This is Beirut

Israel Lifts State of Emergency for Communities Neighbouring Gaza

This is Beirut, 27/10 15:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel has lifted the state of emergency for areas near the border with Gaza for the first time since Hamas's October 2023 attack, Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday. "I have decided to adopt the (Israeli military's) recommendation and to lift, for the first time since October 7, the special state on the home front," a statement ...

Netanyahu Asserts Israeli Control Over Gaza Security as Egypt Joins Hostage Recovery Effort

This is Beirut, 26/10 17:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Hamas Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Sunday that Israel would decide for itself when to strike its foes and which countries could join an international security force in Gaza, as Egyptian recovery crews arrived. The Egyptian convoy, captured on camera by AFP reporters in Khan Younes in the south of the Gaza Strip, included heavy ...

Trump to Meet Qatari Leaders on Gaza Truce During Asia Trip

This is Beirut, 25/10 17:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Qatar Donald Trump Israel Gaza

US President Donald Trump will meet Saturday with the emir and prime minister of Qatar – a key ally in preserving the fragile Gaza peace deal – during a refueling stop on his way to Asia, officials said. The Qatari leaders will board Air Force One late in the day when it lands at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the regional headquarters for ...

Rubio Vows to Recover Bodies of Hostages Still Held in Gaza

This is Beirut, 25/10 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Marco Rubio Gaza Israel United States

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed Saturday to secure the return of all deceased hostages still held in Gaza, as he met with the families of two captives during his visit to Israel. "We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas," Rubio said on X. "Today I met with the families of American citizens Itay ...

Rubio says More Countries Ready to Recognise Israel

This is Beirut, 24/10 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu US Secretary of State USA Gaza Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that more countries are ready to normalize relations with Israel, but the decision would await a broader regional agreement. Rubio, who was touring a US-led multinational center in Israel aimed at coordinating a ceasefire in Gaza, said that a sustained end to the war would encourage more countries to ...

Trump’s Gaza Plan: Is Erdogan the Other Big Winner?

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 24/10 09:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Israel Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Gaza Donald Trump

Long sidelined by the United States on Gaza and in wider regional affairs, Turkey is staging a forceful comeback, driven both by the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Gaza agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump. Ankara has played a pivotal role as intermediary between Hamas and Washington, helping to persuade the ...

Rubio Says Israel Annexation Moves in West Bank ‘Threatening’ Peace Deal

This is Beirut, 23/10 05:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Gaza United States

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday warned Israel against annexing the West Bank, saying steps taken by parliament and settler violence threatened a Gaza peace deal. Israeli lawmakers voted Wednesday to advance two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank, barely a week after President Donald Trump pushed through a deal aimed at ending ...

Gaza, Israel and Hezbollah with Matthew Levitt

Tylia El Helou, 22/10 22:00 - Reading : less than a minute

USA United States Gaza Lebanon Israel

On this week’s episode of This is America, we cover the Gaza ceasefire and the disarming of Hezbollah. We also feature an exclusive interview with Matthew Levitt, Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute, who shares his insights on the situation in Gaza and the prospects for peace in the region.

This Week on This is America: Gaza, Israel and Hezbollah

Tylia El Helou, 22/10 19:00 - Reading : less than a minute

USA United States Gaza Israel Hamas Hezbollah

On this week’s episode of This is America, we cover the ceasefire in Gaza and the disarming of Hezbollah. We also feature an interview with Matthew Levitt, Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute, to discuss the latest events in the region and the potential path to peace between Lebanon and Israel.

JD Vance Voices ‘Great Optimism' for Gaza Truce on Israel Visit

This is Beirut, 22/10 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States JD Vance Israel Gaza Hamas

US Vice President JD Vance expressed "great optimism" that the Gaza truce would hold, ahead of a meeting Wednesday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Vance is in Israel to shore up support for the US-brokered ceasefire and post-war reconstruction plans. Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to ...

Israel Says Received Two Gaza Hostage Bodies from Red Cross

This is Beirut, 21/10 22:37 - Reading : less than a minute

Hamas Gaza Israel Israeli Hostages

Israel said its security forces in the Gaza Strip received the remains of two hostages from the Red Cross on Tuesday, returned as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal. "Israel has received, through the Red Cross, the coffins of two hostages who were killed, which were handed over to an [Israeli military] and Shin Bet force inside the Gaza ...

Trump Says Middle East Allies Ready to 'Straighten out Hamas' If Asked

This is Beirut, 21/10 17:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Hamas Gaza

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that allied nations in the Middle East were prepared to send troops into Gaza, at his request, to confront Hamas if the group did not cease its alleged violations of his peace plan. The threat comes a day after Trump warned Hamas would be "eradicated" if the group did not meet expectations of the agreement, ...

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