Page 9 - Israel-palestine

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 ...

PM Modi welcomes Trump's leadership as Gaza peace efforts show progress

India welcomes US President Donald Trump's leadership as peace efforts in Gaza make decisive progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday. Modi referred to the indications of the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas and said it marks a significant step forward in efforts to restore peace in the region. He said on X, "India will continue to strongly support all efforts towards a durable and just peace." Trump has ordered Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan to end the nearly two-year war and return all the remaining hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack. Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians.

Hamas accepts some elements of Gaza peace plan after Trump issues ultimatum

Hamas said Friday that it has accepted some elements of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that others require further consultations among Palestinians. The statement came hours after Trump said that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught nearly two years into the war sparked by the October 7 attack into Israel. It was unclear how the US and Israel would respond to partial acceptance. Hamas said it was willing to release hostages according to the plan's formula, likely referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners. It also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body. But it said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a unanimous Palestinian stance reached with other factions and based

Gulf countries back Trump's Gaza plan even without Hamas agreement

Trump gave Hamas until 6 p.m. ET on Sunday to respond to his administration's plan, warning of harsh consequences should the group fail to accept

Israeli strikes kill 57 in Gaza as Hamas considers Trump's plan to end war

Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 57 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, health officials said Thursday, as Hamas was still considering its response to US President Donald Trump's proposal for ending the nearly two-year war. The plan requires Hamas to return all 48 hostages about 20 of them thought by Israel to be alive give up power and disarm in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and an end to fighting. However, the proposal, which has been accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sets no path to Palestinian statehood. Palestinians long for the war to end but many believe the plan favours Israel, and a Hamas official told The Associated Press that some elements were unacceptable, without elaborating. Qatar and Egypt, two key mediators, said it requires more negotiations on certain elements. Israel intercepts activist aid flotilla At least 29 people were killed by Israeli fire in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital, which ...

Hamas has till Sunday to accept deal or 'all HELL' will break out: Trump

Trump on Tuesday said he would give Hamas three to four days to accept the 20-point document, which calls on the group to disarm a demand it has previously rejected

Israel intercepts boats attempting to break Gaza blockade, activists held

Hundreds of Israeli police officers were deployed Thursday to the southern port of Ashdod to process some 450 international activists detained by Israeli naval forces hours earlier in the Mediterranean Sea, Israeli authorities said. The activists, including European lawmakers, were taking part of a flotilla attempting to break Israel's blockade of Gaza when their vessels were intercepted, drawing widespread condemnation and sparking protests around the world. The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel's conduct in Gaza, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swaths of territory and killed tens of thousands of people. Activists had said they hoped that the sheer number of boats would make it more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all but Israel's Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon. Israeli police shared a video showing some 600 officers workin

Activists say Israeli navy has begun intercepting Gaza-bound aid flotilla

Activists on board a flotilla of vessels sailing toward Gaza said late Wednesday that the Israeli navy has begun intercepting their vessels as they approach the besieged Palestinian territory. The Global Sumud Flotilla, with Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson, Mandla Mandela, and several European lawmakers aboard, consists of nearly 50 boats and 500 activists and is carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid. It has remained undeterred in its mission to break the Israeli blockade of the coastal strip and reach Palestinians. Greg Stoker, an American veteran aboard one of the boats in the flotilla, said around a dozen naval vessels with their transponders off had approached it. They are currently hailing our vessels, telling us to turn off our engines and await further instructions or our boats will be seized and we will face the consequences," he said in a shaky video while wearing a red life jacket. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X that the navy had reached out to

Trump's Gaza peace plan gets global support, PM Modi among endorsers

The White House has highlighted the "global support, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for President Donald Trump's visionary plan for peace in war-battered Gaza. President Trump's "groundbreaking plan for peace in Gaza has galvanised a chorus of international praise as the potential pivotal turning point after years of devastating war," the White House said in a statement on Wednesday. "Hailed as a game changer by nations across continents, President Trump's comprehensive framework emphasises an urgent end to hostilities, the full liberation of all hostages, sustained humanitarian relief, and Gaza's transformation into a beacon of prosperity," it said. It said the visionary plan has been embraced by key leaders from the Arab world to the West. The statement lists reactions and comments of world leaders, including PM Modi, on Trump's plan to end the conflict in Gaza. "We welcome President Donald J. Trump's announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict. It

Israel orders Palestinians to leave Gaza City or be deemed militants

Around 400,000 Palestinians have fled famine-stricken Gaza City since Israel launched a major offensive last month aimed at occupying it, but hundreds of thousands remain

Arab and Muslim nations urge Hamas to accept Trump-backed Gaza peace plan

The proposal states that 'full aid' should be sent into Gaza and distribution handled by United Nations agencies 'without interference from the two parties'

Hamas says it will study Trump's peace proposal before responding

Hamas said Tuesday it will discuss US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza within the militant group and with other Palestinian factions before responding. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already thrown his support behind it, but it's unclear whether Hamas will agree, or when it will give a response. The proposal demands that Hamas effectively surrender and disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza all desperately hoped for by the population of the devastated territory where the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has topped 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israeli forces killed at least 31 Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, local hospitals said. Meanwhile, as backing and support pour in for the proposal from the international community, Trump told reporters Tuesday that Hamas has three or four days to respond. Here's the latest: Trump says Hamas has '3 or 4 day

As outrage over war in Gaza grows, Europe's relation with Israel falters

Pro-Palestinian protests are shaking major European cities, and calls are growing to ban Israel from sporting and cultural events. European navies have been deployed to protect activists trying to get aid into Gaza, and a wave of countries have done the once-unthinkable and recognised a Palestinian state. As outrage over the humanitarian catastrophe grows, more European leaders, sometimes driven by pressure from their populations, have openly condemned Israel's war conduct and sought to push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to agree to a ceasefire and allow in aid. There has been a ground-breaking shift in Europe where, somewhere over the last year, populations have been putting more pressure on their governments, which has helped break taboos at the top over criticism of Israel, said Sanam Vakil, director of the Chatham House think tank's Middle East and North Africa program. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel's closest EU allies, said last week that she ..

Gaza peace proposal agreed to by Trump, Netanyahu: All you need to know

After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw his support behind the US peace plan for Gaza, the question now is whether Hamas will agree. Hamas faces a bitter tradeoff the proposal demands that the militant group effectively surrender in return for uncertain gains. But if it rejects the deal, the US could give Israel an even freer hand to continue its punishing campaign in the already devastated territory. Under the proposal, the militant group would have to disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza all desperately hoped for by its population. But the proposal has only a vague promise that, one day, perhaps, Palestinian statehood might be possible. For the foreseeable future, Gaza and its more than 2 million Palestinians would be put under international control. An international security force would move in, and a Board of Peace headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would ..

Netanyahu, Trump set to meet as pressure mounts to end war in Gaza

On the eve of meeting with US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is working on a new ceasefire plan with the White House, but details are still being sorted out. Netanyahu has come under heavy international pressure to end the war, especially during the ongoing offensive in Gaza City. The death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has topped 66,000 Palestinians, Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday. In Monday's White House meeting, Trump is expected to share a new proposal for ending the conflict. We're working on it, Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday's The Sunday Briefing. It's not been finalised yet, but we're working with President Trump's team, actually as we speak, and I hope we can -- we can make it a go. Arab officials briefed on the plan say the 21-point proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The officials spoke on ...

Israeli strikes kill 32 in Gaza as Netanyahu ignores demands for ceasefire

Israeli strikes killed at least 32 people across Gaza overnight, health officials said, as international pressure grows for a ceasefire but Israel's leader remains defiant about continuing the war. Strikes in central and northern Gaza killed people in their homes in the early hours of Saturday morning, including nine from the same family in a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to health staff at the Al-Awda hospital where the bodies were brought. The attacks came hours after a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told fellow world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Friday that his nation must finish the job against Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu's words, aimed as much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one, began after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the UN General Assembly hall en masse Friday morning as he began speaking. International pressure on Israel to end the war is increasing, as is Israel's isolation, w

New Zealand breaks with partners, says won't recognise Palestinian state

New Zealand's surprise decision puts it at odds with a growing chorus of Western nations who formally recognised a Palestinian state in the lead-up to the UNGA meeting

Will not allow Israel to annex West Bank, says Trump amid Arab concerns

President Donald Trump has said that he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. "There's been enough," Trump, apparently referring to Israel, told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday while signing executive orders unrelated to Middle East policy. He added, "It's time to stop now." Trump has long bragged about his close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the president has faced pressure from Arab leaders, who have publicly expressed concerns about the Israeli military acting to annex more territory. Unlike Gaza, where Israel's war with Hamas continues, the West Bank is governed by the Palestinian Authority.