Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt is set to reopen for Palestinian movement, though no date has been announced as tensions flare and both sides accuse each other of breaching the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Israel said on Thursday.
A row over the return of bodies of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza retains the potential to upend the truce along with other major planks of the plan yet to be resolved, including disarmament of militants and Gaza's future governance.
Israel demanded that Hamas fulfill its obligations in turning over the unrecovered bodies of all 28 hostages who died during the war.
The Islamist faction said it had handed over 10 bodies but Israel said one of them was not that of a hostage.
"We will not compromise on this, and we will spare no effort until our fallen hostages return, every last one of them," Israel's government spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The armed wing of Hamas said the handover of more bodies in Gaza would require the admission of heavy machinery and excavating equipment.
On Thursday, a senior Hamas official accused Israel of flouting the ceasefire by having killed at least 24 people in shootings since Friday, and said a list of such violations was handed over to mediators.
"The occupying state is working day and night to undermine the agreement through its violations on the ground," he said.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to the Hamas accusations. It has previously said some Palestinians have ignored warnings not to approach Israeli ceasefire positions and troops "opened fire to remove the threat".
Israel has said the next phase of the 20-point plan to end the war engineered by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration calls for Hamas to relinquish its weapons and cede power, which it has so far refused to do.
Hamas has instead launched a security crackdown in urban areas vacated by Israeli forces, parading its power through public executions and clashes with local armed clans.
Twenty remaining living hostages were freed on Monday in exchange for thousands of Palestinians jailed in Israel.
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The head of an armed Palestinian faction that opposes Hamas in Gaza died while mediating a family dispute, the group said on Thursday.
Israel received a body that Hamas said was one of the last two deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as Israel said it would allow Gaza's gateway to Egypt to open once all hostages were returned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until Hamas returns the bodies of deceased hostages, as both sides traded blame over alleged ceasefire violations.
The United Nations has called for a dramatic boost in humanitarian aid for Gaza saying that the hundreds of relief trucks entering the strip were nowhere near enough.
Ukraine has welcomed the European Union’s decision to provide €90 billion in support over the next two years, calling it a vital lifeline even as the bloc failed to reach agreement on using frozen Russian assets to finance the aid.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that attempts to reach a peace agreement in Ukraine are being undermined by Russia’s continued refusal to engage meaningfully in negotiations.
Petroleum products are being transported by rail from Azerbaijan to Armenia for the first time in decades. The move is hailed as a tangible breakthrough in efforts to normalise relations between the long-time rivals.
A rare pair of bright-green Nike “Grinch” sneakers worn and signed by the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant have gone on public display in Beverly Hills, ahead of an auction that could set a new record for sports memorabilia.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a wide-ranging address from the White House in which he sought to highlight what he described as his administration’s achievements while laying the groundwork for his plans for the year ahead and beyond, on Wednesday (18 December).
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Tokyo represents more than a strengthening of bilateral relations; it is a strategic step that broadens the economic and diplomatic horizons of the region.
AnewZ has premiered The Oligarch’s Design, a long-form investigative documentary marking the launch of AnewZ Investigations, the channel’s new editorial endeavour dedicated to cross-border investigative journalism.
The United States has suspended the Diversity Visa Lottery programme, commonly known as the Green Card lottery, after a deadly shooting at Brown University.
Kyrgyzstan is increasingly being described as one of the fastest growing economies in Central Asia.
Armenia–NATO talks were held in Yerevan as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska to discuss cooperation and regional security in the South Caucasus.
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