Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday that a ceasefire agreement with Hamas is still not complete and the final details are being worked out. Netanyahu's statement comes hours after the United States and Qatar announced the deal, which would pause the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clear the way for dozens of hostages to go home. The conflict has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests. However, he said that Hamas has backtracked on an earlier understanding of the ceasefire agreement. His statement could indicate that obstacles remain to implementing the deal. Under the three-phased deal, Hamas would release dozens of hostages in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. It would also allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. Israel, Hamas agree to ceasefire and hostage release: Mediators Netanyahu said that Hamas was objecting to a part of the agreement that gave Israel the ability to veto the release of certain Palestinian prisoners. Hamas was trying to dictate which Palestinian prisoners would be released, Netanyahu said. He said he told Israeli negotiators to stand firm on the earlier agreement. Hamas did not immediately respond to Netanyahu’s statement. The statement came soon after President Joe Biden wrapped up a final farewell address to the nation after earlier touting the role of American diplomacy in negotiating the ceasefire. The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal, mediators announced Wednesday, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies. The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory. Three officials from the US and one from Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while a senior Israeli official said details are still being ironed out. All three US officials requested anonymity to discuss the contours of the deal before the official announcement by mediators in Doha. Hamas accepts draft agreement for Gaza ceasefire, release of hostages President Joe Biden was preparing to address the breakthrough agreement later Thursday, officials said. Any agreement still needs to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet, but is expected to go into effect in the coming days. The deal is expected to deliver an initial six-week halt to fighting that is to be accompanied by the opening of negotiations on ending the war altogether. Over six weeks, 33 of the nearly 100 hostages are to be reunited with their loved ones after months in in captivity with no contact with the outside world, though it’s unclear if all are alive. It remained unclear exactly when and how many displaced Palestinians would be able to return to what remains of their homes and whether the agreement would lead to a complete end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza — key Hamas demands for releasing the remaining captives. Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza, including women and children Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction. Still, the announcement offered the first sign of hope in months that Israel and Hamas may be winding down the most deadly and destructive war they’ve ever fought, a conflict that has destabilized the broader Middle East and sparked worldwide protests. Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population and sparked a humanitarian crisis. More than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza in a weeklong truce in November 2023.

Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 18 people overnight, including women and children, health officials said Tuesday, as Israel and Hamas appeared to be narrowing in on a ceasefire deal to end the 15-month war and release dozens of hostages. Officials have expressed mounting optimism that they can conclude an agreement in the coming days after more than a year of talks that have repeatedly stalled, AP reports. Two strikes in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah killed two women and their four children, who ranged in age from 1 month to 9 years old. One of the women was pregnant and the baby did not survive, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. Another 12 people were killed in two strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis, according to the European Hospital. Rescuers attempt to free survivors from trapped South African miners There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel says it only targets militants and accuses them of hiding among civilians in shelters and tent camps for the displaced. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead. The Israel Hamas-war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has described a possible ceasefire as being “very close.” “I understand ... there’s been a handshake and they are getting it finished -- and maybe by the end of the week,” Trump told the American cable channel Newsmax Monday night. A missile fired by Houthi rebels targets central Israel as airstrikes hit displaced area in Gaza He added that part of the deal would see “bodies” brought out of the Gaza Strip, without elaborating. Israel and Hamas are under renewed pressure to halt the conflict in the lead-up to Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration. The phased deal would be based on a framework laid out by President Joe Biden in May and endorsed by the UN Security Council.

A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted central Israel early Tuesday, causing sirens to blare and people to flee into bomb shelters. Several Israeli strikes also hit the Gaza Strip overnight and early on Tuesday, as Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasefire agreement.  The Israeli military reported multiple interception attempts, stating that the missile launched from Yemen was "likely intercepted." Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service confirmed no injuries from the missile or its debris but noted some people sustained injuries while rushing to shelters. An earlier missile was also intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. Netanyahu sends Mossad director to Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have controlled Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014, have intensified their attacks, targeting Israel and nearly 100 commercial vessels amid Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza. The rebels have not yet claimed responsibility for the latest attack, which they sometimes delay by hours or days. In central Gaza, Israeli strikes hit Deir al-Balah, killing six displaced individuals, including two women, their four children (aged 1 month to 9 years), and an unborn child. One woman was the mother of two of the boys, while the other was killed alongside her son and daughter. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 5, including 2 infants Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed receiving the bodies.

Lebanon's parliament elected army commander Joseph Aoun as president on Thursday, ending a presidential void that had lasted over two years, reports AP. This marked the 13th attempt by the legislature to choose a successor to former President Michel Aoun — who is unrelated to the army commander — following the end of his term in October 2022. Prioritise reconstruction of Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon: Prof Yunus The vote took place just weeks after a fragile ceasefire agreement brought a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to a halt. It also came at a time when Lebanon's leaders are seeking international aid for reconstruction efforts. Migrant workers in Lebanon struggle to return home amid alleged abuse and war Aoun was widely considered the preferred choice of both the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose support Lebanon will require to ensure Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, as outlined in the agreement, and to secure funding for rebuilding after the war. 105 stranded Bangladeshis return from war-torn Lebanon

At least 12 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza as the war, now in its 15th month, persists into the new year, officials reported Wednesday. A strike in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, heavily damaged by earlier military operations, killed seven people, including four children and a woman, and injured over a dozen others, Gaza’s Health Ministry stated. Another airstrike overnight hit the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, killing a woman and a child, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. A new year dawns on a Middle East torn by conflict and change In Khan Younis, a southern city, three more people died following another Israeli attack, reports from Nasser and European Hospitals confirmed. The Israeli military said the Bureij strike targeted militants launching rockets at Israel. They also issued evacuation orders for the area. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel’s military offensive has since killed over 45,000 Palestinians, including women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel claims 17,000 of those killed were militants, though evidence has not been provided. The war has displaced nearly 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, many forced to relocate multiple times. Thousands now live in tents along the coast, facing harsh winter conditions. At least seven people, including six infants, have reportedly died from hypothermia. With food aid limited and prices soaring, many rely on charity kitchens for survival. AP footage captured long lines of children waiting for meals, often just rice, at one such kitchen in Deir al-Balah. Last functional hospital in Gaza torched Efforts by American and Arab mediators to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release have repeatedly failed. Hamas demands a permanent truce, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until achieving “total victory.” Meanwhile, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported that 82,000 Israelis emigrated in 2024, while 33,000 immigrated and another 23,000 returned after long stays abroad. This marks a second consecutive year of net emigration, raising fears of a “brain drain” in sectors like medicine and technology. In a separate incident, Israel’s military acknowledged “operational burnout” and disciplinary lapses in the November deaths of a 70-year-old archaeologist and a soldier in southern Lebanon. Zeev Erlich, a prominent West Bank settler and Jewish history researcher, was killed while exploring an archaeological site in a combat zone. An investigation is underway into how he entered the area. Despite military restrictions, reports have surfaced of Israeli civilians entering Gaza and Lebanon in support of a permanent Israeli presence, adding further complexity to the situation.

One of the last operational hospitals in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan in Beit Lahia, is under a severe siege, Gaza's Health Ministry reported on Friday. Israeli forces stormed the facility, forcibly evacuating patients, staff, and families while military vehicles encircled the premises. According to the ministry, the hospital's emergency units, surgical and operating departments, laboratory, and maintenance sections were completely burned, and the fire continued to spread through the buildings. Ambulances have been deployed to transfer the wounded to the Indonesian Hospital, as evacuations persist. US warns of a famine for north Gaza amid aid groups' concern The ministry warned that some patients are at risk of death due to worsening conditions. In response to NBC News, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the hospital was targeted based on intelligence indicating it was being used for terrorist activities. The IDF claimed it ensured the safe evacuation of civilians and medical workers before proceeding and asserted efforts to facilitate patient transfers to other facilities. NBC News reached out to Gaza’s Health Ministry for a reaction to Israel’s claims that the hospital harbored militants. Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, head of Kamal Adwan, reported via social media that Israeli forces set fire to the hospital’s operating rooms while staff were still inside, and some personnel had been detained. Communication with the hospital was later lost, leaving the fate of staff and patients unclear. Israeli announces new strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital and ports The attack followed an Israeli airstrike on a nearby building Thursday, which killed around 50 people, including five healthcare workers, the Health Ministry said. Victims included pediatrician Dr. Ahmed Samour, laboratory technician Esraa, and maintenance worker Fares, who was struck while trying to assist others. Abu Safia condemned the strike as part of an ongoing series of attacks targeting the hospital and its personnel. Previous assaults killed multiple medics and patients, including ICU director Dr. Ahmed al-Kahlout. With Kamal Adwan, Beit Hanoun, and Indonesian hospitals now inoperable, northern Gaza’s healthcare system has collapsed, the Health Ministry stated. Winter is hitting Gaza and many Palestinians have little protection from the cold The conflict erupted after Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, killed 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli authorities. In response, Israel’s offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, devastated Gaza’s infrastructure, and crippled its health services, local officials report. An October U.N. report accused Israel of systematically dismantling Gaza’s healthcare facilities as part of broader attacks, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. The U.N. warned that the destruction of medical facilities could have severe long-term consequences for Gaza’s civilian population. Source: NBC News 

Israel said Sunday it will close its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorated over the war in Gaza, where Palestinian medical officials said new Israeli airstrikes killed over 30 people including several children. The decision to close the embassy came in response to what Israel’s foreign minister has described as Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.” In May, Israel recalled its ambassador to Dublin after Ireland announced, along with Norway, Spain and Slovenia, it would recognize a Palestinian state. The Irish cabinet last week decided to formally intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies it. “We are concerned that a very narrow interpretation of what constitutes genocide leads to a culture of impunity in which the protection of civilians is minimized,” Ireland’s deputy premier and foreign affairs minister, Micheal Martin, said in a statement. Germany warns Assad supporters in Syria against trying to flee there Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar's statement on the embassy closure said that “Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel.” Ahead of Israel's announcement, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris had called the decision to close the embassy “deeply regrettable.” He added on X: “I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-international law.”   Israeli strikes hit Gaza Israeli forces continued Sunday to pound largely isolated northern Gaza, as the Palestinian death toll in the war approached 45,000. One airstrike hit the Khalil Aweida school in the town of Beit Hanoun and killed at least 15 people, according to nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital where casualties were taken. The dead included two parents and their daughter and a father and his son, the hospital said. In Gaza City, at least 17 people including six women and five children were killed in three airstrikes that hit houses sheltering displaced people, according to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. Israel's military in a statement said it struck a “terrorist cell” in Gaza City and a “terrorist meeting point” in the Beit Hanoun area. Another Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian journalist working for Al Jazeera, Ahmed al-Lawh, in central Gaza, a hospital and the Qatari-based TV station said. The strike hit a point for Gaza’s civil defense agency in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, Al-Awda Hospital said. The civil defense is the main rescue agency in Gaza and operates under the Hamas-run government. The war in Gaza began after Hamas and other militants from Gaza stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking well over 200 hostage. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed almost 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry’s count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but it says over half of the dead have been women and children.

The dramatic collapse of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime presents both potential risks and possibilities for Israel, its neighbour. Israel, having engaged in multiple conflicts recently, is concerned about the instability in Syria spilling into its territory, reports AP At the same time, it sees a chance to disrupt Iran’s weapon-smuggling routes through Syria to Hezbollah, the militant group in Lebanon. Syrians line up at Turkish border crossing, awaiting return home Over the weekend, Israel's military began taking control of the Syrian buffer zone, established in 1974 after a ceasefire agreement. Israel claims this move is temporary and aimed at securing its border. However, the action has drawn criticism, with accusations of violating the ceasefire and leveraging Syria's turmoil for territorial gain. The buffer zone lies adjacent to the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967, later annexing it—a move unrecognised by most of the global community. The Buffer Zone and Troop Deployment Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces are occupying a roughly 400-square-kilometre demilitarised area established by the U.N. after the 1973 Mideast war. The U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) of 1,100 troops has patrolled this zone since its inception. On a visit to the Golan Heights on Sunday, Netanyahu described Israel’s actions as a “temporary defensive position” necessitated by the withdrawal of Syrian forces. U.N. officials, however, warned Israel that this incursion violates the 1974 disengagement agreement. Despite these concerns, the buffer zone remains calm under U.N. supervision, though the Security Council is scheduled to discuss the matter following Russia’s call for consultations. Rebels now controlling parts of Syria are led by a former al-Qaida militant who has since distanced himself from the extremist group, advocating for a representative government. Netanyahu emphasised that the fall of Assad’s regime reflects the “heavy blows” dealt by Israel to Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. He also mentioned Israel’s intent to secure the summit of Mount Hermon, a peak within the buffer zone at 2,814 metres. Duration and Intent of Deployment Israeli troops entered the buffer zone on Saturday, coinciding with an attack on U.N. forces near the Israeli border. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar clarified that Israel’s actions are preventive, aiming to avoid scenarios akin to Hamas' 2023 surprise attack. Critics, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, condemned Israel’s moves, accusing it of exploiting the Syrian conflict to gain territorial advantage. UNDOF, meanwhile, recovered some looted items following the attack on its forces. Who is Abu Mohammed al-Julani, leader of HTS in Syria? Temporary Measure or Precursor to Invasion? Israel’s leadership insists that its presence in the buffer zone is temporary, intended to stabilise the border and support U.N. forces. Military officials highlighted that Israel has no plans to alter borders or invade further into Syria. This operation is viewed as a tactical response to current instability. Experts agree, noting Israel’s primary aim is to secure its borders amid Syria’s volatile situation. Strategic Interests Israel seeks to prevent Syrian unrest from spreading across its border. Defense Minister Israel Katz outlined plans to establish a security zone and neutralise threats like heavy artillery and weapon smuggling by Iran. Israel has also engaged Syria’s Druze population and maintains communication with Syrian rebel groups to limit Iranian influence in the region. Past humanitarian efforts, such as “Operation Good Neighbor,” might serve as a foundation for these renewed interactions. Syria’s opposition declares Damascus free from Assad regime Israel’s approach reflects a balancing act between addressing immediate security concerns and leveraging the situation to counter regional adversaries.

An Israeli airstrike on Saturday struck a car in Gaza, killing five individuals, including employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK). The charity expressed heartbreak and uncertainty, stating it had no prior knowledge of any connection between the workers and the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war. Israel's military claimed one of the victims, identified as Ahed Azmi Qdeih, was involved in the assault on Nir Oz kibbutz and had ties to Hamas. Qdeih’s family denied the allegations, asserting that he had worked for WCK. The strike is the latest in a series of attacks on aid workers in Gaza. WCK had previously suspended operations following an Israeli airstrike in April that killed seven of its staff. The organization also paused its work earlier this year after another strike killed a Palestinian worker. This incident occurred as another Israeli airstrike hit a car near a food distribution site in Khan Younis, killing 13 people, including children. Save the Children reported that a local employee was also killed in the same region, while other airstrikes in Gaza and southern Lebanon continued to escalate the humanitarian crisis. Read: Israel says it struck Hezbollah weapons smuggling sites in Syria, testing a fragile ceasefire Additionally, Hamas released a new hostage video on Saturday, showing Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander pleading under duress. The video highlights the ongoing suffering of hostages in Gaza and the international pressures on Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon appears to be holding, although sporadic violence continues in both Gaza and Lebanon, underscoring the broader instability in the region. Source: With inputs from agencies