Gaza: conflicting emotions and remaining challenges as ceasefire takes hold
Israel and Hamas have taken a crucial first step toward ending the devastating two-year war in Gaza, releasing hostages and prisoners under a US-brokered ceasefire. The exchange brought immense relief and celebration across…
South Africa: Ramaphosa still pursuing genocide case against Israel
Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed that the new Gaza ceasefire will not alter his country’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Speaking before parliament, he said South Africa remains committed…
Gaza: what we know so far about ceasefire agreement
After three days of indirect talks in Egypt, Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have ‘signed off’ on the first phase of his twenty-point peace plan to end the Gaza war. The…
Gaza: Hamas likely to reject Trump’s peace plan
A senior Hamas leader has said the group is likely to reject Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, arguing it favours Israel while ignoring Palestinian concerns. The plan requires Hamas to disarm, surrender…
Israel has committed genocide, says UN inquiry
A UN commission of inquiry has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza since the 2023 war with Hamas began. The 72-page report cites four…
Qatar: Israeli airstrike on Hamas leaders
The dramatic airstrike by Israel on Hamas leaders in Qatar on 9 October marks a new twist in a war already destabilising the wider Middle East. Qatar, long considered Hamas’ political base and…
Israel / Gaza: attack on hospital condemned, famine officially declared, Pope’s plea
A deadly double strike on a hospital in Gaza has drawn sharp international condemnation. At least twenty people were killed, including five journalists and four health workers, when two consecutive strikes targeted the…
Gaza: Hamas agrees to Qatar’s latest ceasefire proposal
Qatar has emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting what it called a ‘positive response’ from Hamas to a new truce proposal. The plan, similar to an earlier US-brokered offer…
Israel: plans to build 3,000 houses in contested West Bank settlement area
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced plans to approve over 3,000 housing units in the contested E1 settlement area between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim in the occupied West Bank. Long frozen due…
No 10 declines to say if Palestine will be recognised
Downing Street has refused to confirm whether the UK will proceed with recognising Palestinian statehood in September if Hamas remains in power or hostages are not released. Keir Starmer previously stated that recognition…
