Israel’s sudden threat to unleash its controversial ground operation in the southern Gazan town of Rafah unless all hostages are freed by 10 March has ratcheted up the pressure on the tortuous talks to secure an elusive agreement. Even before Benny Gantz, a leading member of Israel’s war cabinet, threw down the gauntlet, Arab leaders…
Israel’s prime minister missed the chance to starve Hamas of cash, years before its murderous attack last October, according to a former senior Israeli intelligence officer. Udi Levy has told BBC Panorama he advised Benjamin Netanyahu to target Hamas’s finances. He believes this would have hampered the group’s military build-up, but says the intelligence was…
It’s called the Munich Rule: engage and interact; don’t lecture or ignore one another. But this year, at the 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC), two of the most talked-about people weren’t even here. That included former US President Donald Trump, whose possible return to the White House could throw a spanner in the work of…
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has warned that unless Hamas frees all hostages held in Gaza by 10 March an offensive will be launched in Rafah. It is the first time Israel has said when its troops might enter Gaza’s overcrowded southern city. Global opposition is growing to such an attack in Rafah, where…
Doctors across Gaza have described operating on patients without anaesthetic, turning people with chronic conditions away, and treating rotting wounds with limited medical supplies. “Because of the shortage of painkillers we leave patients to scream for hours and hours,” one told the BBC. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the state of healthcare in…
The World Health Organization has said Gaza’s Nasser hospital has ceased to function following an Israeli raid. Israel Defense Force (IDF) troops entered the complex on Thursday, saying intelligence indicated hostages taken by Hamas were being held there. The WHO said it had not been allowed to enter the site to assess the situation. Israel…
Kamal Karaja used to earn $3,500 (£2,780; €3,250) a month working on construction sites in Israel – a good living for a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank. But after the Hamas assault on Israel on 7 October, and the retaliatory Israeli air strikes and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, his permit was cancelled….
Talks to agree a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza were “not very promising” in recent days, mediator Qatar has said. Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he remained optimistic, but added “time is not in our favour”. It comes as Israel’s prime minister said he would press ahead with plans for…
Tens of thousands of people are taking part in a pro-Palestinian march in central London. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march is calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war. Saturday’s march will be the first protest to go near the Israeli embassy in west London since a static rally in October. Some 1,500…
Satellite images appear to show extensive construction work in progress along Egypt’s border with Gaza, which reports claim is being carried out in preparation for housing Palestinian refugees. Unnamed Egyptian sources reportedly said the work is being done in order to set up an isolated buffer zone containing a walled enclosure in Egypt’s North Sinai…