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 announcement came after the Palestinian embassy in Egypt said Rafah would reopen on Monday for entry into Gaza. Netanyahu rejected that claim, saying reopening depended on Hamas fulfilling its commitments under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
Washington later said it had received “credible reports” of an imminent Hamas attack against civilians, warning it would be a “grave violation” of the truce. Hamas denied the accusations, blaming Israel for arming “criminal gangs” in Gaza and accusing the U.S. of echoing what it called a “misleading narrative.”
Bodies, aid, and fragile peace
Israel said it had received 12 out of 28 hostage bodies agreed under the ceasefire deal, while Hamas insisted the search for others was slowed by rubble and aid restrictions. The militant group accused Israel of blocking equipment needed for recovery efforts.
The war has left Gaza devastated. Nearly all residents have been displaced, famine has been confirmed by global monitors, and hospitals remain overwhelmed.
Under the U.S.-brokered agreement, Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees. Israel, in turn, was to return 360 bodies of Palestinian militants for the deceased Israeli hostages, so far, only a fraction of that has happened.
Unresolved issues in Trump’s plan
Rafah has largely remained shut since May 2024, reopening only briefly during humanitarian pauses. The current truce increased aid deliveries to about 560 metric tons of food per day, still far below Gaza’s need, according to the U.N. World Food Programme.
Major questions remain unresolved under U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, including Hamas’s disarmament, Gaza’s future governance, and the composition of an international stabilisation force. The creation of a Palestinian state also remains uncertain, a formidable obstacle to lasting peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on efforts to end t...
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has left for France for a four-day visit aimed at strengthening ties with Paris, including a summit with Frenc...
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” i...
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel, school activities and fishing operations, with hundreds of passengers stranded at Jakarta’s main airport on Sunday.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on efforts to end the Ukraine war.
Israeli strikes killed four people, including two women, in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, as Israel said it was retaliating for two Hezbollah drone attacks targeting its soldiers.
A unique architectural monument dating back to the 9th to 12th centuries has been discovered in the village of Gargara, in the Korez village commune in Dangara district in Tajikistan.
Japan and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime have launched a $9.4 million, two-year project across five Afghan provinces to help former poppy-growing families and expand drug prevention and treatment services.
For centuries, Lahore has been shaped by the people, cultures and empires that passed through it. Now, the Pakistani city is preparing to put that rich history before a wider regional audience.
Israel is ready to move Palestinians from Gaza as soon as the U.S. approves, the country’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said. He told a conference hosted by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday that there was “no real solution” for Gaza without migration.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment