6 d. ago Jared Kushner is back – and so are big questions about his financial ties | Mohamad Bazzi

Kushner’s investment firm is backed by three Arab petrostates critical to the Gaza agreement. And the deals keep comingIn Donald Trump’s first term, his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner was omnipresent. He worked on criminal justice reform, Covid-19 vaccine development and modernizing technology across federal agencies. His portfolio extended to foreign policy, as he brokered a new North American trade agreement and negotiated peace deals in the Middle East. But when Trump returned to the White House in January, Kushner stayed out of the limelight and declined to take a formal role in the administration.A few weeks ago, Kushner re-emerged as a central player behind Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which so far has achieved a ceasefire, an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory. Kushner took a victory lap, as Trump and others in the US administration gave him significant credit for helping negotiate ...

Politics

6 d. ago Israel launches strikes on Gaza after accusing Hamas of ceasefire violations

Palestinian militants deny responsibility for Rafah attack and delays in releasing hostage remains as peace accord frays

Events

7 d. ago Slow release of hostage bodies threatens Gaza ceasefire and deepens families' heartbreak

Thirteen families whose loved ones were taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack are still waiting for Hamas to return their remains from Gaza

Events

7 d. ago Jordan’s Queen Rania praises Donald Trump for Gaza ceasefire plan

Jordan's Queen Rania has praised Donald Trump for his 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

Politics

1 week ago What to know about the 13 hostages whose remains are still inside Gaza

Palestinian militants have so far released 15 bodies of hostages that were held in Gaza for the past two years as part of the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war

Events

1 week ago The EU was complicit in the war in Gaza. Trump's plan can't be an excuse to dodge responsibility now | Nathalie Tocci

Tiptoeing around Israel has cost Europe its credibility. It must exert meaningful pressure to ensure the horrors we have seen never happen againThe first phase of Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza has drawn a collective sigh of relief from European leaders. After two years of slaughter, the ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the Israeli military’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and humanitarian access to the territory offer hope – and unfortunately, an excuse for Europe to continue doing nothing.When it comes to the war in Gaza, unlike Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European governments have shown their worst colours. They are divided, and their political splits have led to policy paralysis. But worse than sitting on the sidelines hand-wringing, European governments and EU institutions in Brussels can be accused of complicity in Israel’s war crimes. They have been unwilling to exert any pressure on the perpetrators, while continuing economic, political and...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel identifies the remains of a hostage as Hamas says it is committed to ending the war

Israel has identified the body of a hostage released by Hamas overnight

Events

2 w. ago Hamas release another dead hostage to Israel after Trump warns ‘behave or be eradicated’

Trump warned the Palestinian militants to ‘be nice’ as US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Tel Aviv to salvage a fragile ceasefire

Events

2 w. ago Hamas to release another dead hostage to Israel after Trump warns ‘behave or be eradicated’

Trump warned the Palestinian militants to ‘be nice’ as US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Tel Aviv to salvage a fragile ceasefire

Events

2 w. ago Body of slain Nepali hostage held in Gaza repatriated after release by Hamas

The body of a Nepali student who was taken as hostage in Gaza has been repatriated after being released by Hamas

Events

2 w. ago Israel confirms it has received two further bodies of October 7 hostages

The exchange of the two hostages took place at 10pm local time (8pm in London), and came after outrage the terror group had returned only 10 of the 28 bodies of deceased captives.

Events

2 w. ago Hamas finally caves to Trump's demands for them to 'release the dead' by handing over the bodies of two further October 7 hostages who died in captivity

The exchange of the two hostages took place at 10pm local time (8pm in London ), and came after outrage the terror group had returned only 10 of the 28 bodies of deceased captives.

Events

2 w. ago Hamas finally caves to Trump's demands for them to 'release the dead' with the bodies of two October 7 hostages to be handed over tonight

The exchange is due to take place at 10pm local time, 8pm in London, and comes as Hamas has returned only 10 of the 28 bodies of deceased hostages outlined in the ceasefire agreement.

Events

2 w. ago Cheat the Week: Trump hails ‘new dawn’ as Hamas releases final hostages

This week’s biggest news stories in review, and how the media has covered them

Politics

2 w. ago Trump’s peace plan is just about holding together, but may be unravelled by two unresolved issues | Rajan Menon

The withdrawal of Israeli troops and the establishment of an international stabilisation force are key in securing long-term peace, but the plan is dangerously vague on these issuesTwo years of death and destruction in Gaza ended once Israel and Hamas signed off on Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. A ceasefire is in place. Humanitarian trucks have begun to roll in. Hostages and prisoners are being exchanged. Israel has begun a first-phase pullback from the territories it controls, and under Trump’s plan its troops will eventually be deployed in a buffer zone along Gaza’s land border.Given these developments – all part of the opening phase – dismissing the momentous changes in Gaza is to deny reality. There have already been disputes over the return of the bodies of Israeli hostages, but there are unresolved longer-term problems that could derail the ceasefire and imperil the rest of the Trump plan.Rajan Menon is a professor emeritus of international relations at the City College o...

Politics

2 w. ago Gaza peace at risk as 'Hamas blatantly violates' hostage remains agreement and Netanyahu warns 'the fight is not over'

Hamas were supposed to release all living and dead hostages on Monday under the Donald Trump brokered deal, but the bodies of 19 dead hostages remain in Gaza.

Events

2 w. ago These are the hostage bodies released by Hamas – and those yet to be returned

The bodies of 21 hostages remain in Gaza as families accuse Hamas of breaching a ceasefire agreement

Events

2 w. ago Who are the dead hostages Hamas are yet to release – as ceasefire with Israel hangs in the balance?

The bodies of 21 hostages remain in Gaza as families accuse Hamas of breaching a ceasefire agreement

Events

2 w. ago From darkness to daylight: The difficult journey ahead for freed Hamas hostages

The last 20 living hostages released by Hamas are beginning a difficult path to recovery that will include rebuilding a sense of control over their lives and following a carefully supervised diet

Events

2 w. 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