Middle East

Syria’s Sharaa confirms indirect talks with Israel to ease tensions

President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said that Syria was holding “indirect talks” with Israel to calm tensions between the two countries, following Israeli strikes and threats against Syria since Bashar Assad’s ouster.“There…

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Israel says 24 hostages alive in Gaza

An Israeli official said on Wednesday that 24 hostages were alive in Gaza after U.S. President Donald Trump said the number was 21, alarming the families of hostages. Gal Hirsch,…

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Air strikes on Yemen’s port of Hodeida, Israel considering full takeover of Gaza Strip

Six air strikes targeted the port city of Hodeida on Yemen's western coast, the Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported, blaming the strikes on Israel and the United States. In addition to the…

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Israeli cabinet approves expansion of Gaza offensive, starts calling up reservists

The Israeli military has begun calling up tens of thousands of reservists to "intensify and expand" its operations in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was "increasing the…

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Yemen’s Houthi Attacks on Israel: Implications and Responses

Israeli forces reported a missile from Yemen hit Ben Gurion airport; the attack was allegedly by Iran-backed Houthis, though unclaimed. A missile from Yemen struck Tel Aviv airport, injuring four.…

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Over 3,500 children under 5 facing severe malnutrition in Gaza

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks have killed at least 40 Palestinians and injured 125 others in the past 24 hours. Since October 7, 2023, Israel's conflict with…

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Gaza activist aid ship hit by drones outside Maltese waters

A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists for Gaza was bombed by drones in international waters off Malta early on Friday, its organisers said, alleging that Israel was to blame.…

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Israel attacks target near Syrian presidential palace

Israel attacked a target near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early on Friday, reiterating his vow to protect members of the…

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Israel’s Shin Bet security chief says he will resign after Netanyahu row

Ronen Bar, the director of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service, has said he will resign in less than two months, after weeks of tension with Benjamin Netanyahu, who has…

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Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo near ‘significant breakthrough’

Negotiations held in Cairo to reach a ceasefire in Gaza were on the verge of a "significant breakthrough," two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Monday. There was no immediate…

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At least 50 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza

At least 50 Palestinians, mostly women and children were killed and dozens more were injured on Thursday as Israel ramps up its offensives across the enclave. Israeli strikes across the…

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Palestinian president urges Hamas to hand over its arms

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the Hamas militant group Hamas on Wednesday to cede responsibility for the Gaza Strip, hand over its arms to the Palestinian Authority and turn…

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Israeli military says it ‘most likely’ intercepted missile coming from Yemen

The Israeli military said it "most likely" intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early on Wednesday, following alarms that sounded in several areas in Israel. Israel's national ambulance service Magen…

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Israel says no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, will keep Gaza buffer zone

Israel said it would keep blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, where a relentless military offensive has turned the Palestinian territory into a “mass grave,” a medical charity reported.Air and…

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Trump opposed a planned Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites

U.S. President Donald Trump blocked a planned Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites in favor of negotiating a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program, the New York Times…

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EU pledges €1.6 billion for Palestinians

The European Union has announced a three-year financial support package for the Palestinians worth up to €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion). "We are stepping up our support to the Palestinian people.…

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No breakthrough in Gaza talks

The latest round of talks in Cairo to restore the defunct Gaza ceasefire and free Israeli hostages ended with no apparent breakthrough, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said on Monday. The…

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France could recognize Palestinian state ‘in June’: Macron

France plans to recognize a Palestinian state within months and could make the move at a UN conference in New York in June on settling the Israel-Palestinian conflict, President Emmanuel…

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Hezbollah ready to discuss weapons if Israel withdraws

As calls for Lebanon's Hezbollah to disarm gain momentum, a senior Hezbollah official told Reuters the group is ready to hold talks with the Lebanese president about its weapons if…

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At least 100 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza

At least 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Thursday, including 27, or more sheltering at a school in the north of the strip, according to Palestinian…

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US appears to be significantly increasing its military presence in the Middle East

The United States appears to be significantly increasing its military presence in the Middle East with the deployment of highly sophisticated aircraft and a second aircraft carrier to the region.…

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Palestinians protest Hamas in a rare public show of dissent in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians marched between the wreckage of a heavily destroyed town in northern Gaza on Wednesday in the second day of anti-war protests, with many chanting against Hamas in…

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Israel and Hamas threaten each other over fate of hostages

Palestinian militant group Hamas warned on Wednesday that hostages may be killed if Israel attempts to retrieve them by force and air strikes continue in the Gaza Strip. The group…

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Israel says it intercepted missile launched from Yemen as EU opposes resumption of Gaza war

The Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile over Israel on Monday that had been launched from Yemen, according to a statement. The Houthis, undeterred by waves of U.S. strikes since…

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Israeli airstrike kills Hamas official as Gaza death toll passes 50,000

An Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza killed a Hamas political leader, Salah al-Bardaweel, on Sunday, the militant group said, as Palestinian officials put the death toll from nearly 18 months…

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UPDATED: Hamas armed wing says it fired rockets against Tel Aviv

Hamas' armed wing claimed on Thursday an attack with a barrage of rockets against Tel Aviv, in central Israel. The group said the attack was in response to "the Zionist…

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Israel hits Gaza with new airstrikes, at least 300 killed

Gaza Strip: Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, saying it was striking dozens of Hamas targets in its heaviest assault in the territory since…

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UPDATED: Lebanon and Syria agree to ceasefire after 2 days of border clashes

Lebanese and Syrian defense officials reached an agreement late Monday for a ceasefire to halt two days of clashes along the border, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported.The agreement also…

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US and Israel look to Africa for resettling Palestinians uprooted from Gaza

The U.S. and Israel have reached out to officials of three East African governments to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for resettling Palestinians uprooted from the Gaza Strip…

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Israel confirms strike on Damascus

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirms that the Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike in the Syrian capital of Damascus a on Thursday, while threatening the country’s interim leader…

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Syria’s worst violence in months reopens wounds of the civil war

An ambush on a Syrian security patrol by gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad escalated into clashes that a war monitor estimates have killed more than 1,000 people over four days. The attack…

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Syrian forces in deadly clashes with Assad-linked fighters in Latakia

Gunmen loyal to deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad have killed at least 15 security personnel in ambushes in the coastal province of Latakia, a security source told Al Jazeera. The…

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White House confirms ‘ongoing’ direct talks with Hamas over freeing hostages

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US officials have engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, stepping away from a long-held US policy of not directly…

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Airlines cautiously return to Middle East

Some global airlines have started lifting suspensions on flights to and from Middle East after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in January. Below are some carriers…

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Arab states adopt Egyptian alternative to Trump’s ‘Gaza Riviera’

A $53bn (£41.4 billion) reconstruction plan to rival President Donald Trump's idea for the US to "take over Gaza" and move out more than two million Palestinians has been approved…

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Israel criticised after it bars the flow of all aid and goods into Gaza

Trucks carrying aid were sent back to Egypt on Sunday after Israel decided to stop the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza. Israel has faced sharp criticism after…

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Israel’s military publishes first report on 7 October 2023 failures

Israel's military has published its first official account of the mistakes that led to its failures during Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack, which triggered the Gaza war. The report concludes…

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Hamas Returns 4 Hostage Bodies as Israel Releases Palestinian Prisoners

Hamas handed over four deceased hostages to the Red Cross in exchange for Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, just days before the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire…

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Israeli warplanes strike south of Damascus

Israeli warplanes hit a town south of Syria's capital as well as the southern province of Daraa late on Tuesday, residents, security sources and local broadcaster Syria TV said. Israeli…

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Israeli Bulldozers Level Jenin as West Bank Operation Expands

Israeli bulldozers have flattened vast sections of the nearly deserted Jenin refugee camp, cutting wide roadways through its labyrinth of alleyways. The move echoes tactics employed in Gaza, signaling an…

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Over half a million children left without education across Gaza and the West Bank

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that vital aid for children in in the West Bank is being scuppered by increasing violence in the region. Over 200 children have died…

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UPDATED: Netanyahu says Hamas will pay for not returning Shiri Bibas

Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has condemned Hamas after the Israeli military said one of the bodies released by the militant group did not belong to Shiri Bibas or any…

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UPDATED: Hamas hands over bodies of youngest Gaza hostages taken from Israel

Hamas handed over the bodies on Thursday of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, the two youngest captives taken by Hamas in their October 7, 2023 attack…

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Hamas says it will return bodies of four Israelis on Thursday and release six living hostages on Saturday

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said the “Bibas family” would be included in the handover of four bodies on Thursday, without elaborating. Yarden Bibas, 34, his wife, Shiri, 33, and children…

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Netanyahu praises Trump’s ‘bold vision’ for Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is working in "full cooperation" with the US on a "common strategy" for Gaza following talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.…

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Hamas releases names of three Israelis to be released on Saturday

Hamas’s armed wing spokesperson has named the three Israeli hostages to be released on Saturday as Sagui Dekel-Chen, Iair Horn and Alexandre Sasha Troufanov. A statement from prime minister Benjamin…

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Hamas says it will continue releasing Israeli hostages under Gaza deal

Hamas has said it is committed to implementing the Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel and will continue releasing hostages within the agreed time frame. Following talks in Cairo, the Palestinian…

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Israel likely to launch a preemptive attack on Iran’s nuclear program by midyear

U.S. intelligence warns that Israel is likely to launch a preemptive attack on Iran's nuclear program by midyear, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing multiple intelligence reports. Such an…

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Israeli military calls up reservists as concern over Gaza ceasefire mounts

Israel's military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to release more Israeli hostages and…

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Israel says ceasefire will end if hostages not returned

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu warns ceasefire will end if hostages not returned on Saturday Trump doubles down on controversial Gaza plan at meeting with Jordanian king in Washington The visit…

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Lebanon turns the page with new president and new government

Lebanon’s new government has been met with cautious optimism by its people, who have endured years of political paralysis, economic crisis, and, most recently, a devastating conflict between Israel and…

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Trump to Hamas: Free all hostages by midday Saturday or ‘let hell break out’

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Hamas should release all hostages held by the militant group in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose canceling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and…

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The Kremlin awaits details on Trump’s controversial plan to buy the Gaza Strip

The Kremlin said on Monday it was waiting for more details on USpresident Donald Trump’s plan to buy the Gaza Strip, an idea which has sparked condemnation from many countries.Trump…

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Israel Preparing for Possible Tsunami Amid Greek Seismic Activity

Israel must ramp up preparations for a possible tsunami, the Deputy Head of the National Security Council emphasized during an emergency meeting with government ministries and disaster response agencies on…

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Trump says no US soldiers needed in Gaza; Israel orders army to prepare for ‘voluntary departure’ of Gazans

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel would turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the fighting ends and that no U.S. soldiers would be…

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Trump’s controversial Gaza proposal faces global backlash, amid concerns of ethnic cleansing

U.S. President Donald Trump's top aides staunchly defended his push to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza and have the U.S. take over the war-ruined enclave, but they also backed away…

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Saudi Arabia wants to support Syria, says al-Sharaa

Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, landed in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first international trip since his rebel militant group ousted former President Bashar al-Assad in December. After meeting…

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