Page 26 - Gaza

Jairam Ramesh calls Trump's Gaza plan 'bizarre' and 'unacceptable'

President Trump's loud thinking on the future of Gaza is bizarre, dangerous, and totally unacceptable, said Ramesh

Trump wants to displace Palestinians from Gaza temporarily, say officials

President Donald Trump's top diplomat and his main spokesperson on Wednesday walked back the idea that he wants the permanent relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, after American allies and even Republican lawmakers rebuffed his suggestion that the U.S. take ownership of the territory. Trump on Tuesday had called for permanently resettling Palestinians from war-torn Gaza and left open the door to deploying American troops there as part of a massive rebuilding operation. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he only sought to move the roughly 1.8 million Gazans temporarily to allow for reconstruction. Even that proposal has drawn criticism from Palestinians, who are worried they may never be allowed back in if they flee, and from the Arab nations that Trump has called on to take them in. Rubio, on his first foreign trip as secretary of state, described Trump's proposal as a very generous offer to help with debris removal and ...

Best of BS Opinion: How policy moves can trigger a cascading effect

Our editorials and columns look at the consequences of policy actions, and how they can have far-reaching impacts

Trump's Gaza plan exposes ignorance of law, morality, and diplomacy

This announcement disrupts the fragile ceasefire and hostage-release deal of January 19, partly negotiated by Mr Trump's own envoy before he took oath as President

Won't establish ties with Israel without Palestinian state: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia refutes Donald Trump's claim that it hasn't insisted on a Palestinian state, reaffirming no Israel ties without it; Trump also proposed a US takeover and redevelopment of Gaza

Trump sees 'long-term' US ownership of Gaza, doesn't dismiss using military

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he isn't ruling out deploying U.S. troops to support reconstruction of Gaza and he envisions long-term U.S. ownership of a redevelopment of the territory. We'll do what is necessary, Trump said about the possibility of deploying troops to fill any security vacuum. If it's necessary, we'll do that. The comments came after Trump said he wants the U.S. to take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere. We will own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, Trump said a start of a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump added the U.S. would level destroyed buildings and create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. The comments came after Trump earlier suggested that displaced Palestinians in Gaza be permanently resettled outside the war-t

Hamas officials say they've started talks on second phase of ceasefire

Hamas officials on Tuesday said they've begun talks with international mediators over the second phase of the ceasefire while claiming Israel hasn't abided by some of the terms of the first phase. Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua, a spokesperson for the militant group, said Tuesday that it had started communications and negotiations over the next phase, which is expected to include further hostage releases and Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The group also claimed in a statement Tuesday that Israel had delayed and obstructed the flow of aid into the enclave. "What has been implemented in these aspects is much less than what was agreed on, Hazem Qassam, the group's spokesperson, said in a statement. Negotiations of the ceasefire's second phase were set to begin Monday. Netanyahu's office said Tuesday that he would send a delegation to Qatar this weekend to continue negotiations. Netanyahu is in Washington, where he met with Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday and was set to

No clear direction on Gaza's governance, four competing models emerging

The outcome will likely depend in large part on Trump, who is set to discuss Gaza's future on Tuesday in Washington with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel

Best of BS Opinion: India must learn to negotiate its way across the world

With the world in rapid flux following the election of Donald Trump, India finds itself in uncharted waters, and needs to learn how to make deals that serve its interests to the fullest

The World After Gaza: Pankaj Mishra's book draws parallels with Holocaust

Pankaj Mishra's book sees a parallel between those who witnessed the Holocaust and those who became involuntary witnesses to Israel's 'political evil' in Gaza's annihilation

Israel releases 110 Palestinian prisoners after assurance from mediators

Israel released the Palestinian prisoners after Israeli military confirmed the release of three Israelis, one male and two female, and five Thailand nationals

Hamas frees 8 more hostages; Israel begins prisoners releasing after delay

Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who were shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands by masked militants, drew an angry protest from Israel. Israel later began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after the swap was initially put on hold by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who demanded that mediators assure the safe exit for hostages going forward. He said later that he had received that commitment. Hamas released seven of the hostages in front of the destroyed home of its slain leader, Yahya Sinwar, as thousands pressed in. The militant group called it a message of determination", but it triggered the latest in a series of disputes that have sent US and Arab mediators scrambling to patch up the truce. The ceasefire is aimed at eventually ending the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas, and securing the release of dozens of hostages .

Israeli hostages, Palestinian prisoners to be released as ceasefire holds

Hamas is set to free three more Israeli hostages as well as five Thai captives on Thursday, and Israel is to release another 110 Palestinian prisoners, in the third such exchange since a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold earlier this month. The tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is aimed at ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of dozens of hostages held by the militant group, as well as hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned or detained by Israel. Under the ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have jubilantly returned to northern Gaza over the past three days. However, their homecoming has been bittersweet as nearly everyone has friends or relatives who died, and many northern neighborhoods have been transformed into an apocalyptic landscape of devastation by more than 15 months of war. Who's set to be released today? The Israelis set to be released are Agam Berger, 20, a female soldier; Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old civilian woman; and Gadi Moses, an

Trump administration freezes $50 million in funding for 'condoms in Gaza'

Calling the funding preposterous, Leavitt said that the government is focused on being good stewards of American Dollars

Israel blocks thousands from returning to north Gaza over ceasefire dispute

Israel kept thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Sunday as it accused Hamas of violating a fragile ceasefire by changing the order of hostages it has released. Local health officials said Israeli forces fired on the crowd, killing two people and wounding nine. Israeli forces also opened fire in Lebanon on protesters demanding their withdrawal by Sunday's deadline under a separate ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Health officials in Lebanon said at least 22 people were killed and over 120 wounded. Israel says it hasn't withdrawn because Lebanese forces are not deploying quickly enough, while Lebanon says its forces cannot move into areas until Israeli troops leave. US President Donald Trump meanwhile suggested that most of Gaza's population be at least temporarily resettled elsewhere, including in Egypt and Jordan, to just clean out the war-ravaged enclave. Jordan and the Palestinians swiftly rejected that, and Egypt has previously ..

Palestinian president condemns Trump's suggestion to 'clean out' Gaza Strip

The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sharply condemned US President Donald Trump's suggestion to clean out the Gaza Strip and request that Egypt and Jordan take in more Palestinians. In a statement, the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, says the prospect of mass displacement from the Gaza Strip constitutes a violation of the red lines that we have repeatedly warned against. Our people will not leave, the statement said. We warn of the repercussions of such a dangerous Israeli policy that contributes to severing the ties of the Gaza Strip, and displacing its people, which will lead to destabilization and security. Trump's remarks suggesting that Palestinians be encouraged to leave Gaza gets at the core of Palestinian fears that they will be driven from their remaining homeland. The Palestinian presidency said it was ready to assume its full duties in the Gaza Strip in hopes of eventually establishing

Red Sea shipping route may stay open, if Israel-Hamas truce continues

In the last 14 months, the Houthis, using shore-to-ship missiles procured from Iran, have targeted about 200 vessels in the Red Sea

US President Trump wants Egypt, Jordan to take in Palestinians from Gaza

President Donald Trump's suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip is likely to be met with a hard no" from the two US allies and the Palestinians themselves who fear Israel would never allow them to return. Trump floated the idea on Saturday, saying he would urge the leaders of the two Arab countries to take in Gaza's now largely homeless population, so that "we just clean out that whole thing. He added that resettling Gaza's population could be temporary or long term. It's literally a demolition site right now, Trump said, referring to the vast destruction caused by Israel's 15-month military campaign against Hamas, now paused by a fragile ceasefire. I'd rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change," Trump said. There was no immediate comment from Egypt, Jordan, Israel or Palestinian officials. The idea is likely to be welcomed by Israel, w

1 dead, 7 wounded in Israeli fire over ceasefire dispute in north Gaza

A Palestinian man was killed and seven people were wounded by Israeli fire overnight, local health officials said Sunday, as crowds gathered in hopes of returning to the northern Gaza Strip under a fragile week-old ceasefire aimed at winding down the war. In a separate development, President Donald Trump suggested Saturday that most of Gaza's population should be at least temporarily resettled elsewhere, including in Egypt and Jordan, in order to just clean out the war-ravaged enclave. Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians themselves have previously rejected such a scenario. Under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Israel on Saturday was to begin allowing Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza on foot through the so-called Netzarim corridor bisecting the territory. Israel put the move on hold until Hamas freed a hostage who Israel said was supposed to have been released that day. The man was shot and two others were wounded late Saturday, according to the Awda Hospital, which

Israeli military says it won't complete its withdrawal from Lebanon today

Israel's military says it won't complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Sunday as outlined in its ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah militants. The confirmation came Saturday while another fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group saw a second release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody. The ceasefire deal for Lebanon gave both sides 60 days to remove their forces from southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese army to move in and secure the area. Israel says Hezbollah and the Lebanese army haven't met their obligations, while Lebanon accuses the Israeli army of hindering the Lebanese military from taking over. The truce for Gaza continued as Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers held captive during the 15-month-long war in Gaza in return for 200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The next exchange is expected on Feb. 1. The truce also halted the fighting in Gaza for at least six weeks. But Israel says it won't allow ..