Mediators look to extend truce in Gaza on its final day, with one more hostage swap planned

Rafah (Gaza Strip): International mediators worked on Wednesday to extend the truce in Gaza, hoping the territory’s Hamas rulers will keep freeing hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further respite from Israel’s air and ground offensive. It will otherwise expire within a day. Israel has welcomed the release of dozens of […]
The world economy will slow next year because of inflation, high rates and war, OECD says

Washington: The global economy, which has proved surprisingly resilient this year, is expected to falter next year under the strain of wars, still-elevated inflation and continued high interest rates. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated Wednesday that international growth would slow to 2.7% in 2024 from an expected 2.9% pace this year. […]
Israel and Hamas extend their truce, but it seems only a matter of time before the war resumes

Tel Aviv: A truce between Israel and Hamas entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with the militant group promising to release more civilian hostages to delay the expected resumption of the war and Israel under growing pressure to spare Palestinian civilians when the fighting resumes. The sides agreed to extend their truce through Wednesday, with […]
US tells Israel any ground campaign in southern Gaza must limit further civilian displacement

Washington: The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid “significant further displacement” of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign aimed at eradicating the Hamas militant group, senior U.S. officials said. The administration, seeking to avoid more large-scale civilian casualties or mass displacement like that seen before […]
Current solar cycle intensity to peak in 2024, may impact Earth’s satellites, find researchers

New Delhi: The current ongoing solar cycle is likely to peak its intensity in 2024 and can potentially impact Earth’s space weather, according to researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata. It is known that roughly every 11 years, the intensity of solar activity reaches its peak, which manifests as […]
Israel and Hamas look to extend cease-fire on its final day, with one more hostage swap planned

Tel Aviv: International mediators were pressing to extend a cease-fire in Gaza that has halted the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades but is set to expire after Monday, as Israel and Hamas prepared for a fourth exchange of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one […]
Representatives of European and Arab countries meet in Barcelona to discuss the Israel-Hamas war

Barcelona: Delegations from European Union member states and Middle Eastern and north African countries are meeting on Monday in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss the crisis in Gaza, where a fragile pause in fighting is set to expire. Forty-two delegations are scheduled to gather at the event hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean, with many […]
Fragile truce in Gaza is back on track after hourslong delay in a second hostage-for-prisoner swap

Deir Al-Balah: The tense cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appeared to be back on track early on Sunday after the release of a second group of militant-held hostages and Palestinians from Israeli prisons, but the swap followed an hourslong delay that underscored the truce’s fragility. The exchange was delayed on Saturday evening after Hamas accused […]
Israeli forces kill at least 8 Palestinians in surging West Bank violence, health officials say

Jenin Refugee Camp (West Bank): Israeli forces operating in the occupied West Bank killed at least eight Palestinians in a 24-hour period, Palestinian health officials said on Sunday, as a fragile pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip entered its third day. Violence in the West Bank has surged in the […]
Gaza cease-fire enters second day with more hostages to be exchanged and critical supplies delivered

Khan Younis: Hamas was expected to swap more of its hostages on Saturday for prisoners held by Israel on the second day of a cease-fire that has allowed critical humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and given civilians their first respite after seven weeks of war. On the first day of the four-day cease-fire, Hamas […]