News & Events

The leadership of the Palestinian armed group Hamas has been left in “a state of shock” by the assassination of its political leader Ismail Haniyeh, top officials have told the BBC.

Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday of preventing a ceasefire in Gaza by adding new conditions and demands to a US-backed truce proposal, after the latest talks conducted through mediators, Reuters reports.

Israel delivered to the U.S. on Saturday its updated proposal for the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, according to an Israeli senior official and two other sources with knowledge of the issue.

Israel is seeking changes to a plan for a Gaza truce and the release of hostages, complicating a final deal to halt its bombing campaign that has devastated the enclave, according to a Western official, a Palestinian and two Egyptian sources.

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu told US lawmakers “our enemies are your enemies” in a landmark speech to Congress intended to rally support for the war against Hamas in Gaza, but marked by pro-Palestinian protests inside and outside the Capitol.

The U.S., Israel and the United Arab Emirates held a meeting in Abu Dhabi last Thursday to discuss plans for Gaza after the war ends, two Israeli officials said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of hostages held in Gaza that a deal that would secure their release could be near, his office said on Tuesday, as fighting raged in the battered Palestinian enclave.

Palestinian factions have signed a “national unity” agreement aimed at maintaining Palestinian control over Gaza once Israel’s war on the enclave concludes.