29 h. ago Israel and Hamas hand over bodies as part of Gaza ceasefire deal

Hamas hands remains of three soldiers to Israel and bodies of 45 Palestinians are returned to Gaza amid fragile ceasefireIsrael has announced that the remains of three soldiers killed by Hamas during its raid into Israel on 7 October 2023 have been handed over by the militant group.The transfer is the latest since the precarious ceasefire in Gaza came into effect just over three weeks ago. Continue reading...

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32 h. ago Israel mourns 3 troops whose bodies were returned by Hamas as ex

Israel says the latest remains of three hostages returned from Gaza are soldiers who were killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that started the war

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3 d. ago Remains of three unidentified people handed over to Israel, Red Cross says

The official stated that the remains were initially handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas in Gaza

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5 d. ago Israel receives remains of two more hostages from Hamas days after IDF launched fresh wave of strikes on Gaza

Israel said its security forces in the Gaza Strip had received from the Red Cross the remains of two hostages returned by Hamas on Thursday as part of a ceasefire deal.

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6 d. ago Jared Kushner is back – and so are big questions about his financial ties | Mohamad Bazzi

Kushner’s investment firm is backed by three Arab petrostates critical to the Gaza agreement. And the deals keep comingIn Donald Trump’s first term, his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner was omnipresent. He worked on criminal justice reform, Covid-19 vaccine development and modernizing technology across federal agencies. His portfolio extended to foreign policy, as he brokered a new North American trade agreement and negotiated peace deals in the Middle East. But when Trump returned to the White House in January, Kushner stayed out of the limelight and declined to take a formal role in the administration.A few weeks ago, Kushner re-emerged as a central player behind Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which so far has achieved a ceasefire, an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory. Kushner took a victory lap, as Trump and others in the US administration gave him significant credit for helping negotiate ...

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6 d. ago IDF drone video claims to show Hamas faking recovery of hostage body

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has published drone footage claiming to show Hamas "staging" the recovery of an Israeli hostage.

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6 d. ago Israel strikes Gaza after Netanyahu accuses Hamas of breaching ceasefire

Prime minister accuses Hamas of ‘clear violation’ of truce as far-right ministers clamour to resume warIsraeli warplanes struck Gaza on Tuesday night, shortly after Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the military to carry out “powerful strikes” in Gaza, in the most serious test of the increasingly shaky US-brokered ceasefire.Witnesses reported seeing Israeli planes launch strikes on Gaza City, as well as explosions across the strip shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement. At least seven people were killed in separate strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis, including two children, medical sources said. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Middle East crisis live: Benjamin Netanyahu orders immediate ‘powerful strikes’ on Gaza

Israeli prime minister orders IDF to carry out strikes on Gaza after it accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefireHamas’s armed wing said it was postponing the handover of another hostage body scheduled for Tuesday evening after what it called Israeli “violations” of the US-brokered ceasefire.Hamas’s announcement came minutes after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to carry out intense strikes on the Gaza Strip, accusing the militants of violating the truce deal. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Returned body parts were of Gaza hostage recovered two years ago, Israel says

Netanyahu accuses Hamas of ‘clear violation’ of ceasefire as far-right ministers call for resumption of warBenjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas of a “clear violation” of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire, saying the militant group had returned body parts of a hostage whose remains Israeli troops had recovered two years before.Under the terms of the ceasefire, which took effect on 10 October, Hamas is required to return the remains of all Israeli hostages as soon as possible. In exchange, Israel has agreed to hand over 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli. Hamas has yet to return 13 bodies. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Netanyahu fury as Hamas sends ‘additional’ remains of dead hostage already returned in ‘violation of ceasefire’

Hamas and Israel continue to clash over the 13 bodies of hostages still held in Gaza

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7 d. ago Netanyahu fury as Hamas send ‘additional’ remains of dead hostage already returned in ‘violation of ceasefire’

Hamas and Israel continue to clash over the 13 bodies of hostages still held in Gaza

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7 d. ago Hamas returns remains of Israeli hostage after Red Cross’s help in search

Exclusive: Red Cross acts as ‘neutral intermediary’ to recover hostages’ remains in areas under Israeli controlThe International Committee of the Red Cross has accompanied members of Hamas inside areas of Gaza still under the control of the Israeli military to facilitate the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages, as the Palestinian militant group delivered the remains of another captive.Under the US-brokered ceasefire, which took effect on 10 October, Hamas is required to return the remains of all Israeli hostages as soon as possible. In exchange, Israel has agreed to hand over 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Red Cross accompanies Hamas in search for bodies of Israeli hostages in Gaza

Exclusive: Red Cross acts as ‘neutral intermediary’ to recover hostages’ remains in areas under Israeli controlThe International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) accompanied members of Hamas inside areas of Gaza still under the control of the Israeli military to facilitate the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages, an official from the ICRC told the Guardian.Under the US-brokered ceasefire, which took effect on 10 October, Hamas is required to return the remains of all Israeli hostages as soon as possible. In exchange, Israel has agreed to hand over 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli. Continue reading...

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8 d. ago Israel allows Egypt and Red Cross teams into Gaza as search for hostage bodies widens

Israel claims that Hamas knows where the bodies of hostages are located, but Hamas claims there are obstacles to locating them

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1 week ago Gaza ceasefire live: JD Vance has ‘great optimism’ truce will hold as he meets Netanyahu

On a visit to Israel, the US vice-president said Washington would not set a deadline for the group to disarm under the US-brokered dealIsrael has completed the identification of the bodies of two more hostages, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) reports. Authorities identified the deceased hostages as Arie Zalmanovich and Tamir Adar. Their bodies were transported in coffins by the Red Cross and handed over to the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. A military ceremony attended by the chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces was planned for later in the day, Netanyahu’s office said. The two were killed in kibbutz Nir Oz during the 7 October 2023, attack by Hamas militants, which triggered the two-year war. Since the ceasefire began on 10 October, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel. Another 13 still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over, a key element to the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, the burial of m...

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1 week ago Gaza ceasefire live: JD Vance has ‘great optimism’ truce will hold as he prepares to meet Netanyahu

On a visit to Israel, the US vice-president said Washington would not set a deadline for the group to disarm under the US-brokered dealHello and welcome to our continuing Middle East coverage.JD Vance has expressed “great optimism” that the Gaza truce would hold, during a visit to Israel aimed at shoring up support for a ceasefire and postwar reconstruction plans.The top United Nations court will rule on Wednesday on Israel’s obligations towards agencies providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, as aid groups scramble to scale up assistance after a ceasefire. Judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague have been asked for an “advisory opinion” laying out Israel’s duty to facilitate aid in Gaza.At a press conference in Israel on Tuesday, JD Vance referred to Hamas as a “terrorist organisation” and said the Israeli army was “defending itself” throughout the conflict. He said there is “a lot of work left to do” and that it is going to take a “long time” a...

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1 week ago The EU was complicit in the war in Gaza. Trump's plan can't be an excuse to dodge responsibility now | Nathalie Tocci

Tiptoeing around Israel has cost Europe its credibility. It must exert meaningful pressure to ensure the horrors we have seen never happen againThe first phase of Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza has drawn a collective sigh of relief from European leaders. After two years of slaughter, the ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the Israeli military’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and humanitarian access to the territory offer hope – and unfortunately, an excuse for Europe to continue doing nothing.When it comes to the war in Gaza, unlike Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European governments have shown their worst colours. They are divided, and their political splits have led to policy paralysis. But worse than sitting on the sidelines hand-wringing, European governments and EU institutions in Brussels can be accused of complicity in Israel’s war crimes. They have been unwilling to exert any pressure on the perpetrators, while continuing economic, political and...

Politics

2 w. ago Gaza ceasefire live: Vance arrives in Israel as Qatar condemns ‘continued violation’ of ceasefire

US vice-president’s trip comes a day after two Trump envoys met NetanyahuUS vice-president JD Vance has arrived in Israel with his wife, Usha.Vance is expected to meet top US Middle East envoys and military experts monitoring the truce on Tuesday. He is expected to meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and president Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem tomorrow. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel identifies the remains of a hostage as Hamas says it is committed to ending the war

Israel has identified the body of a hostage released by Hamas overnight

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2 w. ago Hamas hands over another hostage body who was kidnapped and killed on October 7 amid mounting tensions over ceasefire

HAMAS has handed back the body of another Israeli hostage who died defending his home. Tal Haimi, 41, was killed by Hamas outside his kibbutz on October 7, and his body was bundled into Gaza. He and other members of the rapid response team battled Hamas terrorists at the entrance, but he was ultimately shot...

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