Page 27 - Israel-palestine

Activists vandalise Trump golf resort over his remark on emptying out Gaza

Pro-Palestinian activists said Saturday they have vandalised one of US President Donald Trump's golf resorts in Scotland in response to his proposal to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population. Activists targeted Trump's Turnberry golf course and hotel in southwest Scotland overnight, painting Gaza Is Not For Sale in giant letters on the lawn and using red spray paint on the club house's exterior wall. The group Palestine Action said it rejects Donald Trump's treatment of Gaza as though it were his property to dispose of as he likes. To make that clear, we have shown him that his own property is not safe from acts of resistance," it said in a statement. Police Scotland said it received a report of damage to the golf course in the early hours of Saturday, and that inquiries are ongoing. The future of Gaza is uncertain as the first phase of a ceasefire that paused the 15-month war between Israel and Hamas ended with no clarity on what would come next because the agreement'

Israel's delegation to visit Qatar for 'advancing' ceasefire negotiations

Israel said that it would send a delegation to Qatar on Monday in an effort to advance the negotiations around the ceasefire in Gaza, while Hamas reported positive signals in talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on starting negotiations on the truce's delayed second phase. The statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office gave no details except to say it had accepted the invitation of US-backed mediators. Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua also gave no details. Talks on the second phase should have started a month ago. There was no immediate comment from the White House, which on Wednesday made the surprise confirmation of direct US talks with Hamas. Over the past week, Israel has pressed Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for an extension of the first phase, which ended last weekend, and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Hamas is believed to have 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others. Israel last weekend cut off all

Gaza aid imperiled as millions in promised USAID funds remain undelivered

The Trump administration's cuts to USAID have frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in contractual payments to aid groups, leaving them paying out of pocket to preserve a fragile ceasefire, according to officials from the U.S. humanitarian agency. The cutbacks threaten to halt the small gains aid workers have made combatting Gaza's humanitarian crisis during the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. They also could endanger the tenuous truce, which the Trump administration helped cement. USAID was supposed to fund much of the aid to Gaza as the ceasefire progressed, and the Trump administration approved over $383 million on January 31 to that end, according to three USAID officials. But since then, there have been no confirmed payments to any partners in the Middle East, they said. The officials, who have survived multiple rounds of furloughs, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Two senior officials at aid organizations confirmed they have not received any of the promised .

Egypt's proposal to rebuild Gaza fails to meet requirements, says US

Egyptian plan, which was endorsed this week by the Arab League, includes temporary housing inside Gaza for 1.5 million displaced Palestinians during reconstruction, estimated to cost about $50 bn

Trump admin rejects Gaza reconstruction plan proposed by Arab leaders

Trump administration has said that US President Donald Trump stands by his vision, which includes expelling the Palestinian residents of the territory

'If you hold hostages, you are dead': Trump issues 'last warning' to Hamas

Donald Trump's statement comes after the White House confirmed that a US envoy was dispatched to Qatar for direct talks with Hamas

US holds secret talks with Hamas for release of US hostages in Gaza

US special envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler has been holding the direct talks with Hamas in recent weeks in Doha

Arab leaders back counteroffer to Trump's Gaza plan as ceasefire falters

Arab leaders meeting in Cairo on Tuesday are set to endorse a counterproposal to US President Donald Trump's call for the Gaza Strip to be depopulated and transformed into a beach destination, even as the continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is uncertain. The summit hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is expected to include the leaders of regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose support is crucial for any postwar plan. Israel has meanwhile embraced what it says is an alternative US proposal for the ceasefire itself and the release of hostages taken in Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. It has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept the new proposal and has warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to war. The suspension of aid drew widespread criticism, with human rights groups saying it violated Israel's obligations as an occupying po

One killed, four injured in Israel stabbing attack; suspect shot dead

The attack in Israel happened amid heightened regional tensions over the ceasefire situation in Gaza

Creators of 'No Other Land' urge to end Gaza's ethnic cleansing at Oscars

The documentary 'No Other Land' won the Oscar for Best Documentary on Sunday. It tells the story of Palestinian activists trying to stop the Israeli military from demolishing their communities

News highlights: Leader of J&K Oppn Sunil Sharma calls on LG Sinha ahead of Budget Session

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

Israel halts aid to Gaza, pressures Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal

Israel stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday and warned of additional consequences if Hamas doesn't accept a new proposal to extend a fragile ceasefire. Hamas accused Israel of trying to derail the existing ceasefire agreement and said its decision to cut off aid was cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack" on the truce, which took hold in January after more than a year of negotiations. Both sides stopped short of saying the ceasefire had ended. The first phase of the ceasefire, which included a surge in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, in which Hamas was to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout and a lasting ceasefire. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the decision to suspend aid was made in coordination with the Trump administration. There was no immediate comment from the United Stat

Israel stops entry of supplies into Gaza as 1st phase of ceasefire expires

Israel said that it supports a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, or April 20

Hamas rejects Israel's conditions for extension as Gaza ceasefire

Israel "is trying to reset the situation to zero by mixing the cards" and hasn't given a commitment to fully withdraw from Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said

Trump administration approves nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel

The Trump administration has approved a major nearly USD 3 billion arms sale to Israel, bypassing a normal congressional review to provide the country with more of the 2,000-pound bombs that it has used in the war against Hamas in Gaza. In a series of notifications sent to Congress late Friday, the State Department said it had signed off on the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads worth USD 2.04 billion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defence articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements, the department said. Deliveries are set to begin next year, it said. Using the same justification, the department also said Rubio had approved another munitions sale to Israel worth USD 675.7 million to be delivered .

'Pretty good talks going on': Donald Trump on Gaza ceasefire deal

A three-phase ceasefire in Gaza went into effect on January 19 and has led to the handover of 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel

Israel-Hamas talks begin for next phase of Gaza ceasefire, says Egypt

Egypt says negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire have begun in Cairo. Officials from Israel, Qatar and the US on Thursday started intensive discussions on the second phase of the ceasefire, Egypts state information service said in a statement. The mediators are also discussing ways to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population and support stability in the region, it said. The launch of talks helps avert a collapse of the ceasefire, whose first phase is set to expire on Saturday. Under the deal, the ceasefire remains in effect while negotiations on the second phase are taking place.

Hamas urges talks on next phase of ceasefire after hostage-prisoner swap

Hamas said Thursday it was ready to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after a swap in which it handed over what it said were the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It was the final such exchange the two sides agreed to as part of a truce that's set to end this weekend. Negotiations over a second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for more prisoners and a lasting ceasefire, have not yet begun. An Israeli group representing families of hostages said the remains of three of the four bodies have been identified. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the bodies of Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat and Shlomo Mantzur have been returned to Israel. Mantzur, 85, was killed in the October 7, 2023, attack and his body was taken into Gaza. The other two were abducted alive and the circumstances surrounding their deaths were not known. Hamas said in a

Donald Trump's AI-generated video shows Gaza as luxury resort, sparks row

The video features a golden statue of Trump, a hummus-eating, dancing Musk, and American and Israeli leaders relaxing on beach, promoting his proposal to expel 2.1 mn Palestinians and transform Gaza

Hamas hands over 4 dead hostages from Gaza as Palestinians leave prison

Hamas handed over four dead hostages to the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will end. An Israeli security official confirmed that Hamas handed the bodies to the Red Cross. The official spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement. At around the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners left Israel's Ofer prison. Crowds of cheering families, friends and supporters of Palestinian prisoners were gathered in Beitunia jostling for a glimpse of the bus that was on its way. Israel had delayed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it called the cruel treatment of hostages during their handover by Hamas. The militant group has called the delay a serious violation of the ceasefire and said talks on a second phase aren't possible until the Palestinians are freed. Prime Minist