Israel announced on Sunday that it had received the remains of three additional captives from Hamas as part of the ongoing hostage-prisoner exchange under the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement. The fragile truce, in place since October 10, has largely held despite occasional flare-ups, with the deal focusing on the return of all Israeli hostages, both alive and deceased. “Israel has …
Read More »
Israel, which has reportedly breached the Gaza ceasefire agreement 47 times so far, carried out fresh airstrikes on Rafah on Sunday, sparking concerns over possible casualties. Earlier in the day, an Israeli tank shell struck a bus in northern Gaza, killing 11 Palestinians. Meanwhile, Hamas has firmly denied the U.S. allegations that it was plotting attacks on civilians, calling the …
Read More »
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the US Central Command, will initially lead the 200-strong team on the ground. “His role will be to monitor, observe, and ensure there are no violations,” a senior official told reporters. The team is expected to include military officials from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and possibly the UAE. Another official clarified that “no US troops are …
Read More »
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been working tirelessly for weeks to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal. “They’ve made significant progress and are very close,” Rubio stated. He expressed optimism, saying, “We’re hopeful that a ceasefire agreement could be reached any day now, under which at least half of the …
Read More »
Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden, ending a period of relative calm starting in January with the Gaza ceasefire. The Houthis had launched more than 100 attacks targeting shipping from November 2023, saying they were in solidarity with …
Read More »
Hamas has condemned Israel’s decision to postpone the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, saying its claim that the captives’ handover ceremonies are “humiliating” was false and a pretext to evade Israel’s obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Netanyahu’s decision reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement, represents a blatant violation of its terms, …
Read More »
Egypt and Qatar are ramping up diplomatic efforts to salvage the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, an Egyptian source said on Wednesday. “Cairo and Doha are urging all parties to adhere to the agreement, despite political and on-the-ground complexities that are making the process increasingly difficult,” the state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel said, citing the source. Israeli Prime Minister …
Read More »
A round of Gaza ceasefire talks will be held in Doha on Tuesday morning to finalise remaining details related to the deal, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Monday. A deal to end the Gaza war is “closer than it’s ever been”, the official said, adding that US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, outgoing …
Read More »
Unews World