GAZA | Xinhua | Just meters from yellow-painted concrete blocks marking the Israeli army’s latest withdrawal line, Palestinian resident Saad Halawa lives with his family in a small tent in Jabalia, in northern Gaza. The “Yellow Line” marks the Israeli military’s redeployment boundary under the first phase of the ceasefire …
Read More »Israel identifies latest remains returned by Hamas as Tanzanian student
JERUSALEM | Xinhua | Israel said Thursday that the remains handed over by Hamas the previous night were identified as those of a Tanzanian agricultural intern who was killed during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said forensic tests confirmed the identity of Joshua …
Read More »Torn between cheer and fear: War-weary Gazans wary of future
GAZA | Xinhua | When U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his 20-point peace plan for Gaza on Sept. 29, I thought Hamas would reject it outright. The proposal excluded the Palestinian movement from governing Gaza and required it to disarm — conditions that seemed impossible for it to accept. Yet …
Read More »The art of Trump’s Israel-Hamas deal
From ‘dead cat diplomacy’ to a ‘strangle contract’ COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT & AGENCIES | When Donald Trump called Benjamin Netanyahu on October 4 to tell him that Hamas had agreed to at least some of his 20-point ceasefire plan, the Israeli prime minister’s equivocal response was he saw …
Read More »Gaza ceasefire brings hope, challenges remain
CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | Following the conclusion of a high-profile peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Gaza has entered a long-awaited moment of calm. The implementation of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement has drawn global attention. For many, the celebration of this hard-won truce is also …
Read More »Hamas begins releasing Israeli hostages, Israel’s state media reports
JERUSALEM | Xinhua | Hamas on Monday morning began releasing the first batch of hostages who had been held in Gaza for more than two years, as part of a major prisoner swap under a newly implemented ceasefire, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV reported. The prisoners were handed over to the …
Read More »Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal offers fragile hope after 2-yr bloodshed in Gaza
CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed to a Gaza ceasefire deal, offering a tentative path toward ending the two-year conflict that has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, injured almost 170,000 others, and left the enclave in ruins. The deal on the “first phase” of a U.S.-backed …
Read More »GAZA CONFLICT: Two years of devastation and dim prospects ahead
CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | As Hamas and Israel are meeting in Egypt over a potential ceasefire the world anxiously awaits, Gaza marked the grim second anniversary of the conflict on Tuesday. Over the past two years, what began as a cross-border attack by Hamas has, under the weight of …
Read More »Hamas delegation arrives in Egypt for negotiations over implementing Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan
CAIRO | Xinhua | A delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) arrived in Egypt on Sunday to prepare for negotiations with the Egyptian side on Monday in the Red Sea city of Sharm El Sheikh, Egyptian sources told Xinhua. The two sides will hold talks on implementing …
Read More »Trump sets Sunday deadline for Hamas to accept 20-point peace plan on Gaza
WASHINGTON, the United States | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Hamas must accept the 20-point peace plan on Gaza by 6 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Sunday, otherwise “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.” Trump said on …
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