54 h. ago Trump’s peace plan is just about holding together, but may be unravelled by two unresolved issues | Rajan Menon

The withdrawal of Israeli troops and the establishment of an international stabilisation force are key in securing long-term peace, but the plan is dangerously vague on these issuesTwo years of death and destruction in Gaza ended once Israel and Hamas signed off on Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. A ceasefire is in place. Humanitarian trucks have begun to roll in. Hostages and prisoners are being exchanged. Israel has begun a first-phase pullback from the territories it controls, and under Trump’s plan its troops will eventually be deployed in a buffer zone along Gaza’s land border.Given these developments – all part of the opening phase – dismissing the momentous changes in Gaza is to deny reality. There have already been disputes over the return of the bodies of Israeli hostages, but there are unresolved longer-term problems that could derail the ceasefire and imperil the rest of the Trump plan.Rajan Menon is a professor emeritus of international relations at the City College o...

Politics

4 d. ago It’s taken only 24 hours, but Trump’s fairytale of peace in the Middle East seems doomed

As the ceasefire teeters after only a day, the region looks set to remain trapped in a dystopian, ever-violent Groundhog Day, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew

Politics

5 d. ago The battle to keep peace in Gaza: Experts fear Hamas will bring ceasefire to an end as it unleashes bloody revenge

Experts on the conflict in the Middle East have warned that despite the recent success of Trump's 20-point peace plan, it could easily descend into renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Events

5 d. ago Life in Gaza may go from utter hell to mere nightmare. What happens now? | Hussein Agha and Robert Malley

It took an American president unbound by traditional domestic constraints to get this done and provide the parties with what they could acceptDonald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza demands atonement from Palestinians for the horrific acts of 7 October, not from Israel for the barbarity that followed. It calls for Gaza’s deradicalization but not an end to Israel’s messianism. It micromanages the future of Palestinian governance while saying nothing about the future of Israel’s occupation.It is riddled with ambiguities, devoid of timetables, arbiters or consequences for inevitable eventual violations. If all goes according to plan – if the deal’s vagueness is not exploited to torpedo it; unavoidable clashes over subsequent phases do not get in the way of the first stage; Arab and Muslim states maintain pressure on the United States and the United States gets Israel to comply – life for Gazans will transition from utter hell to mere nightmare. Their condition will shift from defenceless pr...

Politics

5 d. ago Keir Starmer to address nation at 12.30pm as he gives major statement to Parliament

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to give a statement to MPs in the House of Commons after returning from a summit on Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan in Egypt

Politics

6 d. ago Starmer expresses ‘deep relief’ at release of all remaining Israeli hostages

Sir Keir also insisted it was now ‘crucial’ to implement US President Donald Trump’s peace plan in the Middle East.

Politics

6 d. ago Who are the hostages released by Hamas? Twenty freed under Trump’s peace deal after two years in captivity

All 48 hostages, living and dead, are expected to return to Israel on Monday as part of Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan

Economics

6 d. ago Starmer branded 'John Terry' of politics as he jets into Middle East for Gaza peace plan signing

Keir Starmer is in Egypt for a signing ceremony as the peace deal starts coming into operation.

Politics

6 d. ago Hillary Clinton offers unexpected compliment to Trump over Gaza peace deal

Hillary Clinton stunned Washington by praising Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan, telling CBS News she 'commends' his administration for seeing a 'path forward.'

Politics

7 d. ago Israel dismisses Britain's claims to have played a 'key role' in Donald Trump's Gaza peace deal as Starmer heads to Middle East for 'signing ceremony'

Keir Starmer is set to pay 'particular tribute' to the US President at a summit to mark the agreement starting to be implemented.

Politics

7 d. ago Nadine Dorries sings praises of Donald Trump over Gaza peace plan

Nadine Dorries praised Donald Trump, saying that the Gaza ceasefire and hostages deal was "absolutely all down to" the US president.

Politics

7 d. ago Keir Starmer will heap praise on Trump over Gaza peace deal at signing ceremony in Egypt tomorrow... weeks after PM's 'virtue

Keir Starmer is set to pay 'particular tribute' to the US President at a summit to mark the agreement starting to be implemented.

Politics

7 d. ago Keir Starmer will pay tribute to Donald Trump at 'signing ceremony' for Gaza peace plan in Egypt

The Prime Minister will fly to an international peace summit where he is expected to pay 'particular tribute' to the US President.

Politics

9 d. ago Trump has been lavished with praise for delivering peace in Gaza – but did he really?

Donald Trump has been feted for his diplomatic role in the Gaza peace plan, but does the evidence stack up, asks world affairs editor Sam Kiley

Politics

9 d. ago Gaza latest: Israeli cabinet approves Trump’s peace plan for ceasefire and hostage release

Israel says its cabinet has approved the 'outline' of a deal to release the hostages

Politics

1 week ago ‘It’s over! It’s over!’ they shout, but people here in Gaza still fear what the future may bring | Hassan Abo Qamar

Phase one of Donald Trump’s peace plan has brought joy and relief, yet it’s hard to believe this fragile peace will lastHassan Abo Qamar is a Palestinian writer and journalist based in GazaOn Thursday morning, I didn’t wake up to the sound of explosions, but to my brother shouting: “It’s over! It’s over!” For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. I wondered: what is happening? Has another loved one been targeted? What is over? Then he told me that Donald Trump had said it. “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” the president wrote on his social media. For the first day in a long time, people in Gaza woke up to news that could be called happy. The ceasefire went into effect at noon. The sound of Israeli warplanes still echoed in the sky, but, for once, they didn’t feel frightening.The first phase of the agreement only includes the exchange of prisoners. That means 20 Israeli hostages in Gaza thought to be alive and...

Politics

1 week ago Gaza ceasefire deal: what has been agreed for first phase and why now?

Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have reached a deal to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisonersFull story: First phase of ceasefire deal to end war in Gaza agreedFollow the latest updates liveIsrael and Hamas have agreed to an initial phase of the Gaza plan proposed last week by the US president, Donald Trump. Much remains uncertain but this could be the biggest step yet towards a durable end to the two-year war. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Mapped: Where will troops withdraw to as Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire?

Israel has agreed to withdraw troops to a line agreed upon by both sides as hostages are to be released

Politics

1 week ago Where will troops withdraw to as Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire?

Israel has agreed to withdraw troops to a line agreed upon by both sides as hostages are to be released

Politics

1 week ago The Latest: Israel and Hamas agree to the 'first phase' of Trump's peace plan

Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners

Politics