Palestine

Hamas, Israel in New Hostage-Prisoner Swap Under Gaza Truce

Palestinian militants and Israel carried out a hostage-prisoner swap on Saturday under a Gaza ceasefire deal, but a last-minute dispute blocked the expected return of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to devastated northern Gaza. As part of the exchange, the second since the truce took effect last Sunday, four freed Israeli women hostages, ...

70 Freed and 'Deported' Palestinian Prisoners Reach Egypt

Seventy Palestinian prisoners arrived aboard buses in Egypt Saturday after being released from Israel as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal, state-linked Egyptian media reported. Al-Qahera News, which is linked to state intelligence, said the prisoners were those "deported" by Israel, adding they would be transferred to Egyptian hospitals for ...

Israel Blocks Gazans' Return to Territory's North Unless Civilian Woman Hostage Freed

Israel said on Saturday it would block the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza until civilian woman hostage Arbel Yehud is released. "Israel will not allow the passage of Gazans to the northern part of the Gaza Strip until the release of civilian Arbel Yehud, who was supposed to be released today, is arranged," Prime ...

US Senate Confirms Pete Hegseth as Pentagon Chief

The US Senate narrowly confirmed former Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth as Pentagon chief on Friday, despite allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and other fears about his ability to lead the world's most powerful military. Three Republican senators voted against Donald Trump's pick as secretary of defense, resulting in a 50-50 tie that ...

New Exchange Expected On Saturday Between Israeli Hostages In Gaza And Palestinian Detainees

On Saturday, Hamas is due to free four Israeli soldiers, held hostage in Gaza since 7 October 2023, in exchange for several dozen Palestinians detained in Israel, in the second exchange of this type under the truce agreement in the Gaza Strip. Nearly a week after the ceasefire came into force, which was generally respected, the Palestinian ...

Israel Asks Unrwa To Leave Jerusalem by 30 January (Letter To The UN)

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) must cease its operations in Jerusalem and vacate all the buildings it uses by 30 January, the Israeli ambassador to the UN wrote in a letter to the Secretary-General on Friday. ‘In accordance with applicable Israeli law (...), Unrwa must cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all the ...

Trump Reinstates the Houthi Designation as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization"

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to once again designate Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis a "foreign terrorist organization," the White House announced Wednesday. When former president Joe Biden took over from Trump in 2021, he removed the designation that Trump had signed near the end of his first term. Biden's move came in ...

UN Chief Praises Trump's 'large Contribution' to Gaza Ceasefire

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday hailed Donald Trump's diplomatic efforts to help secure a truce in the Gaza Strip following 15 months of war. "I will praise the United States, Qatar and Turkey for their efforts for months and months and months to obtain the release of hostages, also to obtain the ceasefire," Guterres said at ...

Fragile Gaza Ceasefire Fraught with Risks

After months of negotiations, a ceasefire has paused the devastating war in Gaza, but it risks collapsing as a result of deep distrust between Israel and Hamas and the multi-phased nature of the deal. Qatar, which mediated the talks along with the United States and Egypt, has expressed hope the six-week truce and hostage-prisoner exchange will ...

Qatar Says 'Confident' in Deal for Ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar is confident that the deal it helped mediate for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas addressed all the major issues at stake in the war, the foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday. "We are confident in the deal when it comes to the language of the deal, when it comes to the fact that we hashed out all the major issues on the table", Majed ...

Hamas Official says Four Women Hostages to be Freed Saturday

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP on Tuesday that four Israeli women hostages will be freed in return for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, in the second such release under a ceasefire deal. Nunu said the Palestinian Islamist group would release "four Israeli female detainees in exchange" for a second group of Palestinian prisoners. Three ...