40 m. ago Israel suspends aid into Gaza and launches wave of strikes after accusing Hamas of breaching ceasefire

Hamas allegedly carried out attacks with an RPG and sniper fire against Israeli troops

Events

30 h. ago Gaza’s children needed a ceasefire – now they desperately need the aid that will keep them alive | Alison Griffin

The youngest and most vulnerable have suffered extreme mental and physical trauma. We can help – but we must be granted immediate accessAlison Griffin is head of conflict and humanitarian campaigns at Save the Children UKIn the last few days, we have seen celebrations alongside cautious optimism about a future for Gaza without bombs and bullets. This much needed pause in hostilities is providing children with the chance to sleep without the fear of drones above their heads, airstrikes on nearby buildings or fires breaking out in their tents. Families in Gaza are slowly returning to their neighbourhoods and trying to salvage what they can of their lives from the rubble.But crucially, what they are still not currently getting is full and sustainable access to aid supplies and vital services. This is about fundamental basic rights for children in the occupied Palestinian territory, which we have been demanding and advocating for since 1953.Alison Griffin is head of conflict and humanit...

Society

46 h. ago Gaza awaits the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, its link to the outside world

Palestinians and aid workers are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, which is the Gaza Strip’s lifeline for food and other aid and its only gateway to the outside world that wasn’t controlled by Israel before the war

Politics

48 h. ago ‘It’s a trickle – we need a flood’: Northern Gaza is still not seeing enough aid despite ceasefire, humanitarian agencies warn

The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel has allowed more aid to flow into Gaza – but obstacles remain, particularly in the north

Events

52 h. ago Gaza aid still critically scarce, say agencies, as Israel delays convoys

UN urges opening of all crossing points as fewer than half of intended trucks enter strip and WHO warns of ‘spiralling’ diseaseMiddle East crisis – live updatesAid remains critically scarce in Gaza one week into the ceasefire, humanitarian agencies have warned, as Israel delays the entry of food convoys into the territory. The Israeli government and Hamas continue to trade blame over violations of the truce.The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that it had brought about 560 tonnes of food per day on average into Gaza since the ceasefire began, but it was still below what was needed. Continue reading...

Politics

54 h. ago Gaza latest: Aid delivery ‘extremely challenging’ despite Israel

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said humanitarian groups have a ‘mountain to climb’ to deliver the necessary scale of aid in Gaza

Politics

59 h. ago Hamas’s aim to retain authority in Gaza involves keeping the guns

With no law, order or any alternative administration under the ceasefire, the group is using violence to deter rivalsThroughout Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, aid officials working in the territory avoided naming Hamas in conversations they suspected might be intercepted, instead referring to the militant Islamist group as the “de facto authority”.This careful euphemism for Hamas, which violently seized power in 2007, captured an important truth. Though the group was a less obvious presence in the last months of the conflict, in the absence of any alternative, it remained the closest the increasingly devastated territory had to a ruler. Continue reading...

Culture

2 d. ago Israel and Hamas trade accusations as tensions rise over hostages’ remains

Militant group says it needs specialist equipment to recover bodies as Netanyahu says fight ‘is not over yet’Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti assaulted by Israeli prison guards, son saysIsrael and Hamas have traded accusations of ceasefire violations amid tensions over the flow of aid into Gaza and warnings that the humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory risks deteriorating further.The ceasefire deal signed last week between Israel and Hamas raised hopes of a surge of humanitarian aid finally reaching the territory after two years of war, but most restrictions have remained in place, throttling the supply of desperately needed assistance. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Celtic make six figure donation to Gaza humanitarian aid to help thousands in need

The Celtic FC Foundation have pledged £100k to the UN World Food Programme

Politics

3 d. ago Israel and Hamas trade blame over truce violations as tensions rise over return of hostage bodies

Militant group says it needs specialist equipment to recover remains as Netanyahu warns the fight ‘is not over’Gaza ceasefire – live updatesPalestinian leader Marwan Barghouti assaulted by Israeli prison guards, son saysIsrael and Hamas have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire in Gaza amid tensions over the flow of aid into the devastated territory, the return of the remains of deceased hostages by the militant group and new casualties from Israeli firing on Palestinians close to new military positions.Regional diplomats and US officials have sought to minimise the significance of the accusations, emphasising that Hamas or Israel still appeared committed to the ceasefire agreed last week. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Israel and Hamas trade blame over truce violations as tensions rise over return of hostages’ bodies

Militant group says it needs specialist equipment to recover remains as Netanyahu warns the fight ‘is not over’Gaza ceasefire – live updatesPalestinian leader Marwan Barghouti assaulted by Israeli prison guards, son saysIsrael and Hamas have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire in Gaza amid tensions over the flow of aid into the devastated territory, the return of the remains of deceased hostages by the militant group and new casualties from Israeli firing on Palestinians close to new military positions.Regional diplomats and US officials have sought to minimise the significance of the accusations, emphasising that Hamas or Israel still appeared committed to the ceasefire agreed last week. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Voices: There’s one very good reason Trump should never win a Nobel prize

The Nobel committee has made some controversial choices in the past, but Trump’s demolition of US climate and aid policies should rule him out whatever else he might achieve, writes Roger Harrabin

Politics

3 d. ago Greta Thunberg claims she was ‘kicked and had wh*** written on her suitcase’ in Israeli detention

The Swedish activist claims she had to ‘beg’ for water after her Gaza aid flotilla was seized, leading Israeli authorities to call the accusations ‘ludicrous’

Politics

3 d. ago Gaza ceasefire under pressure as Israel says repatriated body is not that of a hostage

Confusion surrounded aid deliveries into Gaza on Wednesday amid a row over the return of deceased hostages

Events

3 d. ago Gaza latest: Israeli military says two more hostage bodies handed over as Trump threatens Hamas with return of fighting

Reports conflict on whether Israel will reopen Rafah border crossing to let in aid

Events

3 d. ago Gaza latest: Israeli military says more hostage bodies to be returned tonight as US warns Hamas to put down arms

Reports conflict on whether Israel will reopen Rafah border crossing to let in aid

Events

3 d. ago Aid organisations frustrated as crucial supplies trickle into Gaza and trucks wait at border

Relief agencies told The Independent that more than 1,000 vehicles were waiting at the border with Gaza, laden with supplies

Politics

3 d. ago Israel urged to open more Gaza border crossings to allow surge of aid

Aid agencies and UN officials call for more entry points to allow ‘thousands of trucks’ to enter devastated territoryGaza ceasefire – live updatesAid agencies and the United Nations are calling for Israel to open more crossings into Gaza to allow “thousands of trucks” to enter the devastated territory every day.Preparations are being made to allow convoys through the southern Rafah crossing with Egypt on Thursday, the first such access through the critical entry point since May last year. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Gaza ceasefire live: Israel says body handed over by Hamas is not one of the hostages

Four bodies were handed over by Hamas on Tuesday to ease pressure on the fragile ceasefire, after the first four on Monday Israel reportedly pulls back from threat to slash humanitarian aid entering GazaThe Israeli military said on Wednesday that one of the bodies handed over by Hamas the previous day as part of the ceasefire deal is not that of one of the hostages who was held in Gaza. Four bodies were handed over by Hamas on Tuesday to ease pressure on the fragile ceasefire, after the first four on Monday – when the last 20 living hostages were released. The military said that “following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages”.In the north of the territory, as Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza City, the Hamas government’s black-masked armed police resumed street patrols, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).Our message is clear: There will be no place for outlaws...

Events

4 d. ago Watch: Aid trucks bound for Gaza line up at Egypt’s Rafah crossing

Trucks filled with humanitarian aid destined for Gaza line up at Egypt’s Rafah crossing on Wednesday (15 October).

Politics