3 d. ago Trump envoy says Gaza entering second phase of ceasefire plan, including disarming Hamas

The US said on Wednesday that it is moving into the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan that involves disarming Hamas, rebuilding the war-ravaged territory and establishing the group of Palestinian experts that will administer daily affairs in Gaza under American supervision. US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said in a social media post that the ceasefire deal that the Republican president helped broker was entering its second phase following two years of war between Israel and...

Politics

3 d. ago Gaza entering next ceasefire phase as US pushes to disarm Hamas

The United States said on Wednesday that it was moving into the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan that involves disarming Hamas, rebuilding the war-ravaged territory and establishing the group of Palestinian experts that will administer daily affairs in Gaza under American supervision. US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X that the deal that the Republican president helped broker was entering its second phase following two years of war between Israel and Hamas,...

Events

6 d. ago Hamas says will dissolve its Gaza government when new Palestinian body takes over

Hamas said on Sunday it will dissolve its existing government in Gaza once a Palestinian technocratic leadership committee takes over the territory, as mandated under the US-brokered peace plan. But the group gave no specifics on when the change will take place. Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians’ internationally recognised representative, have not announced the names of the technocrats, who are not supposed to be politically affiliated, and it remains unclear if they...

Politics

3 w. ago 9 held in Italy over US$8.2 million charity scam linked to Hamas

Italian authorities arrested nine people linked to three charitable organisations on suspicion of raising millions of euros for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, anti-terrorism prosecutors said in a statement on Saturday. The suspects are accused of sending about €7 million (US$8.2 million) to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas”, the statement said. Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian...

Economics

3 w. ago Pope Leo highlights plight of Palestinians in Gaza in first Christmas as pontiff

Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus. Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world. “How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he...

Politics

3 w. ago Pope Leo calls for end to all wars in first Christmas as pontiff

In an appeal on Thursday during a message and blessing given at Christmas and Easter, Pope Leo called for an end to all global wars. Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, he lamented conflicts, political, social or military, in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, and Thailand and Cambodia, among others. Leo said people in Ukraine, where Russian troops are threatening cities critical to the country’s eastern defences, have been...

Events