Israel’s Cabinet has approved a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Cabinet has approved a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages.
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CNNMore than 150 female inmates raped and burned to death during Goma jailbreak in DRC, UN says
More than 150 female prisoners were raped and burned to death during a jailbreak last week when fleeing male inmates set fire to a prison in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a United Nations spokesperson has said.
- Business Insider
Ukraine says North Korean troops are back on the front lines of Russia's war after disappearing for weeks
North Korean soldiers had been missing from combat, fueling speculation they were pulled back after taking heavy losses.
- The Canadian Press
Middle East latest: Israel releases dozens of Palestinian prisoners, part of ceasefire deal
Israel received the three hostages after Hamas paraded them Saturday before hundreds in the Gaza Strip ahead of their release. Dozens of Palestinian prisoners will be freed in return.
- The Canadian Press
Middle East latest: Israel starts planning for Palestinians to leave Gaza
Israel says it has begun preparations for the departure of Palestinians from Gaza despite widespread international rejection of President Donald Trump’s plan to empty the war-devastated territory of its population. There were no immediate signs of such preparations on the ground Thursday.
- The Canadian Press
A look at the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, by the numbers
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire during which Hamas is releasing dozens of the hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
- France 24
US envoy draws ‘red line’ over Hezbollah’s inclusion in Lebanese govt
On her first official visit to Lebanon, US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus on Friday said the US had drawn a red line against Hezbollah's inclusion in a future Lebanese government. Prime minister-designate Nawaf Salam has struggled to form a government amid political pressure from Hezbollah and its allies. The United States has set a "red line" that Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah should not be a member of Lebanon's next government after its military setbacks against Israel
- The Canadian Press
Middle East latest: Hamas names next 3 Israeli hostages to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners
Hamas named the next three Israeli hostages it plans to release this weekend as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel. It was a sign that the first phase of the truce was moving forward as planned -- even as many observers fear that U.S. and Israeli plans to remove all the Palestinians from Gaza have imperiled the deal.
- CBC
If you look up Beit Hanoun in Gaza on Google Earth, a large Star of David can be seen from above
Satellite images in Beit Hanoun, a city on the northeast of the Gaza Strip, show the Star of David etched into the ground of what previously looked like vibrant green fields and farmland in the now war-torn territory.While it is unclear exactly when the symbol appeared, satellite images of it date as far back as November 2023, according to Google Earth — one month after the Hamas-led attack on Israel. Palestinian defence and security analyst Hamzé Attar said the sheer size of the symbol, which a
- The Canadian Press
Hamas names 3 more Israeli hostages to be freed as ceasefire deal stays on track
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas identified three more Israeli hostages it plans to free as part of the fragile ceasefire agreement, a sign the deal was moving forward Friday even as U.S. and Israeli officials continued calls to relocate Gaza’s population after the war.
- Reuters
Moscow says its troops repel Ukraine offensive in Russia's Kursk region
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's defence ministry said its troops repelled a Ukrainian counteroffensive in Russia's western Kursk region on Thursday. The Russian report came six months to the day since Ukraine's military pushed across the border into the Kursk region, the biggest foreign attack on Russia since World War Two. Russia's defence ministry said Ukrainian troops and armoured vehicles launched eight waves of attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka.
- France 24
North Korean soldiers back on Russia's front line, says Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that North Korean soldiers "have been brought in again" to Russia's Kursk region after reports that the troops had been pulled from the front due to high casualties. Zelensky added that a "significant number" of opposing troops had been "destroyed". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that North Korean troops were back on the front line in Russia's Kursk region, after reports Moscow had withdrawn them due to heavy losses.More than
- BBC
Hostages freed and prisoners released in latest ceasefire exchange
The three civilians were handed over on Saturday before Israel began releasing 183 Palestinians from prison.
- The Canadian Press
Hamas releases 3 more Israeli hostages for dozens of Palestinian prisoners under Gaza ceasefire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas-led militants released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli civilian men they held for the past 16 months on Saturday, and Israel was freeing dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile agreement that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip.
- The Canadian Press
At least 10 soldiers in Niger are killed in an ambush, the army says
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Armed assailants in western Niger killed at least 10 soldiers in an ambush on a military unit that had been sent to hunt cattle rustlers in a border region near Burkina Faso, Niger’s ruling junta said.
- Reuters
Israeli soldier sentenced to 7 months in jail for abusing Palestinian detainees
An Israeli soldier who was found to have struck Palestinian detainees while they were restrained and blindfolded has been sentenced to seven months in jail by an Israeli military court. The Israeli military on Thursday announced the court had accepted a plea agreement with the soldier, a reservist who it said admitted to having "severely abused" Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman military detention centre near the border with the Gaza Strip. "The defendant was convicted of several incidents in which he struck detainees with his fists and his weapon while they were bound and blindfolded," the military said.
- The Canadian Press
Rwanda-backed rebels tell residents of a captured eastern Congolese city they are safe
GOMA, Congo (AP) — The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured a major city in eastern Congo sought to reassure its residents on Thursday, holding a rally at the city stadium and promising safety and stability in Goma under the their administration.
- The Conversation
Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction
Most of Gaza’s olive trees, citrus trees and greenhouses have been destroyed.
- Reuters
Hamas names hostages to be freed after accusing Israel of breaching ceasefire
Hamas on Friday announced the names of three Israeli hostages to be released on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners after a delay that underlined the obstacles hanging over a fragile deal meant to end the war in Gaza. Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken hostage from Kibbutz Be'eri during the cross-border Hamas-led attack on Oct 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted that day from the Nova music festival, will be handed over on Saturday, Hamas said. The Hamas media office said Israel was expected to free 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange, including 18 who have been serving life sentences, 54 serving long sentences and 111 who were detained in the Gaza Strip during the war.
- Sky News
Hamas names three Israeli hostages it says it will release today after accusing Israel of breaching Gaza ceasefire
Hamas has released the names of three Israeli hostages it says it will release today in the fifth such swap of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. The hostages are Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy, Hamas armed wing spokesperson Abu Obeida said in a Telegram post. An Israeli official confirmed Israel had received the three names from Hamas.
- BBC
Israeli soldier jailed for abusing Palestinian detainees from Gaza
Israel's military says he punched detainees and used his weapon while they were handcuffed and blindfolded.