War in the Middle East

Four Gaza hostage bodies brought into Israel
Four Gaza hostage bodies brought into Israel

The bodies of four hostages held in Gaza and handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas on Monday were brought back to Israel, the army said. The remains in four coffins arrived on Monday night at the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, an AFP journalist reported. There, "identification procedures will be carried out," the ...

UK Quietly Hosts Talks on Gaza Reconstruction
UK Quietly Hosts Talks on Gaza Reconstruction

Dozens of top officials from Middle Eastern and European nations huddled Monday with leading global financial institutions for talks in the UK on rebuilding the devastated Gaza Strip. Far from a high-profile Gaza summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the UK's foreign ministry quietly brought together Middle East and European ...

Trump Hails 'Tremendous Day for Middle East' as Leaders Sign Gaza Declaration
Trump Hails 'Tremendous Day for Middle East' as Leaders Sign Gaza Declaration

US President Donald Trump hailed a "tremendous day for the Middle East" as he and regional leaders signed a declaration Monday meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners. Trump made a lightning visit to Israel, where he lauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address to ...

J. Aoun: Lebanon Cannot Be Left Out of the Process of Resolving the Ongoing  Crises in the Region
J. Aoun: Lebanon Cannot Be Left Out of the Process of Resolving the Ongoing Crises in the Region

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun noted on Monday that the general atmosphere in the region is one of reconciliation and settlements, stressing the importance of reaching a time when Israel commits to halting military operations against Lebanon so that the negotiation process can begin—“because this is the path we see in the region, and we ...

Trump in Israel: 'The Historic Dawn of a New Middle East'
Trump in Israel: 'The Historic Dawn of a New Middle East'

“The historic dawn of a new Middle East and the end of the era of terrorism.” These words could summarize the speech delivered on Monday afternoon by US President Donald Trump at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. Described by observers as “historic,” this address provided an opportunity for the US president to call on Israel and the ...

Israel Releases Murderers to Rescue Its Hostages
SpotlightIsrael Releases Murderers to Rescue Its Hostages

This Monday, Israel finds itself caught between celebration and unease. The joy of hostages returning home is tempered by a bitter reality: to secure the release of citizens still held in Gaza, the Israeli government is freeing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including several convicted of violent crimes. The deal, brokered under US President ...

Sharm el-Sheikh Summit: Putting an End to the Charade
Sharm el-Sheikh Summit: Putting an End to the Charade

The cloth doesn’t make the cleric… The old saying fits neatly when it comes to Hamas and the latest turn in the war it launched on October 7, 2023, with its massive and deadly offensive against Israel from Gaza. Two years into a conflict that has plunged the Palestinian population into a nightmare, the Islamist movement has just endorsed, ...

Donald Trump Arrives in Israel as First Group of Hostages Released in Historic Gaza Ceasefire
Donald Trump Arrives in Israel as First Group of Hostages Released in Historic Gaza Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump landed in Israel early Monday morning to bolster support for a landmark peace deal, as the first group of Israeli hostages was released from Gaza under a ceasefire agreement brokered with his direct involvement. The Israeli Army  spokesperson has confirmed that seven Israeli hostages — named Matan Angrest, ...

Latest Developments Since the Gaza Ceasefire
Latest Developments Since the Gaza Ceasefire

A Gaza ceasefire was holding for a third day on Sunday, ahead of a proposed hostage-prisoner exchange and a summit aimed at charting a path to peace after two years of war. US President Donald Trump is among the leaders expected in Egypt's Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday for the Gaza peace summit co-hosted by his Egyptian ...

Netanyahu Says Israel Ready for 'Immediate' Reception of Hostages
Netanyahu Says Israel Ready for 'Immediate' Reception of Hostages

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was ready to receive all hostages held in Gaza, ahead of their exchange on Monday for Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. "Israel is prepared and ready for the immediate reception of all our hostages," Netanyahu said in a statement issued on Sunday. Israel will not ...

Israel Vows to Destroy Gaza Tunnels Once Hostages Free
Israel Vows to Destroy Gaza Tunnels Once Hostages Free

Israel plans to destroy what remains of Hamas's network of tunnels under Gaza, working with US approval after its hostages are freed, it said Sunday. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation would be conducted under an "international mechanism" led by the United States, sponsor of the three-day-old Gaza ceasefire. "Israel's great ...

Trump and Sisi to Chair Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt
Trump and Sisi to Chair Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt

US President Donald Trump and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will on Monday chair a Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, also attended by world leaders including the UN chief. The gathering in the Red Sea resort town will bring together "leaders from more than 20 countries," Sisi's office said. It will aim "to end the war in the ...