34 h. ago Labour’s Monklands election candidates met with Palestinian ambassador to UK days after Gaza ceasefire announcement

Suzanne Macleod, candidate for Airdrie, and Kieron Higgins, the party’s hopeful for Coatbridge and Chryston, spoke with Ambasssdor Husam Zamlot.

Politics

2 d. ago ‘My heart is broken’: Palestinians begin searching the Gaza rubble for their dead

Using manual tools and their bare hands, people start the immense task of trying to find their loved ones’ remainsGhali Khadr spent two days pleading with his parents to flee with him to southern Gaza, warning them that it was too dangerous to stay. His father, known for being stubborn, refused. Their argument was never finished – an Israeli airstrike hit his father’s home, burying his parents beneath the rubble.On Sunday, two days after the ceasefire was announced, Khadr returned to search through the ruins of his parents’ home. He spent the day sifting through shattered concrete and twisted metal for any sign of them. All he managed to find were some shards of their skulls and parts of their hands. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Returning to ruins: photos of Palestinian families going home

Palestinian families who have been displaced by Israel's two-year war on Hamas have started returning to their destroyed homes in Gaza after the Israeli military announced a ceasefire with Hamas.

Society

5 d. ago US might dragged Netanyahu to the table. The real prize for Trump would be keeping him there | Jonathan Freedland

The ceasefire in Gaza happened because the US president lost patience, but now he must be vigilant. If Israel’s PM can scupper the plan, he willAfter so many images of death and devastation, what sweet relief to see pictures of joy. On the world’s TV news broadcasts, the screen was split on Thursday: celebrations in Gaza and celebrations in Israel, the scenes of cheering and clapping mirroring each other, as if to confirm that this was a war the peoples themselves wanted over long ago – and which most never wanted to begin.The images were not unfamiliar. We had seen a version of them in January, when a ceasefire was announced to great jubilation. That held only until mid-March, when Israel broke the agreement and resumed its bombardment of Gaza, an experience that should temper, and caveat, the current hope with the knowledge that things can unravel at any moment. Still, this time, even the region’s most seasoned pessimists concede, the deal looks more durable. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump wants a prize for the Gaza deal. But the real question is, why didn't he do it earlier? | Jonathan Freedland

The ceasefire in Gaza happened when the US president lost patience, but how much horror occurred, how many people were killed because he delayed?After so many images of death and devastation, what sweet relief to see pictures of joy. On the world’s TV news broadcasts, the screen was split on Thursday: celebrations in Gaza and celebrations in Israel, the scenes of cheering and clapping mirroring each other, as if to confirm that this was a war the peoples themselves wanted over long ago – and which most never wanted to begin.The images were not unfamiliar. We had seen a version of them in January, when a ceasefire was announced to great jubilation. That held only until mid-March, when Israel broke the agreement and resumed its bombardment of Gaza, an experience that should temper, and caveat, the current hope with the knowledge that things can unravel at any moment. Still, this time, even the region’s most seasoned pessimists concede, the deal looks more durable. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Donald Trump's hopes for Nobel Peace Prize soaring as odds cut following ceasefire deal

Ladbrokes bookies fancy Donald Trump's chances of being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize tomorrow, after the US President announced a Gaza ceasefire last night (October 8)

Politics

6 d. ago Gaza latest: Israel announces when Hamas ceasefire will take effect after Trump peace deal signed

US president Trump says 'first phase' of ceasefire deal will involve release of hostages and withdrawal of Israeli troops

Politics

6 d. ago Gaza peace plan explained as Israel and Hamas agree ceasefire

Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire but what does it all mean?

Politics

6 d. ago Video: Marco Rubio interrupts Donald Trump with handwritten note on Gaza peace deal

President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Hamas and Israel to pause the two year long conflict.

Politics

6 d. ago Marco Rubio interrupts Trump with handwritten note on Gaza deal

Note from secretary of state says ‘you need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first’Follow the latest updates liveThe text of the note handed to Donald Trump by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, on Wednesday afternoon, captured in a photograph, suggested the president could soon announce a ceasefire deal in Gaza on his social media platform.“Very close,” the note read, according to an image of the handwritten note taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci. “We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Israel agrees to ceasefire in Gaza as Trump announces 'withdrawal line' in peace plan

Israel has agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza as part of a peace plan to end the conflict in the region, with President Donald Trump announcing the 'withdrawal line'

Politics

3 w. ago The Guardian view on UK recognition of a Palestinian state: this must be a call to action, not conscience

The diplomatic groundswell, and Israel’s increasing isolation, come late. They must be the beginning of a renewed effortDeath rains down on Gaza City. Starvation stalks the north of Gaza. Israel has now killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians.The prospects of even a ceasefire look dim, never mind a long-term settlement. But formally announcing the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state on Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer remarked: “The hope of a two-state solution is fading but we cannot let that light go out.” Canada and Australia announced recognition too ahead of the United Nations summit in New York on Monday, in a wave spearheaded by France. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago PM's decision to recognise a state of Palestine could lead to UK paying £2trillion in reparations

Sir Keir said the UK will press ahead with the move, which is expected to be announced this week, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza and revives plans for a two-state solution.

Economics