8 h. ago Collapse of Gaza ceasefire and threats against Iran unmask Trump’s ‘anti

Analysis: Trump has proven incapable of preventing conflict from breaking out. Ukraine stands as a test of his ability to stop one, writes John Bowden

Events

10 h. ago The Guardian view on Israel breaking the ceasefire: destroying hope along with lives | Editorial

Benjamin Netanyahu is kept in place by an endless war, at a terrible cost to Palestinians and hostagesIn shattering the two-month ceasefire that had brought a fragile peace and relief to Gaza, Israel has also smashed the faint hopes that a resolution might just remain within reach. This was one of the deadliest days since the early months of the conflict, sparked by the lethal Hamas raid of 7 October 2023. Israel says it was attacking “terror targets”, but health authorities in Gaza say that 174 children and 89 women were among the more than 400 dead. Evacuation orders issued by the military suggest that a renewed ground offensive may be on its way for traumatised and repeatedly displaced Palestinians. Families of the remaining Israeli hostages are terrified and angry too, attacking the government for choosing to give up on them.Horror is piling upon horror. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since the war began, and the numbers grew even during the ceasefire, many d...

Politics

12 h. ago BREAKING: Ballistic missile fired from Yemen at Israel sparking mass rocket alarms

The reported rocket launch comes as Israel continues a deadly renewed campaign in Gaza, with local officials estimating more than 400 people have died after the ceasefire collapsed

Events

13 h. ago Families of hostages in Gaza are terrified they won't return after Israel resumes fighting

Families whose relatives remain hostages in Gaza are terrified their loved ones might not return after Israel launched a wave of strikes on the territory

Events

18 h. ago Families of Israeli hostages accuse Netanyahu of 'complete deception' as Gaza ceasefire collapses

Hostage families call for return to ceasefire as Hamas claims Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 400 people in Gaza

Events

4 d. ago Pakistan accuses India of sponsoring terror after 26 hostages killed in train attack

Indian foreign ministry rejects ‘baseless allegations’

Events

1 week ago Hostage David Haines' daughter: 'ISIS jailer is worse than monster who beheaded my dad'

Bethany Haines is half way through a painstaking six-week trial in Paris, where five French jailers are accused of torturing and enslaving a string of hostages, including her father David

Events

1 week ago Daughter of Isis beheading victim David Haines shares horror at shock new details of death

Bethany Haines is sitting through one of France’s biggest terror trials, where five jailers are accused of torturing and enslaving a string of hostages, including David, from Perth.

Events

1 week ago Hamas says Trump’s threats encourage Israel to back out of Gaza ceasefire

Militant group accuses the US president of seeking to undermine deal with his ultimatum for release of hostages Middle East crisis – live updatesHamas has accused Donald Trump of seeking to undermine the shaky pause in hostilities in Gaza with his latest intervention in the region: a new and fierce ultimatum telling the group to release all hostages.The militant Islamist organisation said Trump’s threats constituted support for attempts by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to back out of the ceasefire agreement. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Father of hostage still in Gaza accuses Netanyahu of ‘stalling’ Hamas deal

Yehuda Cohen says Israeli prime minister is refusing permanent ceasefire because ‘he wants to stay in power’The father of an Israeli hostage has said Benjamin Netanyahu is “stalling” the deal with Hamas that could lead to the return of his son from Gaza.Speaking at the Israeli embassy in central London, Yehuda Cohen, father of 20-year-old Israeli hostage Nimrod Cohen, said: “There is a deal on the table. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Middle East crisis live: Shiri Bibas remains mixed with others after airstrike, Hamas claims after Israel says wrong body returned

Israel has demanded the return of Shiri Bibas after it said testing showed that one of the four bodies released by Hamas did not belong to any other hostageFull report: Israeli military accuses Hamas of ‘serious violation’, saying Shiri Bibas not among returned hostagesOne of the four bodies returned by Hamas to Israel on Thursday is not that of Shiri Bibas, Israel’s military has said, calling it a “violation of utmost severity” of a ceasefire deal that was already precarious.The Israeli military confirmed that two of the bodies belonged to Bibas’ children, Ariel and Kfir, in the early hours of Friday. However, it added “During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body” Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Middle East crisis live: Shiri Bibas remains have been mixed with other remains after airstrike, Hamas says

Israel has demanded the return of Shiri Bibas after it said testing showed that one of the four bodies released by Hamas did not belong to any other hostageFull report: Israeli military accuses Hamas of ‘serious violation’, saying Shiri Bibas not among returned hostagesOne of the four bodies returned by Hamas to Israel on Thursday is not that of Shiri Bibas, Israel’s military has said, calling it a “violation of utmost severity” of a ceasefire deal that was already precarious.The Israeli military confirmed that two of the bodies belonged to Bibas’ children, Ariel and Kfir, in the early hours of Friday. However, it added “During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body” Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Shiri Bibas not among returned hostages, Israeli military says, accusing Hamas of ‘serious violation’

Statement from IDF comes hours after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders further crackdown on occupied West Bank over bus explosionsOne of the four bodies returned by Hamas to Israel on Thursday is not that of Shiri Bibas, Israel’s military has said, calling it a “violation of utmost severity” of a ceasefire deal that was already precarious.The Israeli military confirmed that two of the bodies belonged to Bibas’ children, Ariel and Kfir, in the early hours of Friday. However, it added “During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body.” Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Hamas' youngest Israeli hostage Kfir Bibas, his brother and mother are confirmed dead: Families forum shares 'heart

A group representing the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 has tragically confirmed that Kfir Bibas, the terror group's youngest hostage, is dead, along with his brother and mother. 

Events

3 w. ago Trump’s Gaza takeover won’t happen. But it has already changed the face of Israeli politics | Yair Wallach

The US president’s support for forcibly relocating Palestinians has laid the ground for Netanyahu’s ultimate fantasyWhen President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas last week to release all hostages by noon on 15 February, warning that otherwise “all hell [will] break loose”, the Israeli right was ecstatic. Here was a chance to finally move ahead with the complete occupation and annihilation of the Gaza Strip. The families of Israeli hostages were petrified about the prospect of the ceasefire collapsing, yet members of the ruling coalition called to kill the deal. “We have international support, give the order!” demanded the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.But the order never came. Hamas abided by the agreement and freed three hostages; Israel then released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Trump shrugged and said that it was Israel’s decision. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, who visited Israel on Sunday, signalled that the direction of travel is not towards resuming h...

Politics