11 h. ago Israel to respond by Friday over Gaza truce plan accepted by Hamas

Israel under pressure to accept ceasefire proposal that is said to be almost identical to earlier US-backed planMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday over a new Gaza ceasefire plan accepted by Hamas amid mounting pressure for a truce in a war that has claimed more than 62,000 Palestinian lives.After mass protests in Israel demanding a deal to secure the release of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza, it appeared that Hamas had reduced its demands for a prisoners-for-hostages exchange as well as over the scope of an Israeli-demanded “security buffer zone”. Continue reading...

Politics

32 h. ago Hamas tells mediators it approves latest Gaza ceasefire proposal – Middle East crisis live

Hamas official tells Reuters news agency it has approved latest Gaza ceasefire proposalNorway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, said on Monday it had decided to exclude six companies with connections to the West Bank and Gaza from its portfolio, following a review of its Israeli investments.The $2tn wealth fund did not name the companies it had decided to exclude, but said these would be made public once the divestment was completed, Reuters reports. Continue reading...

Events

33 h. ago Netanyahu criticises protests in Israel against his handling of Gaza war

Israeli PM suggests demonstrators are toughening Hamas’s stance and delaying the release of hostagesMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu has criticised massive street protests against his handling of the Gaza war, and failure to secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages, suggesting demonstrators were giving comfort to Hamas’s position in negotiations.The Israeli prime minister made his comments against the backdrop of the largest protests in almost two years of war, with estimates that upwards of 400,000 people joined marches across Israel on Sunday. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Middle East crisis live: time not right to recognise Palestinian state, says Danish PM – updates

Mette Frederiksen says recognition should take place when a ‘sustainable and democratic state’ could be created, and that Denmark would use its EU presidency to increase pressure on Israel and HamasThe Metropolitan police has said that 60 more people will be prosecuted for showing support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed by the UK government last month.More than 700 people have been arrested for supporting the group since its proscription on 5 July.We are deeply concerned about the unimaginable crisis in Gaza, which is having a terrible impact on civilians and especially the children. Starvation is deepening. Water scarcity is increasing very much each day. Colleagues on the ground are reporting that people are now basically rationing between either using water for drinking or for hygiene. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Middle East crisis live: 25 reported killed in Gaza as UN warns one in five Gaza City children malnourished – updates

Four children said to be among those killed in strikes on Bureij refugee camp, while 12 people were killed seeking aid, according to Al JazeeraThe Metropolitan police has said that 60 more people will be prosecuted for showing support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed by the UK government last month.More than 700 people have been arrested for supporting the group since its proscription on 5 July.We are deeply concerned about the unimaginable crisis in Gaza, which is having a terrible impact on civilians and especially the children. Starvation is deepening. Water scarcity is increasing very much each day. Colleagues on the ground are reporting that people are now basically rationing between either using water for drinking or for hygiene. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago One in five children in Gaza City malnourished, UN warns – Middle East crisis live

Malnutrition has reached 21.5% in Gaza City, meaning around one in five young children are suffering from malnutrition, Unrwa has saidTwo former officials that worked under Joe Biden’s administration have said they received no evidence that “Hamas was physically diverting US-funded goods provided by the World Food Programme or international nongovernmental organizations”.The remarks were made in a joint op-ed in Foreign Affairs by Jacob Lew, who served as US ambassador to Israel from 2023 to 2025, and David Satterfield, former US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues from 2023 to 2024.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) warned that malnutrition in Gaza City has reached 21.5%, meaning about one in five young children are now malnourished.The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said earlier this week that almost 13,000 new admissions of children for acute malnutrition treatment were recorded in July 2025 across Gaza.Two more people were ki...

Events

4 d. ago Israeli minister posts video online confronting Palestinian detainee in his prison cell – Middle East crisis live

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir posts video showing him confronting Marwan Barghouti, who has spent more than 20 years in Israeli custodyAt least 16 Palestinian people, including five aid seekers, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn, Al Jazeera is reporting, citing medical sources.Here are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires from Gaza: Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Several Palestinian people reported injured in overnight attack by Israeli settlers in West Bank – Middle East crisis live

Settlers attacked Palestinian people in village of Susya, south of Hebron, while separately settlers reportedly attacked village of Atara and set fire to vehiclesHere is some more detail on the controversial plan to significantly expand a settlement near occupied East Jerusalem.The decision from the Supreme Planning Council, which meets next week, is expected to support the plan after rejecting objections by Israeli NGOs.The expected decision in favour will come after Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich – who backs both the plan and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty through the occupied West Bank – gloated that he believed construction on E1 would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. 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

5 d. 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

5 d. 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

6 d. ago Trump says he’ll seek ‘longterm’ control of DC police and signals he’ll target other cities next

President’s comments come as White House takes credit for dozens of arrests as part of campaign to fight ‘crime crisis’ its leaders say doesn’t existUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump said on Wednesday he would ask Congress for “longterm” control of Washington DC’s police department and signaled he expected other Democratic-led cities to change their laws in response to his deployment of national guard troops and federal agents into the capital.The president’s comments came as the White House took credit for dozens of arrests overnight in Washington as part of Trump’s campaign to fight a “crime crisis”, which its leaders say does not exist. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Mayor of DC pushes back on Trump’s incursion as national guard troops patrol the streets

Around 800 troops expected to be deployed and an unknown number of arrests have been made as Trump makes claims about ‘crime crisis’US politics live – latest updatesNational guard and federal law enforcement agents were spotted on the streets of Washington DC overnight Wednesday, as part of Donald Trump’s campaign to quell a “crime crisis” in the capital that local officials say does not exist.National guard troops were spotted arriving on the National Mall late Tuesday as agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI and Department of Homeland Security fanned out across neighborhoods in the capital, sometimes accompanied by local police officers. Video circulating on local media showed police and federal agents arresting at least one person that evening in Columbia Heights, home to the city’s largest Hispanic population. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. 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

7 d. 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

8 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

9 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

1 week 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

1 week 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

1 week 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...

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