Four Israeli soldiers swapped for 200 Palestinians; north Gaza shut over hostage still held
Jerusalem/Cairo/Gaza Reuters Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, but a delay in freeing another hostage prompted Israel to block hundreds of thousands of Gazans from returning to the enclave’s bombed-out north. The four Israelis freed in the second swap of the week-old Gaza truce were led onto […]
Hamas names four Israeli female soldier hostages to be freed in second swap
Jerusalem Reuters The Palestinian militant movement Hamas is expected to release four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for a group of Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the 15-month-old war in Gaza. The four soldiers – Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag – were all stationed at […]
Israeli forces to stay in south Lebanon beyond withdrawal deadline
Jerusalem Reuters Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon beyond a 60-day deadline stipulated in a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah because its terms have not been fully implemented, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said on Friday. Under the agreement, which took effect on 27th November, Hezbollah weapons and fighters must be removed from areas south […]
Israel sees more to do on Lebanon ceasefire as deadline nears
Jerusalem/Beirut, Lebanon Reuters Israel said on Thursday the terms of a ceasefire with Hezbollah were not being implemented fast enough and there was more work to do, while the Iran-backed group urged pressure to ensure Israeli troops leave south Lebanon by Monday as set out in the deal. The deal stipulates that Israeli troops withdraw […]
Gazans ready tent camps for families returning to north after ceasefire
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Palestinians in northern Gaza prepared tent encampments for displaced families on Thursday, two days before they were expected to return to their home areas in accordance with the timeline of a ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas. On open ground surrounded by blown-out buildings, a group of men began putting up […]
Residents leave homes in Jenin as Israeli West Bank raid continues
Ramallah, West Bank Reuters Hundreds of Jenin residents left their homes on Thursday, prompted by messages from drones fitted with loudspeakers, witnesses said, as the military demolished a number of houses on the third day of a major operation in the West Bank city. The operation, involving large columns of vehicles backed by helicopters and […]
Israeli minister says army applying lessons from Gaza in West Bank operation
Jerusalem/Jenin, West Bank Reuters Israel’s defence minister said on Wednesday forces were applying lessons learned in Gaza as a major operation continued in Jenin, which the military said was aimed at countering Iranian-backed militant groups in the volatile West Bank city. A military spokesperson declined to give details but said the operation was “relatively similar” […]
Israel wants peaceful Gaza but unsure on funding reconstruction, says economy minister
Davos, Switzerland Reuters Israel’s economy minister said on Wednesday it seeks a peaceful Gaza but has not decided whether to help fund its reconstruction and would not allow the rebuilding of Hamas rule that he said could lead to another cross-border militant attack. A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas took effect on […]
Israel launches “significant” military operation in West Bank, at least nine Palestinians killed
Jerusalem/Ramallah, West Bank Reuters Israeli security forces backed by helicopters raided the volatile West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, killing at least nine Palestinians in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “large-scale and significant military operation”. The action, launched a day after US President Donald Trump declared he was lifting sanctions on ultra-nationalist […]
Gazans begin searching for people under rubble on day two of ceasefire
Gaza/Cairo, Egypt Reuters Palestinians began searching on Monday for thousands of Gazans believed still buried under rubble, as residents expressed shock at the devastation wrought by 15 months of war on the enclave on the second day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The truce in the 15-month-old conflict, which has laid waste to […]