Middle East

At least 358 were killed because of attacks targeting houses and tents for displaced people, with children and women comprising at least 148 of the victims.

The three countries criticised Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza, describing the level of human suffering as intolerable.

Lammy emphasised that the Israeli government must take responsibility for the situation and intervene to stop further violence. He noted that repeated inaction from Israel was placing Palestinian lives at risk and undermining prospects for a two-state solution.

Israel has intensified its bombardment and built up armoured forces along the border despite growing international pressure for it to resume ceasefire talks and end its blockade of Gaza, where warnings of famine are growing.

The Palestinian Authority imposed the ban in January, citing concerns over what it described as "incitement and threats to civil peace" in Al Jazeera's coverage.

Many hospital departments have been destroyed, and patients, including critically ill children, have been left without shelter and forced onto the streets.

The accusation follows a setback for Sudan on the international stage. On Monday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed a case brought by Sudan accusing the UAE of violating the Genocide Convention by supplying arms to RSF forces operating in Darfur.

The vehicle, used by the late pontiff during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land, is being outfitted with diagnostic and emergency medical equipment to help young patients in the Palestinian enclave, where health services have been devastated by the Israeli invasion.

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, was tasked in December to form an advisory opinion on Israel's obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians that states and international groups, including the United Nations, deliver.

The plans would be the first known instance of Saudi Arabia providing financing for Syria since Islamist-led rebels toppled former leader Bashar al-Assad last year.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a January ceasefire collapsed, saying it would keep up pressure on Hamas until it frees the remaining hostages.

State TV earlier reported that poor handling of flammable materials was a "contributing factor" to the explosion. A local crisis management official told state TV that the blast took place after several containers stored at the port exploded.

Bakeries have shut down due to the absence of flour and gas, food prices are surging, and social order is unravelling as people fight for what little remains.

Younish Al-Khatib, chairman of the Palestinian Red Crescent, said he did not consider the measures taken by the Israeli military, which reprimanded one officer and dismissed another from his position, as sufficient.

The paramedics and other rescue workers were shot dead on March 23 near the southern Gaza city of Rafah and buried in a shallow grave.

The sources said Hamas had stuck to its position that any agreement must lead to an end to the war in Gaza.

The Palestinian foreign ministry and Hamas condemned the attack at Al-Ahli, and said in a statement that Israel was destroying Gaza's healthcare system.

The New York Times exposé, published on April 4, exposed how some Kenyans working in the Gulf state were subjected to abuse, with embassy officials reportedly demanding sexual favors in exchange for assistance.

The UAE says it is cooperating with Washington and conducting its own probe into the entities and individuals involved.

The 15 paramedics and emergency responders were shot dead on March 23 and buried in a shallow grave where their bodies were found a week later by officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Another man is still missing.

President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and accused them of supporting Hamas, being antisemitic and posing foreign policy hurdles.

As dawn broke, Abu Mohammed Abed stood in front of a dilapidated tent in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, wiping away his tears as he struggled to comfort his only grandson, Mahmoud, who had lost both his parents three weeks ago.

Syria's new Sunni authorities have been under pressure from the West and Arab countries to form a government that is more inclusive of the country's diverse ethnic and religious communities.

OCHA said the 20-day closure of Gaza crossings to aid deliveries is having a devastating impact on people already facing catastrophic conditions.

Strikes were reported in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian health ministry officials said many of the dead were children.

Trump also warned Iran that it needed to immediately halt support for the group.

US and Israeli officials, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the issue, confirmed contacts with Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland.

The Council on American Islamic Relations said it recorded the highest number of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab complaints - 8,658 - in 2024 since it began publishing data in 1996.

Karishma Patel criticised the BBC’s handling of crucial stories, particularly its decision to withdraw the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone and its initial reluctance to report on the death of a Palestinian child, Hind Rajab.

The three European countries called on Israel to allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, and warned against using aid as a political tool.

The reconstruction plan would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave, in contrast to U.S. President Donald Trump's"Middle East Riviera" vision.

Boehler and Hamas officials met in Doha in recent weeks, the sources said. It was not clear who represented Hamas.

If agreed, the truce would halt fighting until the end of the Ramadan fasting period around March 31 and the Jewish Passover holiday around April 20.

Arab states, which were swift to reject Trump's plan for the US to take control of Gaza and resettle Palestinians, are scrambling to agree on a diplomatic offensive to counter the idea.

Trump lifted a block imposed on the export of the munitions by the administration of predecessor Joe Biden.

Many of those killed were unarmed and posed no imminent threat, said the UN rights office, calling the killings “part of an expanding pattern of Israel’s unlawful use of force in the West Bank where there are no active hostilities.”

Many experts say Trump may be using an old bargaining ploy from his diplomatic playbook, setting out an extreme position as an opening gambit for negotiations.

The war in Gaza erupted after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed at least 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and saw more than 250 taken as hostages.

Sisi has repeatedly said Egypt would never facilitate the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, which Cairo would view as a serious threat to Egypt's own security, including by breeding extremism and providing a pretext for future Israeli attacks, as well as an injustice to the Palestinians.

Hamas negotiators said U.S. guarantees for the ceasefire were no longer in place given a plan by President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Saudi Arabia condemned these actions and firmly stated that "the Palestinian people have a right to their land."

Discussions centred on the contentious relocation plan as well as Egypt's long-standing dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Katz announced that the military’s plan would provide options for departure by land, air, and sea, allowing Palestinians freedom of movement.

Grandi called the idea "very surprising" and emphasised the need to understand the concrete details before making any further comments.

When questioned by reporters about the legal basis for the US assuming control of Gaza, Trump claimed he had studied the matter closely for months.

Much of the rest of Gaza City also lies in ruins after 15 months of fighting and waves of Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages that left it a shell of the bustling urban centre it was before the war.

The ministers also warned that any attempt to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza would escalate tensions in the region and further undermine efforts to achieve lasting peace.

Families repeatedly displaced after over 15 months of war erupted in cheers at shelters and tent encampments when they heard the crossings would be opened.

The Central Dauphin School District said on Saturday it had learned about the allegations that the teacher made the derogatory comment last week in an after-school programme.