Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

  • Israeli defence minister reiterates strong backing for Gaza settlements
  • New eviction order issued for Gaza's Al Tuffah neighbourhood
  • Israel 'arrests' five settlers over attack on Palestinians
  • Condemning new West Bank settlements 'morally wrong': Tel Aviv
  • Saturday Dec 27 2025 | 08:55 PM

    Netanyahu to meet Trump in US on Monday

    By: AFP

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, an Israeli official told AFP, in what is seen as a crucial visit for the next steps of the fragile Gaza truce plan.

    It will be Netanyahu's fifth visit to see key ally Trump in the United States this year.

    His trip comes as the Trump administration and regional mediators push to proceed to the second stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

  • Saturday Dec 27 2025 | 11:38 AM

    Trump aides 'frustrated' with Netanyahu over fears he may undermine Gaza deal

    By: Web Desk

    Tensions are reportedly mounting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump’s top advisers, with the US team growing “increasingly frustrated” over fears Netanyahu is trying to undermine the peace process, Anadolu reported, citing an Axios report.

    Citing the report, Trump’s inner circle, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, peace envoy Steve Witkoff, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, has become deeply aggravated, believing Netanyahu is “slow-walking” the agreement and actively taking steps that could undermine the ceasefire in Gaza.

    A White House official was quoted as saying Netanyahu has essentially “lost” the backing of Trump’s core team. The report added that while the US president wants the deal to move “faster”, Trump himself remains the only key supporter.

  • Saturday Dec 27 2025 | 08:07 AM

    Gaza war death toll climbs to 411 amid fresh Israeli ceasefire violations

    By: Web Desk

    The Gaza war death toll has risen to at least 411 since the beginning of the truce agreement in October; whereas, 1,112 Palestinians were injured in attacks by Israeli forces, Al Jazeera reported.

    Wafa reported earlier this week that two Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers, also east of Gaza City in the Shujayea neighbourhood.

    Israeli restrictions on vital humanitarian aid have also persisted in defiance of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, denying displaced Palestinians essential goods and temporary housing during a period of harsh winter storms.

  • Friday Dec 26 2025 | 11:06 PM

    WHO says at least 50% of health facilities partially operational in Gaza

    By: Web Desk

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that at least 50% of health facilities are partially working in in Gaza due to medicine and equipment shortages, Middle East Eye reported.

    In a statement, the organisation said more than 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant and lactating women are vulnerable to acute malnutrition by April 2026.

    WHO also demanded an “urgent and unconditional” supply of medicine and medical aid in Gaza.

  • Friday Dec 26 2025 | 04:47 PM

    Fuel shortage forces Gaza hospital to suspend most services

    By: AFP

    A major Gaza hospital has suspended several services because of a critical fuel shortage in the devastated Palestinian territory, which continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis, it said.

    Devastated by more than two years of war, the Al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza district of Nuseirat cares for around 60 in-patients and receives nearly 1,000 people seeking medical treatment each day.

    "Most services have been temporarily stopped due to a shortage of the fuel needed for the generators," said Ahmed Mehanna, a senior official involved in managing the hospital.

    "Only essential departments remain operational: the emergency unit, maternity ward and paediatrics."

  • Friday Dec 26 2025 | 07:23 AM

    Rescuers recover bodies of 25 Palestinians from Khan Younis rubble

    By: Web Desk

    Gaza's Civil Defence reported the recovery of 25 bodies from the debris of a residential building northwest of Khan Younis, Al Jazeera said.

    In a statement carried by the Safa news agency, the Civil Defence said the remains were retrieved with help from forensic teams and included the body of journalist Hiba al-Abadleh and her mother, who were killed in January 2024. The bodies were later buried in official cemeteries.

    The home belonged to the al-Astal family, according to the Civil Defence.

    More than 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza remain missing under rubble, according to the National Committee for Missing Persons, which has described the enclave as “the world’s largest mass grave”. Israel has continued to prevent the entry of adequate equipment and machinery necessary for their recovery.

  • Friday Dec 26 2025 | 06:37 AM

    Israel's Katz reiterates strong backing for Gaza settlements

    By: Web Desk

    Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has restated his commitment to developing settlements in Gaza, signalling the government's plans to expand its presence in the war-torn Palestinian strip despite international opposition, Middle East Eye reported on Thursday.

    Speaking at a conference today, Israel Katz said he continues to support the establishment of outposts in Gaza by the Nahal military unit, which often later become officially recognised settlements.

    All forms of Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law.

    Katz said this was the vision he believed in and that it would be carried out "in due time".

    Earlier this week, Katz said that "when the time is right", Israel would create what he described as "Nahal" settlements in northern Gaza.

    Hours later, his office stated that Israel "has no intention of establishing settlements in the Gaza Strip, in an apparent reversal, reportedly followed by concerns that the remarks could anger the United States.

  • Friday Dec 26 2025 | 04:18 AM

    Israeli military kills Palestinian for crossing 'Yellow Line': report

    By: Web Desk

    Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian after he crossed the so-called "Yellow Line" in Gaza, Haaretz reported citing Israeli military on Thursday.

    The "Yellow Line" marks the boundary of areas under Israeli military control, which now encompasses over 50% of the Gaza Strip.

    The line remains largely unmarked on the ground, and Israeli forces have been targeting individuals who cross it.

  • Thursday Dec 25 2025 | 11:45 PM

    Israel issues new eviction order for al-Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City

    By: Web Desk

    The Israeli occupation military issued a new eviction order for residents of east of the al-Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City, WAFA News Agency reported, citing sources.

    The area — more than 100 meters in length and over 300 meters in width — had been designated as a “safe” location by the military ahead of the planned expansion of the no-go zone.

    The announcement has triggered a large-scale displacement, with hundreds of families beginning to leave westward.

  • Thursday Dec 25 2025 | 10:27 PM

    Israeli air force ‘intercepts’ two drone from Egypt

    By: Web Desk

    The Israeli military said two drones launched from Egypt into Israeli territory have been intercepted by air force helicopters, Al Jazeera reported.

    In a post on Telegram, the military said that drones had crossed from the west in what it referred to as a “smuggling attempt”.