33 h. ago ‘Stolen too soon’: Nepal mourns hero hostage returned from Gaza after ceasefire

Nepal’s interim prime minister on Monday draped a national flag over the coffin of returned Gaza hostage Bipin Joshi, released under the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. “Bipin is a son of all Nepali mothers,” Sushila Karki said at a ceremony held at the airport in Kathmandu, after his body was flown back to the capital from Tel Aviv. “The name Bipin will be immortal, no one can forget him for his bravery and the hardships he had to face.” Joshi, an agriculture student who was 22 when...

Events

7 d. ago ‘History shows otherwise’: Anwar casts doubts about Gaza ceasefire deal

As US President Donald Trump continues to hail the peace plan to end the Israel-Gaza conflict, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged caution, saying he was not invited to the ceasefire signing ceremony in Egypt due to his concerns over the deal’s details and its durability. On Monday, Israel began releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the first phase of the deal, while Hamas militants released 20 surviving Israeli hostages kidnapped during its assault on southern Israel...

Events

7 d. ago The true test of Gaza peace begins after momentous ceasefire deal

On Monday, the fragile ceasefire in Gaza led to freedom for Israeli hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It was the culmination of a long and tortuous process - but it may, in the end, have been the easier part. The coming weeks, months and years would require more than just rebuilding from the devastation that has left much of Gaza in ruins. Key details of the peace plan may remain unsettled. Granular details would need to be negotiated to keep the plan moving...

Events

8 d. ago Trump to meet Zelensky as Ukraine hopes for peace deal after Gaza ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he would meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday, where the two would discuss Ukraine’s air defence and long-range strike capabilities. The two leaders spoke on both Saturday and Sunday amid intensifying discussions about the potential provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, and a Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is scheduled to visit Washington before the Friday meeting. Kyiv has been...

Politics

8 d. ago US envoy calls UK minister ‘delusional’ for Gaza ceasefire ‘key role’ claim

The US ambassador to Israel has called UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson “delusional” for claiming the UK played a “key role” in securing the ceasefire in Gaza. The minister earlier on Sunday defended Britain’s contribution to peace efforts “behind the scenes” while acknowledging the “critical” work had been carried out by the White House. Mike Huckabee, who was part of US President Donald Trump’s negotiating team for the peace deal, appeared to mock Phillipson’s assertion in a post on...

Politics

8 d. ago ‘Delusional’: US ambassador mocks UK minister’s claim of ‘key role’ in Gaza deal

The US ambassador to Israel has called UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson “delusional” for claiming the UK played a “key role” in securing the ceasefire in Gaza. The minister earlier on Sunday defended Britain’s contribution to peace efforts “behind the scenes” while acknowledging the “critical” work had been carried out by the White House. Mike Huckabee, who was part of US President Donald Trump’s negotiating team for the peace deal, appeared to mock Phillipson’s assertion in a post on...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump sets off for the Middle East to mark Gaza ceasefire deal

US President Donald Trump headed off on a high-stakes trip to Israel and Egypt on Sunday, saying “the war is over” in Gaza. Air Force One took off from Joint Base Andrews near Washington in light rain, Agence France-Presse reporters said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA chief John Ratcliffe were also aboard the plane, the White House said. “This is going to be a very special time,” Trump told reporters. “Everybody’s very excited about this moment in...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump says ‘war is over’ as he heads to Middle East to mark Gaza ceasefire deal

US President Donald Trump headed off on a high-stakes trip to Israel and Egypt on Sunday, saying “the war is over” in Gaza. Air Force One took off from Joint Base Andrews near Washington in light rain, Agence France-Presse reporters said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA chief John Ratcliffe were also aboard the plane, the White House said. “This is going to be a very special time,” Trump told reporters. “Everybody’s very excited about this moment in...

Events

9 d. ago Trump says Gaza ‘war is over’ as he heads to Middle East on high

The war in Gaza has ended and the Middle East is going to “normalise”, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday as he flew to Israel, which was waiting for Hamas to release Israeli hostages as world leaders were gathering to discuss the next steps toward peace. “The war is over, you understand that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began a flight from Washington to Israel. Asked about prospects for the region, Trump said: “I think it’s going to normalise”. A ceasefire between...

Politics

9 d. ago Netanyahu calls for Israel to unite after imminent hostage release

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged controversy over his handling of the Gaza ceasefire deal on Sunday but called for the imminent release of hostages to be a moment of unity. “This is an emotional evening, an evening of tears, an evening of joy, because tomorrow our children will return to our borders,” Netanyahu said, quoting a biblical verse. “Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path – a path of rebuilding, a path of healing and, I hope, a path of united hearts,” he said,...

Politics

9 d. ago Netanyahu calls for Israel to unite as Gaza hostages set for release

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged controversy over his handling of the Gaza ceasefire deal on Sunday but called for the imminent release of hostages to be a moment of unity. “This is an emotional evening, an evening of tears, an evening of joy, because tomorrow our children will return to our borders,” Netanyahu said, quoting a biblical verse. “Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path – a path of rebuilding, a path of healing and, I hope, a path of united hearts,” he said,...

Politics

9 d. 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

1 week ago Israel air strikes in Lebanon continue despite Gaza ceasefire deal

Israel carried out intense air strikes on southern Lebanon early on Saturday, killing one person, wounding seven and briefly cutting a highway that linked Beirut with southern parts of the country, the Health Ministry said. The predawn air strikes on the village of Msayleh struck a place that sold heavy machinery, destroying a large number of vehicles. A vehicle carrying vegetables that happened to be passing by at the time of the strikes was hit, killing one person and wounding another,...

Events

1 week ago Trump’s Gaza deal forged by diplomacy blitz, help from Arab and Muslim allies

After months of gridlock, US President Donald Trump finally landed a long-sought Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza - an agreement that only came together after a weeks-long diplomacy blitz and a whole lot of help from some Arab and Muslim allies. The breakthrough is designed to bring about a pause in the fighting unleashed by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The group is expected to release 48 hostages - about 20 of them believed to be alive - in the coming days. The...

Politics

1 week ago US sending about 200 troops to Israel to support Gaza ceasefire deal

The United States is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal in Gaza as part of a team that includes partner nations, non-governmental organisations and private-sector players, US officials said on Thursday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that were not authorised for release, said US Central Command is going to establish a “civil-military coordination centre” in Israel that will help facilitate the flow of...

Politics

1 week ago Israel and Hamas sign ceasefire and hostage deal, sparking hope for peace in Gaza

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement on Thursday to cease fire and free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Gaza. Israelis and Palestinians alike rejoiced after the deal was announced, the biggest step yet taken to end two years of war in which over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, and return the last hostages seized by Hamas in the attacks that unleashed...

Events

1 week ago Israel and Hamas agree to first phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan

Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, a ceasefire and hostage deal that could open the way to ending a bloody two-year-old war that has upended the Middle East. Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants’ cross-border attack that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave. The...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump gives Hamas ‘three or four days’ for Gaza ceasefire deal

US President Donald Trump gave Hamas an ultimatum of “three or four days” on Tuesday to respond to his plan for Gaza, as the militant group reviewed the proposal backed by Israel. The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself. World powers, including Arab and Muslim nations, welcomed the proposal, but Hamas had yet to issue its...

Politics

last month Ukrainian, Russian attacks kill 3 civilians as Zelensky prepares to meet Trump

Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s Belgorod border region killed two civilians while Russian shelling of eastern Ukraine left a man dead, officials said on Sunday. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that a woman was killed when shelling struck a private home in the border town of Shebekino, while a man died in a drone strike on the village of Rakitnoe. The Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has faced frequent cross-border attacks since Moscow...

Events