Palestine

GCC Summit in Kuwait Urges 'Immediate Ceasefire' in Gaza

A summit of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Sunday, following calls for a truce by host Kuwait after nearly 14 months of war in the Palestinian territory. In the final statement of the summit, the six-member body called for an "immediate and permanent cessation of Israeli fire and military ...

Palestinians Say Israeli Military Kills Two in West Bank

The Palestinian health ministry said the Israeli army killed two people in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, after Israel's military announced a strike in the area of Jenin. The ministry said in a statement two people were killed "due to the occupation's aggression on the village of Siir in the Jenin district", referring to Israel. Hours ...

White House Says 'not there yet' on Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Deal

The White House is working on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza but is "not there yet," the US National Security Advisor told NBC on Sunday, with fighting in the conflict raging on as Arab leaders meet in Cairo to discuss the crisis. "We are working actively to try to make it happen. We are engaged deeply with the key players in the ...

UNRWA Halts Aid Deliveries on Key Route Due to Security Concerns

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has halted the delivery of aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza because of security concerns, its chief said Sunday. "We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for humanitarian aid into Gaza. The road out of this crossing has not been safe ...

Naïm Qassem: "We Are Victorious!" — Or Back to Square One

In his first speech following the implementation of the ceasefire with Israel, Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Naïm Qassem, framed his remarks around the theme of a "divine victory, far surpassing that of 2006." However, he defined this "victory" in negative terms, stating: "We are victorious because we have prevented Israel from eliminating the ...

Israel Extends Banking Waiver with Palestinian Banks for One Year

Israel extended for one year a waiver allowing Israeli banks to work with Palestinian ones just days before it was due to expire, threatening to paralyse Palestinians financial institutions. The extension was approved Thursday during a security cabinet meeting ahead of expiration of the waiver at the end of the month, a spokesman for far-right ...

Gaza Journalists Win Rory Peck Award for 'Powerful' War Coverage

Gaza video correspondents Belal Alsabbagh and Youssef Hassouna on Thursday won a Rory Peck award for their "powerful" coverage of the brutal war in the Palestinian territory for Agence France-Presse. The prize has been awarded since 1995 in memory of video journalist Rory Peck, who was killed in Moscow in 1993, to highlight the work of freelance ...

Local Responses on the Announcement of the Ceasefire

Hours after US President Joe Biden announced a proposal to end the “devastating” conflict, which has killed thousands of people over the course of nearly 14 months of cross-border fighting, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect. Many local positions were issued after the truce, which started at 4 AM on ...

Lebanon's Quest for Sovereignty: A Blueprint for Lasting Stability

Since the signing of the Cairo Agreement in 1969, southern Lebanon has been a focal point of both domestic and regional power struggles, significantly undermining national sovereignty. The agreement, which granted the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) freedom of operation in the South, marked the start of the area’s transformation into a ...

Pragmatism Is Not a Sign of Weakness

In late August 1982, Beirut bore witness to the aftermath of the Israeli Army's "Operation Peace for Galilee," initiated on June 6, 1982. Following the prolonged siege of the Lebanese capital, approximately 12,000 Palestinian fighters, including Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), alongside senior officials ...

Iran Guards Chief Says Netanyahu ICC Warrant ‘Political Death’ of Israel

The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Friday described the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former defence minister as the "end and political death" of Israel, in a speech. "This means the end and political death of the Zionist regime, a regime ...

Israel Army Says Killed Five Hamas Militants in North Gaza Raid

Israel's military said on Friday it had killed five Hamas militants, including commanders, in an overnight raid in northern Gaza's Beit Lahia, where Palestinian medics reported dozens killed or missing. In a statement, the military and the Shin Bet security agency said they had "eliminated five Hamas terrorists, including a Nukhba (commando) ...