This is Beirut

Hamas Says will Free Hostages if End to Gaza War Guaranteed

This is Beirut, 14/04 13:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Palestine Israel United States USA

A senior Hamas official said on Monday that the Palestinian group is prepared to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a "serious prisoner swap" and guarantees that Israel will end the war in Gaza. Hamas is engaged in negotiations in Cairo with mediators from Egypt and Qatar — two nations working alongside the United States to broker a ...

Israel Expanding Gaza Offensive, Seizes Key Corridor

This is Beirut, 12/04 22:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Gaza

Israel said Saturday it planned to expand its military offensive in Gaza after seizing a new corridor as part of a broader effort to take large parts of the war-battered Palestinian territory. It also told tens of thousands of residents of Khan Yunis and surrounding areas in southern Gaza to evacuate and launched strikes after projectiles were ...

Israel Takes Control of Key Gaza Corridor, to Expand Offensive

This is Beirut, 12/04 15:56 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Gaza

Israel announced on Saturday that its military had completed the takeover of a new corridor in southern Gaza, advancing its efforts to seize large parts of the war-battered Palestinian territory. The announcement from Defense Minister Israel Katz came as Hamas expected "real progress" towards a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, with senior ...

Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Air Strike Kills 10, Including 7 Children

This is Beirut, 11/04 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine

Gaza's civil defense agency said a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on Friday killed 10 members of the same family, including seven children, in the southern city of Khan Yunis. The Israeli military said it was looking into the attack, adding in a separate statement that it had struck approximately 40 "terror targets" across Gaza over ...

Hamas Launches Appeal Against UK Ban

This is Beirut, 10/04 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas United Kingdom European Union Israel Palestine

UK-based lawyers said they have asked the British government to lift a ban on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a petition that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians. The legal submission argues the ban contravenes Britain's human rights commitments, with the militants insisting on "the legitimacy of the struggle of ...

Hamas Leadership Operating Behind Veil of Secrecy

This is Beirut, 10/04 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Hezbollah Israel Middle East

After Israel killed a string of its leaders, Hamas anointed new commanders to top ranks, this time shrouding their identities in secrecy to protect them from assassination. Israel vowed to crush Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack, launching a blistering offensive in Gaza that has massively weakened the movement while reducing much of ...

Turkey Holds 'Technical Talks' with Israel to Ease Syria tensions

This is Beirut, 10/04 09:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Turkey Hamas

Turkey is holding technical-level talks with Israel to ease tensions over Syria but is not moving toward normalising ties, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday. Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition in Syria that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December after almost 14 years of civil war. Its influence has worried Israel, which ...

UN Chief Says Gaza Transformed Into 'Killing Field'

This is Beirut, 08/04 23:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Palestine Banks Hamas Israel

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that Gaza had become "a killing field," blaming Israel for blocking aid and failing in its "unequivocal obligations" to meet the needs of the Palestinian territory's residents. "More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. No ...

Protests, Shouting as Israel Court Hears Petitions Against Security Chief Sacking

This is Beirut, 08/04 11:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Palestine Shin Bet

Israel's top court began a hearing on Tuesday on the legality of a hotly contested decision to sack domestic security chief Ronen Bar, with protests from government supporters and critics briefly interrupting the proceedings. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on March 21 that his government had unanimously approved a motion to dismiss ...

Gaza Rescuers Say 19 Killed in Israeli Strikes Overnight

This is Beirut, 08/04 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine

Gaza's civil defense agency said on Tuesday that Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 19 people across the Palestinian territory, where Israel has resumed its offensive against Hamas. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that "19 civilians, including several children, were martyred" and dozens more were wounded in the latest ...

Netanyahu and Trump to Talk Tariffs, Iran and Gaza

This is Beirut, 07/04 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Israel Gaza Tariffs

Talks on Monday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump are expected to be dominated by Washington's shock tariffs on Israel and escalating tensions with Iran. Netanyahu becomes the first foreign leader to meet with Trump in the US capital since the president unveiled sweeping levies on multiple countries ...

At Least 44 Palestinians Killed in New Israeli Strikes on Gaza

This is Beirut, 07/04 05:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Gaza Palestine Israel Hamas

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 44 people on Sunday as Israel's prime minister vowed a "strong response" to a rare salvo of rockets fired from the Hamas-ruled territory. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed almost daily since Israel resumed its military offensive in Gaza on March 18, ending a ...

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