7 d. ago Hamas’s aim to retain authority in Gaza involves keeping the guns

With no law, order or any alternative administration under the ceasefire, the group is using violence to deter rivalsThroughout Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, aid officials working in the territory avoided naming Hamas in conversations they suspected might be intercepted, instead referring to the militant Islamist group as the “de facto authority”.This careful euphemism for Hamas, which violently seized power in 2007, captured an important truth. Though the group was a less obvious presence in the last months of the conflict, in the absence of any alternative, it remained the closest the increasingly devastated territory had to a ruler. Continue reading...

Culture

8 d. ago Greta Thunberg claims she was ‘kicked and had wh*** written on her suitcase’ in Israeli detention

The Swedish activist claims she had to ‘beg’ for water after her Gaza aid flotilla was seized, leading Israeli authorities to call the accusations ‘ludicrous’

Politics

8 d. ago Palestinian bodies returned by Israel show signs of torture and execution, say doctors

Almost all had been blindfolded and had gunshot wounds between the eyes, says doctor at Nasser hospital in GazaGaza ceasefire – latest updatesMany of the 90 bodies of Palestinians returned to Gaza by Israeli authorities under the ceasefire deal showed signs of torture and execution, including blindfolds, cuffed hands and bullet wounds in the head, according to doctors’ accounts.As part of the US-brokered truce, Hamas has handed over the bodies of some of the hostages who died in the course of the war, and Israel has transferred two groups of 45 Palestinians killed during the fighting. The exchange was carried out through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Hamas insists 'all factions reject' plans for Tony Blair to run Gaza despite agreeing to Trump

Donald Trump had proposed a transitional 'Board of Peace' headed up by himself and former prime minister Sir Tony Blair to oversee an interim governing authority in Gaza.

Politics

2 w. ago Gaza ceasefire live: Hostages and prisoners to be released within 72 hours of deal starting

Donald Trump announces that all hostages will be released ‘very soon’ and Israel will withdraw troops to an agreed upon lineFull report: ‘First phase’ of ceasefire deal to end war in Gaza agreed by Israel and HamasAs part of the Guardian’s Israel-Gaza: two years on series marking the second anniversary of the Hamas attack into Israel and the war in Gaza, the below has been published:The children’s names appear on a list of victims of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, maintained by health authorities in the territory. As of the end of July it ran to 60,199 names, of whom 18,457 were under 18s. Far from comprehensive, the list does not include the thousands still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, as well as the war’s many indirect victims. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Gaza ceasefire talks live: Trump says Israel and Hamas have signed off on ‘first phase’ of peace plan

Trump says ‘all parties will be treated fairly’ while Israeli prime minster Benjamin Netanyahu says ‘with God’s help’ all hostages will be brought homeAs part of the Guardian’s Israel-Gaza: two years on series marking the second anniversary of the Hamas attack into Israel and the war in Gaza, the below has been published:The children’s names appear on a list of victims of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, maintained by health authorities in the territory. As of the end of July it ran to 60,199 names, of whom 18,457 were under 18s. Far from comprehensive, the list does not include the thousands still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, as well as the war’s many indirect victims. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Young lives cut short on an unimaginable scale: the 18,457 children on Gaza’s list of war dead

The children’s names below appear on a list of victims of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, maintained by health authorities in the territory. As of the end of July it ran to 60,199 names, of whom 18,457 were under 18s. Far from comprehensive, the list does not include the thousands still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, as well as the war’s many indirect victimsAs of the end of July there were 18,457 children named on the long official list of Palestinian victims of Israel’s war in Gaza. Over almost two years, that is equivalent to bombs, bullets and shells killing a boy or girl every hour of every day.In reality the deaths are not spaced out so evenly. Siblings, cousins and playmates are often killed together, by an airstrike or artillery shell. Even children shot by snipers or quadcopters are sometimes brought into hospitals in groups, doctors say. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Donald Trump says Tony Blair could be part of authority in Gaza peace plan

Mr Trump called the former Prime Minister, who led Britain into war in Iraq, as a 'good man, very good man'

Politics

3 w. ago Tony Blair set to be part of interim authority in Gaza known as ‘Board of Peace’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to US President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in Gaza.

Culture

3 w. ago Postwar Gaza authority potentially led by Tony Blair ‘would sideline Palestinians’

Draft plan’s critics say it hands power to international figures and splits Gaza from Palestinian Authority in West BankA plan for a postwar Gaza governing authority potentially headed by the former UK prime minister Tony Blair would sideline key Palestinian political figures, while giving significant authority to its chair on most key issues, according to a leaked confidential proposal.The 21-page draft document, seen by the Guardian and Haaretz in Israel, envisions the governance and reconstruction of postwar Gaza being led by international officials, with Palestinians relegated to subsidiary roles. It also proposes a Gaza investment promotion and economic development authority involving “public-private partnerships and blended finance instruments” aimed at delivering “commercially viable returns” for investors. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Tony Blair £300million Gaza peace plan revealed with crisis 'war room', elite bodyguard protection and an internationally vetted police force to bring order to the Strip

Sir Tony would be chairman of the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), leading the Strip's international diplomacy on the world stage.

Events

4 w. ago Tony Blair: Plan for former prime minister to lead Gaza post

Sir Tony Blair would reportedly lead a post-war transitional authority in Gaza.

Politics

4 w. ago Washington backing plan for Tony Blair to head transitional Gaza authority

Proposal for international body to oversee Gaza for up to five years counters UN-backed plan for faster transition to Palestinian ruleThe White House is backing a plan under which the former British prime minister Tony Blair would head a temporary administration of the Gaza Strip, initially without the direct involvement of the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to reports in the Israeli media.Under the proposal, Blair would head a body called the Gaza International Transitional Authority (Gita) which would have a mandate to be Gaza’s “supreme political and legal authority” for as long as five years. Continue reading...

Culture

4 w. ago Israel carrying out crime against humanity in Gaza, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas tells UN – Middle East crisis live

Speech by Palestinian Authority president also says Hamas should have no role in governing Palestine and must disarmAlimi says the policy of containment has given the Houthis time to expand its arsenal.“It has become clear the peace we seek cannot be asked for but must be imposed by force,” he says. Continue reading...

Politics