Hamas

24 killed as Israel launches strikes in Gaza in latest test of ceasefire

Israel's military on Saturday said it launched airstrikes against Hamas militants in Gaza in the latest test of the ceasefire that began on October 10. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 14 people killed and another 45 wounded, including children. Similar waves of strikes have occurred during the ceasefire after reported attacks against Israeli forces. One strike targeted a vehicle, killing seven and wounding 18 Palestinians in Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood, said Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. The majority of those wounded were children, director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said. Another strike targeting a house near Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza killed at least three people and wounded 11 others, according to the hospital. It said a strike on a house in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed one child and wounded 16 others. And a strike targeting a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza killed three people, including a woman,

Israeli soldiers battle trauma, PTSD after two years of war with Hamas

Wrapped tightly around his forearms, the former Israeli soldier feels the snakes' cold skin against his, and for a moment, he's able to breathe. It's been nearly 18 months since he left the army after fighting in the war in Gaza, and the flashbacks and panic attacks haven't ceased. He was wounded in a Hamas missile attack on his military base, and said two of his friends also soldiers in their 20s died by suicide. This farm in central Israel dedicated to helping soldiers has been a lifeline, he said. It doesn't matter if a plane goes by or if the drone goes by or if someone is yelling. ... Because I'm here with the snake right now, said the 27-year-old sergeant major, who called the experience grounding. Like other soldiers who spoke to The Associated Press, he insisted on anonymity to discuss private mental health matters. Israel's longest war is leaving a trail of traumatised soldiers, with a growing number suffering from mental health illnesses after two years of war with Hamas

Gaza death toll tops 69,000 as Israel, militants again exchange remains

More than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war so far, Gaza health officials said Saturday, as both sides completed the latest exchange of bodies under the terms of the tenuous ceasefire. The latest jump in deaths occurred as more bodies are recovered in the devastated Gaza Strip since the ceasefire began on October 10, and as other bodies are identified. The toll also includes Palestinians killed by strikes that Israel says target remaining militants. Israel on Saturday returned the remains of another 15 Palestinians to Gaza, according to hospital officials there, a day after militants returned the remains of a hostage to Israel. He was identified as Lior Rudaeff, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that Rudaeff was born in Argentina. The exchanges are the central part of the ceasefire's initial phase, which requires that Hamas return all hostage remains as quickly as possible. Families and .

Israel returns bodies of 15 Palestinians for Israeli hostages' remains

Israel on Saturday returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, hospital officials in the strip said, a day after militants returned the remains of a hostage to Israel under the terms of the tenuous ceasefire agreement in the two-year war. The exchange marked another step forward for the tenuous, US-brokered truce. As part of the deal, Israel has returned the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage. The Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis said the 15 bodies were brought there. The return came shortly after Israel confirmed the remains given back Friday night were of an Israeli man who died while fighting Hamas in the militants' Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war. The hostage's body was identified as that of Lior Rudaeff, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Rudaeff was born in Argentina and moved to Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, a farming community in southern Israel, as a child. H

Red Cross to hand over received remains of 3 hostages to Israel military

Israel said the Red Cross has received the remains of three hostages in Gaza and they will be handed over to Israel's military. A Hamas statement earlier said the remains were found Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza. Since the ceasefire in Gaza took effect on October 10, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 remaining in Gaza. Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases it has said the remains aren't of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation. Israel's military said official identification of these remains would be provided to families first. Israel in turn has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for the return of the remains of an Israeli hostage. Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, ...

Pakistan plans to send peace troops to Gaza: 'We will be proud to do it'

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the government will take a decision after consulting parliament and other relevant institutions

Israeli strikes kill 60 in Gaza after Hamas allegedly violated ceasefire

The Israeli military said that the operation was in response to Hamas attacking its troops in Rafah, a claim denied by the militant group

Israel's military kills three Palestinian militants in West Bank raid

Israeli authorities said they had killed three Palestinian militants early on Tuesday during an operation in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. Israeli police said the three men were shot as they came out of a cave near Jenin, a town in the northern West Bank known as a militant stronghold. A statement claimed the militants were planning an attack, but gave no further details. The statement said the Israeli military carried out an airstrike shortly afterward to destroy the cave. The army confirmed an airstrike in the area but gave no further details. Israel has stepped up its military activity in the occupied West Bank since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza. Israel says the operations have cracked down on militants in the West Bank. But Palestinians and human rights groups say scores of uninvolved civilians have also been among the dead, while tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes.

Hamas handed over another hostage's body to Red Cross in Gaza, says IDF

Israel's military late Monday said that Hamas has handed over the remains of another hostage to the Red Cross in Gaza. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel. After the latest body is returned to Israel, another 12 bodies still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over. Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told journalists in Hungary that Israel will not allow Turkish troops to take part in an international force the United States has proposed to oversee the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The 20-point deal brokered by US President Donald Trump earlier this month calls for a force to monitor the ceasefire but does not mention which countries would provide troops. It says the US would work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force to deploy in Gaza. The force would train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces" and will consul

Trump warns Hamas of major consequences if Israel-Palestine deal breached

President Trump also highlighted the wide support for the peace plan, with multiple people agreeing to join the Stabilisation Force to help maintain peace in the region

Marco Rubio visits US-led coordination centre in Israel amid Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio toured a US-led coordination centre in southern Israel Friday, as the Trump administration pushed forward with plans to set up an international security force in Gaza and shore up a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Rubio was the latest in a series of high-level US officials to visit the civilian military coordination centre and the country. US Vice President JD Vance was there earlier this week, where he announced its opening, and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, were also in Israel. Around 200 US troops are working alongside the Israeli military and delegations from other countries at the centre, planning the stabilisation and reconstruction of Gaza. On Friday, an AP reporter saw international personnel there with flags from Cyprus, Greece, France, Germany, Australia and Canada. Rubio had been expected to name a civilian coordinator who would work alongside a commander from the US Central Command, bu

Rubio to visit Israel after Vance, ensure fragile Gaza ceasefire holds

As US Vice President JD Vance's visit to Israel comes to a close, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would be travelling to the country to keep the momentum on the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Earlier this week, Vance announced the opening of a civilian military coordination centre in southern Israel where some 200 US troops are working alongside the Israeli military and delegations from other countries planning the stabilisation and reconstruction of Gaza. Rubio told journalists at Joint Base Andrews late Wednesday that he plans to visit the centre and appoint a Foreign Service official to work alongside the top US military commander in the Middle East, Vice Adm Brad Cooper. The US is seeking support from other allies, especially Gulf nations, to create an international stabilisation force to be deployed to Gaza and train a Palestinian force. We'd like to see Palestinian police forces in Gaza that are not Hamas and that are going to do a good jo

Israel to resume ceasefire, aid after it launched deadly strikes in Gaza

Gaza's fragile ceasefire faced its first major test Sunday as Israeli forces launched a wave of deadly strikes, saying Hamas militants had killed two soldiers, and an Israeli security official said the transfer of aid into the territory was halted. The military later said it resumed enforcing the ceasefire, and the official confirmed that aid deliveries would resume Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to discuss the issue with the media. A little over a week has passed since the start of the U.S.-proposed ceasefire aimed at ending two years of war. U.S. President Donald Trump said the ceasefire remained in place and we want to make sure it's going to be very peaceful. He told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that Hamas has been quite rambunctious and they've been doing some shooting. He suggested that the violence might be the fault of rebels within the organization rather than its leadership. It's going to be handled toughly but

US V-P Vance visits Israel, says Gaza ceasefire going better than expected

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other envoys projected optimism Tuesday about Gaza 's fragile ceasefire agreement, calling progress better than anticipated as they visited a new center in Israel for civilian and military cooperation. Vance noted flareups of violence in recent days but said the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10 is going better than I expected after two years of war between Israel and Hamas. The Trump administration's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, added that we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time. They are in Israel as questions remain over the long-term plan for peace, including whether Hamas will disarm, when and how an international security force will deploy to Gaza and who will govern the territory after the war. Vance tried to downplay any idea that his visit his first as vice president was urgently arranged to keep the ceasefire in place. He said he feels confident that we're going to be in a place where this peace lasts, but warned tha

Nepali town mourns native son who died as a Hamas captive in Gaza

Bipin Joshi was 23 when he left Nepal for Israel as part of an agricultural study program. Less than three weeks into his time there, he was taken captive by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023

Vance on Israel visit, says Gaza ceasefire holding better than expected

US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday visited a newly opened centre in Israel for civilian and military cooperation that he called central to keeping the US-backed ceasefire plan for Gaza on track. Vance, who visited with top US envoys, said the fragile ceasefire is going better than I expected. Envoy Steve Witkoff added that we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time. Vance, Witkoff and others are in Israel to shore up the ceasefire following a burst of deadly violence and questions over the plan for long-term peace. Vance was meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials and is expected to stay in the region until Thursday. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and one of the architects of the ceasefire agreement, is also in Israel. Also on Tuesday, Hamas said it has recovered the remains of two more hostages and planned to hand them over Tuesday evening. Vance urged a little bit of patience' amid growing Israeli frustrat

Israel identifies body of hostage released by Hamas amid ceasefire efforts

Israel said on Tuesday it had identified the body of a hostage that was released by Hamas overnight, while the militant group's chief negotiator said Hamas is determined to implement the ceasefire agreement with Israel. US Vice President JD Vance is expected in the region on Tuesday to shore up the fragile ceasefire, which has teetered over the past few days. Israel confirmed that Hamas released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on the Gaza border. Haimi, 42, a fourth-generation resident of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, was part of the emergency response team. He had four children, including one born after the attack. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is still waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 deceased hostages. Thirteen bodies have been released since the ceasefire began. After trading strikes earlier this week, Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war ends once and for ...

Gaza peace deal brokered by Trump faces collapse as violence resumes

A good way to find the answer would be to look at what's probably also the best model for creating a peacekeeping force for Gaza: the Kosovo Force, better known as KFOR

Israel renews ceasefire enforcement after strikes on Hamas sites in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences to the families of two IDF soldiers, Major Yaniv Kula and Staff Sergeant Itay Ya'avetz, who were killed in the Rafah incident

US warns Hamas planning attack on Palestinians in violation of ceasefire

The US State Department said on Saturday that it has "credible reports" that Hamas could violate the ceasefire with an attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza. If the attack takes place, it "would constitute a direct and grave violation" of the agreement forged by President Donald Trump to end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas, the statement said. No further details were disclosed about the potential attack. "Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire," the State Department said. Trump previously warned on social media that "if Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.