47 h. ago Trump’s envoys arrive in Israel as Gaza ceasefire teeters after deadly strikes

The top US envoys to the Middle East conflict arrived in Israel on Monday to inspect progress on the Gaza plan after weekend violence threatened to wreck the hard-won ceasefire. Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza for aid shipments, a security official and a humanitarian source said, after it was closed briefly on Sunday following the killing of two Israeli soldiers. In response, Israel carried out dozens of strikes targeting Hamas across Gaza, accusing the militant group...

Events

57 h. ago Israel says ceasefire and aid to resume after wave of strikes kill 26 in Gaza

The Israeli military said on Sunday a ceasefire in Gaza had resumed after an attack killed two of its soldiers and prompted a wave of air strikes that Palestinians said killed 26 people, in the most serious test yet of this month’s US-brokered truce. Aid into the enclave was set to resume on Monday following US pressure, an Israeli security source said, shortly after Israel announced a halt in supplies in response to what it said was a “blatant” violation by Hamas of the truce. The Israeli...

Events

3 d. ago ‘Massive job’ ahead to rebuild ruined Gaza, UN aid chief says

The United Nations’ aid chief took stock of the monumental task of restoring basic necessities in the devastated Gaza Strip on Saturday, as Israel and Hamas exchanged more human remains. In a short convoy of white UN jeeps, relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team wound their way through the twisted rubble of shattered homes to inspect a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City. “I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still...

Politics

6 d. ago Aid resumes in Gaza with Rafah crossing set to reopen after hostage body dispute

Aid trucks rolled into Gaza on Wednesday, and Israel resumed preparations to open the main Rafah crossing after a dispute over the return of the bodies of dead hostages that had threatened to derail the fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel had threatened to keep Rafah shut and reduce aid supplies because Hamas was returning bodies too slowly, showing the risks to a truce that has stopped two years of devastating warfare in Gaza and freed all living hostages held by Hamas. However, the...

Events

7 d. ago Trump says Hamas must disarm or be disarmed, perhaps violently

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had communicated to Hamas that the militant group must disarm or it will be forced to. On Monday, Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza, and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees under a ceasefire deal brokered by Trump, but Hamas has not publicly committed to putting down its weapons. “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently,” Trump said during a meeting at the...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump threatens to violently disarm Hamas as Gaza ceasefire is tested

Hamas handed over more bodies of deceased hostages to Israel on Tuesday, one sign of progress after a number of apparent setbacks in the day since US President Donald Trump touted his plan to end the Gaza war. The bodies were returned after Israel announced it would cut in half the number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into Gaza in a move to punish Hamas for what Israel called the militant group’s violation of its agreement to transfer remains under the ceasefire deal reached last...

Events

1 week ago End to hunger? Gaza aid to increase as ceasefire deal brings hope

Preparations were underway on Sunday for a ramp-up of aid entering the war-battered Gaza Strip under a new ceasefire deal that many are hoping will signal an end to the devastating two-year-long war. The Israeli defence body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza, Cogat, said that the amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip is expected to increase on Sunday to around 600 trucks per day, as stipulated in the agreement. Egypt said it is sending 400 trucks carrying aid into Gaza on Sunday. The trucks...

Events

2 w. ago US gave over US$21 billion in military aid to Israel since Gaza war began: report

The United States under the Biden and Trump administrations has provided at least US$21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel since the start of the Gaza war two years ago, according to a new academic study published Tuesday, the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel that provoked the conflict. Another study, also published by the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs, says the US has spent roughly US$10...

Events

2 w. ago Thunberg deported from Israel, as Gaza activists allege mistreatment

Israel said it deported on Monday, campaigner Greta Thunberg and another 170 activists from an international flotilla it prevented last week from delivering aid to Gaza, sending them to Greece and Slovakia. Earlier, Swiss and Spanish activists from the flotilla said they were subjected to inhumane conditions during their detention by Israeli forces. Monday’s expulsions brought to 341 the total number deported from 479 detained. Israel’s foreign ministry issued a statement, accompanied by photos...

Politics

2 w. ago Released Gaza flotilla activists allege mistreatment by Israeli forces

Some of the activists detained while trying to reach Gaza by sea have returned to their home countries to describe mistreatment at the hands of Israeli guards, claims that Israel denies. Some 450 activists were arrested as Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the famine-stricken territory. Those detained between Wednesday and Friday were brought to Israel, where many...

Politics

2 w. ago Some Gaza flotilla activists allege mistreatment while being detained in Israel

Some of the activists detained while trying to reach Gaza by sea have returned to their home countries to describe mistreatment at the hands of Israeli guards, claims that Israel denies. Some 450 activists were arrested as Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the famine-stricken territory. Those detained between Wednesday and Friday were brought to Israel, where many...

Politics

2 w. ago 23 Malaysian ‘heroes’ held by Israel in Gaza aid mission are released

Malaysian activists detained by Israel while on a humanitarian aid mission to Gaza have been released and deported to Turkey. “All 23 of our heroes have safely arrived in Istanbul, Turkey,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a social media post on Saturday, after days of efforts to secure their release. Malaysia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. The prime minister said that the released individuals, who were detained last week, would undergo health assessments before...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel to deport intercepted Gaza flotilla activists, including Thunberg

Israel said on Thursday it will deport to Europe pro-Palestinian activists on an aid flotilla headed towards Gaza, as the Israeli navy intercepted vessel after vessel in the Mediterranean. The Global Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels began its voyage to Gaza last month, with politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg aiming to break Israel’s siege of the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations says famine has set in. The Israeli navy began...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel blocks all Gaza flotilla ships, vows to deport activists

Israel said on Thursday it would deport pro-Palestinian activists on an aid flotilla intercepted at sea as they headed towards Gaza, adding that none of the vessels had successfully breached its maritime blockade. The Global Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels began its voyage last month, with politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg heading to Gaza, where the United Nations says famine has set in. The Israeli navy has intercepted vessel after vessel at sea...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Taken against my will’: Israel detains 12 Malaysians on board Gaza aid flotilla

At least 12 Malaysians on a humanitarian aid trip to Gaza have been detained by Israeli forces who stopped their flotilla outside the blockaded Palestinian enclave early on Thursday morning, triggering condemnation from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail in August, is seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade and spotlight the siege of a territory where 65,400 people have been killed according to the United Nations, which last month called Israel’s actions a...

Politics

2 w. ago Gaza flotilla sails on amid Israeli ‘intimidation’, ready for interception

A flotilla heading for Gaza, carrying aid for the war-torn Palestinian territory, announced on Wednesday that it would proceed with its mission despite what it described as “intimidation tactics” by the Israeli military. The group expressed its readiness for possible intervention by the Israeli navy as it nears the enclave. The flotilla of some 45 vessels carrying activists and politicians, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, departed Spain...

Politics

2 w. ago Gaza aid flotilla says it has been intercepted by Israel’s warships

A flotilla carrying aid to Gaza said Israeli forces were on Wednesday intercepting its latest bid to break an Israeli blockade of the war-battered Palestinian territory. The Global Sumud Flotilla – around 45 vessels carrying activists and politicians including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg – left Spain last month aiming to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, where the UN says famine has set in. “The warships are moving in to intercept the flotilla – only 81 nautical...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Keep us in your prayers’: Malaysian celebrities risk it all to sail to Gaza

Celebrity sisters, a rapper and an actress are among the 34 Malaysians sailing with a seaborne mission seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver urgent aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail in August, aims to spotlight conditions in a territory where more than 65,000 people have been killed according to United Nations estimates. Last month, the UN described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. The civilian-led convoy, comprising hundreds...

Events