President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is considering visiting the Gaza Strip to ensure the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas stays on track, NBC News reported Saturday, citing a transition official.
The Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect Sunday morning, leading to Hamas releasing the first three hostages out of the 33 they’re expected to free in the first phase of the deal, which involves a 42-day truce.
Israeli strikes on Gaza have been relentless since it was announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire deal, which is expected to take effect on Sunday.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a cabinet meeting that was scheduled to vote Thursday on the peace deal between Israel and Hamas has been delayed, in a blow to hopes that a ceasefire after 15 months of fighting would take effect Sunday.
One of the main disputes in the ongoing Gaza hostage and ceasefire negotiations in Qatar is Israel’s refusal to commit to ending the war after a potential deal’s second phase, Haaretz reported on Sunday.
In the two weeks since the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire went into effect, Israel has launched an ever growing number of attacks against southern Lebanon. These attacks have killed dozens of people, mostly civilians. Until today, these violations have been almost exclusively along the southern border.
At 9:00 PM EST/4:00 AM Beirut time, the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire officially took effect, potentially ending an ongoing Israeli invasion and repeated airstrikes which have killed thousands and displaced well over a million Lebanese civilians.
Russia putting an end to aerial attacks on Ukrainian energy targets and cargo ships could pave the way for negotiations to end the war, the Ukrainian president has said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully pushed back on the Biden administration’s characterization of where a potential cease-fire and hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip stands, saying there is “not a deal in the making” just hours after a U.S. official said it was 90% completed.
Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to “surrender” to pressure to agree a hostage deal or end the Gaza war, dismissing widespread protests in Israel as he doubled down on his main demands for a ceasefire.
TEL AVIV: Chanting “yes, to peace, yes, to a deal” a rare rally of hundreds of Palestinian and Jewish Israelis marched noisily through Tel Aviv on Thursday demanding an end to the Gaza war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a list of demands for a potential hostage deal ahead of more indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, a move seen by mediators and Israeli officials as an attempt to sabotage the chances of an agreement.
Tel Aviv has no intention of reaching a peace deal with Hamas and the onslaught in Gaza will continue in “full force” after the destruction of Rafah, according to a senior Israeli official involved in negotiations. The comments come after President Joe Biden unveiled a ceasefire proposal allegedly backed by Israel in late May.
President Vladimir V. Putin said on Friday that Russia would be ready to order a cease-fire in Ukraine and enter negotiations with its government if Kyiv withdrew troops from the four regions that Moscow has claimed as its own and dropped its aspirations to join NATO.
Israeli officials are worried that recent comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could sabotage the chances of the Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by President Biden, Axios reported on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Hamas's destruction was part of an Israeli plan presented by US President Joe Biden to end the war on Gaza.
