Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Trump administration is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza, sprawling more than 350 acres. This was stated in an exclusive report by Guardian published on Thursday, which cited Board of Peace contracting records reviewed by the publication. The report states that the site is envisioned as a military operating base for a future International Stabilization Force (ISF), planned as a multinational military force composed of pledged troops. The ISF is part of the newly created Board of Peace, which is meant to govern Gaza. The Board of Peace is chaired by Donald Trump and led in part by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The plans call for the phased construction of a military outpost that will eventually have a footprint of 1,400 metres by 1,100 metres, ringed by 26 trailer-mounted armored watch towers, a small arms range, bunkers, and a warehouse for military equipment for operations. The entire base will be encircled with barbed wire. The fortification is planned for an arid stretch of flatlands in southern Gaza strewn with saltbush and white broom shrubs, and littered with twisted metal from years of Israeli bombardment. The plans say there is to be a network of bunkers each 6 meters by 4 meters and 2.5 meters tall, with elaborate ventilation systems where soldiers can go for protection. Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and former peace negotiator, called building a military base on Palestinian land without the government&rsquo;s approval an act of occupation, according to the report. &ldquo;Whose permission did they get to build that military base?&rdquo; Officials from US Central Command referred all questions about the military base to the Board of Peace, says the report. According to the Guardian&rsquo;s report, a Trump administration official declined to discuss the military base contract: &ldquo;As the President has said, no US boots will be on the ground. We&rsquo;re not going to discuss leaked documents.&rdquo;

Middle East

The report states that the site is envisioned as a military operating base for a future International Stabilization Force (ISF), planned as a multinational military force composed of pledged troops. 

Trump officials plan to build 5,000-person military base in Gaza: Guardian 

WASHINGTON: FIFA will spearhead a $75 million fund to rebuild soccer facilities in Gaza that were destroyed by the war between Israel and Hamas, President Donald Trump and the sport&#39;s governing body said Thursday. Trump made the announcement in Washington at the first meeting of his &quot;Board of Peace,&quot; an amorphous institution that features two dozen of the US president&#39;s close allies and is initially focused on rebuilding the Gaza strip. &quot;I&#39;m also pleased to announce that FIFA will be helping to raise a total of $75 million for projects in Gaza,&quot; said Trump. &quot;And I think they&#39;re soccer related, where you&#39;re doing fields and you&#39;re getting the greatest stars in the world to go there &mdash; people that are bigger stars than you and I, Gianni,&quot; he added, referring to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was present at the event. &quot;So, it&#39;s really something. We&#39;ll soon be detailing the announcement, and if I can do, I&#39;ll get over there with you,&quot; Trump said. Later Thursday, FIFA issued a statement providing more details, including plans to construct a football academy, a new 20,000-seat national stadium and dozens of pitches. The FIFA communique did not mention Trump&#39;s $75 million figure, and said funds would be raised &quot;from international leaders and institutions.&quot; Infantino has fostered close ties with Trump, awarding him an inaugural FIFA &quot;Peace Prize&quot; at the World Cup draw in December. At Thursday&#39;s meeting, the FIFA president donned a red baseball cap emblazoned with &quot;USA&quot; and &quot;45-47,&quot; the latter a reference to Trump&#39;s two terms in the White House. In FIFA&#39;s statement, Infantino hailed &quot;a landmark partnership agreement that will foster investment into football for the purpose of helping the recovery process in post conflict areas.&quot; The &quot;Board of Peace&quot; came together after the Trump administration, teaming up with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt two years of devastating war in Gaza. The United States says it is now focused on disarming Hamas &mdash; the Palestinian group whose October 7, 2023, attack on Israel triggered the massive offensive.

Football

FIFA issues statement providing more details, including plans to construct a football academy, a new 20,000-seat national stadium, dozens of pitches; says funds would be raised "from international leaders and institutions."



FIFA to lead $75m Palestinian soccer rebuilding fund

Pakistan TV Satellite

WASHINGTON DC: Pakistan&rsquo;s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, said participation in the Board of Peace (BOP) as a founding member would deepen US-Pakistan cooperation, emphasizing that the inaugural BOP meeting is a defining moment in shaping its future framework. The envoy expressed these views in an exclusive interview with Pakistan TV&rsquo;s anchor person Sana Maqbool a day before the highly anticipated Gaza Board of Peace meeting, being attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.&nbsp; The first-of-its-kind meeting, convened at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, aims to define new international dynamics on critical peace issues, particularly Palestine.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2024251240788697394&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=c084efd8f4348f649f0e3a17f370cfd09a458fee&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 649px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Ambassador Sheikh underscored the historic significance of the Board of Peace, describing it as a defining moment in shaping its future framework. &quot;This meeting of the Board of Peace is actually the first following the signing ceremony in Davos. Since Pakistan has been one of the founder members, and since Pakistan has had a principled position on the issue of Palestine, which actually predates our independent existence, we have been at the forefront of standing up and advocating the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.&quot; He noted that Pakistan&#39;s inclusion among the eight Muslim nation states reflects its steadfast advocacy. He added that Prime Minister Sharif&rsquo;s presence signals commitment at the highest level. &quot;Pakistan being a founding member, Prime Minister&#39;s presence is certainly significant and indicates Pakistan&rsquo;s interest and commitment at the highest level.&quot; A &#39;good looking&#39; phase in US&ndash;Pakistan relationsTurning to bilateral relations, Ambassador Sheikh described the current moment as particularly promising. &quot;Over almost the past eight decades, the relationship has seen its ups and downs, twists and turns, but it has withstood multiple tests of time.&quot; Referring to recent developments, including the India-Pakistan conflict, he stated:&nbsp;&quot;While this relationship has been better in history in terms of the actual situation on ground, I would say that it has never ever been so good looking.&quot; He stressed, however, that positive intent must now translate into action. &quot;It is looking good. We have to make good on it. If last year was the time of improvement in relations, this year is the time for action.&quot; On leadership engagement, he highlighted unprecedented diplomatic momentum. He said, &quot;The leadership&hellip; has come together on a number of occasions, which is the ideal of any diplomatic effort. A personal rapport, a personal chemistry&hellip; is what makes difference.&quot; &nbsp;Economic partnership and investment push&nbsp;Ambassador Sheikh also announced a major upcoming initiative. &quot;We are having an unprecedented Pakistan Investment Conference in Washington DC on the 31st of March&hellip; fully hosted and organised by the United States Chamber of Commerce.&quot; The conference will focus on minerals, energy, and IT sectors and is expected to be the first in a three-part series. Emphasising sustainability, he remarked, &quot;Challenges are a fact of life&hellip; but surmounting challenges is the act of life.&quot; He further stressed that long-term ties must be economically grounded. &quot;A strategic partnership entrenched in economic ties would outlast me as an ambassador&hellip; it would outlast us as a generation,&rdquo; he added. Ambassador Sheikh framed the relationship in strategic terms, saying, &quot;The Pakistan-United States relationship has been a fact of history. It will be&hellip; a very consequential fact of future.&rdquo; With Prime Minister Sharif&rsquo;s visit and the Board of Peace meeting underway, Pakistan appears poised to expand its diplomatic footprint, both in advancing Palestinian advocacy and deepening strategic ties with the United States. Pakistan&rsquo;s strategic position and UN roleHighlighting Pakistan&#39;s geopolitical standing, Ambassador Sheikh pointed to its current position at the United Nations. He said, &quot;Pakistan happens to be on the non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council. We are an elected member and this is the second and final year of our term&hellip; We also have to carry some extra responsibility in terms of taking everybody along.&quot;&nbsp;Addressing criticism from some countries hesitant to join the Board, he said, &quot;The Board is at its nascent stage&hellip; tomorrow&rsquo;s meeting would incrementally lay out perhaps the next few steps and define the contours of not just the way forward but the modus operandi.&quot;

Foreign Affairs

 Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, says participation in the Board of Peace (BOP) as a founding member will deepen US-Pakistan cooperation, emphasizing that the inaugural BOP meeting is a defining moment in shaping its future framework.

Trump’s Board of Peace sets stage for deeper US-Pakistan cooperation: Envoy

BERLIN: Award-winning Indian writer Arundhati Roy said Friday she was withdrawing from the Berlin Film Festival over jury president Wim Wenders&#39;s comments that he wanted to &quot;stay out of politics&quot; after being asked about Gaza. Roy said in a statement sent to AFP that she was &quot;shocked and disgusted&quot; by Wenders&#39; response to a question on Gaza at a press conference on Thursday. &quot;With deep regret, I must say that I will not be attending the Berlinale,&quot; she said. Roy, whose novel &quot;Children of a Lesser God&quot; won the 1997 Booker Prize, had been announced as a festival guest to present a restored version of the 1989 film &quot;In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones&quot;, in which she starred and wrote the screenplay. However, she said that the &quot;unconscionable&quot; statements by Wenders and other jury members had led her to reconsider.&quot;To hear them say that art should not be political is jaw-dropping,&quot; she said. When asked about Germany&#39;s support for Israel at the press conference on Thursday, Wenders said: &quot;We cannot really enter the field of politics&quot;, describing filmmakers as &quot;the counterweight to politics&quot;. In her statement Roy, described Israel&#39;s actions in Gaza as &quot;a genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel&quot;. &quot;If the greatest film makers and artists of our time cannot stand up and say so, they should know that history will judge them,&quot; she said.

Entertainment

Film & TV

Award-winning Indian writer Arundhati Roy withdrew from the Berlin Film Festival, condemning jury president Wim Wenders’s apolitical stance and calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide.

Indian writer Roy pulls out of Berlin Film Festival amid Gaza row

Web Desk/AFP

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push Donald Trump on Wednesday to take a tougher stance in nuclear talks with Iran, after rushing to Washington to stiffen the US president&#39;s resolve, AFP reported. Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting -- set to begin at 11:00 am local time (1600 GMT) -- that he was weighing sending a second US &ldquo;armada&rdquo; to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal. Seizing tankers &nbsp;A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report published on Tuesday stated that US is weighing seizing tankers carrying Iranian oil to pressure Tehran, but using a strategy the White House directed at Venezuela is seen as likely to spark retaliation by Tehran and a surge in oil prices. Trump administration officials have discussed whether to seize additional tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil but have held off, concerned about Tehran&rsquo;s near-certain retaliation and the impact on global oil markets, US officials said. The US has seized several ships that have carried Iranian oil as part of its two-month-old blockade of sanctioned tankers serving Venezuela, the WSJ report said. &lsquo;Destructive influence&rsquo; &nbsp;But <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/netanyahu-to-discuss-iran-talks-with-trump-in-washington-wednesday" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Netanyahu</a>, making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, will also be urging the US leader to take a harder line on arch-foe Iran&#39;s ballistic missile program, AFP reported. Tehran, which resumed talks with Washington last week in Oman, warned Monday of &ldquo;destructive influences&rdquo; on diplomacy ahead of the Israeli premier&#39;s visit. Netanyahu had been expected to come to Washington for a February 19 meeting of Trump&#39;s &ldquo;Board of Peace&rdquo; for Gaza, but reportedly brought forward his visit as the US-Iran talks proceeded. What does Trump think?&nbsp;While talking up hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump warned in an interview with the Axios news outlet on Tuesday that he was &ldquo;thinking&rdquo; of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region. &ldquo;Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,&rdquo; Trump told Axios. &ldquo;We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.&rdquo; Trump, who ordered US strikes on Tehran&#39;s nuclear sites during Israel&#39;s 12-day war with Iran last June, separately told Fox Business that any deal would have to involve &ldquo;no nuclear weapons, no missiles.&rdquo; He added that Iran&#39;s leaders &quot;want to make a deal&quot; but &quot;it&#39;s got to be a good deal&quot;, saying Tehran had been &quot;very dishonest with us over the years.&quot; What are Netanyahu&#39;s goals?&nbsp;Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would &quot;first and foremost&quot; be about the Iran negotiations, while adding that they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues. &quot;I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations,&quot; he said in a video statement before his departure.&nbsp; Netanyahu&#39;s office said he would highlight Iran&#39;s missile arsenal. Israel&rsquo;s concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas. So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran&#39;s ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table. What about the West Bank?&nbsp;The meeting will also come amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.Israel&#39;s security cabinet approved the move ahead of Netanyahu&#39;s Washington visit.&nbsp; It is unclear whether the US president intends to bring them up. A US official said on Monday that Trump &quot;does not support Israel annexing the West Bank&quot; and wants stability, while holding off from directly criticizing the Israeli government&#39;s moves. How many meetings?&nbsp;Wednesday&#39;s meeting will be the sixth encounter between the two leaders on US soil since Trump returned to office in January 2025 -- five times at the White House and once at the Republican&#39;s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. A seventh meeting took place in Jerusalem in October when Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza.

Tehran, which resumed talks with Washington last week in Oman, warned Monday of ‘destructive influences’ on diplomacy ahead of the Israeli premier's visit.

Netanyahu to push Trump on Iran missiles in White House talks

JERUSALEM: Israel on Monday said it would allow a &quot;limited reopening&quot; of the Rafah <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/israel-will-allow-gazas-rafah-crossing-to-open-for-aid-israeli-public-broadcaster" style="color:#0073e6;">border crossing</a> between Gaza and Egypt once it had recovered the remains of the last captive in the Palestinian territory. The announcement came after visiting US envoys reportedly pressed Israeli officials to reopen the crossing, a vital entry point for aid into Gaza. Reopening Rafah forms part of a Gaza truce framework announced by US President Donald Trump in October, but the crossing has <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/israel-says-rafah-crossing-will-stay-closed-until-further-notice" style="color:#0073e6;">remained</a> closed after Israeli forces took control of it during the war. The Israeli military also said it was searching in the Gaza Strip for the remains of Ran Gvili, a non-commissioned officer in the Israeli police&#39;s Yassam unit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s office said the reopening would depend on &quot;the return of all living hostages and a 100% effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased hostages.&rdquo; It said Israel&#39;s military was currently conducting an operation to exhaust all of the intelligence that had been gathered in the effort to locate and return the body. &quot;Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the US, Israel will open the Rafah Crossing,&quot; it said.

Israeli PM office says reopening dependent on " return of all living hostages and a 100% effort by Hamas to locate and return all deceased hostages”; Israel's military currently conducting an operation to locate and return the remains of the last captive.

Israel agrees to 'limited reopening' of Rafah crossing: Netanyahu's office

ISLAMABAD: Israeli military operations across the occupied West Bank have intensified in recent days, as the United Nations Human Rights Office said on Friday it was &ldquo;horrified&rdquo; by continued civilian killings in Gaza, reporting at least 11 Palestinians killed on Jan. 21 alone despite a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire taking effect on Jan. 14. UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt) said the deaths were part of a broader pattern of post-ceasefire violence. Since the first phase of the ceasefire entered into force on Oct. 11, 2025, at least 477 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, many far from the so-called &ldquo;yellow line&rdquo; military deployment zone. The Jan. 21 attacks included an Israeli strike on a vehicle in central Gaza that killed three Palestinian journalists near the Netzarim area<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, bringing the total number of journalists killed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, 2023, to 292.&nbsp;UN officials said Israeli forces opened fire and carried out artillery shelling in several incidents near the deployment line, killing a 13-year-old boy, three family members in central Gaza, and three brothers near Al-Bureij camp.&nbsp; The agency said at least nine children have also died of hypothermia amid worsening humanitarian conditions. &ldquo;The crisis in Gaza is nowhere near over,&rdquo; said Ajith Sunghay, head of UN Human Rights in the oPt.&nbsp; Gaza ceasefire phase two<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;">US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Jan. 14 that phase two of the ceasefire had entered into force, with the framework formally signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos. However, Gaza&#39;s Government Media Office reported nearly 1,300 ceasefire violations since Oct. 10, 2025.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2011478211075391845&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a1b88823706da82b6fabe724b0c5d8a325f7c335&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 393px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Continued operationsIn the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have expanded large-scale operations, displacing thousands of Palestinians and destroying civilian infrastructure, according to the UN. On Jan. 20, Israeli forces stormed the UNRWA headquarters compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem and demolished buildings with bulldozers, according to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the state owns the compound and that the seizure was carried out in accordance with Israeli and international law, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the demolition and urged Israel to immediately cease and restore the compound to the UN. Lazzarini described the move as &ldquo;a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law,&rdquo; warning that it undermined the privileges and immunities of the UN.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2013546502388342823&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a1b88823706da82b6fabe724b0c5d8a325f7c335&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 393px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> The Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Wall in the northern West Bank on Jan. 21, 2025, deploying large numbers of troops following drone strikes in Jenin, according to a joint IDF&ndash;Shin Bet statement. At least 10 Palestinians were killed and more than 35 wounded in the operation&rsquo;s opening hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. Between the launch of Operation Iron Wall on Jan. 21, 2025, and February 2025, UNRWA reported that more than 40,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes, describing the displacement as the highest since 1967.&nbsp; As of January 2026, UNRWA&rsquo;s Flash Appeal indicates that while the total displacement initially hit 40,000&ndash;45,000, roughly 32,400 people remain in a state of permanent displacement because their homes and camp infrastructure were completely reduced to rubble. Lazzarini said the operation was the longest and most destructive Israeli campaign in the West Bank since the second intifada in the early 2000s. In Nablus governorate, Israeli forces shot four Palestinians on Dec. 30, 2025, near Urif and Einabus, killing one, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). On Jan. 1, Israeli troops shot Palestinians in Al Lubban ash Sharqiya, killing one detainee. Israel said troops were responding to stone-throwing and attempted attacks. Infrastructure and humanitarian impactOver the past two weeks, Israeli authorities demolished 50 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C of the West Bank and East Jerusalem for lacking building permits, OCHA said. Severe winter weather also damaged or destroyed dozens of tents and makeshift shelters in Bedouin and herding communities. OCHA said that between Oct. 7, 2023, and Jan. 10, 2026, at least 1,059 Palestinians, including 228 children, were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In 2025 alone, 240 Palestinians, including 55 children, were killed by Israeli forces or settlers.UNRWA said at least 851 people sheltering in its buildings have been killed and at least 2,584 injured since the start of the war. International agencies warned that continued military operations, displacement, and restrictions on aid access are undermining ceasefire efforts and deepening the humanitarian crisis across the oPt. &ldquo;This is a time for the international community to intensify pressure to stop the bloodshed and advance a rights-based approach to recovery and reconstruction,&rdquo; Sunghay said.

Palestinians in Gaza City inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike, 9 October 2023, photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP (Photo taken from OCHA)

Israeli operations continue across Gaza and the West Bank, despite a second phase of ceasefire in effect since Jan.14, with the UN warning on Friday of ongoing civilian deaths, mass displacement, and worsening humanitarian conditions.

Violence against Palestinians continues across Gaza, West Bank despite ceasefire

DAVOS: US President Donald Trump will show off his new &quot;Board of Peace&quot; and meet Ukraine&#39;s leader at Davos on Thursday, a day after backing off his own threats against Greenland. Trump abruptly announced on Wednesday that he was scrapping tariffs against Europe and ruling out military action to take Greenland from Denmark, partially defusing a crisis that had shaken the meeting of global elites. &lsquo;Board of Peace&rsquo;&nbsp;On his second day at the Swiss ski resort, Trump will seek to promote the &quot;Board of Peace&quot;, his controversial body for resolving international conflicts, with a signing ceremony for the organization&#39;s charter. The board boasts a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership, and Trump has invited leaders including Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin, Israel&#39;s Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hungary&#39;s Viktor Orban to join. &quot;I think it&#39;s the greatest board ever formed,&quot; Trump said Wednesday as he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, another of the leaders who have agreed to join. Originally meant to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, the board&#39;s charter does not limit its role to the Strip and has sparked concerns that Trump wants it to rival the United Nations. Key US allies, including France and Britain, have expressed skepticism, but others have signed up, particularly in the Middle East, where Saudi Arabia and Qatar have agreed to join. About 35&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-accepts-us-invitation-to-join-gaza-board-of-peace" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">world leaders</a>&nbsp;have committed so far out of the 50 or so invitations that went out, a senior Trump administration official told reporters on Wednesday. Kremlin studying invite&nbsp;Trump also said on Wednesday that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-putin-accepted-to-join-his-board-of-peace" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Putin had agreed to join</a>&nbsp;-- despite the Kremlin so far saying it was still studying the invite. The inclusion of Russian President Putin has caused particular concern among US allies, but especially in Ukraine, as it seeks an end to Moscow&#39;s nearly four-year-old invasion. Trump said he was due to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the &ldquo;Board of Peace&rdquo; meeting, as difficult negotiations for a ceasefire in the Ukraine war continue. &lsquo;Stupid&rsquo; not to reach a deal &nbsp;At Davos on Wednesday, Trump said Russia and Ukraine would be &quot;stupid&quot; not to reach a peace deal in the conflict that he said he could solve within a day of taking office a year ago. Trump repeated his oft-stated belief that Putin and Zelensky were close to a deal, although he has veered between blaming one or the other for the lack of a ceasefire so far. &quot;I believe they&#39;re at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don&#39;t, they&#39;re stupid -- that goes for both of them,&quot; said the US president. Witkoff to visit Moscow&nbsp;Trump has long been a skeptic of US support for Ukraine and says that it is now up to NATO and Europe to back Kyiv.&nbsp; But his belief that he has a personal connection with Putin has not brought an end to the war so far. The US leader&#39;s roving special envoy, businessman Steve Witkoff, is set to travel to Moscow from Davos with Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and hold talks with Putin on Thursday. Zelensky has meanwhile voiced fears that Trump&#39;s push to seize Greenland could divert focus away from Russia&#39;s invasion of his country. &lsquo;Framework of a future deal&rsquo;Trump, however, said late Wednesday he had reached a &ldquo;framework of a future deal&rdquo; after meeting NATO chief Mark Rutte, and that he would therefore waive tariffs scheduled to hit European allies on February 1. Rutte told AFP in Davos that the meeting had been &quot;very good&quot; but that there was &quot;still a lot of work to be done&quot; on Greenland. Trump insists the mineral-rich Arctic island is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China.

Europe

About 35 world leaders have committed so far out of the 50 or so invitations that went out, a senior Trump administration official told reporters on Wednesday; the board boasts a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership.

Trump to unveil 'Board of Peace' at Davos 

JERUSALEM: Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organization called an &quot;unprecedented attack&quot;. UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said in a statement to AFP that Israeli forces &quot;stormed into&quot; the compound shortly after 7 am (0500 GMT) and ousted security guards from the site, before bulldozers entered and began demolishing buildings. &quot;This is an unprecedented attack against UNRWA and its premises. And it also constitutes a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,&quot; Fowler said. &quot;This should be a wake-up call,&quot; he added. &quot;What happens today to UNRWA can happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission around the world.&quot; AFP photos showed heavy machinery demolishing structures at the compound, where an Israeli flag fluttered overhead. An AFP photographer reported that far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had made a brief visit to the site. &quot;This is a historic day, a day of celebration, and a very important day for governance in Jerusalem,&quot; Ben Gvir was quoted as saying in a statement. &quot;For years, these supporters of terrorism were here, and today they are being removed from here along with everything they built in this place. This is what will happen to every supporter of terrorism,&quot; he added. Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of its employees took part in the group&#39;s Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. A series of investigations, including one led by France&#39;s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some &quot;neutrality-related issues&quot; at UNRWA but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation. &#39;No immunity&#39;In a statement, the Israeli foreign ministry defended the demolitions and said &quot;the state of Israel owns the Jerusalem compound&quot;. &quot;Today&#39;s move does not constitute a new policy, but rather the implementation of existing Israeli legislation concerning UNRWA-Hamas.&quot; The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January 2025, when a law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in the Gaza Strip. &quot;UNRWA-Hamas had already ceased its operations at this site and no longer had any UN personnel or UN activity there,&quot; the foreign ministry said. &quot;The compound does not enjoy any immunity and the seizure of this compound by Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with both Israeli and international law,&quot; it added. Though the UNRWA ban applies in east Jerusalem due to its annexation by Israel, the agency still operates in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. In early December, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini denounced the seizure by Israeli authorities of assets from the compound, which police told AFP was part of a debt-collection operation. In a post on X, Lazzarini said authorities took &quot;furniture, IT equipment and other property&quot;, while the compound&#39;s UN flag was replaced with an Israeli one. At the time, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement strongly condemning the &quot;unauthorised entry&quot;, saying the compound remained &quot;United Nations premises and is inviolable and immune from any other form of interference&quot;. Months after the war in Gaza began in October 2023, Israeli authorities declared Guterres and Lazzarini as persona non grata in Israel.

A photograph shows heavy machinery demolishing a structure inside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 20, 2026. (Photo by ILIA YEFIMOVICH / 

Forces entered the compound at dawn, expelled guards, and used bulldozers to raze buildings, prompting UN accusations of unprecedented violations of international law. Israeli officials said the site lacked immunity under national legislation.

Israel begins demolitions at UNRWA headquarters in east Jerusalem

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;Board of Peace,&rdquo; aimed at resolving conflicts globally and overseeing governance and reconstruction in Gaza, the Kremlin said Monday. Moscow has for years tried to balance relations with all major players in the Middle East &mdash; including Israel and the Palestinians. But since the Israel-Hamas war and Russia&rsquo;s assault on Ukraine, Putin has moved away from Israel, boosting ties with its foes such as Iran. &ldquo;President Putin also received an invitation to join this Board of Peace,&rdquo; spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including AFP. Russia was seeking to &ldquo;clarify all the nuances&rdquo; of the offer with Washington, he said, without adding whether the Kremlin chief was inclined to join. &#39;Board of Peace&#39; The White House has reached out to various figures around the world to sit on the so-called &ldquo;Board of Peace,&rdquo; chaired by the US president himself. Putin has previously praised Trump&rsquo;s efforts to resolve conflicts. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s really doing a lot to resolve these complex crises, which have lasted for years, even decades,&rdquo; Putin said last October. Referring to the situation in the Middle East, Putin said: &ldquo;If we succeed in achieving everything Donald has strived for... it will be a historic event.&rdquo; The assault on Ukraine and the war in Gaza have strained Moscow&rsquo;s traditionally good relations with Israel, home to a large Russian-born community. The Kremlin has repeatedly criticised Israel&rsquo;s response to the October 7 attacks and called for restraint. &ldquo;The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe in the full sense of the word,&rdquo; Putin was quoted as saying by the news agency RIA Novosti at a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas last May. &ldquo;Russia, as a friend of the Palestinian people, is trying to provide regular assistance,&rdquo; the Russian president added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the development of autonomous systems at the Aminyevskoye depot of the Moscow Metro in Moscow on January 16, 2026. (AFP)

Asia

 Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” aimed at resolving conflicts globally and overseeing governance and reconstruction in Gaza, the Kremlin said Monday.

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