South Africa president urges ANC to fix poor local government ahead of poll
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa called on the African National Congress (ANC), his party, to address its poor record on delivering basic serv...
Four coffins of deceased hostages are currently being escorted by IDF and ISA forces on their way to Israel according to a post by the Israeli Military on X.
Once they arrive in Israel, they will be transferred to the National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification procedures.
The IDF urged the public to act with sensitivity and wait for official identification of the remains. It also said it would first share that information with the families of the decesed hostages.
In addition to that, it laid out plans to honour the dead before they cross into Israel.
"Before crossing into Israeli territory, a military protocol will be held in Gaza in their memory.
During the protocol, IDF soldiers will drape the hostages’ coffins with Israeli flags, salute them, and recite a chapter from the Book of Psalms." it said.
Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages on 13 October under a ceasefire deal, a major step towards ending two years of shattering war in Gaza as U.S. President Donald Trump, who helped broker the truce, proclaimed "a new beginning".
The Israeli military said it had received all hostages confirmed to be alive after their transfer from Gaza by the Red Cross, prompting cheering, hugging and weeping among thousands waiting at "Hostage Square" in Tel Aviv.
Buses carrying released Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons as part of the accord also arrived in Gaza, an official involved in the operation told Reuters.
"This is a great day. This is a new beginning," Trump said after arriving to a hero's welcome in Israel where he was addressing the Knesset before flying on to Egypt for a summit aimed at building conditions for a lasting peace in Gaza.
Asked if the two-year Gaza war was over, he said: "Yes."
Initial photographs of six of the freed Israeli hostages distributed by the Israeli military showed them standing, some smiling and talking with soldiers who were receiving them.
"I am so excited. I am full of happiness. It's hard to imagine how I feel this moment. I didn't sleep all night," said Viki Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, as she travelled to Reim, an Israeli military camp where the hostages were being transferred.
In Gaza, about a dozen masked and black-clad gunmen, apparently members of Hamas' armed wing, arrived at Nasser Hospital where a stage and chairs had been laid out to welcome returning Palestinian prisoners.
"I hope that these images can be the end to this war. We lost friends and relatives, we lost our houses and our city," said Emad Abu Joudat, 57, a Palestinian father.
The release of hostages and a concurrent freeing of Palestinian detainees form a critical aspect of the first phase of the ceasefire accord concluded last week in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where Monday's summit will take place.
However, much could still go wrong with further steps on which previous truce efforts faltered yet to be agreed. Those include how the tiny, densely populated coastal territory will be governed once fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas.
Hamas killed 32 members of what it called a "gang" in Gaza City during a security campaign launched after the ceasefire, a Palestinian security source said on Monday.
As he entered the Israeli Knesset (parliament), Trump said Palestinian militant group Hamas would comply with a provision under his plan for it to disarm.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled out ordering a mission to capture Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he is confident the war in Ukraine can be brought to an end.
New York City parents could soon have access to free childcare for two-year-old children following a joint announcement made by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday (8 January).
Türkiye has stepped back from mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan after repeated efforts failed to narrow deep differences between Islamabad and Kabul.
Türkiye is reportedly in discussions to join the defence alliance between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, a strategic move that could reshape security dynamics in the Middle East and South Asia.
Iran does not seek war with Israel or the United States but is prepared to respond if attacked, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday (8 January ) as economic protests sweep the country and Tehran's crackdown reportedly intensifies.
Iran’s security forces have intensified their crackdown on nationwide protests, with the elite Revolutionary Guards warning that safeguarding security is a “red line”, as unrest continued across the country.
Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian official and adviser to the supreme leader, has said recent protests amount to a security crisis directed from abroad, warning that the aim is to polarise society and weaken national unity at a moment of heightened confrontation.
Syrian government forces have moved into Aleppo’s Sheikh Maksoud district after a temporary ceasefire with Kurdish fighters collapsed, the army said on Saturday, following several days of deadly fighting.
The controversial closure of the criminal case concerning the tragic crash of AZAL flight 1, which was shot down by Russian air defence systems last year while approaching Grozny, has uncovered a crucial new detail, according to Minval Politika.
The foreign ministries of Armenia and Iran held political consultations in Yerevan, according to official statements.
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