Syria slammed Israeli attacks as a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty after deadly bombardment Tuesday in the country's south, where Israel's military said it responded to incoming fire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday accused Israel's internal security chief, whose dismissal was blocked by the supreme court, of investigating far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir without his consent.

Israel's military pressed ground operations across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, encircling part of Rafah city near Egypt almost a week into a renewed assault on the Palestinian territory.

Israeli defence chiefs said they held the Lebanese government responsible for all hostile fire from its territory regardless of who launched it.

The warning came as Israel stepped up the renewed assault it launched on Tuesday, shattering the relative calm that had reigned in the war-battered territory since a January 19 ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump "fully supports" Israel's renewed Gaza operations, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters when asked if he was trying to get a Gaza ceasefire back on track.

Israeli forces this week conducted the deadliest wave of air strikes since the start of a truce in January, killing hundreds of people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Hamas has not responded militarily so far, and in a statement urged friendly countries to "pressure" the United States to bring to an end the strikes by its ally Israel.

In a statement, Hamas said "Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing the prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate".

Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations for the second phase, which would include a permanent end to the war, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the reopening of border crossings for aid, and the release of remaining hostages.

During the initial six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight who were deceased, in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinians captive in Israeli prisons. Hamas also released five Thai captives outside the accord.

The initial phase of the truce brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States began on January 19, and helped reduce hostilities after more than 15 months of relentless fighting that displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.4 million residents.

In a statement, Netanyahu's office said that Israel had accepted an invitation from US-backed mediators and would "send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an effort to advance the negotiations".

Hamas said its representatives met with mediators in Cairo at the weekend, emphasizing the need for humanitarian aid to re-enter the besieged territory "without restrictions or conditions",

The Israeli operation, which the military says targets militants in the northern West Bank, was launched shortly after a truce took hold in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, a separate Palestinian territory.

The prospect of the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing Gaza remains far from certain, however, with Israel having ruled out any future role for the body, and Trump having closed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) liaison office in Washington during his first term while stepping up support for Israel.

A draft version of the Egyptian plan seen by AFP lays out a five-year roadmap with a price tag of $53 billion -- about the same amount the United Nations estimated Gaza's reconstruction would cost.

Despite ceasefire negotiations, Gaza’s humanitarian situation remains critical, with markets facing inflation, displaced residents lacking proper shelter, and aid workers warning that food and medical assistance should remain separate from political talks.

Truce mediators Egypt and Qatar accused Israel of blatantly violating the ceasefire deal by halting the aid, a move left trucks loaded with goods lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing to Gaza.

The first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was set to expire over the weekend without any certainty as to the second phase, which is hoped to bring a more permanent end to the Gaza war.

Mediator Egypt say Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were already in Cairo for "intensive" talks on the next stage of the ceasefire, after a first phase only reached following months of grueling negotiations.

Israeli authorities received four hostage bodies from Hamas, while Palestinian prisoners were welcomed in Ramallah, as ceasefire negotiations involving Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. move forward.

Mediators have revived a deal for Israel to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages, marking a renewed effort to uphold the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement

Sigrid Kaag, the UN envoy for the peace process in the region, also warned against calls for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank. "The Middle East today is undergoing rapid transformation -- its scope and impact remain uncertain, but it also presents a historic opportunity," Kaag told the UN...

Israel's army has pulled out of southern Lebanese villages but remains in five positions as a deadline for the withdrawal expired

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories -- For 500 days since an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza Strip's deadliest war, Mohammed Abu Mursa has grappled with "humiliation, suffering and bloodshed" in his fight for survival.Abu Mursa and his family have been displaced more than a dozen times since the war...

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.

Cairo, Egypt -- Egypt will host a summit of Arab nations on February 27 to discuss "the latest serious developments" concerning the Palestinian territories, its foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.The "emergency Arab summit" comes as Egypt has been rallying regional support against US President Donald Trump's plan to...

Hamas official Bassem Naim warned that Israel’s "procrastination" in implementing the agreement could jeopardize the ceasefire, as negotiations began on the next phase to extend the fragile truce.

The State Department has signed off on the sale of $6.75 billion in bombs, guidance kits and fuses, in addition to $660 million in Hellfire missiles, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

The United Nations and the European Union also urged Trump on Friday to reverse the decision ordering asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court's investigations.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to prepare a plan for voluntary" departures from Gaza, saying Palestinians could leave for "any country willing to accept them.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it will not formalize ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established, after Israel's prime minister remarked that he thought normalisation with the Gulf kingdom was "going to happen"."Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with...

The Israeli military launched a major offensive in the West Bank on January 21 aimed at rooting out Palestinian armed groups from the Jenin area, which has long been a hotbed of militancy. On Sunday, the army said that it had killed at least 50 militants since it launched the...

Trump vowed to be a “peacemaker and unifier,” citing the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release as key steps toward peace, drawing a standing ovation during his inauguration speech.

As the first phase of the ceasefire takes effect, the world watches to see whether this temporary reprieve will be the first step toward lasting peace or whether the violence will soon resume.

Cairo, Egypt - A joint operations room has been established in Cairo to oversee the implementation of the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement. The room, comprising representatives from Egypt, Palestine, Qatar, the United States, and Israel, aims to ensure collaborative efforts and consistent adherence to the agreement's provisions.A high-level Egyptian source...

The deal, brokered by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, includes Hamas releasing 33 hostages and Israel freeing hundreds of Palestinian captives, alongside a sixfold

Discussions led by the UAE include provisional administration, PA leadership overhaul, and Gaza reconstruction, requiring extensive international cooperation and adherence to a two-state solution framework.

Gaza, Palestinian Territories - The Israeli forces have decimated 90 percent of 2,500 poultry and cattle farms in Gaza during their ongoing offensive, according to a government report in Gaza.QNA reported that the report, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture in the Gaza Strip, said 850,000 breeder hens, which were...

Julani’s appeal comes as Syria signals a shift in its diplomatic tone. Maher Marwan, Damascus’ new governor, told NPR that Syria seeks peace and harbors no hostility toward Israel or any other nation. “We have no plans to interfere with anything that could undermine Israel’s safety. Our people yearn for...

The US proposes an $8 billion arms deal with Israel, plans intensified strikes on Yemen's Houthis, while Israel considers cutting Gaza aid following President-elect Trump’s inauguration, signaling shifting Middle East dynamics.

The UN's 23-page report, "Attacks on Hospitals During the Escalation of Hostilities in Gaza," documented 136 strikes on 27 hospitals and 12 medical facilities between October 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024.

The experts called for urgent, independent and thorough investigations into alleged serious violations of international law, saying Israel's continued impunity sends a dangerous message.

Indians, long employed in Israel as caregivers, diamond traders, and IT professionals, are now increasingly recruited for the construction sector following the escalation of the Gaza war.

The World Health Organization said the operation had put the "last major health facility in north Gaza out of service". "Initial reports indicate that some key departments were severely burnt and destroyed during the raid," it added in a statement on X.

Mount Qasyun, once closed due to war, reopens as a vibrant community space where Damascus residents gather to reclaim joy, freedom, and a sense of normalcy after years of hardship.

Israeli air strikes pummeled Sanaa's international airport and other targets in Yemen on Thursday, with Huthi rebel media reporting six deaths. The strikes targeting the airport, military facilities and power stations in rebel areas follow rising hostilities between Israel and the Huthis,

Hamas accuses Israel of stalling the truce with new demands on troop withdrawal and prisoner release, while Netanyahu’s office counters, accusing Hamas of lying and creating obstacles in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

Jerusalem, Undefined - The Israeli army said Wednesday it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the country from Yemen.Air raid sirens sounded over a wide swathe of central Israel as a precaution against falling debris, but the army said it shot down the projectile before it entered Israeli territory.No injuries were...