Middle East

The move follows Israel’s warning that humanitarian aid to Gaza could be restricted until all 28 deceased hostages were returned. On Monday, Hamas handed back 20 living hostages along with four bodies.

Reports indicate that the incident occurred in Khan Younis and the Shujayea neighbourhoods of Gaza City, as Palestinians went back to their homes to assess the damage caused by relentless Israeli attacks.

According to a note seen by Reuters and confirmed by the UN, no fuel or gas will be allowed into Gaza except for specific humanitarian infrastructure needs.

The announcement comes as a ceasefire brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt continues to hold, alongside the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, offering what the UN Secretary-General described as “the fragile hope of calm after months of devastation.”

The group is part of 250 Palestinians being released from Israeli jails, alongside about 1,700 detainees from Gaza, under a ceasefire agreement reached last week. In return, Hamas has freed 20 Israeli captives.

The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 250 others, has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Two years of Israeli strikes have left Gaza in ruins, caused famine, and killed more than 67,000 people, according to the Gaza health authorities.

The UN’s top aid official, Tom Fletcher insisted on Thursday that “the whole UN humanitarian family” is mobilized to get aid into Gaza.

The withdrawal covers districts such as Tel al-Hawa and Al-Shati camp, which were among the hardest hit during Israel’s recent offensive.

The withdrawal of Israeli troops is part of a deal that also calls for the release of several hundred Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining 48 hostages in Gaza.

While the deal marks a crucial step toward ending hostilities, the broader framework for lasting peace remains unsettled.

Guterres said the UN and its partners were ready to “move now,” with teams and supplies already in place to scale up food, water, medical and shelter assistance inside Gaza.

Reconstruction will cost over $7 billion, according to WHO estimates, covering humanitarian response, early recovery and long-term rebuilding.

Nairobi praised the truce's key provisions, including the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The Secretary-General urged “all concerned to abide fully by the terms of the agreement,” including the release of hostages who have been held for over two years now in Gaza “in a dignified manner.”

UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said that, on average, one child has been killed or injured every 17 minutes, describing the figure as "unacceptable" and "staggering."

The flotilla, comprising multiple vessels carrying hundreds of activists from 44 countries, was stopped about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza coast, where Israeli forces boarded the vessels and redirected them to an Israeli port.

The talks, mediated by Egypt and supported by the United States, follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that a hostage release deal could be announced later this week.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of more than 50 vessels and thousands of participants from 44 countries, was delivering food and medical supplies to civilians trapped under Israel’s blockade since October 2023.

The GSF, comprising some 50 vessels with over 500 volunteers from more than 40 countries, aims to challenge Israel's naval blockade and deliver food and medical aid to Palestinians.

WHO stressed the urgent need for fuel, medical supplies, prosthetics, and assistive devices, alongside protection for health workers. Medical evacuation is another priority.

Before joining the flotilla, Mandla Mandela compared the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation to apartheid in South Africa.

What is the symbolic and political impact of the flotillas en route to Gaza? DW takes a look at the various missions that have tried to reach the shores of Gaza since 2010.

According to Reuters, two Israeli warships closed in on the fleet and encircled its boats, Alma and Sirius, causing their navigation and communication systems to crash.

According to the Ministry, 79 people were killed in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of Palestinians killed since the war began in October 2023 to 66,005.

The meeting marked Netanyahu’s first discussion with a senior Arab official since Israel’s September 9 strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar.

Hospitals across the Gaza Strip are partially functional and overwhelmed, grappling with critical shortages of staff, supplies, and fuel. Patients who reach care often arrive in critical condition, with delayed treatment worsening outcomes.

Among those on board are some South African citizens, including Mandla Mandela, grandson of the late former president Nelson Mandela, who has long been engaged in humanitarian efforts for Gaza.

According to the UN health agency, all but one of the dozen reported attacks on healthcare between September 7 and September  17 have been in Gaza City, with Khan Younis the 12th.

Spain is joining Italy in sending a navy ship to help an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, after activists said they were targeted by Israeli drones. Israel accuses them of being complicit with Hamas.

Among many reported attacks in the last week, on 19 September, a four-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl were killed and others injured when their tent was hit in Al Mawasi, Khan Younis, OCHA said.

President Ruto stressed that the suffering of innocent people cannot be ignored, urging all parties to pursue a credible political process to achieve lasting peace.

The Royal Court confirmed his death in a statement, noting that funeral prayers were held at Riyadh's Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque after Asr prayers.

Speaking at a New York conference on the Middle East convened by France and Saudi Arabia, Guterres said denying statehood would fuel extremism and warned that without a two-state solution, "there will be no peace in the Middle East."

The UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal recognised a Palestinian State on Sunday, and President Macron announced that France would join them – to lengthy applause from delegates attending the meeting.

The recognition drive gained further traction on Monday when France and Saudi Arabia co-hosted a peace conference in New York, where ten more nations — among them Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Malta — formally recognised Palestine.

The announcement came as scheduled on the eve of the High-Level Conference on the two-state solution, organised by France and Saudi Arabia at UN headquarters in New York.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said the move also aligns with the demands of the people in those countries to support the Palestinian right to independence and to live with dignity.

Announcing the decision on Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada has always supported the idea of Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace.

Thousands of Muslims rallied at Nairobi’s Uhuru Park on Sunday, in solidarity with Palestinians and raising funds for the Gaza Medical Fund.

Despite widespread international recognition of Palestine as a state, some Western nations say they will only endorse Palestinian statehood as part of a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel. But the tide's changing.

On average, the journey south costs more than $3,000 (Sh387,000), according to the UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA, making it out of reach for many.

The rejection means the snapback mechanism, included in the 2015 nuclear deal, remains in place, allowing UN sanctions to return if triggered.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in just the past five days, 11 emergency shelters for about 11,000 people in Gaza City have taken direct or indirect hits.

Ursula von der Leyen described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as catastrophic and outlined a package of measures that would target extremist Israeli ministers and settlers, suspend bilateral aid and freeze Israel's trade agreement with the regional bloc.

According to reports, the Israeli military struck residential compounds in Doha on 9 September, reportedly housing members of Hamas’ political bureau

Investigators also said top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, had incited acts of genocide.

Arab and Islamic leaders reaffirmed their absolute support for Qatar's sovereignty, security and stability, and backed all measures it may take in response to the attack.

The meeting, set to take place in Geneva, will be the 10th urgent debate convened by the Council since its establishment in 2006.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries will convene on Sunday to prepare a draft statement for the leaders' meeting.