2 h. ago The Hamas veteran who Israel failed to kill – and is now leading Gaza peace talks

The senior official has led Hamas' delegations in mediated talks with Israel to try to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal

Events

4 h. ago Why Tony Blair just can’t kick the habit of imperial interference in the Middle East | Oliver Eagleton

The Blair-Trump fantasy for postwar Gaza shows the former PM still thinks that free enterprise can solve all the world’s ills“There are two types of politician,” Tony Blair observed in 2012. “Reality creators and reality managers.” While postwar politics was generally a matter of steady management, he claimed, the emerging order called for more creativity, “both in the economy and foreign policy”. Only a particular type of visionary leader was fit for the task.More than a decade later, Blair has now joined forces with the pre-eminent reality-creator, Donald Trump, to draft a hallucinatory 20-point plan for Gaza. It aims to turn the devastated Strip into what seems to resemble a colonial protectorate: cleansed of armed conflict, buzzing with development projects and a “special economic zone” through which foreign capital can flow, and overseen by an international “board of peace” with Trump himself as chair. Continue reading...

Society

8 h. ago The critical difference that means peace is closer than ever in Israel

Negotiators for both sides are in Egypt, with Trump’s plan being treated as a guidebook rather than the finished product. Chief international correspondent Bel Trew has been speaking to officials behind the scenes

Politics

10 h. ago Israel prevents new aid flotilla from reaching Gaza and says activists will be deported

Israel intercepts all nine boats of Freedom Flotilla Coalition in international waters

Politics

24 h. ago ‘We’re the closest we’ve ever been to ending the war’: Inside the Hamas

Hamas and Israeli negotiators are in Egypt, with Trump’s plan being treated like a guidebook rather than the deal itself. Chief international correspondent Bel Trew has been speaking to officials behind the scenes

Events

27 h. ago Netanyahu enrages families after using incorrect hostages figure as poll shows most Israelis want him to quit

Netanyahu incorrectly told an interviewer there were 46 hostages captured by Hamas, rather than 48

Politics

27 h. ago Between bullets and breadlines: Bearing witness to Gaza’s endless war

As the war in Gaza enters its third year, Independent Arabia’s correspondent Ezz Al Din Abu Eisha recounts the challenges of reporting from the frontlines

Events

30 h. ago Two years on from October 7, hostage families hope that a deal can finally bring them home

After months of protests, political chaos and a brutal military campaign in Gaza, hostages kidnapped by Hamas in 2023 still remain in captivity. Their devastated families tell Alex Croft of their pain – and their unwavering hope that a peace deal can finally bring them home

Society

32 h. ago Two years on from 7 October, hostage families hope that a deal can finally bring them home

Hamas militants captured 250 hostages in Israel in the most devastating attack on Israel in its history on 7 October, 2023. Their families tell Alex Croft that they hope a peace deal can finally bring them home - but say for two years they have been ‘collateral damage’

Society

34 h. ago Two years of unprecedented bloodshed in Gaza: ‘Our greatest hope is that this nightmare will end’

Two years on from the brutal Hamas killings of October 7 and Israel’s retaliatory bombings, life in Gaza has been a hellscape of death and famine, report Nedal Hamdouna in Gaza and chief international correspondent Bel Trew

Events

36 h. ago José Pizarro’s recipe for parsnip, apple and chickpea albóndigas in saffron

Hearty, earthy and slightly sweet, these “meat”balls come smothered in a rich saffron and tomato brothMeatballs are one of those dishes you find everywhere. In the Middle East there are kofta, in Italy polpette, in France boulettes, in Germany frikadellen and in Spain we call them albóndigas (or almóndigas as it’s pronounced in my village in Extremadura). The Moors brought them to Spain centuries ago, and they quickly became an integral part of our cooking culture, a dish to share with family and friends. In fact, they don’t even need to include any actual meat: in today’s dish, I make them with a hearty, earthy and slightly sweet combination of chickpeas, parsnip and apple, and serve them in a rich, golden and full-flavoured saffron and tomato broth. Continue reading...

Society

36 h. ago Gaza latest: Ceasefire talks underway in Egypt as Israel marks anniversary of October 7 attack

Parties have wrapped up the first round of negotiations, agreeing on most of first-phase terms, which include ceasefire and release of hostages, Egyptian official says

Events

38 h. ago Gaza latest: Israel marks anniversary of 7 October attack after Trump hails ‘tremendous progress’ in peace talks

Parties have wrapped up the first round of negotiations, agreeing on most of first-phase terms, which include ceasefire and release of hostages, Egyptian official says

Politics

46 h. ago What are the sticking points that could sink Trump’s peace plan for Gaza?

Hamas and Israel have been brought to the table by the US president - but huge gaps remain between them on crucial issues

Politics

47 h. ago Gaza peace talks latest: Trump demands Israel and Hamas ‘move fast’ as negotiations begin in Egypt

Egypt hosts negotiations as both sides meet to review US president’s 20-point peace plan

Politics

48 h. ago Greta Thunberg cheered by crowd in Athens after Israel expels Gaza flotilla activists

‘Let me be very clear, there is a genocide going on,’ says activist

Politics

48 h. ago Who are the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and what might happen to them?

More than 250 hostages were taken by Hamas in the 7 October attack but they could be freed under a deal being proposed by Trump

Politics

49 h. ago Gaza flotilla latest: Greta Thunberg speaks out after being deported by Israel along with 170 other activists

Around 450 people were arrested when Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla

Politics

50 h. ago Term ‘disabled’ being used too widely, shadow work and pensions secretary says – UK politics live

Helen Whateley says ‘millions are sitting on the sofa at home’Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, was doing an interview round for the Conservatives this morning, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the faith and communities minister, was on the air on behalf of the government. They were both asked about the latest development in the flag phenomenon – the former footballer turned property developer Gary Neville saying that he took down a union flag flying at one of his building sites because he felt it was being used in a “negative fashion”.Asked if Neville (a Labour supporter) had a point, Fahnbulleh told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:I think he’s really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment I spent a lot of time going around our communities, talking to people. People are ground down. We’ve had a decade-and-a-half in which living standards haven’t budged and people have seen their communities held down. And you will get people trying to stoke division, trying to bla...

Politics

51 h. ago Property sales at Chelsea Barracks development pass £1.5 billion mark

Developers say average pricing has held up well at around £4,500 per sq ft

Economics