5 h. ago A biblical hatred is engulfing both sides in the Gaza conflict – and blinding them to reason | Jonathan Freedland

Israel starving Palestinians, two killings at a Jewish museum: both are atrocities. But vanishingly few can see itI sat this week with Hussein Agha, a man who has given his working life to seeking peace between Israelis and Palestinians, negotiating from the Palestinian side of the table. He was gloomier than I have ever seen him, adamant that peace between the two sides can never, ever come. Because, Agha explained, this conflict was not about mere lines on a map or forms of words, the goods in which diplomats trade. This was about emotions, and specifically hatreds. Hatreds that, he feared, are becoming too murderous to contain. “It’s biblical,” he said.What he had in mind was the fury that drove Hamas to slaughter around 1,200 Israelis on a sleepy Saturday morning nearly 20 months ago and the fury that has driven the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to bombard Gaza ever since, killing more than 50,000, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, and, over the last 80 days,...

Events

7 h. ago Martin Rowson on Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments on the war in Gaza – cartoon

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Events

8 h. ago Voices: Criticising Netanyahu is not antisemitic – this Jewish rebellion shows why

Last month’s declaration by 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews against an escalation of the war in Gaza – in which ‘Israel's soul is being ripped out’ – is not only still reverberating through their own community, but has a much wider significance, writes Donald Macintyre

Culture

11 h. ago Labour hits back after furious Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Keir Starmer of 'siding with Hamas' in wake of Washington DC shootings

Following the killing of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC , Mr Netanyahu tore into the UK Prime Minister and other world leaders.

Events

12 h. ago Trump tells Starmer to stop building ‘unsightly windmills’ and drill for more oil in North Sea

US President hits out at prime minister’s net zero strategy

Politics

12 h. ago At least 23 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza as Israel lets minimal aid in

At least 23 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza overnight as Israel pressed ahead with its military offensive and let in minimal aid to the strip

Events

13 h. ago UK minister hits back after Benjamin Netanyahu says PM on 'wrong side of history'

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Mr Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s PM Mark Carney after two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead in Washington DC

Politics

17 h. ago Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Sir Keir Starmer of ’emboldening Hamas’

The Israeli leader’s comments come after two Israeli embassy staff were killed in Washington DC.

Politics

27 h. ago Starmer ‘on wrong side of history’ after Israeli embassy shooting, Netanyahu says

Western leaders have this week heavily criticised Israel’s ‘egregious’ actions in the Gaza Strip

Politics

27 h. ago The Latest:Administration bars Harvard from enrolling foreign students, says thousands must transfer

The Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country

Politics

32 h. ago Starmer accused by Israel of 'emboldening the forces of terror' after embassy workers killed in Washington DC

Israeli ministers hit out at prime minister in wake of ‘anti-semitic’ shootings in US capital amid tensions over UK Government position on Gaza

Events

35 h. ago Global leaders are condemning the fatal attack on 2 Israeli Embassy staffers. Here's what they said

Global reactions are pouring in after two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum

Politics

38 h. ago ICC prosecutor says Netanyahu arrest warrant should remain as Israel jurisdiction challenge is heard

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court are urging judges to reject a request by Israel to scrap arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister while the court reconsiders its jurisdiction over Gaza and the West Bank

Events

38 h. ago Ireland’s deputy premier accuses Israel of ‘genocidal activity’ in Gaza

Simon Harris said it was now ‘clear’ that Israel wanted to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Politics

40 h. ago Washington DC shooting latest: Suspect in custody after two Israeli embassy staff killed near Jewish museum

The shooting has drawn condemnation from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US president Donald Trump

Events

42 h. ago Israeli politician critiques the Gaza war's toll on Palestinians and sparks an outcry

An Israeli center-left opposition party leader and former general sparked an outcry this week when he made rare criticism of the toll of the war on Palestinian civilians in Gaza

Politics

57 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

58 h. ago UK demands Netanyahu stop the war in Gaza as 'scores more die'

Britain, France and Canada call out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's massive escalation of war in Gaza as a race against time is underway with 14,000 Gaza babies at risk if no aid gets through

Events

3 d. ago The West has finally spoken up on Gaza – but it must not stop there

Editorial: Britain has hit Israel with further sanctions and suspended trade talks as it dramatically steps up its response to the humanitarian crisis. Now others must join to stop this violence

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