Gaza

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

Gaza marks 6 months of ceasefire that may offer lessons for Iran war

Friday marks six months since Gaza's ceasefire deal took effect, a milestone largely lost in the confusion over the new and even more fragile ceasefire in the Iran war. The ravaged Palestinian territory of 2 million people has seen the most intense fighting stop between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants. But most of the ceasefire work remains to be done, from disarming Hamas and ending its two-decade rule to deploying an international stabilisation force and beginning vast reconstruction. Gaza residents are in limbo, with limited aid entering through a single, Israeli-controlled border post. Such challenges could represent what's to come in the latest war, as US President Donald Trump's approach to peacemaking appears to be stopping bombardment and leaving the bigger picture for others to work out. Whether Trump can force through that kind of deal on Iran, with more actors in play and global markets quivering at every statement, is yet to be seen. The Board of Peace goes ...

Israeli strikes kills 12 in Gaza, including 2 children and a pregnant woman

At least 12 Palestinians, including two boys, a pregnant woman and eight police officers, were killed Sunday by Israeli airstrikes in the war-torn Gaza Strip, hospital authorities said. A strike Sunday morning hit a house in the urban refugee camp of Nuseirat in central Gaza and killed four people, including a couple in their 30s and their 10-year son, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The woman had been pregnant with twins, the hospital said. The fourth fatality, a 15-year-old neighbor, was taken to the Awda hospital in Nuseirat. "We were sleeping and got up to the strike of a missile. The strike was strong," said Mahmoud al-Muhtaseb, a neighbor. "There was no prior warning." Another strike Sunday afternoon hit a police vehicle on the south-north Salah al-Din route at the entrance of the central town of Zawaida, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said. The strike killed eight police officers, including Col. Iyad Ab Yousef, a senior police official in central Gaza, th

Israel to reopen Gaza's Rafah crossing for limited movement of people

Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen on Wednesday in both directions

Lebanon open to 'peace talks' with Israel but demands ceasefire first

The development comes as Israel threatens what could be its largest ground invasion of Lebanon since the 2006 War

Congress slams PM over Israel visit, says 'govt has abandoned Palestinians'

The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the government has "abandoned" the Palestinians and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to Israel despite that country's attacks on civilians in Gaza continuing "mercilessly". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Modi government makes cynical and hypocritical statements on its commitment to the cause of the Palestinians but in reality it has abandoned them. Israel's dispossession and displacement of thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has intensified and drawn worldwide condemnation, Ramesh said on X. Israel's attacks on civilians in Gaza continue mercilessly, he said. Ramesh also pointed out that Israel and the US are planning air assaults on Iran. "Yet the Prime Minister is going to Israel tomorrow (where there is a Modani connection as well) to embrace his good friend Mr. Netanyahu, who faces very serious corruption charges," the Congress leader said. "The Opposition in Israel is

EU diplomats to meet 'Board of Peace' director over Gaza's future

The European Union's top diplomats are set to meet Monday with the director of the Board of Peace in Brussels after a shaky and controversial embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to secure and rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. diplomat chosen by Trump to manage the Board of Peace, will meet the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the 27-nation bloc. The EU diplomats are also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and fresh sanctions on Russia. Just across the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East, the EU has deep links to Israel and the Palestinians. It now plays a crucial oversight role at the Rafah border crossing, and is the top donor to the Palestinian Authority. The question of whether to work with the Trump-led board has split national capitals from Nicosia to Copenhagen. The EU is supportive of the United Nations' mandate in Gaza. EU members Hungary and Bulgaria are fu

India attends 1st meet of Trump's 'Board of Peace' on Gaza as observer

Namgya Khampa, Charge d'affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, represented New Delhi at the session held at the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace