20 h. ago For Palestinians, this was never a ceasefire | Dalia Hartuqa

Even before this brutal attack, Israel has acted with impunity – safe in the knowledge that yet again, its allies will do nothingIn less than 24 hours, heavy Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 4oo Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities, marking the end of a ceasefire that was announced in name only between Hamas and Israel on 15 January and took effect four days later. Even after months of negotiations led by the US, Qatar and Egypt, those observing Palestinian-Israeli affairs knew the ceasefire never really meant Israel ceased its fire on the besieged coastal territory.Between 22 January and 11 March, at least 700 Palestinians were either killed by the Israeli military or their bodies were retrieved from areas medics could not previously access, according to ministry of health in Gaza as reported by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In the past two months, Israel has also reneged on the terms of the truce,...

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27 h. ago Israel breaks Gaza ceasefire after renewed IDF strikes kill more than 320 Palestinians – Middle East crisis live

Benjamin Netanyahu says operation carried out to ‘achieve war objectives’ as Hamas labels strikes a ‘blatant violation of humanitarian conventions’Deaths reported in Gaza as Israeli military conducts ‘extensive strikes’ despite ceasefireCommenting on the fresh strikes in Gaza, Sally Thomas, humanitarian manager at Caritas Australia, warned the strikes would impact distribution“In the first month of the ceasefire around 56 ,000 metric tons of food entered Gaza, more than double the amount in the month prior. Alongside this, humanitarians have been working to take care of an estimated 350,000 chronically ill people in Gaza, where there are just 108 ICY beds remaining, and a lack of necessities such as oxygen and vital medical equipment,” she said in a statement. Continue reading...

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28 h. ago Gaza ceasefire shattered as more than 320 Palestinians reported killed by renewed Israeli strikes – Middle East crisis live

Benjamin Netanyahu says operation carried out to ‘achieve war objectives’ as Hamas labels strikes a ‘blatant violation of humanitarian conventions’Deaths reported in Gaza as Israeli military conducts ‘extensive strikes’ despite ceasefireCommenting on the fresh strikes in Gaza, Sally Thomas, humanitarian manager at Caritas Australia, warned the strikes would impact distribution“In the first month of the ceasefire around 56 ,000 metric tons of food entered Gaza, more than double the amount in the month prior. Alongside this, humanitarians have been working to take care of an estimated 350,000 chronically ill people in Gaza, where there are just 108 ICY beds remaining, and a lack of necessities such as oxygen and vital medical equipment,” she said in a statement. Continue reading...

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29 h. ago Fires light up Khan Younis sky as hundreds killed in Israeli airstrike

Fires lit up across Khan Younis in Palestine in the early hours of Tuesday, 18 March, as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 330 Palestinians across Gaza in the deadliest wave of attacks since a ceasefire deal was reached in January, according to health officials in the Hamas-run Strip.

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3 d. ago Israel kills nine more Palestinians as Hamas leaders meet mediators to salvage Gaza ceasefire

Airstrike on car kills at least three journalists

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4 d. ago Israeli forces kill 5 Palestinians in latest Gaza ceasefire violation

Israeli drone reportedly strikes group of Palestinians collecting firewood

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9 d. ago ‘Ceasefire’ is a hollow word for Palestinians – the killings, displacements and denial of aid continue | Nesrine Malik

A winding down of operations in Gaza has allowed Israel to turn its attention to the West Bank, with devastating effectsIt has been just over six weeks since a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, and it’s clear that it would more accurately be called a “reduce” fire, rather than a cessation. Scores of people are still being killed; enough, in any other scenario, to be deemed both alarming and newsworthy. More than 100 people have died since 19 January, Gaza’s civil defence service spokesperson says. Those killings constitute, alongside other breaches, a grim record of hundreds of reported ceasefire violations by the Israeli government.The latest among them is Israeli authorities’ decision to halt humanitarian aid into Gaza, in order to put pressure on Hamas to accept new ceasefire terms: mere hours after the first phase of the ceasefire expired, Israel cut off all supplies. In doing so, Israel is using food and civilian relief as a political tool to achieve its objectives, a move th...

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2 w. ago Arab leaders consider Egypt’s plans to clear rubble and bombs and rebuild Gaza Strip – Middle East crisis live

Egypt proposes reconstruction of territory to create ‘sustainable, green and walkable’ housing and urban areas An Arab summit draft communique on Tuesday adopted an Egyptian plan for Gaza’s future and called on the international community and financial institutions to provide support for the plan quickly.Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP Tuesday that disarming is a red line for his movement and other Palestinian militant groups in negotiations to extend the fragile Gaza ceasefire. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Disarming ‘a red line’ amid Gaza truce impasse, says Hamas leader – Middle East crisis live

‘Weapons are a red line for Hamas and all factions’, says Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri after Israeli minister calls for ‘full demilitarisation’ of GazaAn Arab summit draft communique on Tuesday adopted an Egyptian plan for Gaza’s future and called on the international community and financial institutions to provide support for the plan quickly.Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP Tuesday that disarming is a red line for his movement and other Palestinian militant groups in negotiations to extend the fragile Gaza ceasefire. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Arab leaders meet to discuss alternative to Donald Trump’s plan to redevelop Gaza – Middle East crisis live

Arab League summit to discuss alternatives to US president’s proposal to assume control of Gaza and displace Palestinian populationHamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP Tuesday that disarming is a red line for his movement and other Palestinian militant groups in negotiations to extend the fragile Gaza ceasefire.“Any talk about the resistance’s weapons is nonsense. The resistance’s weapons are a red line for Hamas and all resistance factions,” Abu Zuhri said shortly after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar demanded the “full demilitarisation” of Gaza to proceed to the second stage of the January truce. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Palestinians struggle to restart their lives in the ruins of Gaza

Palestinians who returned to their homes in northern Gaza after the ceasefire began on Jan. 19 are still struggling to find shelter, food, water and other necessities

Politics

3 w. ago The Guardian view on Gaza’s future: the ceasefire and hostage deal must not fizzle out | Editorial

As Donald Trump persists with a monstrous proposal to remove Palestinians, the immediate need is to prevent fresh conflictThe pain and damage wreaked in the last 16 months will reverberate through families, communities and the Middle East for decades to come. On Thursday, the bodies of two young children and their mother, and that of an 83-year-old peace activist, were returned to Israel by Hamas. They were kidnapped in the 7 October 2023 raid in which the militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and others. Around 48,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war in response.It was always feared that the ceasefire deal, which has brought desperately needed respite for Palestinians in Gaza and the return of Israeli and foreign hostages, would be fleeting. The six-week opening stage is due to expire on 1 March. The talks on the more complicated second stage have yet to begin, more than a fortnight after the...

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