47 h. ago Gaza vet ‘killed by Israeli troops’ while returning home after ceasefire declared

Colleagues of Dr Mu’ath Abu Rukbeh remembered him as an ‘exceptional’ and ‘kind’ doctor

Events

57 h. ago Gaza ceasefire live: JD Vance has ‘great optimism’ truce will hold as he prepares to meet 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 dealHello and welcome to our continuing Middle East coverage.JD Vance has expressed “great optimism” that the Gaza truce would hold, during a visit to Israel aimed at shoring up support for a ceasefire and postwar reconstruction plans.The top United Nations court will rule on Wednesday on Israel’s obligations towards agencies providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, as aid groups scramble to scale up assistance after a ceasefire. Judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague have been asked for an “advisory opinion” laying out Israel’s duty to facilitate aid in Gaza.At a press conference in Israel on Tuesday, JD Vance referred to Hamas as a “terrorist organisation” and said the Israeli army was “defending itself” throughout the conflict. He said there is “a lot of work left to do” and that it is going to take a “long time” a...

Events

68 h. ago British troops sent to Israel to help maintain Gaza ceasefire after US request

British troops have been sent to Israel to help monitor a ceasefire in Gaza after a request from the US, Defence Secretary John Healey said

Politics

69 h. ago British troops sent to Israel to help monitor Gaza ceasefire

A small number of planning officers including a senior commander have been deployed to the region.

Politics

3 d. ago Trump claims allies in Middle East will send troops into Gaza and ‘straighten out Hamas’ if ceasefire fails

US president claimed leaders told him ‘explicitly’ they would act against militant group ‘at his request’

Events

4 d. ago Trump says Gaza peace deal is holding and insists Hamas leaders are not to blame for 'rebels' within the group attacking IDF troops, as Israel launches deadly retaliation strikes

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, the president downplayed fears that the fragile ceasefire was collapsing, insisting that Hamas' s leadership was not behind the flare-up.

Politics

4 d. ago Gaza latest: Israel says it has resumed enforcement of ceasefire after 44 killed in Gaza air strikes

Hamas allegedly carried out attacks with an RPG and sniper fire against Israeli troops, putting the US-brokered ceasefire at risk

Events

4 d. ago Israel suspends aid into Gaza and launches wave of strikes after accusing Hamas of breaching ceasefire

Hamas allegedly carried out attacks with an RPG and sniper fire against Israeli troops

Events

5 d. ago Eleven dead in Israeli strikes on Gaza as ceasefire hangs in balance

Hamas allegedly carried out attacks with an RPG and sniper fire against Israeli troops

Events

5 d. ago Gaza agency says 11 killed in Israeli strikes as IDF says Hamas had fired at its troops – Middle East crisis live

Ceasefire in crisis with Israeli military warning further strikes are possibleIsraeli airstrikes on Gaza as ceasefire comes under threatFreed Israeli hostage David Cunio received a hero’s welcome in the city of Yavne, where residents lined the streets waving Israeli and American flags as he was driven from hospital to rejoin his family, The Times of Israel reports.Cunio, who was abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz with his family during the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, leaned out of the car window to shake hands and thank supporters as music played and people applauded. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Israel launches strikes on Gaza after accusing Hamas of ‘bold violation’ of ceasefire

Hamas allegedly carried out attacks with an RPG and sniper fire against Israeli troops

Events

7 d. 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

9 d. ago Hamas reasserts control in a chaotic Gaza, posing a risk to the fragile ceasefire

Hamas has deployed hundreds of police and clashed with armed groups in Gaza in what the militant group says is an attempt to restore law and order in areas where Israeli troops have withdrawn for the U.S.-brokered ceasefire

Events

1 week ago Shocking video shows Hamas executing 'Israeli collaborators' in Gaza streets

The terrorist group has deployed armed fighters across the Palestinian territory in a bid to reassert its authority following the withdrawal of Israeli troops

Politics

1 week ago The Latest: Gaza ceasefire holds as questions loom over next steps in US plan

The tenuous ceasefire in Gaza is holding after the release of the last living hostages and Palestinian prisoners

Events

1 week ago Gaza ceasefire live: Israel identifies dead hostages and says troops have fired at suspects as key truce issues remain

Defence minister says delay in returning more bodies would be a violation of ceasefire as forces open fire on people approaching troops in northern GazaIsraelis and Palestinians celebrate as truce brings hope of ‘era of peace’Despite 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 Tuesday to remove a threat posed by several suspects who approached Israeli forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Crowds erupt in Tel Aviv as Israeli hostages freed in historic prisoner exchange

Hostage Square erupted into song as the names of the freed Israeli hostages were read out over loudspeakers, while a giant screen showed live footage of them being handed over to Israeli troops as part of a US-brokered peace deal.

Events

1 week ago Israeli hostages release brings tears of joy in Tel Aviv as grim details of captivity emerge

Hostage Square burst into song as the names of the freed Israeli hostages rang out over tannoy systems - a large screen airing live footage of them being handed over to Israeli troopsas part of a US-brokered peace deal

Politics

1 week ago Emotional moment mother speaks to hostage son for first time in two years

The mother of an Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker spoke to her son via phone for the first time in two years on Monday, 13 October, as he was on his way to meet Israeli troops in Gaza.

Events

1 week 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