Israel/Palästina

Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of a U.S.-mediated ceasefire.

Israel’s defense minister threatened Wednesday to resume fighting if Hamas does not honor the terms of a US-backed ceasefire that halted the war in Gaza.

The UN humanitarian chief has urged Israel to open more crossings into Gaza to allow a surge of aid, after Israel warned it would limit supplies into the territory over delays from Hamas in releasing the bodies of deceased hostages.

Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid is getting in to meet the needs of desperate Palestinians.

[…] The first phase of Trump's plan is expected to see the release of all 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for around 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza. Increased amounts of aid will also enter the Strip. … Negotiations are then expected to follow over the details of the latter phases. … A multinational force of around 200 troops overseen by the US military will monitor the ceasefire, according to a senior US official. The force's makeup is likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The United States' closest European and Arab partners met in Paris on Thursday to work out how to shape Gaza's post-war future, hours after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and prisoner-hostage swap proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged Israel and Hamas to “fully abide” by the ceasefire and hostage release deal, calling it a “desperately needed breakthrough” that must mark “the beginning of the end of this devastating war.” … Mr. Guterres said the UN and its partners were ready to “move now,” with teams and supplies already in place to scale up food, water, medical and shelter assistance inside Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump will draw a red line on how long to give Hamas to accept an Israel-backed proposal to halt fighting in Gaza, the White House said on Thursday, without explicitly saying whether he would enforce a previously set deadline.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed Monday’s Gaza peace deal proposal from US President Donald Trump, urging “all parties” to commit to it. Hamas has yet to respond to Washington’s 20-point peace plan, which has the backing of Israel and the wider international community. Hamas leadership had not been consulted on it prior to the announcement but was briefed on the details by Qatari and Egyptian mediators later on Monday, according to news reports.

Italy's defence minister has condemned what he said was an overnight drone attack by unidentified perpetrators on a flotilla trying to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza to deliver aid. Italy's defence minister has condemned what he said was an overnight drone attack by unidentified perpetrators on a flotilla trying to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza to deliver aid.