8 d. ago France could recognise Palestinian state ‘in June’, says Emmanuel Macron – Middle East crisis live

President says ‘we must move towards recognition’ and process could start at UN conference on settling Israel-Palestine conflict in New York in JuneSuspected US airstrikes in Yemen overnight into Thursday killed at least three people, while the death toll in an earlier attack rose to 13 dead, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said. The rebels meanwhile aired footage they said showed the debris left after shooting down yet another American MQ-9 Reaper drone, reports the Associated Press (AP). The 13 killed in strikes on Tuesday night around Hodeida’s al-Hawak district made it one of the deadliest single incidents in the ongoing US campaign, the rebels said.Another 15 people were injured. The Houthis described the majority of those killed as women and children, without providing a breakdown. The area is home to the city’s airport, which the rebels have used in the past to target shipping in the Red Sea. Since its start, the intense campaign of US airstrikes targeting the rebels over their...

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8 d. ago Israeli strike on Gaza City residential block killed at least 23, officials say

Israeli military says it struck a senior Hamas militant who it claims was behind attacks emanating from ShijaiyahMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsraeli aircraft struck a residential block in war-ravaged northern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people, health officials said, as the renewed fighting in the devastated Palestinian territory showed no signs of letting up.The Al-Ahli hospital said at least 23 people were killed in the strike, including eight women and eight children, figures confirmed by the territory’s health ministry. Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Gaza rescue workers say 20 people killed in Israeli strike on residential block – Middle East crisis live

Gaza’s civil defence agency says the strike resulted in ‘20 martyrs and more than 40 injured’The Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that at least 1,482 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed intense strikes on the Gaza Strip on 18 March, taking the overall death toll since the start of the war to 50,846.Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) tally based on Israeli official figures. Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Gaza has become ‘a killing field’ due to Israel blocking aid, says UN secretary general – Middle East crisis live

António Guterres says ‘more than a month has passed without aid into Gaza’ as Israeli officials say there is ‘no shortage’ of aidAs calls for Lebanon’s Hezbollah to disarm gain momentum, a senior Hezbollah official told Reuters the group is ready to hold talks with the Lebanese president about its weapons if Israel withdraws from south Lebanon and stops its strikes.US-backed president Joseph Aoun, who vowed when he took office in January to establish a state monopoly on the control of arms, intends to open talks with Hezbollah over its arsenal soon, three Lebanese political sources told Reuters. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Middle East crisis live: Israeli attack on tents housing journalists in Gaza kills at least two, say Palestinian medics

Airstrikes hit media tent outside Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, say medics, injuring nine othersAs we mentioned in the opening summary, ten Britons have been accused of committing war crimes while fighting for Israel in Gaza. Here is some more of the story, written by the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique:Michael Mansfield KC is one of a group of lawyers who will on Monday hand in a 240-page dossier to Scotland Yard’s war crimes unit alleging targeted killing of civilians and aid workers, including by sniper fire, and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, including hospitals.The report, which has been prepared by a team of UK lawyers and researchers in The Hague, also accuses suspects of coordinated attacks on protected sites including historic monuments and religious sites, and forced transfer and displacement of civilians. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Israel announces intention to seize large areas of Gaza Strip in major escalation

Defence minister Israel Katz says seized land ‘will be added to the state of Israel’s security areas’Middle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s defence minister has said the country intends to “seize large areas” of the Gaza Strip amid a major expansion of aerial and ground operations in the besieged Palestinian territory.Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday that “troops will move to clear areas of terrorists and infrastructure, and seize extensive territory that will be added to the state of Israel’s security areas”. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Middle East crisis live: Israel issues evacuation order for parts of northern Gaza

IDF says residents should evacuate Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Zayed, al-Manshiya and Tal al-ZaatarThe IDF has issued a forced evacuation order to residents in parts of northern Gaza: Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Zayed, al-Manshiya and Tal al-Zaatar.Avichay Adraee, an Arabic language spokesperson for the Israeli army, said it is a “final” warning before the “raid”. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Middle East crisis live: Israel orders Rafah evacuation; return to ceasefire between Israel and Hamas essential, says EU

Sweeping order from military covers most of city in southern Gaza; European Union says resumption of negotiations is only way forwardThe Israeli military said on Monday that an inquiry had found that on 23 March, troops opened fire on a group of vehicles that included ambulances and fire trucks when the vehicles approached a position without prior coordination and without headlights or emergency signals.It said several militants belonging to the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad were killed. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Middle East crisis live: Netanyahu repeats threat to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas does not release hostages

Israeli PM says he will take ‘more powerful repression’ if Hamas does not release remaining hostagesFull story: Hundreds join Hamas protest in GazaHere are some of the latest images coming in via the newswires:The Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that at least 830 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel resumed large-scale strikes on 18 March, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Five killed by Israeli shelling in southern Syria, officials say; US appears to confirm fresh Yemen strikes – Middle East crisis live

Israel shells province of Darra amid warning of escalation in region; US attacks Houthis in a bid to regain control of international shipping lanesIn a statement regarding the airstrike on Syria, the Israeli military said:IDF (army) troops identified several terrorists who opened fire toward them in southern Syria. The troops returned fire in response and the IAF (air force) struck the terrorists. Hits were identified. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago US appears to confirm fresh strikes on Yemen; Israel issues fresh calls to evacuate northern Gaza – Middle East crisis live

US attacks target Houthis in a bid to regain control of international shipping lanes; IDF tells people to head towards ‘known shelters’ At least five people have been killed in Israeli shelling of the southern Syrian province of Daraa, local authorities said.In a post on Telegram, provincial authorities reported a provisional toll of “five people killed in the Israeli bombardment of the town of Kuwayya... west of Daraa”. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Israel military issues further calls to evacuate northern Gaza as airstrikes continue – Middle East crisis live

Military tells people to head towards ‘known shelters’ despite the fact there is no guarantee of safety as 57 people killed in past 24 hoursAs we mentioned in the opening summary, Israel’s security cabinet has approved a suggestion by the country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, to set up a new administration within his department tasked with enabling Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave Gaza, their homelands.In a statement a couple of days ago, Katz’s office said the new directorate would work to:Prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries, including securing their movement, establishing movement routes, checking pedestrians at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip, as well as coordinating the provision of infrastructure that will enable passage by land, sea and air to the destination countries.The ministry of foreign affairs and expatriates condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s announcement of the establ...

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3 w. ago Israel to ‘seize more ground’ and warns Hamas it will annex parts of Gaza

Defence minister, Israel Katz, threatens to implement Trump’s plan to turn Gaza into resort if hostages not releasedMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s defence minister said on Friday he has instructed the military to “seize more ground” in Gaza and threatened to annex part of the territory unless Hamas releases the remaining hostages it holds.Israel Katz’s warning came as the army stepped up the renewed assault it launched on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Who is Ronen Bar, the sacked chief of Israel’s Shin Bet security service?

Former special forces soldier made enemies after disagreements with far-right factions in Netanyahu governmentIsrael supreme court freezes firing of Shin Bet chiefMiddle East crisis – live updatesRonen Bar, the head of Israel’s powerful internal security service, the Shin Bet, may seem an unlikely rebel.A former special forces soldier who holds degrees from Tel Aviv and Harvard universities, Bar has devoted three decades of his working life to the service of the state. His frame is lean, greying hair close shaved, features gaunt, manner reserved and speech moderate. Continue reading...

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