Middle East

Fragile US-Iran ceasefire shaken by exchange of strikes in Gulf

The United States launched what it described as “self-defense” strikes against Iranian military targets after three US Navy destroyers came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating tensions…

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France moves aircraft carrier to Red Sea with eye on Hormuz mission

France deployed its carrier strike group to the Red Sea as part of planning for a potential mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, urging Washington ‌and Tehran to consider…

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Europe’s response to the Iran war energy crunch

The European Commission will publish a package of measures on Wednesday seeking to offset surging energy prices, as countries grapple with the biggest shock to energy markets in history from…

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How countries have responded to rising oil prices

The war in Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz - through which around 20% of the world's oil and natural gas flows - hasseen rising fuel…

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Two arms brokers on trial in UK for missiles and fighter jet deals with Libya and Sudan

Two arms brokers arranged illegal deals to supply ex-Soviet surface-to-air missile systems to South Sudan and fighter jets to Libya during its civil war, British prosecutors told a London court…

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Spain and Portugal see surge in tourist bookings amid Middle East travel concerns

Spain and Portugal are experiencing a surge in late spring and summer flight and hotel bookings as millions of travellers steer away from ‌war-affected destinations and hubs in and around…

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Iran war brings US close to net crude exporter for first time since World War Two

The U.S. nearly turned into a net crude exporter last week for the first time since World War Two as shipments surged close to a record high to meet demand…

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Hormuz tensions and fragile US-Iran truce dominate EU and Italy agenda

Efforts to stabilise the Middle East and safeguard global trade routes have intensified, with Giorgia Meloni and EU officials warning of mounting risks to both security and energy markets. Speaking…

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Airlines cancel more flights as Middle East conflict escalates

Global air travel remains severely disrupted after the war in Iran forced the closure of key Middle Eastern hubs including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, stranding tens of thousands of…

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EU announces €458 million in humanitarian aid for the war-torn Middle East

The European Commission is confirming €458 million in humanitarian aid for Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt in 2026. With major donors withdrawing from the region and international humanitarian law…

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Middle East oil exports push tanker costs to 6-year-high amid threat of US-Iran war

The cost of shipping oil has surged to the highest in six years, fuelled by a wave of crude exports from the Middle East as traders accelerate charters ahead of…

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US launches phase two of plan to end Gaza conflict, including creation of transitional authority

Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has announced the launch of phase two of the plan to end the conflict in Gaza. It includes disarming Hamas, rebuilding the war-ravaged territory…

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Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026

Israel said it had suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration…

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US may ask UN to mandate international force in Gaza for two years, document shows

The United States has drafted a United Nations resolution that approves a two-year mandate for a Gaza transitional governance body and an international stabilization force in the Palestinian enclave, according…

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Not enough tents, food reaching Gaza as winter comes, aid agencies say

Far too little aid is reaching Gaza nearly four weeks after a ceasefire, humanitarian agencies said, as hunger persists with winter approaching and old tents start to fray following Israel's…

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Netanyahu orders ‘forceful’ strikes in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to conduct “forceful” airstrikes in Gaza, his office wrote on social media, putting new pressure on a weeks-old ceasefire agreement with Hamas.…

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Israel Weighs Foreign Troop Role in Gaza Ceasefire as Red Cross, Egyptian Teams Enter to Recover Hostage Bodies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday Israel would determine which foreign forces it would allow as part of a planned international force in Gaza to help secure a fragile…

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Israel’s parliament gives initial nod to occupied West Bank annexation

A bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of land which Palestinians want for a state, won preliminary approval from Israel's parliament on…

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UK sends army officers to monitor Gaza ceasefire

The U.K. has sent military personnel to Israel to help oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, as the U.S. tries to shore up a fragile truce brokered by Donald Trump. They…

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Trump threatens Hamas amid push towards next steps of Gaza truce

The U.S. increased pressure on Hamas on Tuesday to disarm in the next phase of an already fragile Gaza ceasefire as President Donald Trump pushed to cement an end to…

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Israel says it will return to ceasefire after Gaza strikes

The Israeli military has said it will resume enforcement of the ceasefire in Gaza after launching air strikes on Sunday in response to what it called Hamas's "blatant violation" of…

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Trump says Hamas must disarm or be disarmed, perhaps violently

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had communicated to Hamas that the militant group must disarm or it will be forced to. On Monday, Hamas freed the…

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Trump declares end of Gaza war as last Israeli hostages swapped for Palestinian detainees

Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees, as U.S. President Donald Trump declared the…

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The Gaza peace plan – what comes next?

On 29 September, US President Donald Trump alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a new plan to address the war in Gaza. Commonly referred to as Trump’s 20-point plan,…

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UPDATED: Hamas hands over all remaining hostages to Israel

-o- Hamas freed the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal, a big step towards ending two years of shattering war in Gaza as President…

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Trump says Gaza war has ended; Israel awaits release of hostages

The war in Gaza has ended and the Middle East is going to "normalize," U.S. President Donald Trump said as he flew to Israel, which was waiting for Hamas to…

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UPDATED: Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza ceasefire and return of hostages

Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war in Gaza that…

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Hamas says it’s ready to reach Gaza deal, but conditions remain

Hamas said it was ready to reach a deal to end the war in Gaza based on President Donald Trump's plan but still has demands, as Qatar's prime minister and…

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UPDATED: From October 7 2023 to Today: Two Years of Conflict and Consequence

Hamas led a series of surprise attacks on Israel in the early hours of 7 October 2023, initially firing rockets into Israel before launching a ground operation which saw almost…

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Hamas readies for Gaza talks that US hopes will halt war, free hostages

Hamas officials arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of talks with Israel that the U.S. hopes will lead to a halt in fighting and the freeing of hostages in Gaza,…

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Trump secures Netanyahu’s agreement to Gaza deal but Hamas support in question

President Donald Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's backing for a U.S.-sponsored peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, but questions loomed over whether Hamas would…

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‘Time to stop’: Trump vows Israel will not annex West Bank

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, rejecting calls from some far-right politicians in Israel who want to extend sovereignty over…

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Israel says ‘Gaza is burning’ as it launches ground assault

Israel has launched its long-planned major ground offensive on Gaza City, conducting heavy air strikes overnight as troops pushed into the edges of the city. Thousands of Palestinians have been…

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UN inquiry finds top Israeli officials incited genocide in Gaza

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu incited these acts -…

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Israel attacks Hamas leaders in Qatar, Trump says he’s ‘very unhappy’ about strike

Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Qatar on Tuesday, escalating its military action in the Middle East with what the U.S. described as…

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Israeli military says it controls 40% of Gaza City, plans to expand operation in coming days

Israel controls 40% of Gaza City, a military spokesperson said on Thursday, as its bombardment forced more Palestinians from their homes there, while thousands of residents defied Israeli orders to…

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Pope Leo calls for ceasefire, hostages’ release in Israel-Hamas conflict

Pope Leo made a "strong appeal" to the global community on Wednesday to end the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the release of…

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Israel hits Gaza hospital, killing at least 15 people, including journalists

Israeli strikes on Nasser hospital in Gaza on Monday killed at least 15 people, including four journalists, one of whom worked for Reuters, Palestinian health officials said. Cameraman Hussam al-Masri,…

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Famine has officially struck Gaza, says global hunger monitor

Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday, an assessment that will escalate pressure on Israel…

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Israel takes first steps of military operation in Gaza City

Israel's military has taken the first steps of a planned operation to take over Gaza City, Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said. Following a clash with Hamas south…

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Hamas accepts proposed deal for ceasefire with Israel and hostage release

Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that includes the return of half the hostages held in Gaza and Israel's release of some Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian…

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Anger after Israel strike kills Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza

A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, who had previously been threatened by Israel, was killed along with four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday in an attack condemned by journalists…

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Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City

Israel's political-security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City early on Friday, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take military control of the…

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Israeli cabinet may order complete Gaza takeover

Israel's cabinet could authorise on Tuesday a complete military takeover of Gaza for the first time in two decades, media reported, despite international pressure for a ceasefire to ease appalling…

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Israel to decide next steps in Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet this week to decide on Israel's next steps in Gaza following the collapse of indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas, with one senior Israeli…

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Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens permanent humanitarian corridors

Hamas said it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released…

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What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?

Here’s a look at how and why the new European and Canadian announcements to recognize a Palestinian State could be important: WHY DOES IT MATTER? U.N. partition plan in 1947…

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Early recognition of Palestine could be ‘counterproductive,’ Italy’s Meloni says

Recognizing the state of Palestine before it has been established could be “counterproductive,” Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said. “I am very much in favor of the state of Palestine,…

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France will recognise Palestinian state, Macron says

France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said, which will make it the first G7 nation to do so. In a post on X,…

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Pope Leo calls for end to ‘barbarity of war’

Pope Leo called for an end to the 'barbarity of war' on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in…

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Gaza truce possible in one or two weeks but not in a day, Israeli official says

Israel and Hamas may be able to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal within one or two weeks but such an agreement is not likely to be secured in…

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Trump urges Hamas to accept ‘final proposal’ for 60-day Gaza ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran-backed Hamas militants on Tuesday to agree to what he called a "final proposal" for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel in Gaza that will be…

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Fragile ceasefire holding, Trump envoy says peace talks with Iran ‘promising’

The ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding on Wednesday a day after both countries signalled that their air war had ended,…

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Trump says Israel and Iran agree on ceasefire to end 12-day war

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, potentially ending the 12-day war that saw millions flee Tehran and prompted fears of further escalation…

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Airlines weigh Middle East cancellations after US strikes in Iran

Commercial airlines around the world on Monday were weighing how long to suspend Middle East flights after the U.S. struck Iran. Singapore Airlines, one of the highest-profile in Asia, had…

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As death toll rises, Gazans make life-risking journeys to seek food

In the past two days, dozens of Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli fire as they tried to get food from aid trucks brought into the enclave by the…

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US to pull some personnel from the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow…

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