Arab World

Israel Threatens To Resume Fighting if Hamas Does Not Respect Gaza Truce Deal
Israel Threatens To Resume Fighting if Hamas Does Not Respect Gaza Truce Deal

Israel's defence minister threatened Wednesday to resume fighting if Hamas does not honour the terms of a US-backed ceasefire that halted the war in Gaza. The statement from Defence Minister Israel Katz's office came after Hamas handed over the remains of two more deceased hostages, and said it would be unable to retrieve any more bodies ...

Israel Says Military Received Two Hostage Bodies from Red Cross in Gaza
Israel Says Military Received Two Hostage Bodies from Red Cross in Gaza

Israel said its forces received two hostage bodies from the Red Cross on Wednesday, which had been returned under a US-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza. "Israel has received, through the Red Cross, two coffins containing the bodies of hostages who were handed over to the [Israeli military] and Shin Bet (security agency) forces inside the Gaza ...

NATO and EU Scramble to Boost Drone Defenses to Counter Russia
NATO and EU Scramble to Boost Drone Defenses to Counter Russia

NATO and the EU on Wednesday sought ways to boost anti-drone defenses, as Europe scrambles to counter the threat from Russia after a series of air incursions. High-profile incidents in Poland and Estonia have set off a flurry of activity from European officials to plug gaps in the continent's defenses. NATO has launched a new mission and beefed ...

UN Humanitarian Chief Says Israel Should Immediately Open Gaza Crossings to Aid
UN Humanitarian Chief Says Israel Should Immediately Open Gaza Crossings to Aid

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher urged Israel on Wednesday to immediately open all crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid, as called for in a US-backed ceasefire plan. "It should happen now. We want it to happen immediately as part of this agreement," Fletcher told AFP in an interview in Cairo, ahead of a planned trip to the Gaza ...

Disarming Hamas: How Could Gaza Be Demilitarized?
SpotlightDisarming Hamas: How Could Gaza Be Demilitarized?

The peace plan co-signed on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh by US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey raises a crucial question: How would Hamas be disarmed? The Trump plan lays out a stark reality: Gaza must be demilitarized. To achieve this, a stabilization force will need to be created. On paper, the plan seems ...

Gaza: Senior US Military Official Urges Hamas to “Stop Firing on Palestinian Civilians”
Gaza: Senior US Military Official Urges Hamas to “Stop Firing on Palestinian Civilians”

A senior US official for the Middle East (CENTCOM) called on Wednesday for Hamas to “stop firing on Palestinian civilians” following the release by the Palestinian Islamist movement of a video showing summary executions of alleged “collaborators.” “We strongly urge Hamas to cease targeting innocent Palestinian ...

US Treasury Chief: Beijing's Rare Earths Move is 'China vs the World'
US Treasury Chief: Beijing's Rare Earths Move is 'China vs the World'

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed Beijing's rare earth export curbs Wednesday as "China versus the world," vowing that Washington and its allies would "neither be commanded nor controlled." "This should be a clear sign to our allies that we must work together, and work together we will," Bessent told reporters at a press ...

Syrian Leader Seeks Reset in Russia Relations in Putin Meeting
Syrian Leader Seeks Reset in Russia Relations in Putin Meeting

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Wednesday he wanted to "redefine" relations with Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted him in their first meeting since key Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad was ousted last year. In front of the television cameras, Putin greeted Sharaa warmly at the Kremlin, but behind closed doors the ...

Israel Returns 45 Palestinian Bodies to Gaza
Israel Returns 45 Palestinian Bodies to Gaza

Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians on Wednesday, bringing the total number handed over to 90, Gaza's health ministry said. Under a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned. On Monday, Hamas gave up three Israeli bodies and one ...

Pakistan and Afghanistan Agree to 48-Hour Ceasefire
Pakistan and Afghanistan Agree to 48-Hour Ceasefire

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire on Wednesday, the foreign ministry in Islamabad said, after dozens of troops and civilians were killed earlier in a fresh round of border skirmishes. "The Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban regime, at the Taliban's request... have decided to implement a temporary ceasefire starting ...

Abu Dhabi 2025: A Call to Save Nature
VideosAbu Dhabi 2025: A Call to Save Nature

Experts, policymakers and activists gather to debate, innovate and honor those working every day to preserve our planet. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri reminds us that the world has changed, and so must our actions for a sustainable future.

Extradition Treaties and the Assad Case
Extradition Treaties and the Assad Case

This Wednesday, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is visiting Moscow to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. According to Reuters, he may request the extradition of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been taking refuge in Russia since fleeing Damascus in December 2024. Behind this politically charged episode lies a longstanding and ...