Middle East

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.

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.

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.

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.

Washington had said last year it opposed the forcible displacement of Palestinians.

The truce deal requires at least 600 truckloads of aid to enter Gaza each day of the initial six-week ceasefire, including 50 carrying fuel. Half of those trucks are supposed to go to Gaza's north, where experts have warned famine is imminent.

Cheering crowds greeted the releases on either side, including Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv and Palestinians assembled in Ramallah.

Daily deliveries have surged tenfold since the Sunday deal, according to U.N. data, surpassing the 600 trucks a day target set out for the first seven weeks of the ceasefire.

The operation was launched within days of the start of a ceasefire in Gaza that saw the first exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails since a brief truce in November 2023.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, buses awaited the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli detention. Hamas said the first group to be freed in exchange for the hostages includes 69 women and 21 teenage boys.

Efforts also are underway to strengthen referral processes for critical care within Gaza and facilitate cross-border medical evacuations.

The aid trucks were using the Kerem Shalom entry point pending completion of maintenance at the Rafah border crossing into southern Gaza from Egypt, the sources said.

The three-stage agreement follows months of on-off negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, and comes just ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

The ceasefire deal took effect after a nearly three-hour delay, pausing a war that has brought seismic political change to the Middle East and giving hope to Gaza's 2.3 million people, many of whom have been displaced several times.

Hamas said it was committed to the ceasefire but that it had been unable so far to provide the hostage list for "technical field reasons", without elaborating.

Hostages were expected to be released within hours of the start of the ceasefire, opening the way to a possible end to a 15-month war that has upended the Middle East.

The UN World Food Programme has said it has enough food ready to feed more than a million people for three months.

ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defence chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.

If successful, the ceasefire would halt fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces that has razed much of heavily urbanised Gaza, killed more than 46,000 people

A group representing families of Israeli hostages in Gaza, 33 of whom are due to be freed in the first six-week phase of the accord, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward quickly.

A long-time advocate for the Palestinian cause, the AU hosts the Palestinian president annually during its leaders' summit, scheduled for February, where he is also expected to attend this year.

Israel's acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country's security cabinet and government, with votes slated for Thursday, an Israeli official said.

The accord outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of an agreement on Monday, an official briefed on the negotiations said, after a midnight "breakthrough".

UNRWA, established by the U.N. General Assembly, provides aid, health and education services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and neighboring Arab countries - Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Somalia said Palestinians lack basic necessities like food, water, shelter and medicines due to an Israeli aid blockade on Gaza.

Tedros called for Abu Safiya's immediate release and said the Al-Ahli hospital had also faced attacks.

Many aid workers and doctors say famine has taken hold in Gaza. But amid Israel’s military assault and curbs on movement, the world’s hunger monitor has struggled to access key data to determine whether conditions constitute a famine. Some experts now wonder: Is it time to rethink how a famine is defined?

The Suez Canal Authority said in a statement that during a trial run two ships passed through a new stretch of the canal's two-way section without incident.

On December 26, five journalists from Al-Quds Today TV were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck their broadcasting van while they were covering events in Gaza.

Almost all of the many human rights advocates in those countries, and the West more generally, have stayed silent while Israel executed its genocide.

Hamas said that Israel had laid down further conditions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the group of going back on understandings already reached.

Meanwhile, Gaza's health ministry said there was ongoing intense and heavy bombing of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, which it said was occurring in an "unprecedented manner" and without prior warning.

The head of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, Husam Abu Safiya, told Reuters via text message that obeying the order to shut down was "next to impossible" because there were not enough ambulances to get patients out.

Palestinian medics said eight people, including children, were killed in the Musa Bin Nusayr School that sheltered displaced families in Gaza City.

The pope is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts, but he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Hamas.

The Syrian army’s own central command and control centre no longer functioned well after the Iranian and Hezbollah officers left.

The 193-member Assembly adopted a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution passed with overwhelming support, receiving 158 votes in favor, nine votes against, and 13 abstentions.

The rebel coalition said it was working to complete the transfer of power to a transitional governing body with executive powers.

The conflict's sectarian edge was hardened by the arrival of Iranian-backed Shi'ite fighters from across the Middle East to support Assad.

The pace of events has stunned Arab capitals and raised fears of a new wave of regional instability.

Russia’s distraction and weakening support for the Assad government partly explains the opportunity seized by the HTS and SNA coalitions.

UN deputy chief Amina Mohammed emphasised the urgent need for lifesaving assistance and a plan for the enclave’s long-term recovery.

The meeting emphasised the growing consensus among Gulf states on the importance of a balanced approach to resolving the conflict.