5 h. ago Belgium to recognise Palestinian state at UN and sanction Israel – Middle East crisis live

Foreign minister says move is not aimed at Israeli people but ‘ensuring their government respects international and humanitarian law’The Guardian’s political correspondent Eleni Courea has done an explainer in July with a section looking at what recognising Palestine would look in practice. Here is an extract:Recognition is a symbolic step but one that would infuriate the Israeli government, which argues that it would encourage Hamas and reward terrorism.It is in effect a formal, political acknowledgment of Palestinian self-determination – without the need to engage in thorny practicalities such as the location of its borders or capital city.In light of the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and in response to the violence perpetrated by Israel in violation of international law, given its international obligations, including the duty to prevent any risk of genocide, Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on the Israeli government an...

Politics

3 d. ago UN human rights staff urge leadership to declare Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide

Internal letter also calls on UN member states to suspend arms sales, saying ‘criticising Israel is not enough’Middle East crisis – live updatesHundreds of employees of the United Nations’ leading human rights agency have backed an internal letter telling its leadership to declare Israel’s offensive in Gaza a genocide and to call on UN member states to suspend arms sales to Israel.The 1,100-word letter, signed by about a quarter of the 2,000 staff of the Geneva- and New York-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), says the Israeli offensive in Gaza meets the legal threshold of genocide and that this means “arms sales, transfers and related logistical or financial support to Israeli authorities” constitutes a clear breach of international law by all those involved. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago UN to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission next year after Israeli and US pressure

Unifil mandate extended but troops patrolling Lebanon-Israel border to be withdrawn in December 2026Middle East crisis – live updatesThe UN security council has voted to extend the body’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for a further 16 months, but ordered it finished at the end of 2026 under Israeli and US pressure.UNSC members voted unanimously on Thursday to extend the mandate for the UN interim force in Lebanon (Unifil) ahead of its expiration on Sunday, prompting relief from Lebanese officials who rely on it. The approved resolution said Unifil would begin an “orderly and safe withdrawal” of its 10,800 peacekeepers from Lebanon in December 2026. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Gaza starvation is real and it is happening now, UN World Food Programme says – Middle East crisis live

Cindy McCain said she had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about allowing more food into the stripPatrick Wintour is diplomatic editor for the GuardianThe UK, France and Germany have formally notified the UN that they have triggered the restoration of sweeping UN sanctions against Iran, giving Tehran 30 days to make concessions on access to its nuclear sites or face deeper worldwide economic isolation. Continue reading...

Society

5 d. ago A third of wounded outpatients at MSF hospitals in Gaza are children, figures show

Explosive weapons designed to be used in battle are being used in urban areas, says Médecins Sans FrontièresMiddle East crisis – live updatesChildren under 15 years old made up almost a third of outpatients treated for wounds in field hospitals run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Gaza last year, statistics published in The Lancet reveal.The figures were released by MSF in correspondence with the respected medical journal and come from six health facilities in Gaza supported by the international medical NGO. The facilities are predominantly in the south and centre of the devastated territory. Continue reading...

Science

5 d. ago A third of outpatients treated for wounds at MSF’s Gaza hospitals in 2024 were children, figures show

Explosive weapons designed to be used in battle are being used in urban areas, says Médecins Sans FrontièresMiddle East crisis – live updatesChildren under 15 years old made up almost a third of outpatients treated for wounds in field hospitals run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Gaza last year, statistics published in The Lancet reveal.The figures were released by MSF in correspondence with the respected medical journal and come from six health facilities in Gaza supported by the international medical NGO. The facilities are predominantly in the south and centre of the devastated territory. Continue reading...

Science

6 d. ago Donald Trump to chair meeting on Gaza as US says it expects ‘to settle this before the end of this year’ – Middle East crisis live

US special envoy Steve Witkoff says ‘we think we’re going to settle this one way or another’ as Marco Rubio also prepares to meet Gideon Saar Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago ‘There needs to be justice,’ UN tells Israel after Gaza hospital bombing

Human rights office demands that Israeli investigation into ‘double tap’ attack that killed 20 people yields resultsMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe UN has demanded that Israel’s investigations into unlawful killings in Gaza, including its “double tap” bombing of Nasser hospital which killed 20 people, among them five journalists, yield results and ensure accountability.“There needs to be justice,” Thameen Al-Kheetan, the spokesperson for the UN’s human rights office, told reporters on Tuesday in Geneva. He added that the number of journalists killed in Gaza raised many questions about the targeting of media workers. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago UN warns Israel that its probe into IDF attack on Gaza hospital must yield actual results – Middle East crisis live

UN official says investigations have been announced before but ‘we haven’t seen results or accountability measures yet’The UN says that Israel must not only investigate alleged unlawful killings in Gaza like the hospital strike that killed 20 people, including journalists, the previous day, but also ensure those probes yield results.“There needs to be justice,” United Nations rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told AFP in Geneva, adding that the large number of media workers killed in the Gaza war “raises many, many questions about the targeting of journalists”.The Israeli authorities have, in the past, announced investigations in such killings.It’s of course the responsibility of Israel, as the occupying power, to investigate - but these investigations need to yield results. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Israel to call up 50,000 reservists before planned offensive on Gaza City, says Israeli military official – Middle East crisis live

Call-up notices sent as Israeli plans to increase its offensive; Israel studies Hamas’ response to proposal for 60-day ceasefireGood afternoon, Israel will call up 50,000 reservists before a planned offensive to take Gaza City but most forces that would operate in the Gaza Strip’s largest urban centre would be active duty soldiers, an Israeli military official said on Wednesday. The call-up notices could be sent in the coming days, with reservists to report for duty in September, the military official said.“Most of the troops that will be mobilised in this new stage will be active duty and not reservists,” said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that he treats leaders of other countries with respect after his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu attacked him over his decision to recognise a Palestinian state. “I don’t take these things personally, I engage with people diplomatically. He has had similar t...

Events

2 w. ago Israel to respond by Friday over Gaza truce plan accepted by Hamas

Israel under pressure to accept ceasefire proposal that is said to be almost identical to earlier US-backed planMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday over a new Gaza ceasefire plan accepted by Hamas amid mounting pressure for a truce in a war that has claimed more than 62,000 Palestinian lives.After mass protests in Israel demanding a deal to secure the release of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza, it appeared that Hamas had reduced its demands for a prisoners-for-hostages exchange as well as over the scope of an Israeli-demanded “security buffer zone”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Hamas tells mediators it approves latest Gaza ceasefire proposal – Middle East crisis live

Hamas official tells Reuters news agency it has approved latest Gaza ceasefire proposalNorway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, said on Monday it had decided to exclude six companies with connections to the West Bank and Gaza from its portfolio, following a review of its Israeli investments.The $2tn wealth fund did not name the companies it had decided to exclude, but said these would be made public once the divestment was completed, Reuters reports. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Netanyahu criticises protests in Israel against his handling of Gaza war

Israeli PM suggests demonstrators are toughening Hamas’s stance and delaying the release of hostagesMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu has criticised massive street protests against his handling of the Gaza war, and failure to secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages, suggesting demonstrators were giving comfort to Hamas’s position in negotiations.The Israeli prime minister made his comments against the backdrop of the largest protests in almost two years of war, with estimates that upwards of 400,000 people joined marches across Israel on Sunday. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Middle East crisis live: time not right to recognise Palestinian state, says Danish PM – updates

Mette Frederiksen says recognition should take place when a ‘sustainable and democratic state’ could be created, and that Denmark would use its EU presidency to increase pressure on Israel and HamasThe Metropolitan police has said that 60 more people will be prosecuted for showing support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed by the UK government last month.More than 700 people have been arrested for supporting the group since its proscription on 5 July.We are deeply concerned about the unimaginable crisis in Gaza, which is having a terrible impact on civilians and especially the children. Starvation is deepening. Water scarcity is increasing very much each day. Colleagues on the ground are reporting that people are now basically rationing between either using water for drinking or for hygiene. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Middle East crisis live: 25 reported killed in Gaza as UN warns one in five Gaza City children malnourished – updates

Four children said to be among those killed in strikes on Bureij refugee camp, while 12 people were killed seeking aid, according to Al JazeeraThe Metropolitan police has said that 60 more people will be prosecuted for showing support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed by the UK government last month.More than 700 people have been arrested for supporting the group since its proscription on 5 July.We are deeply concerned about the unimaginable crisis in Gaza, which is having a terrible impact on civilians and especially the children. Starvation is deepening. Water scarcity is increasing very much each day. Colleagues on the ground are reporting that people are now basically rationing between either using water for drinking or for hygiene. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago One in five children in Gaza City malnourished, UN warns – Middle East crisis live

Malnutrition has reached 21.5% in Gaza City, meaning around one in five young children are suffering from malnutrition, Unrwa has saidTwo former officials that worked under Joe Biden’s administration have said they received no evidence that “Hamas was physically diverting US-funded goods provided by the World Food Programme or international nongovernmental organizations”.The remarks were made in a joint op-ed in Foreign Affairs by Jacob Lew, who served as US ambassador to Israel from 2023 to 2025, and David Satterfield, former US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues from 2023 to 2024.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) warned that malnutrition in Gaza City has reached 21.5%, meaning about one in five young children are now malnourished.The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said earlier this week that almost 13,000 new admissions of children for acute malnutrition treatment were recorded in July 2025 across Gaza.Two more people were ki...

Events

2 w. ago Israeli minister posts video online confronting Palestinian detainee in his prison cell – Middle East crisis live

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir posts video showing him confronting Marwan Barghouti, who has spent more than 20 years in Israeli custodyAt least 16 Palestinian people, including five aid seekers, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn, Al Jazeera is reporting, citing medical sources.Here are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires from Gaza: Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Several Palestinian people reported injured in overnight attack by Israeli settlers in West Bank – Middle East crisis live

Settlers attacked Palestinian people in village of Susya, south of Hebron, while separately settlers reportedly attacked village of Atara and set fire to vehiclesHere is some more detail on the controversial plan to significantly expand a settlement near occupied East Jerusalem.The decision from the Supreme Planning Council, which meets next week, is expected to support the plan after rejecting objections by Israeli NGOs.The expected decision in favour will come after Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich – who backs both the plan and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty through the occupied West Bank – gloated that he believed construction on E1 would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Bezalel Smotrich outlines plan for 3,000 new housing units in controversial West Bank settlement, reports say – Middle East crisis live

Israel’s far-right finance minister announces plan to advance tenders for housing which international community says would split West Bank in half, reports Times of IsraelThe health ministry in Gaza has just issued a statement, saying four more people have died from famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours.This brings the total to 239 since the start of the war, including 106 children, according to the health ministry. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Bezalel Smotrich approves 3,000 new housing units in controversial West Bank settlement, reports say – Middle East crisis live

Israel’s far-right finance minister approves tenders for housing which international community says would split West Bank in half, reports Times of IsraelThe health ministry in Gaza has just issued a statement, saying four more people have died from famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours.This brings the total to 239 since the start of the war, including 106 children, according to the health ministry. Continue reading...

Events