Middle East
Latest stories
Trump warns Gaza 'you are dead' if hostages not freed

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened further destruction of Gaza if all remaining hostages are not released, and issued an ultimatum to Hamas leaders to flee.

The United States meanwhile confirmed unprecedented indirect talks with Hamas, which it proscribes as a "terrorist" group, focused on American hostages in Gaza.

W140 Full Story
Doha rejects Israeli probe linking Qatari aid to Oct. 7 attack

Qatar on Wednesday rebuffed what it said were "false accusations" by Israel's domestic security agency attributing funds from the Gulf state to an increase in Hamas's military strength before its unprecedented October 7 2023 attack.

"False accusations made by the Shin Bet security agency linking Qatari aid to the October 7 attack are yet another example of deflection driven by self-interest and self-preservation in Israeli politics," Qatar's International Media Office said in a statement.

W140 Full Story
Israel destroys West Bank homes of 2 alleged Palestinian attackers

The Israeli military said it demolished two homes on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron belonging to Palestinians accused of carrying out a deadly attack in Tel Aviv in October of 2024.

In a statement, the military said its forces "destroyed in Hebron the homes of the two terrorists who carried out the attack at the Jaffa light rail station in which seven Israelis and foreign residents were murdered and 15 additional civilians were injured".

W140 Full Story
Israel demolished 181 Palestinian homes in annexed east Jerusalem last year

Ir Amim, an Israeli rights group, said Israel demolished a record number of Palestinian homes — 181 — in annexed east Jerusalem last year.

It said that more recently, Israel appears to have dropped a longstanding policy against demolishing homes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last weekend. It said a residential building and three apartments have been destroyed over the past week.

W140 Full Story
Arab leaders endorse Egypt's plan to rebuild Gaza as alternative to Trump's proposal

Arab leaders on Tuesday endorsed Egypt's postwar plan for the Gaza Strip that would allow its roughly 2 million Palestinians to remain, in a counterproposal to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to depopulate the territory and redevelop it as a beach destination.

The $53 billion plan's endorsement by Arab leaders at a summit in Cairo amounted to a rejection of Trump's proposal. The summit conclusions were welcomed by Hamas, rejected by Israel and given a lukewarm response by the Trump administration.

W140 Full Story
Israel's cutoff of supplies to Gaza sends prices soaring as aid stockpiles dwindle

Israel's cutoff of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza's 2 million people has sent prices soaring and humanitarian groups into overdrive trying to distribute dwindling stocks to the most vulnerable.

The aid freeze has imperiled the progress aid workers say they have made to stave off famine over the past six weeks during Phase 1 of the ceasefire deal Israel and Hamas agreed to in January.

W140 Full Story
Israel's mission against Hamas 'not accomplished', new military chief says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told new military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir Wednesday that Israel is "determined" to achieve victory in the multi-front war that began with Hamas' October 2023 attack.

"A very heavy responsibility rests on your shoulders, the results of the war will have significance for generations, we are determined to achieve... victory" Netanyahu told Zamir during his inauguration at the military's headquarters in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv.

W140 Full Story
Syria monitor says security forces kill four civilians in former Assad bastion

A Syria war monitor said Wednesday that four civilians have been killed in a security operation in the coastal city of Latakia that was launched after a deadly attack on security services.

Latakia province is a former stronghold of the government of ousted president Bashar al-Assad and the heartland of his family's Alawite minority.

W140 Full Story
Hamas urges Arab summit to 'thwart' Gaza displacement plan

Hamas urged Tuesday's Arab League summit in Cairo to "thwart" the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza as regional leaders meet to counter U.S. President Donald Trump's widely condemned proposal.

"We look forward to an effective Arab role that ends the humanitarian tragedy created by the occupation in the Gaza Strip... and thwarts the (Israeli) occupation's plans to displace (Palestinians)," a statement by the militant group said.

W140 Full Story
Egypt proposes $53 bn Gaza reconstruction plan as Arab leaders meet in Cairo

Egypt has proposed a $53 billion plan to rebuild Gaza over five years, focusing on emergency relief, infrastructure restoration and long-term economic development, according to a draft document seen by AFP.

The proposal, set to be discussed at an extraordinary Arab summit in Cairo later on Tuesday, counters a plan floated by U.S. President Donald Trump last month to assume control of war-torn Gaza and displace its Palestinian population, including to Egypt and Jordan.

W140 Full Story