17 h. ago West warns Iran not to hit back as Israel launches revenge strikes

UK and US among nations seeking to keep Middle East from all-out war in wake of Israeli airstrikes on military targets with Tehran saying it is ‘obligated’ to respond

Events

19 h. ago Nineteen months of carnage: How Gaza was reduced to rubble and starvation as the world watched

Gaza is on the brink of famine after a three-month blockade on supplies, the UN warns. Chief international correspondent Bel Trew looks at how the Palestinians got to this point

Politics

21 h. ago Israel wrecks last functioning hospital in north Gaza as food aid begins to trickle in

Israeli tanks and drones strike Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza while fighter jets bomb southern Lebanon

Politics

32 h. ago Violent Israeli settlers under UK sanctions join illegal West Bank outpost

Exclusive: Neria Ben Pazi and Zohar Sabah witnessed visiting base set up to drive Palestinians from homes• Middle East crisis live – latest updatesTwo violent Israeli settlers on whom sanctions were imposed by the UK government this week have joined a campaign to drive Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank village of Mughayyir al-Deir.Neria Ben Pazi’s organisation, Neria’s Farm, had sanctions imposed by London on Tuesday, as the UK suspended negotiations on a new free-trade deal with Israel over its refusal to allow aid into Gaza and cabinet ministers’ calls to “purify Gaza” by expelling Palestinians. Continue reading...

Politics

36 h. ago 90 truckloads of aid picked up in Gaza after delays at crossing with Israel

Aid groups have collected food and medicine, but face challenges getting it to the people

Politics

37 h. ago More than 9,000 children treated for malnutrition in Gaza, says Unicef – Middle East crisis live

Figures come as Palestinian health minister says there have been 29 ‘starvation-related’ deaths in the last few daysIsraeli foreign minister Gideon Saar accused unnamed European officials on Thursday of “toxic antisemitic incitement” he blamed for a hostile climate in which the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington DC took place.Israel has faced criticism from Europe as it has intensified its military campaign in Gaza, where humanitarian groups have warned that an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid supplies has left the Palestinian territory on the brink of famine.There is a direct line connecting antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement to this murder.This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and organisations, especially from Europe.These libels about genocide, crimes against humanity and murdering babies pave the way exactly for such murders. Continue reading...

Society

38 h. ago The fight over whether 14,000 babies were at risk of dying in 48 hours in Gaza

The UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher faced backlash after his disputed comments

Events

39 h. ago Israeli army issues evacuation warning for 14 areas in northern Gaza – Middle East crisis live

AFP says army released statement in Arabic claiming it was ‘operating with intense force’ in a number of areasIsraeli foreign minister Gideon Saar accused unnamed European officials on Thursday of “toxic antisemitic incitement” he blamed for a hostile climate in which the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington DC took place.Israel has faced criticism from Europe as it has intensified its military campaign in Gaza, where humanitarian groups have warned that an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid supplies has left the Palestinian territory on the brink of famine.There is a direct line connecting antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement to this murder.This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and organisations, especially from Europe.These libels about genocide, crimes against humanity and murdering babies pave the way exactly for such murders. Continue reading...

Events

43 h. ago Why Israeli politician’s ‘killing babies’ remark has sparked a domestic outcry

The comments were unusual in Israel because of their focus on Palestinian civilians

Politics

57 h. ago Tucker Carlson says Trump’s deal to build hotel in the Middle East ‘seems like corruption’

Carlson made the remarks during an episode of his podcast this week

Politics

59 h. ago ‘No flour, no food, no water’: Israel continues to pound Gaza as aid still struggles to get through

The Israeli military continued its renewed attack on Gaza overnight on Wednesday, killing at least 82 including a week-old baby and several women, Gaza’s hospital officials said

Politics

60 h. ago Mapped: Where and how Israel has ramped up its latest attack on the Gaza Strip

Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on Gaza in March, bringing an end to a fragile two-month ceasefire

Politics

61 h. ago International opinion has rounded on Israel, but it's not enough to force Netanyahu's hand | Sanam Vakil

Condemnation alone won’t change Israel’s trajectory. For that, concrete action on sanctions and Palestinian statehood is requiredSanam Vakil is director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programmeNineteen months on from the 7 October Hamas attacks and the war in Gaza, Israel is under a new wave of international pressure and increasingly isolated from its partners and allies. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government recently announced its intention to reoccupy Gaza yet again, and called up Israeli reservists. In tandem, the illegal expansion of settlements and violence in the West Bank continues unabated. And as part of a tactic to bring pressure to bear on Hamas to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza, Israel halted the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza for two months, leading to widespread starvation and brutal conditions.In reaction, the UK, France and Canada issued a joint statement expressing a strong rebuke of Israel’s war effort. The UK’s foreign secretary, Da...

Politics

63 h. ago Israel 'preparing strikes on Iran nuclear sites' and may spark huge Middle East war

Israel is believed to be planning a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities at the same time as Donald Trump is attempting to negotiate a peaceful solution with Tehran

Events

67 h. ago Israel still blocking Gaza aid, says UN, despite warnings that 14,000 babies could die within hours: Latest

Nineteen Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes despite mounting international criticism

Events

68 h. ago Israel latest: UN says Gaza aid still blocked amid warnings 14,000 babies could die within hours

Nineteen Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes despite mounting international criticism

Events

2 d. ago Israel latest: UN says Gaza aid blocked after Netanyahu accused of ‘killing babies as a hobby’

Israeli opposition leader's comments represent some of the strongest criticism from within the country since start of Gaza offensive

Events

3 d. ago Gaza latest: UN says no aid distributed so far as UK condemns Israel over ‘monstrous’ blockade

David Lammy announces the suspension of trade negotiations - as UN warns 14,000 babies are at risk of dying within 48 hours if more aid doesn’t enter Gaza quickly

Politics

3 d. ago Israel still blocking aid for Gaza despite promise to lift siege, says UN

Continued restrictions come as opposition leader says Israel is becoming pariah nation that ‘kills babies as a hobby’Middle East crisis – live updatesTwo days after Benjamin Netanyahu announced he was lifting the siege of Gaza, Israel is still blocking food from reaching starving Palestinians, the UN has said, as the leader of the country’s centre-left Democrats party said his country was becoming a pariah nation that “kills babies as a hobby”.Only five trucks of aid had reached Gaza by Tuesday afternoon and aid workers had not been given permission to distribute even that token shipment, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) told a Geneva press briefing. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago UK suspends trade talks with Israel and attacks ‘repellent’ extremism

Foreign secretary, David Lammy, condemns blocking of aid trucks and calls by Israeli ministers to ‘purify Gaza’Middle East crisis – live updatesUK-Israeli relations have plunged to their worst state for decades after the British foreign secretary, David Lammy, suspended negotiations over a new free trade deal, saying Israel’s cabinet ministers’ calls to “purify Gaza” by expelling Palestinians were repellent, monstrous and extremist.He also said wider talks about a future bilateral strategic roadmap with Israel were being reviewed. Continue reading...

Politics