Page 6 - Gaza

Israel, Hamas agree to first phase of Gaza peace plan, says Trump

In a major breakthrough, Israel and Hamas agreed to the first stage of a US-mediated peace deal to halt Gaza fighting, release hostages, and begin Israeli troop withdrawal

Nearly 55K kids in Gaza under age 5 may be acutely malnourished: UN study

After two years of war and dire food shortages, more than 54,600 children younger than 5 in Gaza may be acutely malnourished, with more than 12,800 severely affected, according to a new study by a United Nations agency. By early August, roughly 16 per cent of children ages 6 months to just under 5 years in Gaza were suffering from a life-threatening type of malnutrition known as acute wasting, including nearly 4 per cent with severe wasting, according to the analysis by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the primary health care provider to Palestinian refugees in the region. Wasting requires treatment with therapeutic food over several weeks and, sometimes, hospitalization. The study, published Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal, is the most comprehensive study of child hunger in the region to date, the authors said. It relied on screenings of nearly 220,000 children from dozens of health centres and medical sites in Gaza between January 202

Gaza ceasefire talks near agreement, says Turkish foreign minister

Talks on bringing an end to the war in Gaza are on the verge of reaching a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday. Turkish, Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators are working to realise an American plan that calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. If an agreement is reached today, a ceasefire will be declared, Fidan told a news conference in Ankara with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani. Fidan earlier said that a lot of progress has been achieved so far in the negotiations. What is good news is that the parties have showed great will for the release of the prisoners and the hostages, he added. All sides have expressed optimism for a deal to end the two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and most of Gaza destroyed. But key parts of the peace plan still haven't been agreed, including a requirement that Hamas disarm, the timing and extent of an Israeli

Cautious optimism at Gaza talks as Hamas hands over names for swap deal

Indirect negotiations are focused on the mechanisms to halt the conflict, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the swap deal, Hamas said

Greta Thunberg is a 'troublemaker', should 'see a doctor': Donald Trump

Trump made these remarks while speaking to reporters after she was detained and deported by Israel, where she was participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza

US provided $21.7 bn in military aid to Israel since Gaza war began: Report

The United States under the Biden and Trump administrations has provided at least USD 21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel since the start of the Gaza war two years ago, according to a new academic study published Tuesday, the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel that provoked the conflict. Another study, also published by the Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs, says the US has spent roughly USD 10 billion more on security aid and operations in the broader Middle East in the past two years. While the reports rely on open source material for most of their findings, they offer some of the most comprehensive accountings of US military aid to close ally Israel and estimated costs of direct American military involvement in the Middle East. The State Department had no immediate comment about the amount of military aid provided to Israel since October 2023. The White House referred questions to

Day 1 of Israel-Hamas meet on Gaza peace plan: Talks end on positive note

During the meeting, which was held indirectly in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, a roadmap was drawn regarding how the talks would move forward

Israel, Hamas meet begins in Egypt on eve of Gaza war anniversary

Israeli and Hamas officials launched indirect talks Monday at an Egyptian resort on a US-drafted peace plan to end the ruinous war in Gaza on the eve of its second anniversary. Many uncertainties remain about the plan presented by US President Donald Trump last week, including the disarmament of the militant group a key Israeli demand and the future governance of Gaza. Trump has indicated an agreement on Gaza could pave the way for a Middle East peace process that could reshape the region. Despite Trump ordering Israel to stop the bombing, Israel continued to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing at least 19 people in the last 24 hours, the territory's Health Ministry said. An Egyptian official said talks began at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh Monday afternoon. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly about the talks. The Israelis are led by top negotiator Ron Dermer, while Khalil al-Hayyah leads the Hamas delegation. Ha

Strong-armed by Trump, Netanyahu embraces Gaza deal as personal win

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel took credit for an emerging agreement, but it was clear that President Trump was calling the shots

US Gaza plan needs Trump's stamina and focus, not Nobel Prize distraction

Neither Israel nor Hamas fully supports the deal, with both sides issuing caveats and misrepresenting or ignoring key terms regarding Gaza's future

'Everybody's pretty much agreed to it': Trump on Gaza plan ahead of talks

In a Truth Social post, Trump said there have been positive discussions with Hamas and other countries, including Arab and Muslim nations, on the Gaza peace plan

We're dealing with killers, savages, terrorists: US secy of State on Hamas

Trump says global negotiations with Hamas for hostage release and ending Gaza war are "very successful and proceeding rapidly"

Israel strikes Gaza as Palestinians pin hopes on Trump's peace plan

Israeli forces warned residents who have left the city against returning, saying it was a 'dangerous combat zone'

Israeli military halts boats in aid flotilla, sparking global protests

A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Thunberg, the most prominent of the passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers

Israel, Hamas set for talks over Trump's Gaza peace plan in Egypt on Monday

Egypt, a key intermediary in truce talks, said it would host delegations from both sides to discuss a possible exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners

Gaza becomes 'news graveyard' as journalists die bringing war to the world

Minutes after journalists gathered outside a Gaza hospital to survey the damage of an Israeli strike, Ibrahim Qannan pointed his camera up at the battered building as the others climbed its external stairs. Then Qannan watched in horror while broadcasting live as a second strike killed the friends and colleagues he knew so well. We live side by side with death, Qannan, a correspondent for the Cairo-based Al-Ghad TV said in an interview. I still cannot believe that five of our colleagues were struck in front of me on camera and I try to hold up and look strong to carry the message. May no one feel such feelings. They are painful feelings. The deaths of the five journalists in the August 25 strikes on Nasser Hospital add to a toll of nearly 200 news workers killed by Israeli forces while working to bring Gaza's story to the world. Those killed in the attack, which left a total of 22 people dead, included Mariam Dagga, 33, a visual journalist who freelanced for The Associated Press

Netanyahu hopes to announce Gaza hostage release 'in coming days'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza in the coming days, as Israel and Hamas prepare for indirect talks in Egypt on Monday on a new US plan to end the war. In a brief statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt to finalise technical details, adding that our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days. But Netanyahu signalled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. He said Israel's military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and that Hamas will be disarmed in the plan's second phase, diplomatically or through a military path by us. The prime minister spoke after Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the US plan. President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group's statement but on Saturday warned that Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. Trump also ordered Israel to st

Dozens killed in Gaza despite Trump's call for Israel to halt bombing

I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again, he said

Bombing in Gaza City subsides; Israel readies for first phase of US plan

Israeli bombing of Gaza City has significantly subsided though at least five Palestinians were killed, a hospital official said Saturday, as Israel's army said the country's leaders had instructed it to prepare for the first phase of the US plan to end the war in Gaza. Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorised to speak to the media on the record. The official said no forces have been removed from the territory. Still, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah told the AP that Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City, while bombing had "significantly subsided. The army statement came hours after President Donald Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza once Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan. Trump welcomed the Hamas statement but on Saturday warned that Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. He noted that Israel had temporarily stopped the ...

UK confronts rising long-term terror threat linked to ongoing Gaza conflict

The fatal Manchester attack by Jihad Al-Shamie has heightened UK security concerns since Oct. 7, 2023, though his motives and path to the standoff remain unclear