Middle East

The Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty have made their first visit to Egypt’s border crossing with Gaza. It’s the only entry point Gaza shares with a state other than Israel, but access into Gaza from there is now shut, and under Israeli military control. …

Hamas has agreed to the latest proposal from regional mediators for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel, a source in the Palestinian armed group has told the BBC. According to a Palestinian official familiar with the talks, the proposal from Egypt and Qatar is a comprehensive two-stage …

The BBC’s Lucy Williamson was reporting on allegations Israeli settlers had destroyed a Palestinian man’s olive groves when she witnessed masked settlers launch an attack near Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. She described the incident, which quickly escalated, as “completely unprovoked”. The local settlers’ council said elements on both …

Lucy Williamson BBC News, Turmus Aya, in the occupied West Bank The BBC’s Lucy Williamson witnessed an attack by masked settlers From among the broken remains of Brahim Hamaiel’s olive trees, in the occupied West Bank, we saw the masked men approach. A dozen settlers, charging down from the illegal …

After widespread reports of mass starvation in Gaza drew global condemnation in late July, Israel allowed some aid to be delivered by air. But BBC Verify analysis reveals 10 separate occasions where aid was dropped into an area where the Israeli military has explicitly warned people not to enter, saying …

New footage shared on social media shows the far-right Israeli minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, taunting the most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, in his cell. The Palestinian Authority has condemned the video. Its Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh described it as “the epitome of psychological, moral and physical terrorism.” The 13-second-long video …

Members of Syria’s interim government forces as well as fighters linked to the former regime likely committed war crimes during sectarian violence in March that killed around 1,400 people, mainly civilians, a UN report says. The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry said it had found no evidence the authorities in …

BBC Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister and by far the dominant force in its politics, has not budged from what he believes is the essential truth about the war in Gaza. He has given Israel – and the outside world – a consistent message since Hamas attacked Israel …

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will approve plans to build more than 3,000 homes in a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank – a move he said will prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. The so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim …

Yolande Knell Middle East correspondent ABIR SULTAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Netanyahu has dismissed international criticism of his plans to expand the war Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Gaza ceasefire efforts are now focused on a comprehensive deal to release all the remaining hostages at once. The plan …

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 …