2 h. ago Pregnant Brit drug mule Bella Culley flying home to UK today after prison hell

Brit, Bella Culley, 19 has finally been released from an ex-Soviet 'hellhole' prison where she was locked up for nearly six months for smuggling drugs into Georgia

Events

4 h. ago ‘Beating, torturing, killing’: freed Palestinian author on life in Israeli jails

Nasser Abu Srour says prisons became like ‘another front’ in Gaza war and tells of struggle to adjust to life outsideA celebrated Palestinian author who was freed last month after more than 32 years in Israeli prisons has said the use of torture increased dramatically during his last two years of captivity as Israel came to treat its jails as another front in the Gaza war.Nasser Abu Srour, whose prison memoir has been translated into seven languages and is tipped to win a major international literary prize this month, was among more than 150 Palestinians serving life sentences who were freed as part of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire and then immediately exile to Egypt, where most remain in limbo. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Torture in Israeli prisons rose sharply during war, says freed Palestinian author

Nasser Abu Srour says prisons became like ‘another front’ in Gaza conflict and tells of struggle to adjust to life outsideA celebrated Palestinian author who was freed last month after more than 32 years in Israeli prisons has said the use of torture increased dramatically during his last two years of captivity as Israel came to treat its jails as another front in the Gaza war.Nasser Abu Srour, whose prison memoir has been translated into seven languages and is tipped to win a major international literary prize this month, was among more than 150 Palestinians serving life sentences who were freed as part of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire and then immediately exiled to Egypt, where most remain in limbo. Continue reading...

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24 h. ago Pregnant Bella Culley unrecognisable in first photo after drug mule prison hell

Brit, Bella Culley, 19 has finally been released from an ex-Soviet 'hellhole' prison where she was locked up for nearly six months for smuggling drugs into Georgia

Events

5 d. ago Jared Kushner is back – and so are big questions about his financial ties | Mohamad Bazzi

Kushner’s investment firm is backed by three Arab petrostates critical to the Gaza agreement. And the deals keep comingIn Donald Trump’s first term, his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner was omnipresent. He worked on criminal justice reform, Covid-19 vaccine development and modernizing technology across federal agencies. His portfolio extended to foreign policy, as he brokered a new North American trade agreement and negotiated peace deals in the Middle East. But when Trump returned to the White House in January, Kushner stayed out of the limelight and declined to take a formal role in the administration.A few weeks ago, Kushner re-emerged as a central player behind Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which so far has achieved a ceasefire, an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory. Kushner took a victory lap, as Trump and others in the US administration gave him significant credit for helping negotiate ...

Politics

6 d. ago Freed Palestinian prisoners recount beatings and abuse in Israeli jails

Testimonies from former detainees spotlight worsening conditions since October 7 2023 attack

Events

1 week ago The EU was complicit in the war in Gaza. Trump's plan can't be an excuse to dodge responsibility now | Nathalie Tocci

Tiptoeing around Israel has cost Europe its credibility. It must exert meaningful pressure to ensure the horrors we have seen never happen againThe first phase of Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza has drawn a collective sigh of relief from European leaders. After two years of slaughter, the ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the Israeli military’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and humanitarian access to the territory offer hope – and unfortunately, an excuse for Europe to continue doing nothing.When it comes to the war in Gaza, unlike Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European governments have shown their worst colours. They are divided, and their political splits have led to policy paralysis. But worse than sitting on the sidelines hand-wringing, European governments and EU institutions in Brussels can be accused of complicity in Israel’s war crimes. They have been unwilling to exert any pressure on the perpetrators, while continuing economic, political and...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel and Hamas trade accusations as tensions rise over hostages’ remains

Militant group says it needs specialist equipment to recover bodies as Netanyahu says fight ‘is not over yet’Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti assaulted by Israeli prison guards, son saysIsrael and Hamas have traded accusations of ceasefire violations amid tensions over the flow of aid into Gaza and warnings that the humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory risks deteriorating further.The ceasefire deal signed last week between Israel and Hamas raised hopes of a surge of humanitarian aid finally reaching the territory after two years of war, but most restrictions have remained in place, throttling the supply of desperately needed assistance. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago BBC failed to mention 'hero' Palestinian prisoner who is set to be freed 'has links to deadly bomb attack'

The BBC aired a segment featuring the family of Murad Muhammad Ridha Ahmad Abu al-Rub - without initially noting his connection to the 2006 Kedumim attack, according to critics.

Events

3 w. 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

3 w. ago Missing bodies of hostages top the list of uncertainties as fragile Gaza ceasefire holds

The tenuous ceasefire in the two-year Israel-Hamas war is holding even as complex issues remain ahead, a day after widespread jubilation over the return to Israel of the last 20 living hostages held in Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange

Events

3 w. ago Moment buses carrying 2,000 freed Palestinian prisoners including murderers & terrorists arrive in Gaza

ISRAELIS are counting the cost of having the 20 ­hostages home as buses carrying nearly 2,000 freed Palestinians — including murderers and terrorists — arrived in Gaza. Around 250 serious offenders serving life sentences in Israel were being welcomed back to Palestinian communities, along with 1,750 detainees held in Gaza. And many of the notorious...

Events

3 w. ago Hamas releases final hostages as first phase of peace plan is implemented

Israel frees more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in significant foreign policy success for Donald Trump

Events

3 w. ago Hamas releases final hostages as Trump hails ‘historic dawn’

Israel frees more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as first phase of peace plan is implemented

Politics

3 w. ago Hamas releases final hostages as Trump hails ‘historic dawn’ in Middle East

Israel frees more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as first phase of peace plan is implemented

Politics

3 w. ago All living Israeli hostages freed and hundreds of Palestinian detainees and prisoners released as Trump leads Egypt summit – live

US president in Egypt alongside world leaders after Israeli families welcome hostages home and Palestinian detainees are freedHamas releases 20 remaining living Israeli hostagesJoy and sorrow as Palestinian prisoners and detainees returnDonald Trump has questioned whether former UK prime minister Tony Blair will serve on a new “board of peace” that is intended to oversee the governance of Gaza.The US president’s comments come amid ongoing criticisms of Blair for his role in the Iraq war that began in 2003. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Locked up for 24 years’: joy and sorrow as Palestinian prisoners and detainees return home

Nearly 2,000 people, including about 1,700 seized from Gaza and held without charge, set free from Israeli jailsGaza ceasefire – live updatesThe police could not hold the crowds back. As soon as they saw the Palestinian prisoners through the windows of the bus, hundreds of people gathering in front of a theatre in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank rushed forward, chanting the names of loved ones they had not seen for years and in some cases, decades.The prisoners were gaunt, the sharp angles of their faces decorated by freshly scabbed-over wounds. Loved ones hoisted them up on their shoulders with ease. One prisoner, swaddled in a Palestinian keffiyeh and splaying his fingers into a V for victory, was dropped before his mother, whose feet he began to kiss. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago ‘Locked up for 24 years’: release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees sparks joy and sorrow

Nearly 2,000 people, including about 1,700 seized from Gaza and held without charge, set free from Israeli jailsGaza ceasefire – live updatesThe police could not hold the crowds back. As soon as they saw the Palestinian prisoners and detainees through the windows of the bus, hundreds of people gathering in front of a theatre in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank rushed forward, chanting the names of loved ones they had not seen for years or, in some cases, decades.Their faces were gaunt, the sharp angles decorated by freshly scabbed-over wounds. Loved ones hoisted them up on their shoulders with ease. One, swaddled in a Palestinian keffiyeh and splaying his fingers into a V for victory, was dropped before his mother, whose feet he began to kiss. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago 'You are coming home': surviving Israeli hostages freed after two years in Gaza – video report

All 20 remaining living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas after more than two years in captivity in Gaza. Hostages were handed over to the Red Cross before finally rejoining their families with the help of the Israeli army. Hamas had allowed some of the hostages to make video calls home on Monday morning before their release.Emotional footage was shared by Israeli broadcasters to an estimated 65,000 people gathered in front of large screens in 'hostages square' in Tel Aviv and to millions more watching the coverage at home. Hundreds were there from the early hours of Monday and tens of thousands more joined them as the morning went on where they watched live footage of events from large screens on two sides of the square. Israeli ministers had approved overnight a list of 1,718 Palestinian prisoners due to be releasedHamas releases 20 remaining living Israeli hostages after two years in GazaGaza ceasefire – live updatesAs Donald Trump heads to Gaza ‘peace summit’ in Egypt...

Events

3 w. ago Hamas release living Israeli hostages as Palestinian prisoners exchanged in Gaza ceasefire

All 20 remaining living hostages are being released by Hamas, while the bodies of 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over in a ceasefire deal.

Events