18 h. ago The Guardian view on Israel’s aid blockade: pushing Palestinians toward catastrophe | Editorial

A pan-Arab coalition resists US-Israeli policy on Gaza, while Donald Trump’s reported Hamas talks signal a potential reversal of longstanding strategyIsrael’s decision to block aid to Gaza, as ceasefire talks falter, is a devastating blow to 2 million hungry, vulnerable civilians in the shattered territory. As the occupying power, Israel is legally bound to allow relief into Gaza under the Geneva convention. Denying it isn’t just inhumane – it’s a war crime. But Benjamin Netanyahu already faces an international criminal court arrest warrant for “starvation as a method of warfare” and “crimes against humanity”.Mr Netanyahu’s ability to flout international law is thanks to Donald Trump, who remains firmly in his corner. Washington now appears to accept starvation as an Israeli bargaining chip to pressure Hamas into accepting a US-devised truce extension – one that secures hostage exchanges while ensuring Israeli forces remain in Gaza. Hamas, which sparked the war with its 2023 massacr...

Politics

18 h. ago Israel 'could be breaching international law' over its Gaza 'starvation policy'

Britain, France and Germany warn Israel it could be breaching international law with its aid ban on Gaza - amid fears PM Netanyahu will cut off electricity into the Strip to pressurise Hamas

Politics

18 h. ago UK, France and Germany say Gaza aid freeze could breach international law

Ministers issue joint statement after Israel cuts off supplies in effort to push Hamas to accept change in ceasefire dealBritain has joined Germany and France to warn that Israel could be in breach of international law by halting the entry of aid into Gaza, which is facing a “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis.The foreign secretary, David Lammy, signed a joint statement with his French and German counterparts to urge Israel and Hamas to engage constructively to get ceasefire talks back on track. Continue reading...

Society

20 h. ago Israel’s Gaza aid freeze risks breaking international law, UK and allies warn

The UK, France and Germany said humanitarian aid ‘should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool’.

Events

46 h. ago Israel risks breaching international law by blocking aid to Gaza, says minister

Catherine West said humanitarian aid ‘should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool’.

Politics

2 d. ago Porn isn’t just a reflection of our desires – it shapes them, putting women and girls at risk | Fiona Vera

For too long UK has law trailed behind internet platforms. After a long-awaited review, ministers must put this rightIf you’ve seen porn in recent years, you’ll know it’s grim out there these days. Incest and strangulation are rife, as is coercion, racism, and also sexual violence. It’s front and centre on mainstream porn sites and many social media platforms, pushed by recommendation algorithms on a drive to maximise engagement and profit. It’s a world away from the days when “hardcore” porn meant an erect penis. But we might be on the brink of change.Last week the long-awaited independent porn review led by the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin was published, marking the biggest review of pornography regulation in more than 40 years. Its findings amount to a clear indictment of what counts as porn today and the inaction of successive governments to do anything to fix it. It was a Labour government which first brought in the extreme porn law in 2009, recognising the need for a step-ch...

Events

3 d. ago Arab nations condemn Israel’s decision to block humanitarian aid to Gaza

Arab nations and the UN accuse Israel of violating international law and ceasefire agreement

Politics

4 d. ago Goalkeepers to be punished with corner for holding ball more than eight seconds

Ifab announces law change for next season‘It could be one of those very effective deterrents’Goalkeepers who waste time by holding on to the ball are to be penalised with the award of a corner, the law-making International Football Association Board (Ifab) has confirmed.The new law, which will be rolled out across the game this summer, will mean goalkeepers have eight seconds to claim and redistribute the ball before they are penalised, with the referee giving the keeper a five-second countdown to warn them of incoming punishment. This will replace the current system whereby a keeper has six seconds to move the ball on, and is punished with an indirect free-kick if they do not. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Gibson Dunn Adds Senior Finance Duo from Sullivan & Cromwell in London

Gibson Dunn Adds Senior Finance Duo from Sullivan & Cromwell in London  Law.com International

Politics

7 d. ago Israel releases over 600 Palestinian prisoners as Hamas returns bodies of four hostages

Gaza ceasefire appears to hold after four-day breach, as Israel says three of four bodies identified as of Thursday morningSee all our Middle East coverageHamas has handed over the bodies of four hostages, and Israel has released more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, as the five-week-old ceasefire appeared to get back on track after a breach that had brought fears of a return to war in Gaza.The bodies of the hostages were transferred to the Red Cross in southern Gaza and driven to the border point at Kerem Shalom at about midnight, when immediate identity checks were carried out using dental records. By dawn on Thursday morning, three out of the four had been positively identified, according to a group representing the hostages. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago The playbook for bombing hospitals in war: deny, deflect, justify. The law must close these loopholes | Maarten van der Heijden

Cynical actors exploit the legal ambiguities around targeting healthcare facilities, as seen in Gaza. Unequivocal protections are neededHospitals in Gaza have “turned into battlegrounds”, the World Health Organization’s representative for the West Bank and Gaza stated at the UN security council in January. He warned that the healthcare system was being “systematically dismantled and driven to the brink of collapse”.Israel’s attacks on medical centres in Gaza have prompted widespread condemnation from civil society, academics and news agencies, many labelling these strikes as breaches of international law or war crimes. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted that: “Any attack of healthcare facilities is a violation of international humanitarian law.” Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Arts sector’s use of unpaid interns for some roles could be illegal, experts say

Concerns also raised that practice prevents young working-class people from finding paid work in creative industriesArts employers could be breaking the law by relying on unpaid interns to perform roles that should be left to paid workers, preventing young people from working-class backgrounds from gaining a foothold, experts have said.Institutions are getting away with exploiting carve-outs in employment legislation to keep interns working for free, they said, which stops working-class people from finding paid work in the industry. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago ‘No rules’: Gaza’s doctors say they were tortured, beaten and humiliated in Israeli detention

Healthcare workers are protected under international law yet hundreds were detained during the war. Now, some of Gaza’s most senior doctors have spoken of the violence and abuse they say they facedMore than 160 Gazan medics held in Israeli prisons amid reports of tortureDr Issam Abu Ajwa was in the middle of performing emergency surgery on a patient with a severe abdominal injury at al-Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza when the soldiers came for him.“I asked them what they were doing coming into the operating theatre,” he says. “One of the soldiers pointed at me and said: ‘Are you Dr Issam Abu Ajwa?’ I said: ‘Yes, that’s me.’ And then the beating began.” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Australia should repatriate and investigate alleged crimes of Islamic state member found in Syria, experts say

Exclusive: Home Affairs tells the Guardian consular assistance is ‘severely limited’ in Syria, where Mustafa Hajj-Obeid remains in custodyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government should repatriate, monitor and investigate any crimes committed by a member of Islamic State who was wounded in the extremist group’s final battle, according to multiple security and international law experts.Last week, the Guardian revealed an Australian man whose fate was not publicly known was alive and in custody in a prison in north-eastern Syria, run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Ohio bathroom law targeting transgender students has brought internal strife to some campuses

An Ohio law designating school bathrooms for use by people based on their sex at birth kicks in soon

Society

1 week ago UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy issues Rwanda warning over 'blatant risk' of war

David Lammy said further Rwandan action in DRC would 'have consequences' as he accused it of a 'blantant breach' of international law. Labour is currently repealing the Tory Safety of Rwanda Act

Events

2 w. ago The key global issue is not the clash of north and south: it’s who supports international law and who doesn’t | Jean

We say the defining question is this: do nations work for peace and order or embrace the notion of power by force?Jean-Noël Barrot is the foreign minister of FranceWe are being told that the world is divided between a “global north” and a “global south”. But what exactly is meant by that? An economic difference? Of the 20 leading global economies, several are in the south. In the south, some countries are many, many times richer than their neighbours. A climate difference? The climate crisis affects every country in the world, and especially small island states and the poorest countries. The 10 greatest emitters, if we go by CO2 emissions per inhabitant, are split between countries in the north and south.Are we talking about a migration difference? A huge number of migrations are between countries in the south. A political divide? In both the north and the south, there are those who support collective solutions, and conversely, those who support efforts to withdraw from global affai...

Society

2 w. ago Middle East crisis live: Hamas says it will return bodies of four Israelis on Thursday and release six living hostages on Saturday

Militant group will release hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners as Israel confirms it will begin negotiations on second phase of ceasefire dealGeneva Abdul is a reporter for the GuardianMore than 200 organisations worldwide have called on nations involved in producing F-35 fighter jets to “immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel” amid fears they have failed to prevent the planes from being used to violate international law. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Middle East crisis live: Israel to begin negotiations on second phase of Gaza ceasefire deal, says minister

Mediators hope second phase of deal will agree release of remaining hostages as well as full withdrawal of Israeli troops from GazaGeneva Abdul is a reporter for the GuardianMore than 200 organisations worldwide have called on nations involved in producing F-35 fighter jets to “immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel” amid fears they have failed to prevent the planes from being used to violate international law. Continue reading...

Politics