Israel-palestine

Israel receives remains of possible hostage, plans to reopen Gaza crossing

Israel received remains of what could be one of the last hostages in Gaza on Wednesday and said it will begin allowing Palestinians to leave the war-torn territory through a border crossing with Egypt. The remains found by militants in northern Gaza have been returned to Israel, where they will be examined by forensics experts. Remains militants handed over on Tuesday did not match either of the last two hostages in Gaza. The return of all the hostages taken on the October 7, 2023, attack that started the war is a key element of the first phase of the ceasefire that began in October. In exchange, Israel has been releasing Palestinian prisoners. Under the terms of the ceasefire, the long-closed Rafah crossing is to be opened for medical evacuations and travel to and from Gaza. The World Health Organization says there are more than 16,500 sick and wounded people who need to leave Gaza for medical care. It was not immediately clear when the border crossing would be opened, however. E

Global arms producers' revenue up 5.9% to record level in 2024: Report

The world's biggest weapons-producing companies saw a 5.9% increase in revenue from sales of arms and military services last year as demand was fed by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as countries' rising military spending, according to a report released Monday. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, said the revenues of the 100 largest arms makers grew to USD 679 billion in 2024, the highest figure it has recorded. The bulk of the increase was down to companies based in Europe and the United States, but there were increases around the world except in Asia and Oceania, where problems in the Chinese arms industry led to a slight fall. Thirty of the 39 US companies in the top 100 including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics posted increases. Their combined revenue was up 3.8% at USD 334 billion. But SIPRI noted that widespread delays and budget overruns continue to plague development and production in major US-led programmes, includi

At least 25 killed, several injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza, Khan Younis

According to a report, Israel has carried out 393 attacks on Gaza in violation of the US-brokered ceasefire, killing and wounding 280 and 672 people respectively

Highlights: Al Falah group chaiman Jawed Siddiqui in ED custody for 13 days

Highlights, Nov 19: Catch all the latest news developments here

UN Security Council backs Trump's Gaza peace plan with 13 votes in favour

US officials had nonetheless pushed for the Security Council's stamp of approval for the plan, arguing the support would help ensure diplomatic momentum

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

US offers support to Lebanon army to enforce plan to disarm Hezbollah

The US officials, in a meeting with Lebanon's President Aoun, expressed readiness to help the war-battered country stabilise security in the south, where Israel has been regularly carrying out strikes

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 .

No safe passage for 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in Rafah: Netanyahu

Earlier, Israeli media reports suggested that Israel might approve the fighters' safe passage if they agreed to surrender their weapons and if Hamas returned the bodies of additional fallen hostages

LIVE news updates: PM Modi launches ₹1 trillion RDI fund to boost private sector innovation

LIVE news updates, Nov 3: Catch all the latest updates here

Israel hands over bodies of 30 Palestinians as ceasefire deal edges forward

Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to health authorities in Gaza on Friday, completing an exchange after militants turned over remains of two hostages, in a sign that the tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement is edging forward. The incremental progress came despite Israeli strikes on Gaza this week that killed more than 100 people following the killing of an Israeli soldier. The bodies were transferred with the Red Cross serving as intermediary. The return of the Palestinian remains was confirmed by a doctor at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, where medical workers were striving to identify them. Gaza and Israel grapple with latest exchange of bodies ----------------------------------------------------------- Photos showed the remains, in white body bags, arranged in rows inside the grounds of Nasser Hospital. Health officials have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. The handover brings the number of Palestinian bodies returned

Israel has set up nearly 1,000 new barriers across West Bank since 2023

Since Israel's war with Hamas began more than two years ago, Israel has erected nearly 1,000 barriers in cities and towns in the occupied West Bank, further stifling movement for Palestinians and hindering daily lives, a local government body says. While Israel's military has long imposed movement and access constraints after capturing the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, the number of new barriers is unprecedented, residents say. According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, an official Palestinian governmental body, 916 gates, barriers and walls have been installed since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. Israeli military raids throughout the West Bank have also increased, with Palestinians killed or detained. Israel says it is trying to root out militancy. Among the new barriers are metal gates stationed at many village and town entrances and between cities, blocking access in and out. Sometimes the Israeli military is stationed at them. Palestinia

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.

British political commentator Sami Hamdi detained at California airport

Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator, was being held Monday by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he was detained by ICE officers at San Francisco International Airport, according to federal officials. One senior US official said the detention was related to comments he has made about the Middle East. Hamdi, who is Muslim, was on a speaking tour in the US and on Saturday had addressed the annual gala for the Sacramento, California, chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. Earlier this morning, ICE agents abducted British Muslim journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi at San Francisco Airport, apparently in response to his vocal criticism of the Israeli government during his ongoing speaking tour, the group said in a Sunday social media post. The detention is the latest in the Trump administration's ramped up efforts to identify and potentially expel thousands of foreigners in the United States who it says have either fomented or ...

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

Gaza ceasefire mediators shared intel to foil recent threat, says Rubio

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Israel, the U.S. and the other mediators of the Gaza ceasefire deal are sharing information to disrupt any threats and that allowed them to identify a possible impending attack last weekend. The State Department said a week ago that it had credible reports Hamas could violate the ceasefire with an attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We put out a message through State Department, sent it to our mediators as well, about an impending attack, and it didn't happen, he told reporters en route from Israel to Qatar, where he met up with President Donald Trump for a multistop tour in Asia. So that's the goal here, is ultimately to identify a threat before it happens." Rubio said multiple countries are interested in joining an international stabilization force that aims to deploy to Gaza but that they need more details about the mission and rules of engagement. The U.S. could call for a U.N. resolution supporting the force so more nation

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

Israeli PM meets US Secretary of State Rubio to discuss Gaza peace plan

Meanwhile, as per The Times of Israel, a US official said that US President Donald Trump will "f**k" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli leader jeopardizes the Gaza ceasefire deal

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