Page 16 - Israel

Israel receives remains of 2 hostages; body mix-up strains fragile truce

Israel received the remains of two more hostages on Wednesday, hours after the Israeli military said that one of the bodies previously turned over was not that of a hostage. The confusion added to tensions over the fragile truce that has paused the two-year war. The remains were transferred by the Red Cross from Hamas. After the two coffins arrived in Israel, the military in a statement cautioned that the hostages' identities had yet to be verified. Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said it received 45 more bodies of Palestinians from Israel, another step in implementation of the ceasefire agreement. That brought to 90 the total number of bodies returned to Gaza for burial. The forensics team examining the remains said they showed signs of mistreatment. As part of the deal, four bodies of hostages were handed over by Hamas on Tuesday, following four on Monday that were returned hours after the last 20 living hostages were released from Gaza. In all, Israel has been awaiting the ..

India backs two-state solution at NAM meet on Palestine in Kampala

Minister of State for External Affairs highlighted India's ongoing development cooperation and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people

Aid trucks enter Gaza as dispute over hostage bodies is temporarily paused

Hamas returned four bodies confirmed as dead hostages on Monday and another four bodies late on Tuesday, though Israeli authorities said one of those bodies was not that of a hostage

1 of 4 bodies handed by Hamas is not that of a hostage: Israeli military

The Israeli military said Wednesday that one of the bodies handed over by Hamas the previous day as part of the ceasefire deal is not that of one of the hostages who was held in Gaza. Four bodies were handed over by Hamas on Tuesday to ease pressure on the fragile ceasefire, following the first four on Monday - when the last 20 living hostages were released. The military said that following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages.

Israel receives remains of 4 more deceased hostages as Gaza aid cuts loom

Hamas hastened on Tuesday to ease the pressure on a fragile ceasefire in its war with Israel by returning the bodies of more dead hostages. The move came after an Israeli military agency said it would slash aid deliveries to Gaza by half over concerns that the militant group was handing remains over slower than agreed. The Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed late on Tuesday that authorities received four deceased hostages that the Red Cross handed over to Israeli military authorities inside Gaza. The bodies will be taken to the National Centre for Forensic Medicine where they will be identified and the families notified. This latest transfer of remains comes a day after Israel received the bodies of four other dead hostages. Despite the development, it was unclear if the Israeli military agency known as COGAT will follow through with its decision to allow into Gaza only half of the 600 aid trucks called for under the deal. The United Nations' humanitarian office in ...

Israel to halve Gaza aid over slow return of dead hostages, tests truce

The fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was tested Tuesday as the slower-than-hoped return of deceased hostages from Gaza prompted an Israeli military agency to declare a violation of the truce agreement that it would respond to by halving the number of trucks allowed to bring humanitarian aid into the devastated territory. The United Nations' humanitarian office in Gaza received word of the cuts from the Israeli military agency in charge of transferring aid to the territory, according to spokesperson Olga Cherevko. US officials and international aid groups were also notified, according to three AP sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The Israeli government did not immediately comment. A day earlier, Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages in Gaza and Palestinians rejoiced at Israel's release of some 2,000 prisoners and detainees as part of the ceasefire's first phase. But now attention in Israel has turned to when Hamas

News highlights: Nitish Kumar's residence sealed off as protests erupt over ticket allocation

Latest news updates, October 14: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Amazon fires employee who protested company's ties to Israeli govt

Ahmed Shahrour, a 29-year-old Palestinian engineer, was fired on Monday for violations of company policy

Biden welcomes hostage release, ceasefire deal, commends Trump

Biden also emphasised the efforts of his administration during his presidency to address the humanitarian crisis and bring an end to the conflict

Hostages freed, but complex challenges remain in Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Israel and Hamas moved ahead on a key first step of the tenuous Gaza ceasefire agreement on Monday by freeing hostages and prisoners, raising hopes that the US-brokered deal might lead to a permanent end to the two-year war that ravaged the Palestinian territory. But thornier issues such as whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza and the question of Palestinian statehood remain unresolved, highlighting the fragility of an agreement that for now only pauses the deadliest conflict in the history of Israel and the Palestinians. For Israelis, the release of the 20 remaining living hostages brought elation and a sense of closure to a war many felt they were forced into by Hamas, although many pledged to fight on for the return of deceased hostages still in Gaza. But with the living hostages freed, the urgency with which many were driven to call for an end to the war will likely diminish, easing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance the next phases o

Trump hails Gaza war's end, Netanyahu cautious on future peace prospects

President Donald Trump is declaring Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip over and has already barrelled ahead toward far larger goals arguing that the fragile ceasefire his administration helped broker is a chance to bring a lasting peace to the greater Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is equally exuberant about the present, but far more measured in his assessments going forward. He's characterised the deal, which is still in its early stages, as a proposal to free hostages and end the war while also saying that his country used two years of often brutal war in Gaza to showcase its military might. The pair seemingly offering strikingly different perspectives about the prospects for future peace is noteworthy given just how much each lavished the other with praise during speeches before the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Monday. But it also reflects just how different the political and diplomatic stakes may be for each leader going forward. That's ...

Palestinians celebrate release of prisoners under Gaza ceasefire deal

Cheers erupted among Palestinians on Monday as Israel released nearly 2,000 prisoners under a Gaza ceasefire agreement that saw them exchanged for Israeli hostages freed by Hamas. Large crowds greeted the freed prisoners in Beitunia in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Khan Younis in Gaza, flashing V-for-victory signs as they descended from International Committee of the Red Cross buses. In Beitunia, they were given traditional keffiyeh scarves as a show of nationalist pride. Some were lifted onto people's shoulders. Others sank into chairs, exhausted. It was an indescribable journey of suffering hunger, unfair treatment, oppression, torture and curses more than anything you could imagine, said Kamal Abu Shanab, a 51-year-old from the West Bank town of Tulkarem who was released after more than 18 years in prison. His face was gaunt. He said he lost 139 pounds (59 kilograms) in prison. We don't recognise him. He's not the person we knew. Our uncle doesn't look like our uncle,

News highlights: Tejashwi meets Kharge to finalise RJD-Cong seat-sharing for Bihar polls

Latest news updates, October 13: US President Donald Trump is set to meet hostage families in Israel and co-host a Cairo summit. Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Donald Trump urges Israel's president Herzog to pardon Netanyahu

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases, one of which includes receiving almost 700,000 shekels ($210,000) in gifts from businessmen, including champagne and cigars

Hamas hands over all 20 hostages to Red Cross under Gaza ceasefire pact

Hamas has announced that 20 living hostages in total will be exchanged for more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel

Hamas releases all Israeli hostages, Durgapur gangrape case, September retail inflation eases

Hamas has released the remaining 20 Israelis held in Gaza, while Israel has begun freeing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.

Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt: What to expect, who’s attending? | Israel-Gaza war | Trump | Netanyahu

World leaders converge in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh for a high-stakes peace summit aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

'Cyrus the Great is alive': Why Israelis see Trump as Persia's ancient king

Banners in Israel have merged, calling Trump 'Cyrus the Great' as Gaza peace plan starts, linking him to the Persian king who freed Jewish captives over 2,500 years ago

Trump arrives in Israel as Hamas releases 7 hostages under ceasefire pact

US President Donald Trump landed Monday in Israel to mark US-brokered ceasefire as Hamas begins releasing Israeli hostages after two years of war. Air Force One touched down at Ben-Gurion International Airport at 9:42 am after flying over Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands were gathered, on the way to landing. The flyover came just after the first seven hostages arrived in Israel from Gaza. Over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners will be released as well.

Trump to receive Israel's top civilian honour for Gaza ceasefire deal

Israeli President Herzog announced that Trump will be awarded the 'Presidential Medal of Honour' for his role in brokering a ceasefire with Hamas, supporting Israel, and advancing peace in the region