14 h. 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

15 h. 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

17 h. ago NGOs call for end to Israel’s ‘weaponisation’ of aid – Middle East crisis live

More than 100 international NGOs sign letter saying more than 60 requests to bring in food, water and items for shelter were denied by authorities in July aloneThe UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has just issued a warning on X, saying that soaring temperatures in Gaza are now above 40°C, making an already dire humanitarian situation “far worse”.“With very limited water available, dehydration is increasing,” the agency said in a post on X. It added that bombardments and forced displacement continue, while limited electricity and fuel mean there is “no relief from the extreme heat”.Approval of construction plans in E1 buries the idea of a Palestinian state and continues the many steps we are taking on the ground as part of the de facto sovereignty plan that we began implementing with the establishment of the government.After decades of international pressure and freezes, we are breaking conventions and connecting Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem. This is Zionism at its best – bui...

Events

58 h. ago Middle East crisis live: 25 foreign ministers issue joint call for ‘flood’ of aid into Gaza

Representatives from countries including UK, Australia and France say that humanitarian suffering has reached ‘unimaginable levels’In a post on X, Israel Defense Forces claim to have “debunked” what it called Hamas’s “starvation campaign” in Gaza.The IDF said that reviews of documents showed that most deaths by malnutrition in Gaza were linked to “severe pre-existing conditions” and that only a handful of the 133 deaths by malnutrition claimed by Gaza’s authorities in July could be “verified”. The post said that the “expert review concluded that there are no signs of a widespread malnutrition phenomenon among the population in Gaza”. Continue reading...

Events

60 h. ago Middle East crisis live: WHO asks for more medical aid to be allowed into Gaza before Israeli offensive

World Health Organization says it needs to deal with ‘catastrophic’ health situation in Gaza before Israel moves to ‘take control’ of Gaza CityIn a post on X, Israel Defense Forces claim to have “debunked” what it called Hamas’s “starvation campaign” in Gaza.The IDF said that reviews of documents showed that most deaths by malnutrition in Gaza were linked to “severe pre-existing conditions” and that only a handful of the 133 deaths by malnutrition claimed by Gaza’s authorities in July could be “verified”. The post said that the “expert review concluded that there are no signs of a widespread malnutrition phenomenon among the population in Gaza”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Global outrage mounts as funeral held for five journalists killed by Israel

Last post from Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif, one of ‘Gaza’s bravest journalists’, decries failure to stop ‘massacre’Middle East crisis – live updatesHundreds of mourners carried the body of the prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif through the streets of Gaza City on Monday, a day after he and four colleagues were killed in an Israeli airstrike, prompting condemnation from across the world.Sharif, one of Al Jazeera’s most recognisable faces in Gaza, was killed while inside a tent for journalists outside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Sunday night. Seven people in total were killed in the attack, including the Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and the camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, according to the Qatar-based broadcaster. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Netanyahu defends Gaza City plan as UN warns of ‘calamity’ and starvation

Israeli PM says taking over city is ‘best way’ to end war, despite condemnation from within Israel and around worldMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu has defended his plan to take control of Gaza City in the face of widespread international outrage, even as senior UN officials warned that the move risked unleashing “another calamity” on a territory already experiencing “starvation, pure and simple”.In a rare press conference with foreign journalists in Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister said the plan, signed off last week by the security cabinet to criticism both at home and abroad, was “the best way to end the war and the best way to end it speedily.” Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Israeli plan to seize Gaza City an ‘unprecedented provocation’, Palestinian Authority says – Middle East crisis live

On Friday, the Israeli security cabinet approved plans to launch major operations to seize Gaza CityIran’s judiciary said Saturday it was investigating the cases of 20 people arrested over their suspected links with Israel following the 12-day war between the two arch-foes.“These cases were immediately filed under the supervision of the esteemed investigators and are being investigated,” Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told reporters in Tehran, adding that further information would be shared as it became available. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Arrests begin in London at largest protest over Palestine Action since group’s ban

Met police says it has drawn officers from other forces to form ‘significant presence’ in busy weekend of protestsMiddle East crisis – live updatesArrests have begun in central London at the largest demonstration relating to Palestine Action since the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation.The Metropolitan police said they had drawn officers from other forces to help form a “significant policing presence” in the capital as it faces a busy weekend of protests. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Arrests begin in London at largest Palestine Action protest since group’s ban

Met police says it has drawn officers from other forces to form ‘significant presence’ in busy weekend of protestsMiddle East crisis – live updatesArrests have begun at the largest demonstration relating to Palestine Action in central London since the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation.The Metropolitan police said it had drawn officers from other forces to help form a “significant policing presence” in the capital as it faces a busy weekend of protests. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Six killed and dozens wounded by Israeli army while collecting aid, says Gaza civil defence – Middle East crisis live

Israeli troops reported to have targeted civilians assembling near an aid point in central GazaThe US and UK have “disagreements” on Gaza including over whether to recognise a Palestinian state, JD Vance has suggested as he arrived in England for his summer holiday.The US vice-president was speaking before a bilateral meeting with David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, at his 17th-century grace-and-favour country house, Chevening. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Israel’s delusional, inhuman Gaza takeover plan could be recipe for perpetual war

Decision will place huge financial burden on Israel and could lead to massive increase in Palestinian civilian deathsMiddle East crisis – live updatesOne of Israel’s most celebrated images is David Rubinger’s photograph of a trio of paratroopers at the newly captured Western Wall in 1967, an event that would mark the beginning of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.You see it when arriving at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. It has been used to illustrate the Israel Defense Forces’ “values” page, and appears endlessly in the Hebrew media and on pro-Israel sites. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Netanyahu announces plan to take over Gaza City in further escalation

Proposal that needs to be approved by full cabinet would mean sending Israeli ground troops into remaining territoryMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s security cabinet has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said, marking another escalation in the 22-month offensive that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most of Gaza and pushed the territory into famine.Ahead of the security cabinet meeting, which began Thursday and ran through the night, Netanyahu had said Israel planned to retake control over the entire territory and eventually hand it off to friendly Arab forces opposed to Hamas. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Middle East crisis live: Israel security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City amid reports of disagreements with military

The announcement comes after Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take full control of Gaza and hand over the territory’s governance to friendly Arab forcesThe Axios reporter Barak Ravid has cited an Israeli official as saying Israel’s occupation of Gaza City is to involve besieging Hamas fighters there while carrying out a ground offensive.Ravid’s post on X says:Senior Israeli official tells me: The operation that the IDF is currently preparing for is only in Gaza City. The goal is to evacuate all Palestinian civilians from Gaza City to the central camps and other areas by October 7. A siege will be imposed on the Hamas militants who remain in Gaza City, and at the same time, a ground offensive will be carried out in Gaza City. The Prime Minister and the Defense Minister have been authorized to approve the IDF’s final operational plan1. Disarming Hamas of its weapons.2. Return of all hostages – both the living and the deceased. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Netanyahu plans to fully occupy Gaza before handing governance to friendly Arab nations

Israeli PM needs security cabinet to approve plan amid opposition from aid agencies and families of hostagesMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel intends to take military control of all of Gaza in defiance of warnings that such a move would lead to countless more Palestinian deaths, further mass displacement and endanger Israeli hostages still held in the territory.Before a security cabinet meeting to discuss Gaza’s future, the Israeli prime minister insisted that Israel does not want to ultimately govern the territory and would hand over that responsibility to friendly Arab nations. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Netanyahu aims to fully control Gaza despite warnings of mass death

Israeli PM needs security cabinet to approve plan amid opposition from aid agencies and families of hostagesMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel intends to take military control of all of Gaza in defiance of warnings that such a move would lead to countless more Palestinian deaths, further mass displacement and endanger Israeli hostages still held in the territory.Before a security cabinet meeting to discuss Gaza’s future, the Israeli prime minister insisted that Israel does not want to ultimately govern the territory and would hand over that responsibility to friendly Arab nations. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago United Airlines tech issue that impacted more than 1,000 flights resolved, residual delays expected

A disruption to a system housing United Airlines’ flight information that caused more than 1,000 delays has been resolved

Politics

7 d. ago Fears for Palestinians and hostages as Netanyahu plans full Gaza occupation

Israeli prime minister to hold cabinet talks on occupation despite pleas from aid agencies and by families of hostagesMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has convened a security cabinet expected to be held on Thursday evening to discuss the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, which aid agencies have warned would lead to countless more Palestinian deaths and further mass displacement.The families of the roughly 20 remaining living hostages have called for Israelis to protest against the government and a decision they fear would endanger the lives of their loved ones. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Médecins Sans Frontières calls for immediate closure of US and Israelibacked aid group in Gaza – Middle East crisis live

MSF says it has rarely ‘seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians’ as it has at GHF aid sitesThe medical NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for the immediate closure of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US- and Israeli-backed aid organisation operating in Gaza, describing GHF-run food distribution sites in Gaza as having become sites of “orchestrated killing and dehumanisation”.In a social media post on Thursday, MSF wrote:“In MSF’s nearly 54 years of operations, rarely have we seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians.”The GHF-run food distributions in Gaza, Palestine, have become sites of “orchestrated killing and dehumanisation”, not humanitarian aid.During those seven weeks, our teams treated 71 children for gunshot wounds, 25 of whom were under the age of 15. Faced with no alternatives to find food, starved families frequently send teenage boys into this lethal environment, as they are often the only males in the ...

Politics

1 week ago Family of Israeli hostage held in Gaza accuses Hamas of starving him

Relatives call for aid to be allowed to reach Evyatar David after video is released showing him emaciated and weakMiddle East crisis live: latest updatesThe family of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza said that Hamas is starving him after the release of a video in which he appeared emaciated and weak.The footage, released on Saturday, shows Evyatar David speaking in what appeared to be a Hamas tunnel in Gaza. In scenes that have caused outrage and dismay in Israel, he is shown digging what he says could be his own grave. In comments made under duress, he urges the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to agree to a ceasefire. Continue reading...

Politics