11 h. ago Civilian deaths from strikes on Gaza ‘appalling’, says Foreign Office minister

Lord Collins of Highbury said the UK Government is focused on trying to return to the ceasefire agreement.

Politics

16 h. ago World leaders express outrage at Israel’s renewed bombing of Gaza civilians

Strikes said to target Hamas killed hundreds within hours including women and children, undermining ceasefireMiddle East crisis – live updatesWorld governments and UN officials have expressed horror and dismay at Israel’s resumption of strikes on Gaza that killed hundreds within a few hours on Monday, warning the assault could shatter a ceasefire that was intended to be permanent.Jordan, a US ally that has a peace agreement with Israel, called the strikes “aggressive and barbaric”. Egypt, which also has a diplomatic relationship with Israel and helped mediate the truce, called the bombing a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire that took effect in mid-January. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump administration briefing: Israeli hostage to visit White House; Russia admires US foreign policy

Eli Sharabi expected to meet Donald Trump on Tuesday; Kremlin says US views now ‘largely’ coincide with Moscow’s own foreign policy vision – key US politics stories from Sunday at a glanceThe freed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi has been invited to meet Donald Trump on Tuesday in Washington, his brother Sharon has said.When Sharabi and two other hostages, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, were released on 8 February after nearly 500 days in captivity, their physical condition outraged Israelis, which Trump echoed. Sharabi has since told Israeli media of the severe hunger and violence he endured in captivity. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Full list of 19 world leaders in London for emergency summit on Ukraine crisis

Full list of 19 world leaders in London for emergency summit on Ukraine crisis  Express

Politics

3 w. ago Shiri Bibas remains identified as Israel and Hamas prepare for another hostage

Gaza ceasefire deal still on track amid uproar over fate of two Israeli boys and initial false return of their mother’s bodyThe body of the Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas has been identified, Israel’s army radio reported early on Saturday, adding that Bibas was likely killed in captivity with her children.The confirmation came as Israelis and Palestinians braced for another tense exchange of hostages, prisoners and detainees on Saturday after uproar in Israel over allegations that two child hostages were “brutally murdered” by Hamas, and the group’s initial failure to deliver the body of their mother, instead returning the corpse of an unidentified woman. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Body of hostage Shiri Bibas finally 'returned to Israel', Hamas claims

The mix up, as well as the public handover of the bodies, threatened to throw the fragile ceasefire out of the window after it caused outrage in Israel.

Politics

3 w. ago The Guardian view on Gaza’s future: the ceasefire and hostage deal must not fizzle out | Editorial

As Donald Trump persists with a monstrous proposal to remove Palestinians, the immediate need is to prevent fresh conflictThe pain and damage wreaked in the last 16 months will reverberate through families, communities and the Middle East for decades to come. On Thursday, the bodies of two young children and their mother, and that of an 83-year-old peace activist, were returned to Israel by Hamas. They were kidnapped in the 7 October 2023 raid in which the militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and others. Around 48,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war in response.It was always feared that the ceasefire deal, which has brought desperately needed respite for Palestinians in Gaza and the return of Israeli and foreign hostages, would be fleeting. The six-week opening stage is due to expire on 1 March. The talks on the more complicated second stage have yet to begin, more than a fortnight after the...

Events