and is likely to fuel more conflictMiddle East crisis – live updatesHours after the ceasefire was declared on Sunday, Hamas fighters were back on Gaza’s streets. Not many, it was true, and those who appeared were armed only with Kalashnikov rifles and some rudimentary body armour, but they were there.In Khan Younis, a handful of pickup trucks with gunmen onboard drove through cheering crowds of young men. Dozens of uniformed fighters with Hamas headbands were visible when the three Israeli hostages were handed over in Gaza City. Elsewhere, there were reports that Hamas policemen, dressed in blue police uniform, deployed in some areas after months in hiding to avoid Israeli strikes. Continue reading...

Politics

8 hours ago We All Come Home Alive by Anna Beecher review – the pain of grief and joy of living

Beecher’s beautiful memoir, written partly in response to the death of her brother aged 25, describes in startling detail the highs and lows of existenceThe title of Anna Beecher’s first work of nonfiction can be read in various ways – an expression of triumph, relief or anticlimax. She uses it as a punchline to the book’s opening chapter, which recounts a car accident she experienced as a graduate student in the US. Here she conjures in vivid detail the violent shock of impact, the moments of silent disbelief in the immediate aftermath as she waits for understanding to catch up with physical sensation, dreading the discovery of what happened to the occupants of the other car, now spinning on its roof.In the event, no one is hurt, but Beecher pictures all too readily a parallel reality in which the crash resulted in several deaths, and she and her friend return home carrying the weight of that knowledge. “Our lives are punctured by moments of impossibility when the future unlatches ...

Society

19 hours ago First three hostages back in Israel after being released by Hamas as part of Gaza ceasefire deal

Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher released by Hamas and have crossed border into IsraelHamas releases first three hostages after ceasefire dealAnalysis: Will the ceasefire deal hold?How will the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal work?Israeli tanks continued to shell areas in Gaza as the scheduled time of 8.30am (0630 GMT) for the ceasefire to take effect passed, Reuters reports.Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a brief televised address on Sunday that the political echelon had directed the military to delay implementation and that it retained freedom to continue attacks in the Gaza Strip as long as the ceasefire had not taken effect. Continue reading...

Economics

45 minutes ago Gaza ceasefire latest: Hamas says people of Gaza will ‘rise again’ and rebuild territory

The search for thousands of people buried under rubble has started as the ceasefire in Gaza enters its second dayFull report: Palestinians celebrate as prisoners freedThe Spanish government has welcomed the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will allow for an increase in aid to the strip. The Spanish foreign ministry said the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) is “essential and irreplicable” to the delivery of humanitarian relief in the territory.Israel’s government is still committed to its plan to ban Unrwa from operating and to cut all ties between the agency and the Israeli government. It has accused the UN agency of allowing Hamas militants to infiltrate its staff, an allegation the agency denies. Unrwa is the major distributor of aid in Gaza and provides education, health and other basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.It is essential that negotiations between the parties resume immediately in ord...

Events

6 hours ago Peter Andre 'very emotional' and issues heartbreaking 'declining health' update

Peter Andre has shared a gut-wrenching update to his fans after he recently took some time out of his busy schedule to return to his home country Down Under

Politics

23 hours ago First three hostages back in Israel, IDF says, after being released by Hamas as part of Gaza ceasefire deal

Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher released by Hamas and have crossed border into IsraelHamas releases first three hostages after ceasefire dealAnalysis: Will the ceasefire deal hold?How will the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal work?Israeli tanks continued to shell areas in Gaza as the scheduled time of 8.30am (0630 GMT) for the ceasefire to take effect passed, Reuters reports.Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a brief televised address on Sunday that the political echelon had directed the military to delay implementation and that it retained freedom to continue attacks in the Gaza Strip as long as the ceasefire had not taken effect. Continue reading...

Economics

7 hours ago Middle East latest: Released Israeli hostage says she has 'returned to life'

One of the Israeli hostages freed on the first day of the Gaza ceasefire said Monday in her first comments since being released that she has “returned to life.”

Politics

28 hours ago The three female hostages Hamas says it will release first under the ceasefire deal

A British-Israeli citizen, a Nova festivalgoer and a veterinary nurse are the three women to be freedIsrael-Gaza war – live updatesA ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has taken effect, pausing a 15-month war that has brought devastation and political change to the Middle East.As part of the deal, three Israeli hostages are due to be released later on Sunday, named by Hamas as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. Continue reading...

Economics

2 hours ago Watch: Israelis gather in Hostage Square as security cabinet approves ceasefire deal

Watch again as Israelis gathered in Hostage Square, Tel Aviv, on Friday, 17 January, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war-time security cabinet approved a long-awaited ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Events

7 hours ago Watch live: Displaced Palestinians return to homes on second day of Israel

Watch live as displaced Palestinians in Gaza return to their homes on the second day of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire (20 January).

Politics

4 hours ago Released Palestinian prisoners speak out: 'Men and women are suffering from complete deprivation of basic rights’

Palestinian prisoners released by Israel after three hostages left Hamas captivity in an exchange described conditions in prison as “very difficult” and “chaotic”.

Events

8 hours ago Ninety Palestinians released by Israel as Gaza ceasefire enters second day – live

Palestinian detainees greeted with joy in West Bank after earlier release of three Israeli hostages on Sunday Full report: Palestinians celebrate as prisoners freed‘I can’t believe I have survived’: the day the Gaza ceasefire finally arrivedIf you are just catching up on the latest on the Gaza ceasefire, here is what you need to know.Ninety Palestinian prisoners were released early on Monday as part of the ceasefire deal. Those freed from Israeli prisons included 69 women and 21 teenage boys from the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to Hamas. The prisoners, most of whom were freed from Ofer prison in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, were welcomed by thousands of people celebrating.It followed the release of three Israeli women held hostage by Hamas in tunnels beneath Gaza after being abducted by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Among those released was joint British national Emily Damari, 28, who was freed alongside Romi Gonen, 24 and Doron Steinbrecher, 31. The women have been reunite...

Politics

8 hours ago 'Emily is home': Joy as British hostage reunited with mother under Gaza ceasefire deal

The 28-year-old has been released alongside Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher

Events

21 hours ago The world braces for Trump, hoping for the best, unprepared for the worst

His pick for secretary of state may have given measured assessment of world affairs, but ‘crazy’ Trump will call the shotsWestern allies of the US are braced for the return of Donald Trump, still hoping for the best, but largely unprepared for what may prove to be a chaotic and disorientating worst.The run-up to his inauguration has sent out a catherine wheel of signals as Trump turned up the volume on tariffs against Canada, China and Mexico, vowed to buy – and if not, invade – Greenland and the Panama canal, and used his leverage to press Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a Gaza ceasefire that the Israeli PM had resisted since May. Continue reading...

Politics

13 hours ago Palestinian families celebrate after prisoners released by Israel as part of Gaza ceasefire deal

Prisoners speak of their joy as they are greeted by thousands of people in occupied West Bank despite Israeli attempts to prevent ‘public displays of joy’Gaza ceasefire - live updatesAbout 90 Palestinian prisoners have been released in exchange for three Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas to Israel, as part of the ceasefire deal aimed at ending 15 months of war.The prisoners, most of whom were freed in the early hours of Monday from Ofer prison in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, were welcomed by thousands of people celebrating, waving the flags of Palestine and Hamas. Continue reading...

Events

21 hours ago Full list of hostages Hamas is freeing including British captive Emily Damari as Israel

On Sunday, Hamas confirmed the names of the first three hostages to be set free, including Damari, 28,  Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Romi Gonen, 24.

Politics

17 hours ago Ninety Palestinians released as part of Gaza ceasefire deal, Israeli prison service says

Three Israeli hostages, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, were released by Hamas earlier on SundayHamas releases first three hostages after ceasefire dealAnalysis: Will the ceasefire deal hold?How will the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal work?Israeli tanks continued to shell areas in Gaza as the scheduled time of 8.30am (0630 GMT) for the ceasefire to take effect passed, Reuters reports.Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a brief televised address on Sunday that the political echelon had directed the military to delay implementation and that it retained freedom to continue attacks in the Gaza Strip as long as the ceasefire had not taken effect. Continue reading...

Events

22 hours ago STEPHEN POLLARD: The release of the Israeli hostages is a moment to celebrate, but the Gaza conflict is far from over. Now Trump must tackle Iran's poisonous role

Nothing better illustrates why the Gaza ceasefire deal is so tenuous than the sickening scenes today.

Politics

19 hours ago First pictures as Brit hostage Emily Damari is reunited with her mother under Gaza ceasefire deal

The 28-year-old has been released alongside Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher

Events

19 hours ago Search launched after Domino’s driver goes missing while making pizza deliveries

Shuefaub Xiong, 42, arrived for work on January 14 but later did not return home, according to police in Minnesota

Events

20 hours ago As Hamas hands over hostages including Brit Emily Damari we look at life as a Hamas Hostage

As the ceasefire starts in Gaza and the first hostages - including Brit Emily Damari - are freed, we take a look at a day in the life of a Hamas hostage

Events

20 hours ago British hostage in Gaza freed by Hamas after 15 months in captivity as Israel ceasefire begins

Emily Damari is one of three women freed by Hamas, the first of 33 hostages due to be freed under ther terms of the ceasefire - after 15 months of war that has levelled Gaza

Events

20 hours ago ‘I can’t believe I have survived’: the day the Gaza ceasefire finally arrived

The deal has made it possible to hope that the nightmares of the Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza can begin to endIsrael-Gaza war – live updatesFrom a ridge on the western edge of Sderot, the ruins of Gaza loom. Less than a kilometre separates the Israeli town and the outskirts of the Palestinian territory, but after 471 days of war, the other side of the fence from Sderot’s shrubby green dunes resembles a dystopian parallel universe.A few minutes before a long-awaited ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict was supposed to begin at 08.30 local time (06.30 GMT) on Sunday, the morning quiet was shattered by an Israeli airstrike on Beit Hanoun, the Gaza town visible from the ridge. Continue reading...

Events

21 hours ago First picture as Brit hostage Emily Damari is reunited with her mother under Gaza ceasefire deal

The 28-year-old has been released alongside Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher

Events

21 hours ago First image of British hostage reunited with her mother after Gaza ceasefire

A Red Cross convoy has been handed three hostages including British-Israeli Emily Damari, 28 - along with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher - who have been set free from captivity in Gaza

Events

21 hours ago The heinous crimes of Hamas's Palestinian prisoners now set to be freed as part of the Israel

Convicted murderers serving multiple life sentences are among those who could be freed as part of a landmark ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Events

23 hours ago ‘Glimmer of hope in a cycle of death’: Families in Gaza pray ceasefire brings an end to devastation

Palestinians react to long-awaited ceasefire with mixture of joy and trepidation after 15 months of strikes on the Gaza Strip

Events

23 hours ago ‘Glimmer of light in a cycle of death’: Families in Gaza pray ceasefire brings an end to devastation

Palestinians react to long-awaited ceasefire with mixture of joy and trepidation after 15 months of strikes on the Gaza Strip

Events

24 hours ago Gaza ceasefire: Brit Emily Damari among three Israeli hostages released by Hamas

Hamas has now handed it's first three hostages to the Red Cross, as part of the first phase of its ceasefire agreement with Israel - including British-Israeli Emily Damari

Events

26 hours ago Ceasefire comes into force as Israel awaits return of hostages and displaced people come to terms with devastation in Gaza – live

Hamas says it will free Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher after Israel delayed start of ceasefireFull story: Gaza ceasefire begins after delayHow will the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal work?Israeli tanks continued to shell areas in Gaza as the scheduled time of 8.30am (0630 GMT) for the ceasefire to take effect passed, Reuters reports.Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a brief televised address on Sunday that the political echelon had directed the military to delay implementation and that it retained freedom to continue attacks in the Gaza Strip as long as the ceasefire had not taken effect. Continue reading...

Events

27 hours ago A year of war in Gaza: A timeline of key moments as ceasefire deal agreed

Fifteen months after Israel vowed to wipe Hamas ‘off the face of the earth’ following the 7 October attack, a ceasefire has been reached

Events