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.
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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