Middle East

Middle East

Israeli security cabinet okays Gaza truce deal

The Israeli security cabinet has ratified the Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal, ahead of a full cabinet meeting expected later yesterday, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.

12h ago

Release of Gaza hostages expected to begin Sunday: Israel PM office

The release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel is expected to begin on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday

20h ago

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 77 after truce accord

Israel airstrikes killed 77 people in Gaza yesterday, residents and authorities in the enclave said, hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced to bring an end to 15 months of offensive.

1d ago

Gaza ceasefire deal agreed

Qatar’s prime minister announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed yesterday to a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza, adding he hoped the deal would pave the way for a permanent end to the fighting.

2d ago

Gaza ceasefire deal ‘very close’

Negotiators were meeting in Qatar yesterday hoping to finalise details of a plan to end the offensive in Gaza, after US President Joe Biden indicated a ceasefire and hostage release deal was imminent.

3d ago

Gaza ceasefire deal: Qatar hands Israel, Hamas final draft

Mediators yesterday gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal to end the Israeli offensive in Gaza, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by envoys of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

4d ago

32 killed in 48 hours in Gaza

 The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza yesterday said that 32 people were killed in the Palestinian territory over the past 48 hours, taking the overall death toll to 46,537.

6d ago

Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen

The Israeli military said yesterday that its air force had struck Houthi targets in Yemen, including a power station and ports on the western coast.

1w ago

Gaza death toll 40% higher than recorded

Research published in The Lancet medical journal yesterday estimates that the death toll in Gaza during the first nine months of Israeli offensive was around 40 percent higher than recorded by the Palestinian territory’s health ministry.

1w ago

Mediators make some progress in Gaza truce talks

US and Arab mediators have made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but not enough to seal a deal, Palestinian sources close to the talks said yesterday.

1w ago

Israeli strikes kill 27 across Gaza

Israeli military strikes across Gaza killed at least 27 people yesterday, Palestinian medics said, as international mediators stepped up efforts to seal a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

1w ago

WFP accuses Israel of firing on Gaza aid convoy

The UN’s World Food Programme has accused Israel of firing on one of its aid convoys in the war-torn Gaza Strip, saying at least 16 bullets hit the clearly marked vehicles but no staff were injured.

1w ago

Iran begins military drills near Natanz nuclear site

Iran’s military has begun drills near the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in the centre of the country, state media reported yesterday, as part of exercises planned nationwide.

1w ago

Hamas, Israel wrangle over ceasefire deal

Israel and Hamas have wrangled over the details of a deal to halt fighting in the Gaza Strip and return hostages home, as Palestinian officials said intensified Israeli bombardments had killed more than 100 people over the weekend.

1w ago

No let-up in Israeli strikes across Gaza

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said yesterday that 88 people were killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll of the offensive to 45,805.

1w ago

59 more killed in Gaza

At least 59 people, including seven children of a family, were killed in Israeli air strikes across the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, said the enclave’s health ministry yesterday.

1w ago

Israel downs drone, missile from Yemen

Israel's military reported that it shot down a missile and a drone launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen yesterday, the latest in a series of attacks from the country targeting Israel in recent weeks.

2w ago

South of Aleppo: Israel strikes Syrian army positions

Israel bombed Syrian army positions south of Aleppo later on Thursday, the latest such strikes since the overthrow of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad, a war monitor and local residents said.

2w ago