42 m. ago Dramatic moment Trump is interrupted during summit for urgent note on Gaza deal: 'We need you'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has interrupted a summit held by Donald Trump at the White House to hand him an urgent note on the Gaza peace deal.

Politics

1 hour ago Trump says Israel peace deal ‘very close’ after Rubio slips him note as president reveals possible Gaza visit

Trump says he could visit Gaza as part of a trip to seal the peace deal this weekend

Politics

2 h. ago Trump says Gaza peace deal ‘very close’ and he may travel to Middle East in days

US president optimistic after US, Qatari and Turkish officials join third day of indirect Israel-Hamas talks in EgyptDonald Trump has said he may travel to the Middle East at the end of the week, adding that negotiations in Egypt to end the two-year war in Gaza were “very close” to reaching a deal.The US president said that he could visit the region on Saturday or Sunday as he hailed talks that could bring “peace for the Middle East”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Trump preparing for Middle East visit as Gaza peace deal 'very close'

Trump said he had just off the phone with officials in the Middle East, where his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner had just joined talks in Egypt.

Politics

2 h. ago Trump says he may travel to Middle East as Gaza deal is ‘very close’

Senior officials from Qatar and Turkey also attend in push for breakthrough over US president’s peace plan

Politics

7 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

10 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

13 h. ago Hamas says 'all sides optimistic' of Gaza peace deal as the group exchanges list of prisoners to swap for Israeli hostages

The group exchanged with Israel a list of prisoners for release, in exchange for the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

Events

13 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

16 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

29 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

32 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

32 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

36 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

37 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

39 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

42 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

42 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

43 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

47 h. ago Mother of Israeli hostage snatched by Hamas at Nova festival hopes peace deal talks will see her 'strong, beautiful' son released

Hamas took Ditza Or's son Avinatan hostage two years ago today, but she dreams that soon she may finally be able to put her ear to his chest and hear his heartbeat.

Economics