All posts tagged: Israel-Hamas war

The Rafah crossing is Gaza’s lifeline to the world and could open soon

The Rafah crossing is Gaza’s lifeline to the world and could open soon

Published by Sam Flores

CAIRO (AP) — Palestinians are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, which is Gaza’s lifeline and only gateway to the outside world that wasn’t controlled by Israel before the war. The opening is expected after Israel on Monday announced that the remains of the final hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, had been recovered. Hours earlier, Israel had said it would open the Rafah crossing with limitations once the search operation for Gvili was complete. The opening of the crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which was controlled by Egypt before the war, is seen as ushering in the second phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, though its opening had been called for as part of the first phase. Here’s why the crossing is so vital. What comes next It is not immediately clear when the crossing will open and whether it will allow the flow of goods and people both into and out of the war-shattered territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office late Sunday said Israel had agreed to a reopening “for pedestrian passage …

Trump’s Board of Peace signals a new world order. Gaza is its first test

Trump’s Board of Peace signals a new world order. Gaza is its first test

Published by Sam Flores

“Obviously the explosions haven’t stopped,” she added, “there are still constant violations of the ceasefire and more than 110 children have been killed.” Palestinians living in Gaza have continued to experience strikes, food shortages and now, freezing winter conditions.  “[The weather in Gaza] is absolutely horrible. It’s wet, it’s cold. The wind rips through because you’re on the coast,” said Ms Ingram. In an effort to escape the conditions, many families are being forced to resort to the unstable shells of bombed buildings for shelter.  “It’s an impossible choice for a parent: Do you stay in an inadequate makeshift shelter or a tent – we know that 10 babies have died from hypothermia this winter – or do you try to find some semblance of a building knowing that it can crash down around you?” Despite reports on Israeli restrictions of aid into Gaza, Unicef have managed to make some progress, bringing in an average of approximately 300 per cent more pallets in than before the ceasefire. “We’ve brought in almost a million blankets, 300,000 sets …

US envoys urge Netanyahu to move into Gaza ceasefire’s second phase

US envoys urge Netanyahu to move into Gaza ceasefire’s second phase

Published by Sam Flores

CAIRO (AP) — Top U.S. envoys met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, urging his government to move into the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu met with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, according to the prime minister’s office, which did not give details. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the talks, told reporters the envoys had been working closely with Netanyahu on recovering the remains of the last hostage in Gaza, and on the next steps for demilitarizing the territory. The U.S. is anxious to keep the Trump-brokered deal moving, but Netanyahu faces pressure to wait until Hamas returns the hostage’s remains. The biggest signal of the second phase would be the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Ali Shaath, the head of a future technocratic government in Gaza that is expected to run day-to-day affairs, said Thursday the border crossing will open in both directions this coming week. There was …

Israeli crews target UN facilities for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem

Israeli crews target UN facilities for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem

Published by Sam Flores

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces on Tuesday targeted at least two United Nations facilities, pushing forward with its crackdown against the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees tasked with delivering humanitarian services to millions of people across the region. Crews began bulldozing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency ‘s offices in Sheikh Jarrah and fired tear gas at a vocational school in Qalandia, marking Israel’s latest and most dramatic step against UNRWA. Roland Friedrich, the agency’s West Bank director, said UNRWA had received word that demolition crews and police arrived at their east Jerusalem headquarters early on Tuesday. Staff have not operated out of the facility for almost a year because of safety reasons, but Israeli forces confiscated devices and forced out the private security guards hired to protect the facility. “What we saw today is the culmination of two years of incitement and measures against UNRWA in east Jerusalem,” Friedrich said, calling it a violation of international law guaranteeing such facilities protection. He said forces also began firing tear gas at the vocational school for young …

Israel ‘undermined’ health of women and babies in Gaza, researchers say

Israel ‘undermined’ health of women and babies in Gaza, researchers say

Published by Sam Flores

The report also found that all facilities providing infertility treatment in Gaza were destroyed, effectively removing access to fertility care in the Strip. Between May and June 2025, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported a 41 per cent decrease in birth rate in Gaza compared to the same period in 2022. Severe maternal malnutrition and psychological stress impeded lactation, leaving many women unable to breastfeed even when they had successfully done so in previous pregnancies. “These otherwise healthy women with no co-morbidities were not producing any breast milk, even though they had in previous pregnancies,” one nurse reported. At the same time, restrictions on baby formula hit care for premature infants, malnourished newborns, and babies with medically recognised indications for breast milk substitutes. Research suggests that without a sufficient energy supply in the first 1,000 days of life, the growth of a child can be impaired, causing irreversible physical and cognitive damage known as ‘stunting’. In November, the UN reported that Israel was blocking shipments of bottles for baby formula, claiming that the items were …

UN Palestinian aid agency says Israeli police ‘forcibly entered’ its Jerusalem compound

UN Palestinian aid agency says Israeli police ‘forcibly entered’ its Jerusalem compound

Published by Sam Flores

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police forcibly entered the compound of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem early Monday, escalating a campaign against the organization that has been banned from operating on Israeli territory. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, or UNRWA, said in a statement that “sizable numbers” of Israeli forces, including police on motorcycles, trucks and forklifts, entered the compound in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. “The unauthorized and forceful entry by Israeli security forces is an unacceptable violation of UNRWA’s privileges and immunities as a U.N. agency,” the statement said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office said that he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Dec. 29, although Israel did not confirm the location of the meeting. On Monday, Netanyahu met with U.S. officials in Jerusalem about collaboration on the U.S.-brokered plan on the future of Gaza. Israel’s long campaign against UNRWA The raid was the latest in Israel’s campaign against the agency, which provides aid and services to some 2.5 million Palestinian …

Israeli forces kill Palestinian men in West Bank after they appear to surrender

Israeli forces kill Palestinian men in West Bank after they appear to surrender

Published by Sam Flores

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces on Thursday killed a pair of Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after they appeared to surrender to troops, drawing Palestinian accusations that the men were executed “in cold blood.” The Israeli military said it was investigating. The killings, captured in videos shown on two Arab TV stations, came as Israel pressed ahead with its latest offensive in the West Bank, where the army has stepped up its activities over the past two years. Israel says it is cracking down on militants, but Palestinians and rights groups accuse Israel of using excessive force and say dozens of unarmed civilians have been killed. Israel has been fighting on a number of fronts as a shaky ceasefire in Gaza moves forward. On Thursday, Israel carried out another round of airstrikes on suspected Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon. Ongoing conflicts in the region have fueled concerns that unrest could spill over and undermine the fragile truce in Gaza. A Palestinian-American teenager held in Israeli detention for nine months was also released on …