14 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy speaks of military presence in Russia’s Belgorod region for first time

Ukraine president makes first explicit mention of ‘active operations’ on ground in Russian border region close to Kursk. What we know on day 1,140See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageVolodymyr Zelenskyy said for the first time Monday that Ukrainian forces were operating in Russia’s Belgorod region, where Moscow reported attacks in March. Belgorod is regularly the target of Ukrainian air attacks and is close to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been desperately trying to hang on to territory since launching a surprise incursion last year. Zelenskyy said in his daily address that General Oleksandr Syrsky had reported on “our presence in Kursk region and our presence in Belgorod region”. He added: “We continue to conduct active operations in the border areas on the enemy’s territory, and this is absolutely right – the war must return to where it came from.” It is the first time since the full-scale invasion began that Zelenskyy has explicitly mentioned a Ukrainian pr...

Events

22 h. ago Gaza paramedics shot in upper body ‘with intent to kill’, Red Crescent says

PRCS calls for international investigation after postmortem results add to evidence contradicting Israel’s accountAutopsies conducted on 15 Palestinian paramedics and civil emergency responders who were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza show they were were shot in the upper body with “intent to kill”, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, which is demanding an international investigation into the attack.The killings took place in the southern Gaza Strip on 23 March, days into a renewed Israeli offensive in the Hamas-ruled territory, and sparked international condemnation. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Israel restarts ground operations in northern Gaza Strip in renewed campaign

At least 25 killed in attack on Khan Younis in south as Israel says it is aiming to pressure Hamas into releasing hostagesIsrael has restarted ground operations in the northern Gaza Strip and killed at least 25 people in airstrikes on the southern city of Khan Younis in what it says is a renewed military campaign aimed at pressuring Hamas into releasing Israeli hostages.At least 25 people were killed in the attack on Khan Younis early on Friday, the local Nasser hospital told AFP, as the search for survivors continued. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. 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...

Politics

7 d. 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...

Politics

1 week ago Four US soldiers and a tank disappear on training mission in Lithuania as search teams scrambled

Four US soldiers and a tank have gone missing during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, Lithuania, with a major search operation underway

Events

2 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...

Events

2 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...

Events

2 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...

Events

2 w. ago I spoke to children in Gaza this week and here’s what they told me: they just want to live | Shaima Al

As war resumes, so does the death sentence for Gaza’s children. The UK must not be an ally to further atrocitiesShaima Al-Obaidi is a senior media manager at Save the Children UKWhen I was woken up in the middle of the night on Tuesday by the roar of airstrikes and blaring ambulance sirens, I quickly realised that, once again, Israeli forces were unleashing hell on Gaza. It was a night of terror, but one that is all too familiar for Gaza’s children and families after 16 months of war. A reported 174 children were killed – one of the largest child death tolls in a single day.Events have escalated rapidly since then. The attacks persist, and Gaza is once again divided. The Israeli military has imposed restrictions, blocking access to northern Gaza from the south. More than 50 of my colleagues in the north now confront the choice of staying to face tanks and bullets or leaving their homes with barely a moment to process their losses.Shaima Al-Obaidi is a senior media manager at Save th...

Society

2 w. ago Hamas launches barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv in first revenge strike after 'hundreds killed' in Israel's new Gaza bombing campaign

Hamas said it fired rockets at Tel Aviv on Thursday in its first military response to the growing civilian death toll from Israel's resumption of air and ground operations in Gaza.

Events

2 w. ago Sir John Curtice: Operation Branchform could hit SNP's election spending and stop 'effective ground war'

With a pro-independence majority sitting on a knife edge, Professor Sir John Curtice says the lack of trust in the SNP could make a big difference

Events

2 w. ago Israel launches fresh wave of strikes in Gaza as scores left dead in pre dawn attacks

The strikes across the territory hit homes in the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza and the northern town of Beit Lahiya, according to doctors in the region.

Events

2 w. ago Israel launches ‘limited ground operation’ to retake Netzarim corridor in Gaza

UN calls for investigation after staff member among 20 people reportedly killed in renewed airstrikesIsraeli forces have launched a “limited ground operation” to retake the Netzarim corridor, a newly widened road protected by fortified bunkers that divides Gaza and is seen as essential to controlling the devastated Palestinian territory.The move is a significant escalation of Israel’s new offensive in Gaza and came less than 36 hours after a massive wave of airstrikes that killed more than 400, including 183 children and 94 women, the health ministry there said. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel launches Gaza airstrikes on second day of resumed offensive

Gaza health officials say five killed in two strikes as Israeli evacuation order may suggest plans for ground operationsIsrael has launched a new wave of airstrikes in Gaza on the second day of its resumed offensive in the devastated Palestinian territory.The attacks were far less intensive than the massive strikes early on Tuesday morning, which killed more than 400 and shattered the relative calm since a 19 January ceasefire paused the 18-month war. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Imagine if all those who are silent about the terrible evil being committed in Gaza spoke up | Owen Jones

No crime in history has been so well documented by its victims. And yet inaction and censorship reignIsrael’s genocide was only on pause: for Palestinians woken on Monday night by a vicious wave of airstrikes, the resumption was no less shocking. More than 400 people – many of them children – were slaughtered in a matter of hours, in an assault that reportedly received the “green light” from Donald Trump. This mayhem was swiftly followed by evacuation orders – that is, forced displacement – raising the possibility of renewed ground operations. Israel’s excuse? A confected claim that Hamas hasn’t observed the terms of January’s so-called ceasefire agreement – the terms of which Israel itself has broken over and over again.In the wake of the attacks, CNN reported that Israel’s onslaught threw “doubt on the fragile ceasefire”. Orwellian doesn’t even begin to describe such framing. As it is, there was no “ceasefire”: not if your definition is firing ceasing. A single Israeli has been re...

Events

3 w. ago Israel shatters Gaza ceasefire – Today in Focus Extra – podcast

Israeli military forces carried out strikes on dozens of targets across Gaza early on Tuesday, leaving more than 400 people dead. Emma Graham-Harrison reportsOn Tuesday, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Gaza, killing more than 400 people. This bombardment brings the fragile ceasefire, which began in mid-January, to an end.Israel also issued evacuation orders for the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, which suggests that Israeli troops may launch a renewed ground operation. Continue reading...

Politics