Middle East

Footage released by Israel’s Defense Forces shows the moment the three hostages were handed over by the Red Cross, in Israel. Doron Steinbrecher, 31, British-Israeli Emily Damari, 28, and 24-year-old Romi Gone, had been held by Hamas for the last 15 months. BBC News

The future is “uncertain and unclear” in Gaza after a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began, BBC Middle East Correspondent Rushdi Abualouf has said. “People don’t know if it’s a real ceasefire on the ground, or a fragile ceasefire”, he added. You can follow live updates on this story …

Talks about the terms of the second phase of the ceasefire are set to start on Day 16 of the first phase and will focus on achieving “a permanent end to the war”. Details of the second phase of the deal are still uncertain but the expectation is that remaining …

In a statement to state news agency IRNA, the judiciary’s media office described the attack as premeditated assassination. It also said that, according to initial findings, the attacker had not been involved in any case considered by the supreme court, and an investigation had been launched to identify and arrest …

The BBC spoke to officials from both sides of the talks to piece together how the Gaza deal was done. BBC News

Friday also saw a meeting held in Cairo to discuss mechanisms for implementing the deal, a senior Egyptian official told the BBC. All necessary arrangements were agreed, including the formation of a joint operations room to ensure compliance, that would include Egyptian, Qatari, US, Palestinian and Israeli representatives, the official …

In the treaty, Russia and Iran pledged to consult and co-operate to deal with military and security threats, as well as taking part in joint military exercises on both their territories and beyond. They also agreed not to allow their territories to be used for actions that threatened the other …

Yehuda Cohen, father of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier who was abducted by Hamas, said: “I don’t have time for emotion.” “I can be the father of Nimrod once Nimrod is back here,” he said. “I haven’t talked to him for 15 months, seen him, heard him…I’m fighting to get …

Trucks carrying aid have begun heading towards Gaza, ahead of the implementation of a ceasefire. BBC correspondent Fergal Keane travelled with the convoy to the King Hussein Bridge border crossing with Israel. He said drivers blared the horns of their trucks throughout the journey. BBC News

A Gaza ceasefire deal has been reached, but 15 months of fighting have had a devastating impact on the coastal Palestinian territory. Israel’s bombing campaign and ground invasion came in response to Hamas’s unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others …

There were children of all age groups in the line waiting for a handout of rice. Lamees Mohammad Al Mizar’i is 16 and originally from Gaza City. She now lives in a tent with eight family members. Lamees looks back, almost disbelievingly, at her pre-war attitude to food. “I was …

Representatives of Israel, Hamas, the United States, and Qatar have officially signed the deal in Doha, Israeli media reports. The ceasefire deal was first announced on Wednesday by mediators the US and Qatar. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said the agreement would come into effect …

2023 7 October: Hundreds of Hamas-led gunmen launch an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, bursting through the border fence and targeting nearby communities, police stations and army bases. About 1,200 people are killed and 251 hostages taken back to Gaza. Hamas also fires thousands of rockets into Israel. The Israeli …

The debate in Gaza about 7 October, when around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage, has continued throughout the war and intensified after the ceasefire was announced. Some defend Hamas, claiming its survival alone is enough to call it a victory, while others criticise the movement, arguing …

A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has been announced by Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani . Israel and Hamas have held on-off indirect talks for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange since the first ceasefire ended on 1 December 2023. Hamas launched an …

Farida, a teacher displaced from the north of Gaza, said she has not seen her mother, father and brothers for more than a year. Speaking from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, she told BBC Arabic’s Gaza lifeline: “We currently experience a state of anticipation, fear and anxiety. “We are also …

Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a “sustainable calm” – would start after two weeks. The third and final stage would involve the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years – and the return of …

Gavin Kelleher, an access manager in Gaza for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said there were “near daily” strikes within the zone, including from Israeli ships and quadcopters, or small drones. He added that “heavy fire is recurrent in this area despite its [Israel’s] unilateral ‘humanitarian’ designation.” “The Israeli military …

This ceasefire is expected to happen in three stages, once a deal is announced. Details are still being ironed out. Until an agreement is finalised, it is subject to change. First stage A Palestinian official told the BBC that in the first stage, 34 hostages – expected to be civilians …

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad accused its opponents of working for fragmentation and exclusion. He complained that his group had “extended its hand” by supporting Aoun’s election only to find the “hand cut”, and warned that “any government at odds with coexistence has no legitimacy whatsoever”. However, Christian and Sunni …