Middle East

The UK, France and Germany have told the UN they are ready to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme if it fails to resume talks by the end of August. The three countries, known as the E3, said they were prepared to trigger a “snapback” mechanism – meaning …

Jeremy Bowen International editor, reporting from the occupied West Bank Oren Rosenfeld/BBC Meir Simcha agreed to talk, but he wanted to do it somewhere special, because for him, this is a special time. In a place where nation, religion and war are linked inextricably with politics and the possession of …

UN ambassadors have condemned Israel’s plans to “take control” of Gaza City as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted it was the “best way” to end the war. During a press conference, which Netanyahu said was intended to “puncture the lies”, the Israeli leader said the planned offensive would move “fairly …

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN, and Jonathan Miller, Deputy Permanent Representative for Israel to the UN, addressed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. Mansour said that he whilst he appreciated the statements of support from fellow council members, it was “not …

Paul Adams BBC diplomatic correspondent AFP About one million people still live in Gaza City, which has already seen widespread damage due to Israeli bombardment News of the Israeli government’s decision to take over Gaza City is being met not surprisingly with despair in Gaza. Gaza City, its capital, is …

The Israeli prime minister’s announcement of plans to take control of Gaza City has been met with concern in Israel, particularly by families of hostages still being held by Hamas. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum: Bring Them Home Now has said the plan “means abandoning hostages”. “By choosing military …

Aerial footage of Gaza filmed by the Independent newspaper’s Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew and shared with the BBC shows parts of Gaza almost entirely in ruins after nearly two years of Israeli bombardment and military ground incursions. Trew told the BBC she took the footage while on a military …

Israel’s security cabinet is meeting on Thursday to decide on whether to order a complete military takeover of the Gaza Strip – a move the UN says would risk “catastrophic consequences”. Israeli media say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees this as the only way to destroy Hamas and free hostages …

Rushdi Abualouf Gaza correspondent in Istanbul MOHAMMED SABER/EPA Scenes like these have led to condemnation of Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries After nearly two years of war, Hamas’s military capability is severely weakened and its political leadership under intense pressure. Yet, throughout the war Hamas has managed to continue to …

Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militant and political movement, says it will disregard a decision by Lebanon’s government to task the army with establishing a state monopoly on arms. “We will treat this decision as if it does not exist,” Hezbollah said in a statement on Wednesday, describing it as a …

Yolande Knell BBC News, Jerusalem Reuters Netanyahu’s plan reportedly faces opposition from military chiefs Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to propose fully reoccupying the Gaza Strip when he meets his security cabinet, Israeli media say. “The die has been cast. We’re going for the full conquest of the Gaza …

Other A still showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David being held in a Gaza tunnel from the video released by Hamas The brother of an Israeli hostage held in the Gaza Strip has told the BBC that a Hamas video showing him emaciated and weak is a “new form of cruelty” …

EPA Families of Israeli hostages have consistently demanded the government prioritises their release A group of some 600 retired Israeli security officials, including former heads of intelligence agencies, have written to US President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza. “It is our professional judgement …

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has visited the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and prayed there, violating a decades-old arrangement covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Photos and videos of his visit show Ben-Gvir leading Jewish prayers at the compound, which is known …

The family of Israeli hostage Evyatar David held by Hamas in Gaza has accused the group of deliberately starving him as part of a “propaganda campaign”. “He is being starved purely to serve Hamas’s propaganda,” the family said on Saturday, a day after Hamas released a video showing an emaciated …

France has suspended its programme for receiving Palestinians fleeing Gaza. The freeze will be in place while authorities investigate a Palestinian student in France who has been accused of making antisemitic remarks online, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has said. The 25-year-old woman was on a scholarship in northern France’s …

US government US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has for the first time visited a controversial Israel- and US-backed aid distribution site in Gaza. Witkoff said the purpose of the trip to a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site was to give Trump “a clear understanding of the …

The US says it is going to impose sanctions on the Palestinians’ self-governance organisation as well as the body that represents it on the international stage. The sanctions affect both the Palestinian Authority (PA) which was established by the Oslo peace accords, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) which was …

Caroline Hawley Diplomatic correspondent BBC Majid Shaghnobi arrives at Heathrow airport in London Majid Shaghnobi can’t eat or speak like he used to. He can’t smile. But with his injured mouth covered by a surgical mask, his eyes were beaming as he arrived at London’s Heathrow airport on a flight …

Dalia Cusnir, the sister-in-law of Israeli hostage Eitan Horn, has urged US envoy Steve Witkoff to “bring an end to this war”. Mr Witkoff is currently on a visit to Israel. She was speaking to the BBC after France, the UK and Canada separately announced plans to recognise Palestinian statehood. …