The countries voiced "their absolute rejection of any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land" and said they were against "compelling any resident of the Gaza Strip to leave".

Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump has undeniably scored a diplomatic victory by helping to broker a truce for Gaza, but the path to the lasting peace he says he wants for the Middle East is littered with obstacles. And it remains to be seen whether the 79-year-old...

Trump's peace proposal, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a halt to hostilities in the nearly two-year conflict, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas's disarmament.

The US president argued that the Palestinian militant group was not ready to hand over the remaining captives in Gaza because "they know what happens after you get the final hostages".

The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for a 60-day truce in its offensive against Hamas in the war-ravaged territory.

Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock over how to proceed with a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the war with Hamas, which was sparked by the militants' October 2023 attack.

Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing a hostage alive in Gaza, whom Israeli media widely identified as Israeli-American Edan Alexander

The talks in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release hostages, and Hamas warned the captives would return "in coffins" if Israel did not stop bombing the Palestinian territory.

Hamas has said it would postpone the release citing Israeli violations, and hours later, Trump warned that "hell" would break loose if the Palestinian militant failed to release "all" hostages by Saturday.

Geneva, Switzerland - The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) has identified 46,223 destroyed structures, 18,478 severely damaged structures, 55,954 moderately damaged structures, and 35,754 possibly damaged structures, totalling 156,409 structures in the Gaza Strip. The large-scale infrastructure damage is the result of continuous Israeli attacks on the Strip, which have...

Rocket sirens blared in Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with an AFP correspondent reported hearing at least three blasts. Israel's offensive has killed at least 35,984 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

The armed wing of Hamas said it had taken "prisoner" at least one Israeli soldier in an ambush on Saturday. The Palestinian group targeted Israeli forces in a tunnel in the Jabalia camp and "all their members were killed, wounded or taken prisoner," said Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine...

Israel said its Kerem Shalom southern crossing with Gaza reopened on Wednesday, three days after being closed because of rocket fire claimed by Hamas's armed wing. However, UN agencies and aid groups said they have been unable to transport much-needed supplies through the crossing for security reasons.

Hours after the strike on Arab al-Aramshe, an Arab-majority village in northern Israel near the border, Israeli forces hit targets in eastern Lebanon, a Hizbollah source told AFP. According to the source, the strikes targeted a warehouse in Iaat, a residential area near Baalbek, and "lightly" wounded one man.

“The activation of the maritime corridor is crucial. It will serve as an essential lifeline for the people of Gaza, speeding up the delivery of critical supplies to those in urgent need, especially in northern Gaza. It will provide a vital supplementary route in addition to the existing land crossings,"...

"Of course, we stand with Israel and its right to defend itself... but at the same time, it's imperative that the civilians who are in harm's way and who are suffering so terribly -– that we focus on them, that we make them a priority, protecting the civilians, getting them...

The 'Amalthea' initiative, recently announced by Cyprus, is crucial for the efforts to launch the maritime corridor and the UAE reiterates its strong commitment to mobilizing international support for the initiative, adds Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Talks are aiming to secure a ceasefire of about six weeks starting between now and Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 10 or 11, to allow for exchanges of Palestinian captives held by Israel with hostages. During the pause, there can be an "intensification of efforts in regards...

Last week, a Hamas source said the truce deal calls for a six-week pause to fighting as Hamas frees hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and more aid for Gaza. On Monday, Netanyahu said Hamas had presented "demands that we will not accept" for an exchange involving...

The UAE's top diplomat reiterated the UAE's steadfast support for UNRWA, emphasizing that in light of current challenges, sustaining its humanitarian efforts has become an urgent priority. "This requires collective efforts from the international community to support the agency and all UN efforts to provide relief to the Palestinian people,"...

"The UAE’s priority (amid the ongoing Gaza conflict) is to work towards reaching a ceasefire, safeguarding the lives of civilians, providing sufficient and sustainable relief and medical aid, and to avoid a regional spillover that would threaten security and stability in the region," he adds.

JERUSALEM -  Three fighters who crossed into Israel from Lebanon and two Israelis were killed in clashes and a strike along the frontier between the two countries on Sunday, the army and medics said. Since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip erupted on October 7, the...

"I think that hardly anyone of our counterparts will deny the fact that developments in the Red Sea are the direct projection of violence in Gaza, where the cruel operation of Israel continues already for three months," the Russian diplomat said at the meeting of the UN Security Council.

Washington, United States - Israel has rejected a new proposal from Hamas through Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a deal involving the release of hostages in three phases, Axios portal reported citing sources. Each phase, according to the proposal, would include a pause in fighting for more than a month in...

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday reiterated his call for "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire", while the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the growing threat of the spread of infectious diseases among Gazans. Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says the Israeli military campaign since then has killed at least 21,507 people,...

With the world's eyes on the Gaza Strip, the escalating violence in the West Bank represents an underreported yet critical dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli PM confronts one of the most challenging periods of his tenure as it intensifies military actions in Gaza amid mounting casualties and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Tehran, Iran - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a phone conversation with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Friday night to discuss the latest developments in the Gaza Strip. During the call, Amir-Abdollahian praised the invocation of Article 99 of the UN Charter by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' as...

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) has urgently called for a ceasefire in Gaza amid escalating violence and rising death toll. Dr. Khalid El Sheikh of MSF UAE emphasizes the dire situation, highlighting the destruction of medical facilities and the need to address the severe deprivation and ongoing conflict...

The pause that began Friday has seen dozens of hostages freed, with over 100 Palestinian civilians released by Israel in return. Attention now has turned to whether the truce will be extended before its scheduled end early on Tuesday morning.

The move, part of a broader truce agreement mediated by Qatar and Egypt, saw emotional reunions as families welcomed their loved ones back.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza reaches a critical point as medical supplies run low and the Al-Awda Hospital faces closure due to a severe fuel shortage.

A latest report by IIF highlights three possible outcomes from Gaza operations, each with profound implications for MENA economies and political stability.

Amman, Jordan - Jordan has stated that it is considering "all options" in response to what it perceives as Israel's failure to distinguish between military and civilian targets in its escalating offensive and incursion into the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported on Monday. Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh refrained from specifying...

During his meeting with Blinken on Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister reiterated calls for a ceasefire and pointed to "the urgency of containing the crisis and preventing its spread", a statement from his office said. Iraq does not recognize Israel as a state and its government is close to Iran, which...

"Our colleague Mohammed Abu Hatab fell as a martyr along with members of his family in an Israeli bombardment against his home in Khan Yunis" in the south of the territory, broadcaster Palestine TV station said. Medical sources at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis said at least 11 people were...

The MSF pleaded that the people who plan to leave Gaza must be allowed "without further delay" and should also have the right to return. It called for a ceasefire and greater number of people to be evacuated. Its Gaza staff were still offering care in spite of the Israeli...

United Nations, New York - A humanitarian catastrophe on a biblical scale is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said at a session of the UN Security Council. "It’s time to call it what it is: a humanitarian catastrophe on a biblical scale...

It has repeatedly called for talks on ending the conflict, which has risked undermining its growing ties with Iran and complicated its relations with long-time partner Israel. President Vladimir Putin spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Iranian and Arab leaders earlier this week in the hope...

Speaking at a campaign fundraiser, US president said the Saudis wanted to recognize Israel and unite the Middle east, and he believes Hamas's attack on Israel was aimed at disrupting warming ties between the Jewish country and Saudi Arabia. "They (Hamas) knew I was about to sit down with the...

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and left over 1,400 people dead and triggered Israeli retaliatory strikes on Gaza where around 3,000 people have been killed, according to officials on both sides. "Ayman Nofal, 'Abu Ahmad', a member of the general military council , was killed" in an Israeli strike

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran on Monday said time was running short to reach a political solution in the Israel-Gaza conflict, warning of the "possibility of expanding the scope of war and conflict to other fronts". Israel declared war on the Palestinian group Hamas a day after waves of its fighters broke...

Tehran, Iran-- President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, has warned of an escalation in the war in Palestine if in his worlds the Zionist regime of Israel doesn't stop the killing of the people of Gaza and end the blockade of the enclave. He made the remarks in a phone call...

Israel, seeking vengeance for an attack by Hamas on October 7, has declared war on the militant group, launching a relentless bombing campaign and warning more than a million people in northern Gaza to move south ahead of the operation. Asked by CBS news program 60 Minutes if he would...

As Israeli politicians look to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip into neighbouring Egypt, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has categorically rejected the idea, saying they should be able to stay as Israel battles Hamas. Blinken is on a crisis tour of the Middle East after Hamas fighters attacked...

ISMAILIA, EGYPT - Convoys of humanitarian aid stacked up near Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, unable to enter the Palestinian enclave being bombarded by Israel, witnesses told AFP. The Rafah crossing -- the only passage in and out of the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel -- has...

Israel has massed forces outside the long-blockaded enclave of 2.4 million in preparation for what the army has said would be a land, air and sea attack involving a "significant ground operation". Israel has also stationed troops and tanks on its UN-patrolled northern border with Lebanon and closed a four...

Dubai, UAE--American cable channel MSNBC has quietly taken three prominent Muslim journalists “out of the anchor’s chair” since the onset of war between Palestinians and Israel, according to a media report. The report said MSNBC quietly took Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohyeldin, and Ali Velshi “out of the anchor’s chair” after...

The UN health agency said in a statement that it strongly condemns Israel's repeated orders for the evacuation of 22 hospitals treating more than 2,000 people in northern Gaza. Israel has warned Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive against Hamas, one week after the deadliest...

Describing the situation in Gaza as having reached a dangerous new low, UN Chief Antonio Guterres said that there was an immediate need for humanitarian access throughout Gaza to rush fuel, food and water to people in need. He warned that the blockaded enclave's health system was on the brink...