Palestine

Thousands Across Gaza Celebrate Ceasefire Deal

Crowds of Gazans chanted and embraced on Wednesday as news spread that a ceasefire and hostage release deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in the Palestinian territory. After a US official and a source close to the negotiations first revealed the agreement, Israel cautioned that several points ...

Tunisian Talent Shines Bright at Juste Debout’s Premiere

Rhythmic beats echoed through the Tunis Opera Theater stage as dancers faced off at the first-ever edition in the Arab world of a street dance tournament originating in Paris. This year's Juste Debout is hosted in eight cities, including London, New York, Beijing, and Tokyo, as well as the Tunisian capital. Bruce Ykanji, a French-Cameroonian ...

Blinken Proposes a Post-War Plan For Gaza, With a Role For The UN And The Palestinian Authority

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed sending an international security force to Gaza and placing the Palestinian territory under the responsibility of the UN, following the war with Hamas. As a ceasefire looks set to be signed after 15 months of war between Israel and the Palestinian movement that has left tens of thousands ...

Qatar Says Gaza Truce Talks in 'Final Stages'

Key mediator Qatar said negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their "final stages" on Tuesday, adding that it was hopeful an agreement could be reached "very soon". Qatar, Egypt and the United States have stepped up efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages held in Gaza since ...

Netanyahu Updates Biden on ‘Progress’ in Gaza Hostage Deal Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with outgoing US President Joe Biden on Sunday, updating him on progress in negotiations to reach a hostage release deal in Gaza. A readout from Biden's office confirmed the call and said that the president "stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge ...

Deadly Strikes in Gaza as a New Negotiation Round Starts in Qatar

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a delegation of senior officials to Qatar for negotiations on a hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal, which remains plagued by deadly clashes. Netanyahu held a meeting in Jerusalem with US president-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, a representative of current US President ...

Iran TV Shows Missile Base After Paramilitary March Against ‘Threats'

Iranian state TV on Friday showed the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps touring an underground missile base used in an attack against Israel, hours after fighters marched through Tehran. The footage of the missile base at an undisclosed location "in the mountains" and the parade by paramilitary Basij volunteers come after the ...

Gaza Rescuers Say Children Among 12 Killed in Israeli Strikes

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli forces pounded the Palestinian territory on Thursday, killing at least 12 people including three girls, 15 months into the war. The latest strikes came as Qatar, Egypt, and the United States mediate negotiations in Doha between Israel and Hamas militants for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza and secure ...

Mediator Qatar Confirms 'Technical Meetings' on Gaza Truce Ongoing

Talks aimed at cementing a truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas are ongoing, with "technical meetings" taking place between the parties, mediator Qatar's foreign ministry said Tuesday. "The technical meetings are still happening between both sides," ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said, referring to meetings with lower-level officials on the ...

Gaza: List of Hostages Set for Release; Blinken Expresses Confidence in Future Ceasefire Agreement

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced confidence Monday that a ceasefire deal in Gaza would come together, but possibly after President Joe Biden leaves office on January 20. Blinken, who tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully last year to broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, said that the Biden administration "will work every ...