War in the Middle East

Israel Ratifies U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire and Hostage Deal and Begins Pullback from Gaza

This is Beirut 11:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Ceasefire Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Gaza

The Israeli government has officially approved a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, marking a potential turning point in the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza. The agreement, mediated with support from Egypt and Qatar, was ratified by Israel’s cabinet early Friday morning, triggering a 24-hour window for the Israeli army ...

Israel Government Approves Gaza Hostage Release Deal

This is Beirut 09:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu USA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday that the government had "approved the framework" of a hostage release deal with Hamas, as both sides edged closer to ending more than two years of hostilities in Gaza. Israel previously said "all parties" had signed the first phase of a ceasefire ...

How a Whisper and a Note Led to Trump’s Gaza Deal

This is Beirut 09/10 21:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Marco Rubio Gaza Israel

It began with a hastily written note and a whisper. It ended with a Gaza deal long sought by Donald Trump. Something was obviously going on when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made an unexpected appearance during a roundtable at the White House on the left-wing Antifa movement on Wednesday. "By the way, we have Marco Rubio. Marco, come on up ...

Trump to Visit Egypt for Gaza Ceasefire Celebration

This is Beirut 09/10 20:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gaza Egypt Israel

US envoy Steve Witkoff said President Donald Trump is set to travel to Egypt next week, after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi extended an invitation to attend celebrations over a Gaza ceasefire deal. "The President is really excited to come to Egypt, and that is the plan, that he comes next week," Witkoff said in a meeting with Sisi, a ...

Hamas Rejects Trump’s Proposed Peace Committee for Gaza

This is Beirut 09/10 20:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Gaza Israel Donald Trump

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan on Thursday told Qatar-based broadcaster Al Araby the Palestinian militant group rejects Donald Trump's proposal for an interim "Board of Peace" to oversee Gaza's administration, headed by the US president himself. Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed to a ceasefire deal to free hostages held in Gaza in exchange ...

International Community Hails Gaza Ceasefire as a Step Toward Peace

This is Beirut 09/10 19:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Ceasefire

World leaders on Thursday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas, which could help end the two-year war in Gaza. Palestinian Authority Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said he hoped that the deal "would be a prelude to reaching a permanent political solution," leading to the establishment of ...

Turkey to Join Task Force Monitoring Gaza Ceasefire

This is Beirut 09/10 17:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Gaza Israel

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said Turkey would participate in a "task force" to oversee the implementation of a ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas. "We will hopefully join the task force that will monitor the implementation of the agreement on the ground," Erdogan said. Turkey, which has been closely involved in the ...

Israeli Cabinet to Vote Thursday on Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Deal

This is Beirut 09/10 12:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Ceasefire Hostage

After nearly two years of war in Gaza, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and the release of hostages in what is being hailed as a historic step toward ending the conflict. The agreement, brokered through intense negotiations in Egypt with the support of the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, represents the first phase of US ...

Trump Says May go to Middle East at End of Week

This is Beirut 08/10 23:39 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Gaza Israel Hamas

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he may travel to the Middle East later this week, as negotiators in Egypt reported "encouraging" progress toward a deal to end the Gaza war. Trump, whose 20-point peace proposal forms the basis of the talks in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, said a peace deal between Israel and Palestinian ...

Gaza: Paris Meeting on Post-War Plans Sparks Israeli Anger

This is Beirut 08/10 21:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gaza Hamas France Israel Donald Trump ceasefire

A meeting scheduled for Thursday in Paris, bringing together European and Arab foreign ministers to discuss “modalities for a collective post-war engagement” in the Gaza Strip, has already drawn Israel’s ire, which denounces it as “an attempt to internationalize the conflict.” “This meeting represents a new step in France’s ...

DocumentaryIran: The Fall of the Mullahs?

Elie Ziadé 08/10 18:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Tehran Washington

This is the central theme of this 20-minute visual investigation produced by Ici Beyrouth and This Is Beirut. The film combines archival footage, expert analysis and excerpts from speeches to explore the rise, power and fragility of a regime built on faith, weapons and fear. Three Voices to Understand Iran The documentary features three ...

Gaza: Turkey Takes the Lead, Leveraging Its Ties with Hamas

This is Beirut 08/10 17:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gaza Hamas Israel Turkey Qatar Egypt

By backing the ongoing indirect negotiations in Egypt between Israel and Hamas, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey is drawing on its long-standing ties with the Palestinian Islamist movement. Erdogan said Wednesday that he had been “explicitly” asked by Donald Trump to convince Hamas to engage in peace talks with Israel. The ...