This is Beirut

Edan Alexander's Release: A Diplomatic Turning Point Between Washington and Hamas

Sana Richa Choucair, 12/05 17:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hamas Donald Trump US Gaza Israel Hostages

Edan Alexander, 21, is the only American national still held alive in Gaza. After moving from New Jersey to Israel in 2022, he joined an elite unit of the Israeli army and was taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack. In a statement released on Sunday, the spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said: “The ...

Israel PM Says to Send Gaza Negotiators to Qatar Tuesday

This is Beirut, 12/05 17:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Gaza Hamas Benjamin Netanyahu US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would send mediators to Qatar on Tuesday to discuss the release of hostages held in Gaza after Hamas announced the release of US-Israeli Edan Alexander. Following a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff and ambassador Mike Huckabee, "the Prime Minister instructed to send a negotiation ...

Germany, Israel Mark 60 Years of Ties as Gaza War Casts Shadow

This is Beirut, 12/05 15:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Germany

Israeli President Issac Herzog will visit Germany on Monday to mark 60 years of relations with the country that perpetrated the Holocaust, at a time when ties are complicated by the Gaza war. His German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier will then visit Israel with Herzog, to emphasise Germany's historic responsibility as one of its staunchest ...

Hamas Says will Release US-Israeli Hostage Monday

This is Beirut, 12/05 12:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Ceasefire Hamas Israel

Hamas's armed wing said it would release on Monday a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza since October 2023, even as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of an "intensification" of fighting in the war-ravaged territory. The Palestinian militant group on Sunday said it would release US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, ahead of a visit by ...

Leo XIV Gets Down to Business on First Full week as Pope

This is Beirut, 12/05 09:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Pope Francis Hamas Israel Ukraine

Pope Leo XIV launches his first full week as leader of the world's Catholics on Monday, with journalists, diplomats and top Vatican officials all set to meet the newly elected pontiff. Pomp and prayer marked the initial days of the pontificate of the former Robert Francis Prevost, the US pope first introduced to the world from the balcony of St ...

Is the Qatari Model the Key to Lebanese-Israeli Relations?

Bassam Abou Zeid, 12/05 09:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Qatar

Political sources reported that Lebanese officials have been repeatedly and directly informed by multiple parties that the only viable way to resolve the ongoing issues with Israel, including the withdrawal from occupied territories, an end to ongoing violations and the resolution of disputes along the Blue Line, is through direct negotiations ...

Hamas to Release US-Israeli Hostage Edan Alexander

This is Beirut, 11/05 22:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas USA Ceasefire Israel Gaza

Hamas said it would release a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire in the war-battered territory. "Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US national, will be released as part of efforts towards a ceasefire" and the reopening of aid crossings, the ...

Israel says Recognition of Palestinian State Will Force 'Unilateral Actions' in Response

This is Beirut, 11/05 15:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Gideon Saar Israel Palestinian Statehood

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Sunday that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would force Israel to take "unilateral actions," following announcements by several countries that they plan to take such a step. "There have been talks about an initiative to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state... any ...

Israeli Army Says Body of Soldier Missing for 43 Years Found in 'Heart of Syria'

This is Beirut, 11/05 11:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel lebanon Syria

The Israeli army said Sunday that the body of a soldier missing for 43 years had been found in the "heart of Syria" and repatriated in a special operation with the Mossad intelligence agency. "In a special operation led by the IDF (military) and Mossad, the body of Sgt. First Class Tzvika Feldman was found in the heart of Syria and ...

Hamas Releases Video of Two Israeli Hostages Alive in Gaza

This is Beirut, 10/05 23:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Gaza Hostages

Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing two Israeli hostages alive in the Gaza Strip, with one of the two men calling to end the 19-month-long war. The pair were identified by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group as Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana, who were kidnapped during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on ...

Lebanon’s $30 Million Digital Ad Boom Bypasses Local Media

Liliane Mokbel, 10/05 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Hezbollah Israel Tik Tok

Despite a near-total freeze in ad campaigns since September 2024, triggered by the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, digital advertising emerged as a clear winner in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), ad spending on platforms like Meta, TikTok and Google reached $30 ...

Israel Intercepts Missile Launched from Yemen

This is Beirut, 09/05 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Houthi Palestine United States

Israel's military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Friday, with AFP journalists reporting explosions heard in the Jerusalem area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the missile fire, which follows attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels, including a strike on Sunday on Israel's main airport. The Israeli ...

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