ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said his country&nbsp;would participate in a &quot;task force&quot; to oversee the implementation of a ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas. &quot;We will hopefully join the task force that will monitor the implementation of the agreement on the ground,&quot; Erdogan said. Turkey, which has been closely involved in the negotiations, sent a team to the talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh. The agreement, which will be signed in Egypt on Thursday, involves freeing the remaining hostages and is seen as a major step towards ending the two-year war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe. &quot;It is of great importance to urgently deliver comprehensive humanitarian aid to Gaza, exchange hostages and prisoners, and for Israel to immediately cease its attacks,&quot; Erdogan said. He also promised Turkey would help reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

Palestinians celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP)

Europe

Middle East

The agreement, which will be signed in Egypt on Thursday, involves freeing the remaining hostages and is seen as a major step towards ending the two-year war.

Erdogan says Turkey to join 'task force' to monitor Gaza deal

GAZA: A senior Hamas official on Sunday said the Palestinian militant group is eager to reach an agreement to end the war and implement a prisoner swap with Israel, as negotiators converge in Egypt for talks. Israeli and Hamas negotiators are set to iron out details during talks in Egypt in a bid to end nearly two years of war in Gaza, after Hamas approved a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. Hamas negotiators travelling from Doha are expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday before heading to Sharm el-Sheikh to participate in indirect negotiations with the Israeli delegation, the official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak on the matter. &quot;Hamas is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;The occupation must not obstruct the implementation of President Trump&#39;s plan. If the occupation has genuine intentions to reach an agreement, Hamas is ready.&quot; A Palestinian source close to Hamas told AFP that the two delegations would be in the same building but away from media coverage. &quot;The negotiations aim to discuss the timeline for preparing field conditions for the transfer of captives held in Gaza, as a prelude to launching the prisoner exchange process,&quot; he added. &quot;During communications with mediators, Hamas insisted that it is essential for Israel to halt military operations across all areas of the Gaza Strip, cease all air, reconnaissance, and drone activity, and withdraw from inside Gaza City,&quot; the source said. &quot;In parallel with the cessation of Israeli military activity, Hamas and the resistance factions will also halt their military operations and actions,&quot; he added. The talks are also expected to include discussions of maps to be provided by Israel showing withdrawal routes and timelines, which will coincide with the prisoner exchange process, the source said. The Hamas delegation will also present lists of Palestinian prisoners who must be released by Israel in return for the Israeli captives, he said. According to Trump&#39;s plan, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after October 7, 2023.

A Palestinian flag stained with red paint is carried aloft during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla after their ships were intercepted by the Israeli navy. (AP)

Hamas says it is keen to start a prisoner exchange with Israel immediately as talks begin in Egypt under Trump’s Gaza peace plan conditions.

Hamas keen to reach deal, begin prisoner exchange 'immediately': official

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, T&uuml;rkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, in a joint statement on Sunday, welcomed the steps taken by Hamas in&nbsp;response to US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s plan to end the Gaza conflict. &ldquo;The foreign ministers ... welcomed President Trump&rsquo;s call on Israel to immediately stop the bombing and to begin implementation of the exchange agreement and expressed appreciation for his commitment to establishing peace in the region,&rdquo; according to the statement. Gaza administration and ceasefire talks The foreign ministers supported Hamas&rsquo;s announcement to hand over Gaza&rsquo;s administration to a transitional Palestinian Administrative Committee of independent technocrats. They called for swift negotiations to establish implementation mechanisms. They said that there is a need for &quot;immediate launch of negotiations to agree on mechanisms to implement the proposal, and address all of its aspects.&rdquo; Commitment to peace, security, and humanitarian aid According to the statement, &quot;The foreign ministers reiterated their joint commitment to support efforts toward the implementation of the proposal, to work for the immediate end of the war on Gaza, and achieve a comprehensive agreement that ensures unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinian people, and that no measures are taken that threaten the security and safety of civilians, the release of hostages, the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, unifying Gaza and the West Bank, and reaching a security mechanism that guarantees the security of all sides, in a manner that leads to the full Israeli withdrawal, and to the rebuilding of Gaza, and that creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution.&quot; They described the developments as a &ldquo;real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire, and to address the critical humanitarian conditions facing people in Gaza Strip.&rdquo;

 Israeli soldiers take position along the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP)

Asia

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the eight countries reiterated their commitment to supporting the release of hostages, ceasefire talks, the handover of the Gaza administration, and urgent peace negotiations based on the two-state solution.

Pakistan, other Muslim nations, welcome Hamas response to Trump’s peace plan

UNITED NATIONS:&nbsp;The United Nations insisted on Friday there was no safe place for Palestinians ordered to leave Gaza City,and that Israeli-designated zones in the southern Gaza Strip were &quot;places of death&quot;. Since launching its air assault on Gaza City in August ahead of its ground offensive there, the Israeli military has repeatedly told Palestinians to head south. &quot;The notion of a safe zone in the south is farcical,&quot; James Elder, a spokesman for the UN children&#39;s agency UNICEF, told journalists in Geneva. Speaking from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Elder pointed to how &quot;bombs are dropped from the sky with chilling predictability; schools, which had been designated as temporary shelters are regularly reduced to rubble, (and) tents... are regularly engulfed in fire from air attacks&quot;. The Israeli military has urged Palestinians to relocate to a &quot;humanitarian area&quot; in Al-Mawasi on the coast, where it says aid, medical care and humanitarian infrastructure will be provided. Israel first declared the area a safe zone early in the two-year war but has carried out repeated strikes on it since, saying it is targeting Hamas. Nutrition, shelter, sanitation Elder insisted that &quot;the issuance of a general or a blanket evacuation order to civilians does not mean that those who remain behind lose their protection as civilians&quot;. At the same time, he warned, the &quot;so-called safe zones ... are also places of death&quot;. Al-Mawasi, he pointed out, &quot;is now one of the most densely populated places on Earth. &quot;It&#39;s grotesquely overcrowded and has been stripped of the most basic essentials of survival.&quot; The UN had begun in late 2023 &quot;debunking this concept of a unilaterally-declared safe zone&quot;, Elder said. &quot;The law is very clear,&quot; he stressed. &quot;It is the responsibility of the occupying power -- Israel -- to ensure that a safe zone has all the essentials for survival: that is nutrition, shelter and sanitation. &quot;None of those are present in a level that is fitting of a population,&quot; Elder said, adding that the UN at the start had &quot;at least assumed that these places would not be bombed&quot;. But over the past 18 months, the Israeli-designated safe-zones had been hit &quot;dozens of time&quot;, and &quot;people in tents have suffered from airstrikes&quot;. Makeshift crutches Humanitarian agencies regularly warn that the amount of urgent supplies being allowed into the Gaza Strip are grossly insufficient to meet the immense needs of the population in the Israeli-besieged Palestinian territory. &quot;To cope with that situation, our colleagues, particularly in our hospital in Rafah, have decided to build our own materials,&quot; such as &quot;home-made, wooden crutches&quot;, said Christian Cardon, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC announced on Wednesday that had been &quot;forced&quot; to suspend its activities in Gaza City due to Israel&#39;s intensified military operations. &quot;There are no longer any international staff in Gaza City. We had between two and five expatriates before,&quot; Cardon told AFP, adding that the ICRC has 350 staff, including 50 international staff, throughout the Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization is calling for humanitarian corridors to allow access to hospitals, its representative in the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, told reporters.

Palestinians, displaced from northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, take shelter, after evacuating southwards, following Israeli forces' orders to leave Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)

The UN denounced Israeli "safe zones" in southern Gaza as deadly and overcrowded, lacking essentials. Humanitarian groups face severe access restrictions amid intensified Israeli strikes and escalating civilian suffering.

UN says notion of a safe zone in southern Gaza 'farcical'

MEXICO CITY: The annual march to commemorate the 1968 massacre of protesting students in Mexico&rsquo;s capital was eclipsed Thursday by demands to end a humanitarian crisis halfway around the world in Gaza. The Oct. 2 march that has regularly been used not only to remember that earlier massacre, but also Mexico&rsquo;s tens of thousands of other missing and abuses of authority, was this year full of Palestinian flags and signs demanding an end to Israel&rsquo;s military operations in Gaza. &ldquo;We feel empathy not only for ours, for those our grandparents died for, but for all men and women around the world who are suffering what at one time we suffered,&rdquo; said Edgar L&oacute;pez, a 23-year-old economics student, who marched with a Palestinian flag on his back. Protesters marched from the Tlatelolco plaza where in 1968 Mexican troops attacked students demanding an end to Mexico&rsquo;s militarization and greater freedoms, leaving a never established death toll believed to be in the hundreds, to the capital&rsquo;s central plaza. While much of the march was peaceful some groups vandalized storefronts and threw objects, including Molotov cocktails, at the hundreds of police guarding the National Palace. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/9f35e3ad-fdd6-4580-a6cc-692764265737-Demonstrators march during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco killings, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP).jpg" alt="Demonstrators march during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco killings, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Demonstrators march during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco killings, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP)</figcaption></figure> Mexico City officials estimated the march drew 10,000 people and authorities said there were about 350 who were masked and acting aggressively. AP journalists saw at least three other journalists attacked by police and protesters, and a police officer cornered and attacked by protesters. Local press reported at least six injured police, but authorities did not immediately confirm that number. A smaller spontaneous protest had broken out in the capital the previous night after Israel detained members of a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid. Among those detained were six Mexicans. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said earlier Thursday that her administration had demanded their immediate repatriation.

A protester holds a doll representing former President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco killings, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico (AP)

Americas

Thousands marched in Mexico City to remember the 1968 student massacre, showing solidarity with Gaza amid Israeli military operations, with some violence and calls for the repatriation of detained Mexican aid workers.

 Gaza crisis features in march remembering 1968 Mexican massacre

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE HAGUE: The Netherlands&rsquo; Supreme Court is set to deliver a ruling Friday on the government&rsquo;s appeal against a ban on exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, a case that could influence European arms trade policies amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The dispute began in 2023 when three Dutch rights groups challenged the transfers, arguing that providing F-35 parts risked making the Netherlands complicit in alleged violations of international law. Israel has denied accusations of war crimes.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While a district court initially allowed the exports, an appeals court in February 2024 ordered the government to halt shipments, citing a clear danger that the parts could be used in breaches of humanitarian law. The government then turned to the Supreme Court, asserting that foreign policy decisions should rest with elected officials rather than the judiciary.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Netherlands hosts one of three regional warehouses for US-owned F-35 components. Dutch government lawyers argue that even if Amsterdam bans transfers, the United States could reroute parts through other facilities, making the ruling largely symbolic.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A legal advisor to the Supreme Court recommended last year that the government&rsquo;s appeal be dismissed, though the opinion was nonbinding.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The case comes as several European countries reconsider defense exports to Israel. Slovenia announced in August it would ban all weapons trade with Israel, the first such step by a European Union member. Spain halted sales in October 2023, and Britain suspended certain exports last year. Similar legal challenges are under way in France and Belgium.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Israel&rsquo;s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians and wounded nearly 170,000 others, according to Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children account for about half the deaths. United Nations agencies regard its figures as the most credible available.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The war began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. Israel says Hamas still holds 48 hostages, about 20 believed to be alive.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dutch ruling is being closely watched across Europe as governments balance domestic legal challenges, international law obligations and strategic alliances with Israel and the United States.

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The Netherlands’ Supreme Court is set to deliver a ruling Friday on the government’s appeal against a ban on exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, a case that could influence European arms trade policies amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Dutch Supreme Court to rule on F-35 parts export to Israel

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed US President Donald Trump&#39;s plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza on Monday, while lauding his leadership efforts. In a <a href="https://x.com/cmshehbaz/status/1972670954229698744?s=46&t=SApcAZAv0zK56lMSgiF_fg" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">post</a> on X (formerly Twitter), the Pakistani PM welcomed Trump&rsquo;s plan to end the Gaza war, stating that lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis was vital for stability in the region. &ldquo;I welcome President Trump&rsquo;s plan to ensure an end to the war in Gaza. I am also convinced that durable peace between the Palestinian people and Israel would be essential in bringing political stability and economic growth to the region.&rdquo; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/827dfea4-ae42-4c3b-9b75-6bb7cbf934fe-pm tweet.png" alt="pm tweet.png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></figure> Sharif said that it was his &ldquo;firm belief that President Trump is fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary to make this extremely important and urgent understanding to&nbsp;become a reality.&rdquo; He&nbsp;said the two-state proposal was necessary for lasting peace: &ldquo;I also strongly believe that the implementation of the two-state proposal is essential to ensure lasting peace in the region.&rdquo; Trump-Netanyahu meeting&nbsp; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with Donald Trump in Washington on Monday amid increasing international pressure and isolation. While Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas is destroyed, Trump&rsquo;s plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages within 48 hours, gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and disarmament of Hamas. The plan includes establishment of an international security force and a Palestinian technocratic committee initially governing Gaza civilian affairs, with eventual transfer to a reformed Palestinian Authority&mdash;though Netanyahu rejects the Palestinian Authority&rsquo;s role in Gaza postwar. Despite Netanyahu&rsquo;s praise of Trump&rsquo;s support, Israel and some Arab states expressed reservations, seeking revisions. Concerns include the involvement of Palestinian security forces, the fate of Hamas officials, and guarantees that Israel will uphold any agreements. Hamas has rejected disarmament and conditions tied to ending the war. The White House has urged both Israel and Hamas to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal, with Trump declaring on social media that &ldquo;We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST... WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!&rdquo; AFP reported Monday that Trump said he was &quot;very confident&quot; of a Gaza deal, telling reporters, &quot;I am, I&#39;m very confident,&quot; when asked about peace prospects. When asked if all parties supported his plan, he repeated, &quot;very confident.&quot; Israel&rsquo;s War on Gaza Israel&rsquo;s war on Gaza has killed over 66,000 Palestinians and displaced more than 90% of Gaza&rsquo;s population, with devastating shortages of food, water, and medical supplies due to an ongoing siege. The UN and numerous countries have called for immediate humanitarian access and ceasefire amid growing famine and civilian suffering. The conflict&rsquo;s toll and Israel&rsquo;s response have eroded its international support, with 28 Western-aligned countries urging an end to the offensive, and ten countries recently recognizing Palestinian statehood. Several Arab states and international experts accuse Israel of committing genocide, a charge Israel vehemently denies and the issue is under review by the UN&rsquo;s highest court. UN report finds Israel responsible for Gaza genocide On September 16, 2025, the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) issued its third report on the Israeli war on Gaza, recognizing for the first time that genocide has been committed and continues against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The report demanded Israel immediately implement a &ldquo;complete and permanent&rdquo; ceasefire and ensure unfettered humanitarian access. The COI&rsquo;s investigation, spanning October 2023 to July 2025, found Israel responsible for four of the five acts constituting genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention, including killing members of the group, causing serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting destructive living conditions, and imposing measures to prevent births within the group. Specific evidence cited included attacks on civilians and healthcare facilities, torture and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, destruction of maternity and fertility clinics, attacks on agricultural land, cultural sites, and widespread displacement of Gaza&rsquo;s population. The report concluded these acts were committed with clear genocidal intent, based on statements and actions by Israeli authorities. With input by Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif meets with the United States President Donald Trump in the White House on September 26, 2025. (Prime Minister's Office)

Pakistan’s PM welcomed Trump’s Gaza peace plan and called for a lasting two-state solution ahead of Israeli PM Netanyahu and Trump’s meeting to discuss Gaza's ceasefire, future governance, and hostage release.

Pakistan welcomes Trump’s Gaza peace plan, lauds his leadership efforts

JERUSALEM: Israel&#39;s far-right finance minister on Monday insisted the military maintain &quot;full operational freedom&quot; in Gaza, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s White House meeting with US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Trump is expected to press Netanyahu to agree to his 21-point peace plan, proposed after nearly two years of conflict.&nbsp;In a lengthy post on X, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outlined a series of &quot;red lines&quot;, saying Israel&#39;s security relied on &quot;actions, our hold on the land, and uncompromising enforcement that depends solely on the (Israeli military) and our defense establishment&quot;.&nbsp;He demanded the military &quot;remain permanently at the perimeter, including the Philadelphi Corridor, and will maintain full operational freedom throughout the entire Gaza Strip&quot;.&nbsp;The corridor, along the Gaza-Egypt border, is seen by Israel as crucial to preventing weapons smuggling into the Palestinian territory.&nbsp;The Trump plan, according to a diplomatic source, involves an Israeli withdrawal from the territory.&nbsp;Smotrich also rejected any role for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) in the future of Gaza, which is among the most controversial aspects of Trump&#39;s plan.&nbsp;The PA governed Gaza until Hamas seized power in 2007. Netanyahu has also firmly rejected the idea of its involvement in Gaza&#39;s future.&nbsp;Smotrich demanded that there also be no Qatari involvement in the future of the Palestinian territory.&nbsp;&quot;The time has come to put an end to Qatar&#39;s hypocrisy and duplicity, which encourages and funds terrorism,&quot; he wrote.&nbsp;Israel recently struck US ally and key Gaza ceasefire mediator Qatar in a bid to target Hamas leaders, a move Trump opposed.&nbsp;Smotrich also demanded there be &quot;no mention, even implicitly, of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel&#39;s existence,&quot; echoing comments made by Netanyahu.&nbsp;Smotrich said he hoped to &quot;seize the historic opportunity of the Trump administration... to politically and practically establish the fact that Judea and Samaria are an inseparable part of the sovereign State of Israel,&quot; using the Israeli Biblical term for the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.&nbsp;Trump last week cautioned Netanyahu against annexing the West Bank, as sought by Israeli cabinet members.&nbsp;Netanyahu depends on Smotrich&#39;s Religious Zionism party to maintain his parliamentary majority.

Reports say Trump is expected to press Netanyahu to agree to his 21-point peace plan, proposed after nearly two years of conflict.

Ahead of Trump meeting, Israeli minister demands army keep 'operational freedom' in Gaza

Reuters

On September 16, 2025, the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, issued its third report on the situation in Gaza since October 7, 2023.&nbsp;For the first time, the COI has recognized that genocide has been committed, and continues to be committed, against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It demands that Israel immediately implement a &ldquo;complete and permanent&rdquo; ceasefire in Gaza, and that it ensures unhindered access to humanitarian aid, including food, clean water, medical equipment and medicine in all of Gaza.&nbsp;What&rsquo;s in the report?The report is a legal analysis of Israel&rsquo;s conduct in Gaza. It thoroughly examines all the elements of the definition of the crime of genocide established by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide of 1948.&nbsp;The COI based its conclusions on its own investigations and relied on the jurisprudence of international criminal tribunals to examine the evidence gathered. The facts included in the report &ndash; a non-exhaustive list &ndash; are those that experts have considered relevant to the analysis of genocide.&nbsp;The report analyses events in the Gaza Strip between October 2023 and July 2025. This means it does not account for events that occurred before the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, or human rights violations in the West Bank during this period.&nbsp;The COI drew its finding of genocide by applying the criteria of &ldquo;reasonable grounds to conclude&rdquo;. This is the standard of proof used by most international commissions of inquiry on human rights. It differs from the criteria of &ldquo;beyond a reasonable doubt&rdquo; used in criminal tribunals &ndash; this is consistent with the complementary role played by international human rights commissions in judicial investigation processes.&nbsp;All this is to say that, according to international standards of proof, the report provides enough verified evidence to determine that Israel&rsquo;s conduct constitutes a crime of genocide.&nbsp;What is the evidence?By analyzing the elements of the definition of genocide, the COI concludes that Israeli forces have committed 4 of the 5 acts that constitute genocide committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as per the 1948 UN Convention. Namely, these are: &nbsp;- Killing members of the group &nbsp;- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group - Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part&nbsp;- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.&nbsp;According to the UN report, all these acts are being done with the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, the group of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.&nbsp;The report details specific, recorded acts that fit these definitions. These include attacks on civilians on evacuation routes, around 500 attacks on healthcare facilities, failure to use precision-guided &ldquo;smart&rdquo; weapons in densely populated residential areas, and deliberate attacks targeting medical personnel and aid workers.&nbsp;It describes the mistreatment and torture of more than 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody, as well as rape and other sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinian detainees. The report also highlights the systematic and intentional destruction of maternity facilities, an increase of 300% in miscarriages since October 7, 2023, as well as attacks on Gaza&rsquo;s largest fertility clinic, which destroyed around 4,000 embryos.&nbsp;The report also finds evidence of Israel intentionally destroying areas of agricultural land, destroying 110 cultural and religious sites, and damaging 70&nbsp;% of schools.&nbsp;More than 90% of Gaza&rsquo;s residents (about 1.9 million people) have been displaced, while Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;total siege&rdquo; of Gaza has cut off supplies of water, food, electricity, fuel and other essential supplies, including humanitarian assistance. The report finds that Israel is using starvation as a method of warfare, and that it has weaponized access to basic supplies.&nbsp;Genocidal intentTo be considered genocide, all of these acts need to be committed with the special intention to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Based on the direct and circumstantial evidence available, the COI has drawn the following conclusion:&nbsp;&ldquo;The Israeli authorities intended to kill as many Palestinians as possible through its military operations in Gaza since 7 October 2023 and knew that the means and methods of warfare employed would cause mass deaths of Palestinians, including children.&rdquo;&nbsp;The direct evidence draws from statements made by Israeli authorities, which have repeatedly dehumanized Palestinians and &ldquo;explicitly called for vengeance, destruction and annihilation&rdquo;.Additionally, the report concludes that &ldquo;the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from the pattern of conduct of Israeli security forces in Gaza is evidence of genocidal intent.&rdquo;&nbsp;Will it make a difference?The report concludes that Israel has failed to prevent genocide, is still committing genocide, and has failed to punish genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It calls on all States to prevent genocide by ceasing the transfer of weapons to Israel, and to ensure that individuals and corporations do not contribute to it.&nbsp;It also compels States to promote domestic investigations and to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in gathering evidence of the crime and incitement of genocide.&nbsp;Lastly, the COI recommends that the Prosecutor of the ICC expand its investigations of the situation in Palestine, and that it include genocide in addition to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Before the COI report, other UN mechanisms had already determined that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Nevertheless, this report is groundbreaking in its level of detail. The evidence it offers is so overwhelming that it leaves little room for doubt, or for the argument that Israel is acting in self-defense.&nbsp;The report&rsquo;s long-term impact remains to be seen, though its findings may have spurred the recent push to recognize a Palestinian State in various European countries.

For the first time, the COI recognizes that genocide has been committed, and continues to be committed, against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Overwhelming evidence of genocide against Palestinians: Legal expert

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday hinted at a breakthrough in the Middle East crisis, saying &quot;all are on board for something special,&quot; on the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s visit to the White House. &quot;We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST,&quot; Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.&nbsp;&quot;ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!&quot; Earlier Friday, Trump had told reporters in Washington &quot;I think we have a deal&quot; on Gaza. On the same day, addressing the United Nations, Netanyahu vowed to block a Palestinian state while also committing to &quot;finish the job&quot; against Hamas, days after Britain, France and other Western powers recognized a state of Palestine. Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Trump at the White House on Monday. Hamas carried out the worst-ever attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally from Israeli official figures, in the deadliest day in the country&#39;s history. The Palestinian militants also took 251 hostages, of which 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel&#39;s offensive has killed more than 65,549 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Articles tagged with "Gaza genocide"