Israel-Hamas

Israel-Hamas
Gaza ceasefire holds ahead of hostage release
The ceasefire continues to hold for a third day in Gaza ahead of the release of hostages and U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit. Thousands of Palestinians have continued to travel north towards Gaza City in hopes the ceasefire will end the war. This comes as the Israeli government revealed that it expects all living hostages held in Gaza to be released on Monday and that it is preparing for the release of around 2,000 Palestinian detainees. This includes 250 Palestinians serving life sentences. “We are expecting all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time to the Red Cross and transported among six to eight vehicles,” said the Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian. The hostages will be driven to a military base to their families or to hospitals for medical care, and the remains of deceased hostages are expected to be sent to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification. Al Jazeera were told that living hostages have been moved to three locations in the enclave ahead of their transfer to Red Cross officials. There are currently 48 hostages in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. This is the first part of Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. While a cease
Israel-Hamas
Dozens await Israel's decision on Gaza peace deal
Israel and militant group Hamas have signed a deal to stop the fighting and trade Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees in the most significant step to end the war in Gaza after two years. The two sides have signed off on the first phase of the U.S. Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. Dozens were waiting at Tel Aviv's Hostages Square as Israeli ministers were meeting to discuss whether they should approve the Gaza ceasefire plan. If the deal is approved, Hamas will have 72 hours to release all 20 hostages believed to be alive, and Israel will release around 250 prisoners serving life sentences in its jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza. The Israeli military will also withdraw to a line that will leave it in control of around 53% of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of lorries carrying humanitarian aid will also enter Gaza, where a famine was confirmed by UN-backed experts in August. Key Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said he had received assurances from the mediators and U.S. officials that if the peace plan was approved, the war in Gaza would be “completely over”. It would lead to the opening of the Rafah border crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border to allow aid to enter the Palestinian territory and exchange prisoners
Israel-Hamas
Israel and Hamas reach agreement on peace deal
The first phase of a peace plan for Gaza has been agreed upon by both Israel and Hamas. The plan, orchestrated by United States President Donald Trump, will begin with a ceasefire and hostage deal. The agreement came the day after the anniversary of the 7 October musical festival attacks from Hamas. In the two years following, Israel has continued to ramp up its military assault on Palestine, including the blocking of aid resources, despite outcry from the international community. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported recently that in those two years, more than 67,000 people have been killed, including more than 20,000 children, accounting for 30% of the total fatalities. These numbers do not include further fatalities from famine, and the United Nations human rights office also notes that the Palestinian authorities' number is likely an undercount. Trump's full peace plan for the region is outlined across 20 points, but details are not currently known. "I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. He said that “All Parties will be treated fairly” and thanked mediators from Qatar, E
Israel-Hamas
Peace negotiations continue on anniversary of Gaza war
On the second anniversary of the war in Gaza, Hamas and Israel are still trying to reach an agreement to end it. The two sides have concluded two days of indirect negotiations on President Donald Trump’s proposals to end the war. This also comes as Israel pressed on the offensive as they pounded tanks, boats and jets on parts of Gaza, giving Palestinians no respite. Speaking at the White House on the second anniversary, Trump said there was a “real chance” of a Gaza deal as talks wrapped up in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. The talks on the U.S. President's side have been widely seen as the most promising to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated Gaza since the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, where 1,200 people were killed. In acknowledgement of the anniversary, an umbrella of Palestinian factions, including Hamas, promised a “resistance stance by all means”. "No one has the right to cede the weapons of the Palestinian people. This legitimate weapon... will be passed through the Palestinian generations until their land and sacred sites are liberated," the statement issued in the name of "Factions of the Palestinian Resistance" said. To mark the second anniv
Israel-Hamas
Trump gives Hamas deadline to accept Gaza peace plan
United States President Donald Trump has given Hamas three to four days to accept a U.S.-backed peace plan for Gaza, warning of "a very sad end" if the Islamist group rejects the proposal, which he said was close to ending the two-year-old conflict. The 20-point plan was delivered to Hamas late on Monday by mediators Qatar and Egypt, following a White House meeting where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the document, saying it met Israel’s war objectives. Hamas was not involved in the negotiations. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm, a demand it has consistently opposed. An official briefed on the talks told Reuters the group "would review it in good faith and provide a response". Trump told reporters in Washington that Israeli and Arab leaders had already endorsed the plan, saying "we’re just waiting for Hamas" to respond. He gave the group "three or four days" to make its decision. "Hamas is either going to be doing it or not, and if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end," Trump said before leaving the White House. The proposal outlines an immediate ceasefire, the exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Ha

Israel-Hamas
Israel launches ground offensive on Gaza City
Israel has launched its long-planned ground offensive on Gaza City with heavy air strikes overnight as troops pushed into the edges of the city. Palestinians have been forced to flee south down a single coastal road to the centre of the Strip, joining hundreds of thousands who already fled. According to an Israel Defence Force (IDF) official, troops were moving deeper into the enclaves of the city and that the number of soldiers would rise in the coming days against the 3,000 Hamas combatants the IDF believe are still in the city. "Residents of Gaza, the IDF has begun destroying Hamas infrastructure in Gaza City," Israel's Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adree said in a post on X. "Gaza City is considered a dangerous combat zone, and staying in the area puts you at risk." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “powerful operation” was launched against Hamas’s “last major stronghold” amid criticism from the U.K. and other countries. The offensive also came as the UN commission of inquiry deemed that Israel was committing a genocide. UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk has called for an immediate stop to the ground assault on Gaza. "I can only think of what it means for women, for malnourished

Israel-Hamas

Gaza ceasefire holds ahead of hostage release

Dozens await Israel's decision on Gaza peace deal

Israel and Hamas reach agreement on peace deal

Peace negotiations continue on anniversary of Gaza war

Trump gives Hamas deadline to accept Gaza peace plan

Israel launches ground offensive on Gaza City