Israel and Hamas are set for more indirect talks Sunday on the Gaza ceasefire, but deep divisions persist between the two warring sides on the terms of the fragile truce. Mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, the initial phase of the ceasefire took effect on January 19, largely halting 15 months of deadly…
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump and discussed efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and to restore stability in Syria, Erdogan’s office said on Sunday. He told Trump that Turkey supports his “decisive and direct initiatives” to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and that Turkey will…
US President Donald Trump is expected to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week on ways to end the three-year war in Ukraine, US envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN on Sunday after returning from what he described as a “positive” meeting with Putin in Moscow. “I expect that there will be a call with…
A White House official on Sunday said a wave of US airstrikes on Yemen killed senior leaders from the Houthi militia and sent a message to their Iranian backers. Attacks on the Houthi-held capital Sanaa as well as Saada, al-Bayda and Radaa killed at least 31 people and wounded 101, “most of whom were children and women,”…
Israeli military strikes have killed at least 15 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the enclave’s health ministry said on Sunday, as Arab and US mediators work to shore up a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Palestinian officials say dozens of people have been killed by Israeli fire despite the…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the head of the country’s Shin Bet domestic security service Ronen Bar that he plans to bring his dismissal before the government this week, a statement from Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday. There was no immediate comment from Shin Bet or from Bar, whose dismissal would likely draw…
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to Ukrainian troops in the Kursk area to lay down their arms still stands, but time is running out, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told to Russian News Agency TASS. “It is still in force,” he said in response to a corresponding question. “Their time is shrinking like shagreen skin,” he…
UK premier Keir Starmer said the “ball was in Russia’s court” and that President Vladimir Putin would “sooner or later” have to “come to the table,” after a virtual summit on Saturday to drum up support for a coalition willing to protect any eventual ceasefire in Ukraine. The British leader told some 26 fellow leaders…
A deafening sound of whistles and vuvuzelas echoed throughout downtown Belgrade on Saturday as Serbia’s capital geared up for a major rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. Huge crowds have been converging on downtown Belgrade for the gathering seen as a culmination of months of almost daily anti-corruption protests that have posed…
Italy does not envision sending soldiers to Ukraine, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Saturday, following a virtual summit hosted by Britain to drum up support to protect any eventual ceasefire. “The Prime Minister confirmed that Italy intends to continue working with European and Western partners and with the United States to define credible and effective…
Hamas said Saturday that “the ball is in Israel’s court” after offering to release an Israeli-US hostage and return the bodies of four others as part of Gaza truce talks. Following the offer on Friday, Israel said the Palestinian militants had “not budged a millimeter” after a proposal from US President Donald Trump’s Middle East…
The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination of Adam Boehler to serve as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, the White House said on Saturday. Boehler, who has been working to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, will continue hostage-related work as a so-called “special government employee,” a position that would…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russia wanted to achieve a “stronger position” militarily before committing to any ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. Russia earlier this week did not immediately agree to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States, as President Vladimir Putin raised questions about the initiative. “They want a stronger…
The US has presented a “bridge” proposal extending the Gaza ceasefire past Ramadan and Passover while warning Hamas that there would be a heavy price to pay if they did not release hostages before a looming deadline. “President Trump has made it clear that Hamas will either release hostages immediately, or pay a severe price,” Trump’s Middle…
At least nine Palestinians were killed, including two local journalists, and others wounded on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s northern Beit Lahiya town, Gaza’s health ministry said, as Hamas’ leaders hold Gaza ceasefire talks with mediators in Cairo. Several were critically injured as the strike hit a car, with casualties inside and outside…
