Gaza

UN food agency cuts aid to Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank amid fund crunch

The United Nations has cut food assistance to 5,00,000 Palestinians in Gaza and 2,00,000 in the West Bank due to a serious funding shortage, the head of the UN food agency said. Carl Skau, acting head of the World Food Program, on Monday urged the international community to provide USD 450 million so the agency could restore the cut assistance and provide hot meals and food parcels in Gaza and the West Bank for the next six months. Because of the money shortage, the number of people receiving assistance was reduced this month from 1.6 million to 1.1 million in Gaza and from 4,00,000 to 2,00,000 in the West Bank, he said. Skau, who had just visited both territories, told UN correspondents in a video briefing from Jerusalem that life in Gaza remains "absolutely brutal" and incredibly dangerous, with UN teams recording about 50 attacks per day in the past week. Nonetheless, he said that since last October's ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, "we have been able to push back on famine"

October 7 attack to Gaza ceasefire: Three years of Israel-Hamas conflict

From the October 7 attack and 251 hostages to the war in Gaza, regional escalation, ceasefires and plans for Gaza's future, here is a timeline of the key developments over three years

Israelis mourn Oct 7 attack as Palestinians grapple with war it sparked

Israelis are gathering Wednesday to commemorate the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people, saw 251 taken hostage, and sparked a devastating war in Gaza that Palestinians still grapple with. In southern Israel, families will mourn at intersections, bomb shelters, and the site of a music festival that Hamas-led militants overran three years ago in the deadliest attack against Israel. This will be the first anniversary that all the hostages are home, marking a new stage of grief. For Palestinians, the anniversary brings another day living with the results of Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people. Most of the population of about 2 million people live in vast, squalid tent camps, with large parts of the strip's cities reduced to rubble. More than half the territory remains in the hands of the Israeli military, and despite a ceasefire deal reached nearly a year ago, Israeli strikes continue almost daily. For the region, the day highligh

Palestinian death toll in Gaza war rises above 74,000 since war began

The Palestinian death toll from the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 74,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. While a ceasefire that took effect last Oct. 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued in what the military has said are responses to threats or attacks. Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday. Gaza ceasefire remains largely stalled ------------------------------------------- Gaza's Health Ministry on Saturday said the Palestinian death toll has risen to 74,016 people, with 175,068 wounded. The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage. Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed, said the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government. It maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by UN agencies and international organisations. It does not distinguish between civilians

Netanyahu calls Gaza genocide claims 'biggest lie', UN delegates walk out

Allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza are not only false but "the biggest lie of the century," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders Thursday in a defiant speech that asserted his nation's right to wage war against Iran - and was not heard by scores of delegates who trooped out before he started speaking. Netanyahu, his voice rising in emphasis, said attacking Iran "was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make" and denounced as "moral cowards" a mass of delegates who walked out of the UN General Assembly when he took the podium to speak. "In defending itself, Israel is also also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall," Netanyahu said. "In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran's nukes." When Netanyahu walked to the rostrum, a mix of cheers, boos and mass walkouts erupted. Scores of delegates marched out and a majority of visible seats sat empty afterward. "Order in the ..

Trump's Board of Peace to unveil $2.45 billion Gaza recovery plan: Report

The ​proposed plan ‌includes projected spending for ​temporary housing, rubble removal, hospital repairs, economic ‌recovery ​and the ‌deployment of a ‌multinational security force

The descent of Israel

The "best tool" for this diversion from criticism comes from a globally accepted definition of antisemitism endorsed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016

India reiterates support for negotiated 2-state solution in Palestine: MEA

India on Tuesday reiterated its longstanding support for a "negotiated two-state solution" in Palestine and reaffirmed the country's consistent support for the Palestinian people, Sripriya Ranganathan, a secretary at the External Affairs Ministry, said. Ranganathan, Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs)is on an official visit to Egypt, Palestine and Lebanon from August 16-21. Ranganathan on Tuesday called on Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine and also "conveyed India's concern over the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza." "Amb Sripriya Ranganathan called on Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine. The two sides reviewed the full spectrum of India-Palestine bilateral relations, including their extensive development cooperation initiatives," the Representative Office of India to Palestine posted on X. "India reiterated its longstanding support for a negotiated ..

Kushner meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in effort to break logjam over Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has refused to pull back the country's military until Hamas fully disarms. But the Trump administration is under pressure to show progress

Jared Kushner meets Hamas chief on Gaza road map, to meet Netanyahu next

US negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday in a fresh diplomatic push to advance the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- who is under pressure after rejecting the new 15-point, US-backed Gaza road map -- on Monday. The talks aim to salvage the plan for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from Palestine territory. At stake are lives of some two million people in Gaza and reconstruction of the crowded enclave now largely controlled by Israel forces, more than 10 months since the ceasefire ended major military operations. A meeting between Kushner, fellow envoy Steve Witkoff and Hamas leaders in Egypt last year helped clinch the ceasefire, whose progress until now had been stalled over the key issue of Hamas' disarmament. The more than two-hour meeting in Egypt with Hamas' Khalil al-Hayya was confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas official

No Israeli withdrawal from Gaza until complete Hamas disarmament: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw from its current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed and pushed back on a recent deal announced by US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu's remarks cast more doubt on the deal to disarm Hamas, which was seen as a potential breakthrough for ending the war. It also marked a rare public display of friction with the Trump administration. The agreement called for Hamas to begin disarming and for Israel to halt its strikes and begin withdrawing from the roughly 60 per cent of Gaza it currently controls. It was based on an October ceasefire agreement that ended major military operations and brought about the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza but has stalled on other fronts. Netanyahu, who faces a tough battle for reelection in October, reiterated his stance that disarmament should come first. He said Israeli forces would continue to "do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, our .

Board of Peace envoy meets Netanyahu to discuss Gaza disarmament deal

The Board of Peace official overseeing Gaza's postwar transition met Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement, in part to discuss a new disarmament deal the board reached with Hamas. Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza, held "constructive and detailed" talks with the prime minister and his team, the Board of Peace said in a statement. "The goal is clear and is not in question: the complete decommissioning of weapons in the Strip and the transition away from rule by the gun to civilian governance," it said. According to two people familiar with the meeting, Mladenov also pressed Netanyahu to halt Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip. Mladenov and his team, including senior adviser Aryeh Lightstone, are pressuring Israel to stop striking Gaza as they push ahead with the agreement to decommission the weapons held by Hamas. President Donald Trump announced the agreement, which is part of a broader ceasefire deal reached last year, late

Hamas agrees to disarm under Gaza deal if Israel withdraws troops

Hamas has reportedly agreed to a phased disarmament roadmap on the condition that Israel ends military operations, withdraws troops from Gaza and implements the next phase of the ceasefire

Trump's Board of Peace reaches agreement to disarm Hamas: What's the deal?

According to Trump, the agreement will be implemented in carefully structured phases, with the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups taking place first

Board of Peace reached deal with Hamas for Gaza disarmament: Trump

In a post on Truth ‌Social, Trump cast it ​as a 'major milestone in the ​implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan' to end ​Israel's war in Gaza

Trump announces deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza but hurdles remain

President Donald Trump said that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory. Neither Hamas nor Israel gave immediate indication that they had agreed. The White House announcement on Thursday comes nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza. "The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases," Trump said on social media. "As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbours." Trump's 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the Iran-backed militant group to surrender its weapo

Won't withdraw from land seized in Lebanon, Gaza: Israeli defence min

Israel's defence minister said Monday that Israel won't withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal between Iran and the United States is pending. Israel Katz's remarks were the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the interim deal. The two sides plan to meet Friday in Geneva to sign it, Pakistan has said. Katz said Israel plans to stay "indefinitely" in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip. Iran has tied the interim deal over the war to halting Israel's attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Katz also threatened that if Iran attacks Israel over Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Israel will strike Iran with "great force." Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of areas in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria amounting to 1,000 square kilometres of territory - an area that is slightly smaller than New York City.

Israel announces closure of Gaza crossings amid tensions with Iran

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the move is part of 'necessary security measures'

Palestinians suffer from lack of proper toilets across Gaza's tent cities

In their bare-bones tent in southern Gaza, Mostafa Shaaban built his family's makeshift toilet behind a curtain in a corner. He dug a shallow pit in the sandy soil, poured a concrete slab around it, fixed a bottomless bucket over the hole, then topped it off with a battered, plastic toilet seat. It reeks with a foul odour and buzzes with flies and mosquitoes only a few feet from where they sleep and prepare meals. Every week, Shaaban has to dig the sewage sludge out of the pit. But at least it's more private than the fetid communal latrines used by hundreds of other people in their sprawling tent camp. "I did not want the kids and my wife to use any public toilet. It is humiliating," said the 38-year-old Shaaban, who was driven from his home city of Rafah by Israeli forces two years ago and eventually settled in a tent camp in Khan Younis. "The situation is revolting," he said of having the toilet inside the tent, "but at least it has more dignity." There is not a single proper toi

'IDF to take 70% of Gaza': Netanyahu directs military to expand control

Netanyahu's remarks come as earlier reports indicated that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had already issued maps to aid agencies showing control over approximately 64 per cent of Gaza