52 h. ago Fears Gaza ‘temporary’ ceasefire line could become permanent new border

Yellow markers installed by IDF entrench divide that cuts strip in two, as hopes of moving to next phase of truce fadeA supposedly temporary yellow line marking Gaza’s ceasefire is taking an increasingly physical form as the precarious truce shows signs of stalling, with potentially dramatic consequences for Palestine’s future.Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops have started installing yellow concrete markers every 200 metres to delineate the area remaining under Israeli control during the first phase of the ceasefire. Continue reading...

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56 h. ago The war in Gaza is supposed to be over. But be warned: without truth and justice, it will never truly end | Simon Tisdall

A fragile ceasefire is in place, but what’s needed is an international tribunal for resolution and reparation. That’s the only route to lasting peaceDonald Trump insists the war in Gaza is over. No, it isn’t. The violence is much reduced. Yet Israeli forces have reportedly killed about 100 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more since the 10 October ceasefire began. Food aid supplies are still heavily restricted. The occupation continues, in Gaza and the West Bank. US officials fear prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his accomplices may renege on the deal, as in the past.Likewise, Hamas elements and rival gangs have kept fighting. The terrorist group is not disarming; Israeli forces have not fully withdrawn to the agreed lines. US-framed security, governance and reconstruction proposals remain vague, hypothetical and contentious. The war’s root causes, principally the denial of Palestinian sovereignty and statehood, are not addressed. Unless that changes, it will all kick off agai...

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3 d. ago Trump’s men come to Israel with plenty to say. But they’re silent on any real future for Gaza | Roy Schwartz

Kushner, Witkoff, Vance and Rubio – they’ve all been sent to keep the ceasefire in place. Now we need to hear about a concrete planThese days present quite a unique phenomenon: the first-ever US march of the babysitters. They vary in their qualifications and attributes, but they all share the same mission – to prevent an Israeli breach, or even destruction, of Gaza’s fragile ceasefire. Since the war ended, there have been few days without at least one of Donald Trump’s envoys on the ground. Just this past week saw the likes of Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, JD Vance and Marco Rubio – all arriving to perform their duties.Israel keeps them busy. In just a few days it launched a series of attacks in Gaza after the killings of two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers – resulting, according to reports, in dozens of Palestinian casualties. Several ministers called for a resumption of the war, and the Knesset passed a preliminary decision to annex the West Bank. The US reaction was somewher...

Politics

3 d. ago Hebrew words torn down in prayer room at London university where pro

Michael Ben-Gad, an economics lecturer at City St George's, has been hounded by pro-Palestine activists in recent weeks over his service in the Israel Defence Forces from 1982 to 1985.

Politics

4 d. ago Trump threatens to cut all support for Israel in extraordinary escalation after JD Vance 'personal insult'

President Donald Trump revealed a red line that will force his administration to yank its support for Israel as it attempts to hold a fragile ceasefire with Hamas: annexation of the West Bank.

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5 d. ago Masked thugs 'threaten to BEHEAD' Israeli professor after storming his lecture at London university 

Michael Ben-Gad, an economics lecturer at City University in London , has been branded a 'terrorist' and has faced calls to be sacked because he served in the Israel Defence Forces from 1982 to 1985.

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6 d. ago ‘Just extraordinary’: Louvre broken window now on tourist trail as museum reopens after jewel heist

Apollo gallery remains closed as police investigate €88m robbery and director faces questioning over securityIt is already, in a small way, Paris’s newest tourist attraction. “And on our right,” boomed the guide on the bateau mouche tour boat heading up the Seine, “the Louvre – and the window thieves smashed to steal France’s crown jewels.”The world’s most visited museum reopened on Wednesday for the first time since a gang of four men broke into its Apollo gallery on Sunday, making off with €88m (£76m) of Napoleonic jewellery in France’s most dramatic heist in decades. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Gaza ceasefire live: JD Vance has ‘great optimism’ truce will hold as he meets Netanyahu

On a visit to Israel, the US vice-president said Washington would not set a deadline for the group to disarm under the US-brokered dealIsrael has completed the identification of the bodies of two more hostages, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) reports. Authorities identified the deceased hostages as Arie Zalmanovich and Tamir Adar. Their bodies were transported in coffins by the Red Cross and handed over to the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. A military ceremony attended by the chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces was planned for later in the day, Netanyahu’s office said. The two were killed in kibbutz Nir Oz during the 7 October 2023, attack by Hamas militants, which triggered the two-year war. Since the ceasefire began on 10 October, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel. Another 13 still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over, a key element to the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, the burial of m...

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7 d. ago ‘I knew in my head we were dying’: the last voyage of the Scandies Rose

When a fishing boat left port in Alaska in December 2019 with an experienced crew, an icy storm was brewing. What happened to them shows why deep sea fishing is one of the most dangerous professions in the worldThe Scandies Rose fishing boat set out to sea from Kodiak, Alaska on 30 December 2019 with a crew of seven, into weather as bad as anything December could throw. “It was enough of a shitty forecast,” said one of the crew in later testimony, “I didn’t think we were going to leave that night.” At 8.35pm, fierce, frigid winds were blowing. Some boats stayed in harbour but the Scandies Rose still set out. “We knew the weather was going to be bad,” said deckhand Dean Gribble, “but the boat’s a battleship, we go through the weather.”The boat was carrying 7,000kg of bait and was headed north towards the Bering Sea. “She was trim, said Dean, and a good boat. Gary Cobban was a good captain. One of the last jobs before departure was to stack the crab pots properly. There were 198 on bo...

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7 d. ago Bob Vylan ‘not regretful’ about IDF chant at Glastonbury: ‘I’d do it again tomorrow’

In first interview since Glastonbury, frontman Bobby Vylan tells Louis Theroux the backlash was ‘minimal’ compared to the plight of PalestiniansBob Vylan frontman Bobby Vylan is “not regretful” of his “death, death to the IDF” chant at Glastonbury and said he would “do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays”.The outspoken punk duo sparked controversy when they led chants of “death, death to the IDF”, referring to the Israel Defense Forces, at the festival in June. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, who described it as “appalling hate speech”. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Reports of Israel airstrikes on Rafah as Gaza ceasefire deal comes under threat

Air force reportedly carries out attack after Hamas militants emerge from tunnels and shoot at Israeli soldiersMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli air force carried out airstrikes in Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday, Israeli media reported, in the most serious threat so far to the week-long ceasefire in the strip.The airstrikes reportedly occurred after Hamas militants emerged from tunnels in the Rafah area and shot at Israeli soldiers in the morning, prompting a firefight. Israel’s army radio reported that deadly clashes in Rafah were continuing. Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Reports of Israeli attack on Gaza amid rising tensions over ceasefire – Middle East crisis live

Israeli media reports come as Hamas and Israel trade accusations over breaches of the US-brokered ceasefireIsraeli airstrikes hit Rafah in southern Gaza, Israeli and regional media report, as clashes flared between Israeli forces and Hamas despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire.Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said the air force was striking targets in Rafah, while other outlets reported attacks elsewhere in southern Gaza and in the city of Jabalia in the north of the territory. Israeli TV network Channel 12 said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with defence minister Israel Katz and senior army officials as the situation unfolded. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Israel identifies body of 11th hostage from Gaza amid ceasefire tensions

Israeli military says it has remains of Ronen Engel, one of two bodies returned by Hamas late on SaturdayIsrael’s military has identified one of two dead hostages returned by Hamas, amid ongoing tensions over the Gaza ceasefire and a dispute over the reopening of the Rafah border crossing to allow in more aid.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said early on Sunday it had told the family of hostage Ronen Engel that his remains had been returned. The 54-year-old was killed during the 7 October attacks at Nir Oz kibbutz and his body was taken into Gaza. Continue reading...

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1 week 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

1 week ago Head of US command overseeing Trump ‘drug boat’ strikes steps down after expressing concern with the attacks: report

‘Serving as your commander and deputy for the past 34 months has been a tremendous honor,’ Admiral Alvin Holsey said

Events

1 week 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...

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1 week ago Gaza ceasefire live: Israel says one of the bodies handed over by Hamas is not a hostage amid reports vital aid crossing to reopen

Israel previously said the flow of aid would be cut by half and Rafah crossing would not open as planned due to delay in returning bodies of hostagesIsrael limits aid into Gaza in dispute over hostages’ remainsThe 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 ...

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2 w. ago Fears for fragile Gaza ceasefire after seven Palestinians killed and aid cut off

Hamas has also been filmed carrying out public executions of men accused of ‘collaborating’ with Israeli forces

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2 w. ago Hamas says it will return bodies of four Israeli hostages tonight after Israel says it will keep Rafah crossing closed – Gaza ceasefire live

Hamas tells mediators it plans to transfer bodies of four deceased hostages at 10pm local timeDespite the ceasefire agreement, a medical source told Palestinian news agency Wafa today that four people were killed when Israeli drones fired at residents inspecting their homes in Gaza’s eastern Shejaiya neighbourhood. We have not yet been able to independently verify this information.Israel’s military said it opened fire on people who it says approached Israeli forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Rafah crossing to stay closed, Israel says, affecting aid after Hamas failed to hand over bodies of hostages – Gaza ceasefire live

Israeli defence minister says delay in returning bodies is violation of ceasefireDespite the ceasefire agreement, a medical source told Palestinian news agency Wafa today that four people were killed when Israeli drones fired at residents inspecting their homes in Gaza’s eastern Shejaiya neighbourhood. We have not yet been able to independently verify this information.Israel’s military said it opened fire on people who it says approached Israeli forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip. Continue reading...

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