Hamas

Eight Hostages Dead Among Those Expected in the Israel-Hamas Agreement

Eight of the hostages set to be released in the first phase of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have died, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer announced on Monday. “The families have been informed of their loved ones’ situation,” Mencer stated during a press briefing. This means that out of ...

Palestinians Return to North Gaza after Breakthrough in Hostage Diplomacy

Palestinians began returning to the north of the war-battered Gaza Strip on Monday after Israel and Hamas said they had reached a deal for the release of another six hostages. The breakthrough preserves a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, which has devastated the Gaza Strip and displaced nearly all its residents, paving the way for more ...

A Trip Back in Time

Civilians who headed to the border villages of southern Lebanon on Sunday, seemingly spurred on by Hezbollah, demonstrated remarkable audacity. The standard-bearers of the “resistance” will likely frame this as yet another “victory,” merely because residents sought to return to certain localities despite repeated warnings from the Israeli ...

Palestinians Denounce Trump's Idea Of Displacing Gazans

Both Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday criticised Donald Trump's proposal to move the inhabitants of Gaza to Egypt and Jordan in order, in his words, to ‘clean house’ in the territory, where a fragile truce has entered its second week. Israel and Hamas accused each other on Sunday of violating the terms of the ceasefire, ...

Palestinian Sources say to Free Gaza Hostage Demanded by Israel Before Next Swap

Two Palestinian sources told AFP on Sunday that an Israeli woman held hostage in Gaza, and whose release Israel has demanded before allowing the return of displaced Palestinians, will be handed over within days. "Arbel Yehud is expected to be freed before the next (hostage-prisoner) exchange" scheduled for February 1, said a source from the ...

Trump Hints At Unblocking Delivery Of 2,000-Pound Bombs To Israel

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a ‘large number of things’ ordered by Israel from the US had now been delivered, in response to press reports that his administration had released a delivery of 2,000 pound (907kg) bombs. ‘A lot of things that were ordered and paid for by Israel, but not sent by Biden, are now on ...

Gaza Officials say Tens of Thousands Blocked from Reaching North at Israeli Barrier 

Gaza's civil defence agency said tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians were blocked from returning to the north of the territory on Sunday at an Israeli military barrier. "Tens of thousands of displaced people are waiting near the Netzarim Corridor to return to the northern Gaza Strip," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, with Israel ...

Gaza: The Truce Enters Its Second Week After The Release Of Israeli Hostages And Palestinian Detainees

A fragile truce aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip entered its second week on Sunday, the day after the release of four Israeli hostages and some 200 Palestinian prisoners, greeted by scenes of joy on both sides. In a sign of the difficulties in implementing the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, a last-minute dispute on ...

Israeli Army Still In Southern Lebanon Despite Withdrawal Deadline

The Israeli army was still deployed in southern Lebanon on Sunday despite the expiry of the 60-day deadline by which it was supposed to have left the territory of its neighbour, as part of a truce with Lebanese Hezbollah. The Lebanese army denounced Israel's ‘procrastination’ on Saturday and said it was ready ‘to continue ...

Hamas, Israel in New Hostage-Prisoner Swap Under Gaza Truce

Palestinian militants and Israel carried out a hostage-prisoner swap on Saturday under a Gaza ceasefire deal, but a last-minute dispute blocked the expected return of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to devastated northern Gaza. As part of the exchange, the second since the truce took effect last Sunday, four freed Israeli women hostages, ...

70 Freed and 'Deported' Palestinian Prisoners Reach Egypt

Seventy Palestinian prisoners arrived aboard buses in Egypt Saturday after being released from Israel as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal, state-linked Egyptian media reported. Al-Qahera News, which is linked to state intelligence, said the prisoners were those "deported" by Israel, adding they would be transferred to Egyptian hospitals for ...