3 h. 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 h. 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

51 h. ago Trump urges Israel to embrace ‘peace and prosperity’ as he takes victory lap in Knesset speech

President calls on Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu over bribery and fraud charges

Politics

60 h. ago Hamas releases first seven of 20 Israeli hostages after two years in Gaza

Group handed over to Red Cross as Israeli ministers approve list of more than 1,700 Palestinians for releaseGaza ceasefire – live updatesThe first seven of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas after more than two years in captivity in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.The group were handed over to the Red Cross ahead of being reunited with their families by the Israeli military at the Re’im reception point near the Gaza border. They were named by as Matan Engerst, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Alon Ohel, Gali and Zivi Berman, Eitan Mor and Omari Moran. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago More than 500,000 people return to Gaza City amid ceasefire, as Steve Witkoff addresses Tel Aviv crowd – live

Palestinians return to destruction as US special envoy visits Hostages Square in Israel with Jared Kushner and Ivanka TrumpMalak A Tantesh, a young reporter who has contributed to the Guardian’s coverage, has written about a harrowing two years in besieged Gaza. You can read her account here:The Trump plan calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza. The US would lead a large internationally funded reconstruction effort, reports the Associated Press (AP). The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority – something Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform programme that could take years. According to the AP, the Trump plan is even more vague about a future Pale...

Events

8 d. ago Two years after 7 October and the kidnap of my parents, hate is in fashion. For all our sakes, we need compassion | Sharone Lifschitz

So many were killed – yet on her release, my mother said ‘shalom’ to her captors. Let’s learn from that moment of graceSharone Lifschitz is a London-based film-maker and academic whose parents were taken hostage on 7 OctoberSo much about the past two years has been horrific, but let me tell you how it began for me. On the morning of 7 October 2023, I was sitting on a train with my son and husband on our much anticipated way to pick up a new puppy. Life seemed predictable enough.I open my phone and see that something is happening on the Gaza-Israel border. I call my mum as usual, waiting to hear her cheery, relaxed voice telling me that she is in the safe room with Dad, telling me there is nothing to worry about. She doesn’t answer. Neither does my dad. I look again at the news feed. I call my brother and he answers. His voice is so different, altered, that I know already, before he tells me, that the worst has happened. “Terrorists broke into the kibbutz,” he says. “Dad said in his ...

Events

9 d. ago ‘I hear him screaming’: brother of Israeli hostage describes agonising two years

Guy Gilboa-Dalal was taken from Nova festival in 7 October Hamas attack that led to Israel’s devastating assault on GazaSometimes two years seem to have lasted for ever. Sometimes Gal Gilboa-Dalal feels trapped in an eternal present, still living the agonising, endless day when his brother, Guy, was kidnapped by Hamas.The siblings were at the Nova festival, dancing in a grove of trees just a few kilometres from Gaza, when militants broke through the border to launch the deadliest attacks since Israel was founded and take 250 people hostage. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump urges negotiators to ‘move fast’ as Gaza ceasefire talks set to begin in Cairo

Talks on Monday expected to focus on release of hostages and end to war, after Israel kills 63 people in Gaza in past dayDonald Trump has urged negotiators to “move fast” in talks focused on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and a broader end to the war, as representatives arrived in Cairo for discussions set to begin on Monday.The talks will focus on the first phase of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, the Egyptian foreign ministry said, which is the release of the remaining 48 hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump urges negotiators to ‘move fast’ as Gaza ceasefire talks set to begin in Egypt

Talks on Monday expected to focus on release of hostages and end to war, after Israel kills 63 people in Gaza in past dayDonald Trump has urged negotiators to “move fast” in talks focused on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and a broader end to the war, as representatives arrived in Egypt for discussions set to begin on Monday.The talks will focus on the first phase of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, the Egyptian foreign ministry said, which is the release of the remaining 48 hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Hamas studying Donald Trump's plan to govern Gaza with Tony Blair

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urges Hamas and Israel to ‘finalise this agreement and bring it into reality’

Politics

2 w. ago Steve Coogan joins celebrities urging Keir Starmer to label Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide

The comedian has appeared in a video which also features well-known figures saying genocide is being committed in Gaza.

Politics

2 w. ago Steve Coogan among celebrities urging Starmer to say Israel committing genocide

It comes ahead of the Labour Party conference, which is being held in Liverpool from Sunday.

Politics

2 w. ago How I got strong again after breast cancer: ‘When I lift a barbell, I feel alive’

After my double mastectomy, I could barely do a push-up. It was CrossFit that made me feel back in control of my bodyMy first push-up after a double mastectomy felt like snapping an ancient rubber band. The anticipation of resistance in my chest and arms, followed by an emptiness, a blank, an absence. For a moment I lay facedown on the bouncy black floor of the gym. I let out something between a laugh and a sob. And then I rolled over on to my back. After a moment or two, I realized it was the only way I could stand up. My arms had nothing to offer.It had been about three months since my surgery. I had succeeded in my ambition of getting back to CrossFit. But something more than my breasts were missing. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago A mastectomy broke my body. CrossFit reminded me I was still alive

After getting both my breasts removed, I could barely do a push-up. This famously brutal workout made me feel back in control of my bodyMy first push-up after a double mastectomy felt like snapping an ancient rubber band. The anticipation of resistance in my chest and arms, followed by an emptiness, a blank, an absence. For a moment I lay facedown on the bouncy black floor of the gym. I let out something between a laugh and a sob. And then I rolled over on to my back. After a moment or two, I realized it was the only way I could stand up. My arms had nothing to offer.It had been about three months since my surgery. I had succeeded in my ambition of getting back to CrossFit. But something more than my breasts were missing. Continue reading...

Science

3 w. ago Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu vows retaliation for Palestinian statehood push at UN

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper urged Israel's Prime Minister not to retaliate for the statehood push by annexing more of the West Bank - after the UK and other Western allies mounted a coordinated effort to back Palestinian statehood

Politics

3 w. ago UK to recognise Palestinian state despite pressure from US and families of hostages

Keir Starmer expected to confirm move after concluding the situation has worsened significantly in the last few weeksThe UK is set to recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday despite pressure from the US and the families of hostages held by Hamas.Keir Starmer is expected to confirm the move after concluding the situation has deteriorated since he urged Israel to change course over the summer. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago UK to recognise Palestinian state despite pressure from US and hostage families

The Prime Minister is understood to have concluded the situation has deteriorated since he urged Israel to change course.

Events

last month Fifty Arab and Muslim leaders host urgent summit in Qatar over Israel’s ‘treacherous’ Doha bombing

The unprecedented meeting of so many leaders shows the seriousness of the emergency summit as Benjamin Netanyahu hints of further strikes against Hamas on the horizon

Politics

last month Fifty Arab leaders host urgent summit in Qatar over Israel’s ‘treacherous’ Doha bombing

The unprecedented meeting of so many leaders shows the seriousness of the emergency summit as Netanyahu hints of further strikes against Hamas on the horizon

Politics