24 h. ago US Secretary of State accuses UNRWA of being ‘subsidiary of Hamas’ and insists Trump Gaza plan is ‘only option’

US Secretary of State insisted that the ceasefire is holding in place despite concerns over aid and recent clashes in Gaza

Politics

33 h. ago WHO says aid situation in Gaza ‘remains catastrophic’ despite ceasefire – Middle East live

WHO’s director general says there has been little improvement in the amount of aid going into Gaza since the ceasefire took holdTurkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the United States and others must do more to push Israel to stop violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the possible use of sanctions or halting arms sales.According to an official readout of his remarks to reporters on board a return flight from Oman, Erdoğan said the Palestinian militant group Hamas was abiding by the agreement. He added that Turkey remains ready to support the planned Gaza taskforce in any way needed. Continue reading...

Events

69 h. ago ICJ orders Israel to allow aid into Gaza and says restrictions breached international obligations

UN’s top court also finds Israel failed to justify blocking Unrwa and other relief agenciesIsrael must allow aid into Gaza, and its restrictions on doing so over the past two years have put it in breach of its obligations, the UN’s top court has found.The stinging advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice in The Hague also found that Israel had a duty not to impede the supply of aid by UN organisations including the beleaguered UN Palestinian relief agency Unrwa, which has been in effect banned from the territory since January. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. 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

5 d. ago Two Israeli soldiers and a reported 44 Palestinians dead as ceasefire threatens to collapse: Netanyahu orders 'wave of strikes' on Gaza and stops aid after Hamas attacks

The BBC said Gaza hospitals sources claimed 44 people were killed in the Israeli air strikes on Sunday. However, Israel said it would resume its enforcement of the ceasefire.

Events

5 d. ago Israel halts supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza 'until further notice' after Hamas's 'multiple attacks' as IDF undertakes 'wave of strikes' in retaliation

An Israeli official confirmed Israel's suspension of delivery of aid into the Palestinian enclave, and said that the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip will remain halted 'until further notice.'

Events

5 d. ago Scramble to shore up ceasefire as Israel hits Gaza with deadly raids

IDF says attack followed Hamas forces firing at its troops, but both sides say they are committed to ceasefireMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael launched waves of lethal airstrikes on Sunday and cut off all aid into Gaza “until further notice” after a reported attack by Hamas, in escalations that marked the most serious threat so far to the increasingly fragile ceasefire in the devastated territory.Two Israeli soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the Hamas attack. Palestinian officials said dozens died in the retaliatory airstrikes. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Israel says it is resuming enforcement of ceasefire after strikes in Gaza

The IDF has said an alleged attack by Hamas was a ‘bold violation of the ceasefire’, and has halted aid into Gaza

Events

5 d. ago Israel halts supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza 'until further notice' after Hamas's 'multiple attacks' as IDF undertakes 'wave of strikes' in retaliation

An Israeli official confirmed Israel's suspension of delivery of aid into the Palestinian enclave, and said that the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip will remain halted 'until further notice.'

Events

6 d. ago Israel reportedly halts supply of aid into Gaza as it launches ‘massive wave of attacks’ – Middle East crisis live

Ceasefire close to total collapse as Israeli military says it has launched strikes in response to ‘blatant violation’ of agreement by HamasIsraeli 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

6 d. ago Israel launches air strikes and halts aid into Gaza after claiming Hamas violated fragile ceasefire

The IDF has said an alleged attack by Hamas was a ‘bold violation of the ceasefire’, and has halted aid into Gaza

Events

6 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

7 d. ago Gaza’s children needed a ceasefire – now they desperately need the aid that will keep them alive | Alison Griffin

The youngest and most vulnerable have suffered extreme mental and physical trauma. We can help – but we must be granted immediate accessAlison Griffin is head of conflict and humanitarian campaigns at Save the Children UKIn the last few days, we have seen celebrations alongside cautious optimism about a future for Gaza without bombs and bullets. This much needed pause in hostilities is providing children with the chance to sleep without the fear of drones above their heads, airstrikes on nearby buildings or fires breaking out in their tents. Families in Gaza are slowly returning to their neighbourhoods and trying to salvage what they can of their lives from the rubble.But crucially, what they are still not currently getting is full and sustainable access to aid supplies and vital services. This is about fundamental basic rights for children in the occupied Palestinian territory, which we have been demanding and advocating for since 1953.Alison Griffin is head of conflict and humanit...

Society

7 d. ago Gaza awaits the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, its link to the outside world

Palestinians and aid workers are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, which is the Gaza Strip’s lifeline for food and other aid and its only gateway to the outside world that wasn’t controlled by Israel before the war

Politics

8 d. ago ‘It’s a trickle – we need a flood’: Northern Gaza is still not seeing enough aid despite ceasefire, humanitarian agencies warn

The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel has allowed more aid to flow into Gaza – but obstacles remain, particularly in the north

Events

8 d. ago Birmingham MP who backed Israeli football fan ban warmly shakes the hand of preacher who has urged followers to show 'no mercy' to Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters

Footage showed MP Ayoub Khan, a close ally of hard-Left former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn , shaking hands with Muslim influencer Asrar Rashid at Lozells Central Mosque in Birmingham in July.

Politics

8 d. ago Moment Birmingham MP who backed Israeli football fan ban was warmly praised at mosque by preacher who has urged followers to show 'no mercy' to Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters

Footage has emerged of Muslim influencer Asrar Rashid praising MP Ayoub Khan, a close ally of hard-Left former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, at Lozells Central Mosque in Birmingham.

Politics

8 d. ago Gaza aid still critically scarce, say agencies, as Israel delays convoys

UN urges opening of all crossing points as fewer than half of intended trucks enter strip and WHO warns of ‘spiralling’ diseaseMiddle East crisis – live updatesAid remains critically scarce in Gaza one week into the ceasefire, humanitarian agencies have warned, as Israel delays the entry of food convoys into the territory. The Israeli government and Hamas continue to trade blame over violations of the truce.The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that it had brought about 560 tonnes of food per day on average into Gaza since the ceasefire began, but it was still below what was needed. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Gaza latest: Aid delivery ‘extremely challenging’ despite Israel

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said humanitarian groups have a ‘mountain to climb’ to deliver the necessary scale of aid in Gaza

Politics

8 d. ago Hamas’s aim to retain authority in Gaza involves keeping the guns

With no law, order or any alternative administration under the ceasefire, the group is using violence to deter rivalsThroughout Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, aid officials working in the territory avoided naming Hamas in conversations they suspected might be intercepted, instead referring to the militant Islamist group as the “de facto authority”.This careful euphemism for Hamas, which violently seized power in 2007, captured an important truth. Though the group was a less obvious presence in the last months of the conflict, in the absence of any alternative, it remained the closest the increasingly devastated territory had to a ruler. Continue reading...

Culture