Palestine

War Diary: Day: 216

From Gaza to Lebanon, This is Beirut brings you a daily recap of the war between Hamas and Israel and its repercussions on the region. Here are the main highlights for May 9th, 2024.

War Diary: Day 215

From Gaza to Lebanon, This is Beirut brings you a daily recap of the war between Hamas and Israel and its repercussions on the region. Here are the main highlights for May 8th, 2024.

Washington Police Clear Pro-Palestinian University Encampment

Police forcibly cleared an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at George Washington University in the United States capital on Wednesday, arresting dozens in the latest clash with students demonstrating over the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Republicans in Congress had pressured local authorities to act on the encampment, summoning Washington's ...

Netanyahu and CIA Chief Discuss 'Pausing' Rafah Assault

An Israeli official said visiting CIA Director Bill Burns and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Wednesday "the possibility" of suspending military operations in Gaza's Rafah in exchange for Hamas freeing hostages. Netanyahu and the US spy chief, who has been involved in mediation efforts in the Israel-Hamas war, met in Jerusalem as part ...

The Agreement Approved by Hamas: A Diplomatic Trap?

Could there possibly be two versions of a ceasefire proposal for Gaza? Could there have been a modified version unbeknownst to Israeli authorities? According to Israeli statements, the Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a ceasefire in the enclave, approved by Hamas on Monday, differs from the one previously endorsed by Tel Aviv. However, there appears ...

South Gaza Hospitals Face Critical Shortage of Fuel

Hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip have only three days of fuel left, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, due to closed border crossings. Despite international objections, Israel sent tanks into the overcrowded southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and seized the nearby crossing into Egypt which is the main conduit for aid ...

Syrian Migrant Crisis Topped Opposition MPs' Talks in Washington

The opposition parliamentary delegation which recently visited Washington focused its talks with US and UN officials on the Syrian migrant crisis in Lebanon and the developments on the southern front linked to the six-month-long conflict in Gaza. Lebanese Forces MP Ghassan Hasbani, who was part of the delegation, wrote on his X account, "We met ...

Editorial – 'Selective Outrage'

Hundreds of young people have recently occupied numerous campuses in the United States and some European countries, pitching tents in a similar scenario. This is a reminder of the 2006 occupation of downtown Beirut by Hezbollah and its local cohorts. Therefore, these young people are unwittingly the tree that hides the forest. On the surface, the ...

Lebanon: The Dangers of Being Stuck in a Vicious Circle

The dangerous presidential vacuum the country has known for almost two years now, has grown even more complicated, given Lebanon’s direct link to the regional events, notably the October 7 “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation – and the ensuing Israeli attack on Gaza that is still underway despite Hamas accepting the proposed truce as a first step ...

Europe Student Gaza Protests Spark Clashes and Arrests

Student protests to demand that universities break ties with Israel over the Gaza war spread across Europe on Tuesday, with police breaking up demonstrations in the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Students at some elite European universities, inspired by ongoing demonstrations at US campuses, have been occupying university halls and facilities, ...

Israel Seizes Rafah Crossing as Gaza Truce Talks Resume

Israel deployed tanks into Rafah on Tuesday, in southern Gaza, taking control of the border crossing with Egypt, an action that the United Nations stated obstructed access to the crucial humanitarian route. Israel sent tanks into Rafah in southern Gaza, seizing the border crossing with Egypt Tuesday, in an operation the United Nations said denied ...

War Diary: Day 214

From Gaza to Lebanon, This is Beirut brings you a daily recap of the war between Hamas and Israel and its repercussions on the region. Here are the main highlights for May 7th, 2024.