Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday called for immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza, warning that the territory remains trapped in a severe humanitarian crisis despite recent diplomatic efforts, a statement from Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Mission to the United Nations said.&nbsp;Speaking at an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Gaza, Pakistan&rsquo;s permanent representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said progress after the endorsement of the Comprehensive Plan and adoption of Resolution 2803 has not eased conditions on the ground.&nbsp; He thanked UN Under‑Secretary‑General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher for his briefing and urged the Security Council to continue close monitoring.<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" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 655px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" 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=2067756657292238880&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4b3744f201525e3d6f02677b0b9862eebbb43e27&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>Ambassador Ahmad warned that ceasefire violations persist and civilians face widespread killing, displacement and deprivation. He said more than 90% of Gaza&rsquo;s population has been displaced and only half of hospitals remain partially functional. Daily meal distributions have dropped by over 50%, leaving hundreds of thousands at risk of acute hunger, he added. Overcrowding, poor sanitation and limited healthcare, the envoy said, increase the threat of disease outbreaks, especially among children.&nbsp;The ambassador accused Israel of arbitrarily restricting and delaying humanitarian assistance, calling such measures violations of international law and the obligations of an occupying power.&nbsp; He insisted humanitarian access must not be used as a political tool and urged the immediate opening of all border crossings, including Rafah, to allow aid, commercial supplies and medical evacuations.&nbsp;Pakistan also called for lifting the Gaza blockade, warning it amounts to collective punishment of more than two million Palestinians, and demanded an end to opaque restrictions on so‑called &ldquo;dual‑use&rdquo; items needed for relief operations. While welcoming the Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund and pledged reconstruction finance, Ambassador Ahmad warned the UN&rsquo;s 2026 Flash Appeal remains severely underfunded and urged the international community to close the gap.&nbsp;Reaffirming Pakistan&rsquo;s long‑standing position, he said a durable solution requires an end to occupation and the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on pre‑1967 borders with Al‑Quds Al‑Sharif as its capital.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan's UN envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad urged unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, condemned Israeli restrictions, called for lifting the blockade, and reaffirmed support for an independent Palestinian state.

At UN, Pakistan urges immediate humanitarian access in Gaza, end to Israeli occupation

AS SAWIYAH, PALESTINE: With pitchforks and a makeshift combine the size of a golf cart, Hamad Jazi and his nephews race under the blazing sun to collect wheat from their West Bank field.&nbsp;Israeli settlers have recently set fire to crops in the area, and Jazi fears his wheat could suffer a similar fate.&nbsp;Their village of As-Sawiyah, in the center of the occupied West Bank, sits in a valley dominated by hills on top of which three settlements stand.&nbsp;&ldquo;The settlers have set fires twice already &mdash; yesterday and the day before,&rdquo; Jazi told AFP.&nbsp;&ldquo;If you think back 10, 15 or 20 years ago, this season used to be a season of abundance. Today, you are racing against time just to harvest quickly and leave,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;Excluding east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank in settlements that are illegal under international law, among some three million Palestinians.&nbsp;Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.&nbsp;Shielded by what rights groups describe as impunity from the law, some settlers have harassed rural Palestinian communities, vandalizing property and crops, committing arson and sometimes killing.&nbsp;By all metrics, 2026 has been one of the most violent years to date, with an average of six attacks per day, according to data from UN humanitarian agency OCHA.&nbsp;The surge in violence goes hand in hand with the proliferation of settlements in the West Bank, which part of the Israeli political class is threatening to annex.&nbsp;Settlers in rural areas vandalize property and start fires, at times sowing terror in villages, as shown in videos posted on social media, sometimes by the perpetrators themselves.&nbsp;The attacks have sparked criticism inside Israel, where the opposition accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s government and his far-right allies of turning a blind eye to acts of settler violence.&nbsp;According to Mahmud Fatafta of the Palestinian Authority&#39;s agriculture ministry, settlers killed or stole 8,000 goats or sheep in the West Bank in 2026.&nbsp;According to his ministry&#39;s data, 41,000 olive trees, a crop as emblematic to Palestinians as it is ubiquitous in the West Bank&#39;s rocky hills, were damaged by settlers or Israel&#39;s military in 2026.&nbsp;&#39;Steal our own crops&#39;&ldquo;In the past, when we went out into the fields, the olive harvest was a celebration, the grain harvest was a celebration,&rdquo; Jazi, his face worn by the sun, told AFP.&nbsp;Now, &quot;we live those moments like thieves. We go and &#39;steal&#39; our own olives or our own crops&quot;, he said, complaining that the Israeli military requires him to coordinate with it before entering his fields.&nbsp;Hikmat Abu Ras, head of As-Sawiya&rsquo;s village council, told AFP that his and neighboring communities have faced near daily attacks from settlers since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.&nbsp;&ldquo;They constantly carry out these practices to drive us off our land and prevent us from entering it,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Abu Ras lamented increasing movement restrictions that further isolate communities like his.&nbsp;&ldquo;Gates block the entrances to villages, camps, and cities. Movement is restricted. You race against time just to make sure the settler does not come and seize what is on your land.&rdquo;

Men attempt to extinguish a fire in a field in the Palestinian town of Huwara in the occupied West Bank on June 6, 2026, after a reported arson attack by Israeli settlers, according to local officials. (Photo: AFP)

Middle East

Shielded by what rights groups describe as impunity from the law, some settlers have harassed rural Palestinian communities, vandalizing property and crops, committing arson and sometimes killing.

Facing settler violence, Palestinian farmers race to harvest

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed one person on Tuesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, with a security source reporting a second deadly strike near Beirut and Israel saying it had targeted Hezbollah operatives.&nbsp;Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon and has also maintained troops in five southern areas it deems strategic.&nbsp;A Lebanese security source told AFP that a strike on a truck near the town of Siblin, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Beirut, killed one person and wounded four others.&nbsp;An AFP photographer saw a damaged goods truck with rescuers and army personnel deployed at the scene.&nbsp;Earlier on Tuesday, the Lebanese health ministry reported that an &quot;Israeli enemy strike&quot; on a vehicle in Odaisseh near the border with Israel killed one person.&nbsp;In separate statements, the Israeli army said it targeted two Hezbollah members, without giving additional details.&nbsp;On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed three people in separate parts of Lebanon according to the health ministry, with Israel saying it killed Hezbollah members.&nbsp;Around 340 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the ceasefire agreement went into force, according to an AFP tally of health ministry reports.&nbsp;Israel usually says the strikes target Hezbollah members and infrastructure, and aim to stop the group from rearming.&nbsp;Tuesday&#39;s attacks come as the ceasefire monitoring committee, which includes France and the United States, is set to meet later this week.

An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed one person, with a security source reporting a second strike near Beirut. Israel said it targeted Hezbollah operatives, continuing attacks despite a 2024 ceasefire that aimed to end hostilities.

Lebanon says Israel launches deadly strike on south

ISLAMABAD: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday claimed that the corruption cases against him were &ldquo;tearing the country apart,&rdquo; hours after he submitted a formal request for a pardon in the years-long proceedings.&nbsp;&ldquo;The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, arousing fierce divisions, intensifying rifts,&rdquo; Netanyahu said in a video statement, insisting that &ldquo;an immediate end to the trial will greatly help to lower the flames and promote the broad reconciliation that our country so desperately needs.&rdquo;&nbsp;Netanyahu&rsquo;s critics, however, say the embattled premier is attempting to shield himself from accountability after years of corruption allegations, including fraud, bribery, and breach of trust, rather than seeking national unity.&nbsp;The pardon request also lands at a moment of mounting international scrutiny.&nbsp;The United Nations has noted that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.&nbsp;&nbsp;The political reverberations have even reached the United States.&nbsp;During an interview with ABC News, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani stated that he would order Netanyahu&rsquo;s arrest if the Israeli leader attends the UN General Assembly in the city next year, citing the ICC warrants.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamdani was unequivocal: &ldquo;New York enforces international law, and that means international law must be respected, including the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, regardless of whether they target Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, or anyone else.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;It does not matter if they are against Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;We are required to show our values.&rdquo;&nbsp;Netanyahu&rsquo;s effort to secure a pardon, while still in office and without a conviction, has drawn sharp criticism at home and abroad, with opponents arguing that the attempt undermines Israel&rsquo;s judiciary and deepens the political rifts the prime minister claims to lament

Netanyahu seeks a pardon to halt corruption trial, while critics accuse him of avoiding accountability. ICC warrants add pressure, and NYC’s Zohran Mamdani says Netanyahu would face arrest if he visits the UN General Assembly.

Netanyahu seeks pardon as critics decry bid to evade accountability

JERICHO: Three Italians and a Canadian were treated at a Jericho hospital on Sunday after being attacked by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, one of the group told AFP.&nbsp;The Palestinian official news agency Wafa described them as &quot;international activists&quot;.&nbsp;In Rome, the foreign ministry said in a statement that &quot;three Italian international volunteers were attacked last night by Israeli settlers&quot;, adding that they were &quot;still in shock from the incident&quot;.&nbsp;Riyad Eid, director of the Jericho government hospital, told AFP: &quot;Four foreigners arrived at the hospital this morning after being beaten by settlers, according to what they reported.&nbsp;&quot;They were suffering from bruises on the face for some of them, and on the chest, and one of them was beaten in a sensitive area.&nbsp;&quot;They were examined, given X-rays and ultrasound scans, provided with the necessary treatment and then discharged.&quot;&nbsp;More than 500,000 Israelis currently live in settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, as do around three million Palestinians.&nbsp;Violence in the West Bank has soared since the Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war in October 2023.&nbsp;The United Nations said that October had been the worst month for settler violence since it began recording incidents in 2006, with 264 attacks that caused casualties or property damage.&nbsp;One of the four, who had visible bruising and did not wish to be identified, told AFP that they were three people from Italy and one from Canada, staying in the Duyuk area on the western edge of Jericho in the central West Bank.&nbsp;&quot;We were asleep at night... 10 masked settlers came; two of them had guns, some of them had sticks,&quot; they said.&nbsp;&quot;They kicked me multiple times in the face, in the ribs, in the hip.&nbsp;&quot;It lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. And then they took all of our things. They stole my passport, my phone, my wallet, my bank cards, and then they left.&nbsp;&quot;We had to have X-rays, painkillers. Our friend was beaten more severely than we were.&quot;&nbsp;Italy&#39;s foreign ministry also said in its statement that &quot;the settlers reportedly entered their home, attacked the volunteers, and stole all their personal belongings&quot;.&nbsp;Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani &quot;is following the incident&quot;, in close contact with Italy&#39;s consul general in Jerusalem, the statement said.&nbsp;

Four foreign volunteers, three Italians and a Canadian were beaten and robbed by masked Israeli settlers near Jericho. They sustained bruises, received treatment, and were discharged as officials condemned rising West Bank settler violence since 2023.

Four foreigners hurt in 'settler attack' in West Bank

GAZA CITY: The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal.&nbsp;&quot;The Ministry of Health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation via the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 345,&quot; the ministry said in a statement.&nbsp;A medical source at Gaza&#39;s Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis confirmed it had received 15 bodies via the Red Cross.&nbsp;Under the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on October 10, Israel was required to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.&nbsp;The 15 bodies returned on Wednesday were in exchange for the remains of Dror Or, one of the last three deceased hostages held in the Palestinian territory, whose body was handed over to Israel on Tuesday by militants, via the ICRC.&nbsp;Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement that the handover &quot;reflects Hamas&#39;s steadfast commitment to fully complete the exchange process and its ongoing efforts to finalize it despite significant difficulties.&quot;&nbsp;The last two hostages&#39; bodies still in Gaza are those of Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak.&nbsp;At the start of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, militants were holding 20 living hostages and 28 bodies of deceased captives.&nbsp;Hamas has since released all the living hostages and returned the remains of 26 dead hostages.&nbsp;In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians

Israel returned 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza under a US-brokered ceasefire deal, exchanging them for the remains of Israeli hostage Dror Or, Hamas says it remains committed to completing the process, with two hostage bodies still in Gaza.

Israel returns 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza under US-brokered ceasefire deal

BEIRUT: Hezbollah confirmed that senior leader Haytham Ali Tabtabai was killed in Israel&#39;s strike on Beirut&#39;s southern suburbs on Sunday. Haytham Ali Tabatabai is the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed by Israel since the start of a ceasefire in November 2024 that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between the two. In a statement, the group confirmed the killing of &quot;the great commander&quot; Tabtabai in &quot;a treacherous Israeli attack on the Haret Hreik area in the southern suburbs of Beirut,&quot; without specifying his position within the group.&emsp;Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country &quot;will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power,&quot; and called on the Lebanese government to &quot;fulfil its commitment to disarm Hezbollah&quot;. Lebanon&#39;s health ministry said the attack killed five people and wounded 28 more. The ministry did not give the identities of those killed in the strike, which hit the Haret Hreik area in Beirut&#39;s southern suburbs, a densely populated area where Hezbollah holds sway. The group itself, however, said later that four of its fighters had been killed. In a statement shortly after the strike, the Israeli military also said it had &quot;eliminated the terrorist Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah&#39;s chief of general staff&quot;. It was the fifth Israeli strike on Beirut&#39;s southern suburbs since a ceasefire agreed in November 2024 after a year of conflict, and comes a week before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Lebanon. The military insisted in its statement that it &quot;remains committed&quot; to the ceasefire. &#39;Maximum enforcement&#39;&nbsp;An AFP correspondent at the scene said the strike hit the third and fourth floors of a nine-storey building, where ambulance and fire crews scrambled to find survivors and Lebanese soldiers deployed to secure the site. Debris littered the road below, with several burned-out cars in the street. The AFP journalist saw rescue workers evacuating a body wrapped in a white bag and at least three wounded women from the site. &quot;I was on the balcony. There was a flash, then I hit the railing and all the glass broke,&quot; a man who was in a building opposite the targeted apartment told AFP, refusing to give his name. Lebanon&#39;s official National News Agency said three missiles were fired at the building. Netanyahu&#39;s office said he had ordered the attack. &quot;In the heart of Beirut, the IDF (Israeli military) attacked the Hezbollah chief of staff, who had been leading the terrorist organization&rsquo;s build-up and rearmament,&quot; the premier&#39;s office said in a statement. Separately, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said: &quot;Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off,&quot; warning that Israel would &quot;continue the policy of maximum enforcement.&quot; Israel has defended its attacks on Lebanon since the ceasefire as upholding the terms of the deal by preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding. Sunday&#39;s strike was the first on Beirut&#39;s southern suburbs since June 5, when Israel said it hit a Hezbollah drone factory. Hezbollah weakenedTabatabai, born in 1968 according to Hezbollah&#39;s statement, was largely unknown to the Lebanese public. Prior to his role as military chief, Tabatabai was &quot;responsible for the Yemen file&quot; in the group, a source close to the group told AFP. The United States says he commanded special forces in the country as well as in Syria, where Hezbollah supported former president Bashar al-Assad during the country&#39;s brutal civil war. The US Treasury had offered a $5 million reward for information on Tabatabai. Hezbollah was weakened by its fight with Israel, which it started in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza in October 2023 with cross-border exchanges of fire that later escalated into two months of full-blown war. Since then, Lebanon has come under increasing Israeli and US pressure to disarm the group, a move that the group has opposed. Netanyahu earlier on Sunday told a cabinet meeting that Israel &quot;will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its threat capability against us.&quot; Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the international community to intervene firmly to stop Israeli attacks on the country. Beirut &quot;reiterates its call to the international community to assume its responsibility and intervene firmly and seriously to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people,&rdquo; he said in a statement.

Asia

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urges firm international intervention after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs killed one and injured 21.

Hezbollah confirms Israeli strike killed senior leader Tabatabai

TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s intelligence ministry has warned of attempts by foreign adversaries, including the United States and Israel, to target supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and destabilize the Islamic Republic.&nbsp;The country&#39;s ISNA news agency reported on Saturday that intelligence minister Esmail Khatib cautioned, &quot;the enemy seeks to target the supreme leader, sometimes with assassination attempts, sometimes with hostile attacks&quot;.&nbsp;While it was not immediately clear if the minister was referring to a specific incident, and Iranian officials often allege foreign plots, statements on threats against Khamenei&#39;s life had been rare prior to a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June.&nbsp;&quot;Those who act in this direction, knowingly or unknowingly, are the infiltrating agents of the enemy,&quot; Khatib added, referring directly to Israel and the United States.&nbsp;During the conflict earlier this year, Israel targeted senior Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists, and sites as well as residential areas, with the US later joining with strikes on key nuclear facilities.&nbsp;Asked about reports during the war that US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader out of concern it would escalate the Iran-Israel showdown, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was dismissive but said the move would &quot;end the conflict&quot;.&nbsp;At the time, Trump had also said that Iran&#39;s supreme leader was a &quot;very easy target&quot; and that &quot;we are not going to take him out, at least not for now.&quot;&nbsp;He later said in a post on Truth Social he had saved Iran&#39;s supreme leader from &quot;A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH&quot;.&nbsp;The 86-year-old Khamenei has been Iran&#39;s supreme leader since 1989 and has the final say on all state affairs.&nbsp;Earlier this month, Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian said he was particularly concerned for Khamenei&#39;s life during the war and feared that the country&#39;s institutions &quot;would start fighting among each other.&quot;&nbsp;In July, Khamenei said Israel&#39;s attacks during the war were intended to weaken the Islamic Republic, sow &quot;unrest and bring people into the streets to overthrow the system&quot;.&nbsp;A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24, but both Israel and the United States have threatened new strikes if Tehran revives its nuclear programme.

Iran’s intelligence minister warned that the US and Israel seek to target Supreme Leader Khamenei. Amid past war-related threats and alleged plots, officials voiced concerns over internal stability, while Israel and the US caution against Iran reviving its nuclear program.

Iran warns of attempts to target supreme leader Khamenei

JERSUSALEM: The families of Israeli hostages Monday called for the next phase of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire to be delayed until Hamas returns the bodies of its remaining dead captives, even as Egyptian rescuers joined the hunt for them. &quot;Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages, yet 13 remain in Hamas captivity,&quot; the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. &quot;The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel,&quot; the association said. On October 10, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, ending the Gaza war, which was triggered by the Palestinian group&#39;s cross-border attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel. Hamas also took 251 people hostage during the attack. Israel&#39;s subsequent assault on Gaza killed at least 68,527 people, according to figures from the territory&#39;s health ministry that the UN considers reliable. Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, brokered by the United States and mediators Qatar and Egypt, Hamas has released its remaining 20 living hostages and the remains of 15 of the 28 that Israel had already confirmed dead. Hamas says it is committed to the ceasefire and insists it is trying to return 13 more bodies -- 11 more Israelis and two workers from Thailand and Tanzania -- but that the search has been hampered by the destruction wrought on Gaza during the war. In a statement to media on Saturday, lead Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said: &quot;There are challenges in locating the bodies of Israeli captives because the occupation has altered the terrain of Gaza. &quot;Moreover, some of those who buried the bodies have been martyred or no longer remember where they buried them.&quot; <h2 style="text-align: justify; line-height: 2;">Search for bodies</h2>In the past two days, Egypt has sent recovery crews and heavy earth-moving equipment into Gaza, with Israeli approval, to help with the recovery operation. Israeli spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said a team of Red Cross staff, Egyptian rescuers and a Hamas member were searching for bodies and had been allowed to cross the so-called Yellow Line into the area of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces. &quot;The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the Yellow Line position in Gaza under close (Israeli army) supervision to identify the location of our hostages,&quot; Bedrosian told journalists. A Red Cross spokesperson also confirmed it was part of the search team. No firm timescale has been put on the next stages of the Gaza truce plan, but US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration is working to set up an international security force with troops from Arab and Muslim nations to police the truce. Israel has voiced strong opposition to Turkey&rsquo;s participation in the proposed security force. At a news conference in Budapest, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had &quot;led a hostile approach against Israel, that included not only hostile statements, but also diplomatic and economic measures against Israel&quot;. &quot;So it is not reasonable for us to let their armed forces enter the Gaza Strip, and we will not agree to that, and we said it to our American friends,&quot; he added. The US military has also set up a coordination centre in southern Israel to monitor the ceasefire and to coordinate aid and reconstruction, but aid agencies are pushing for greater access for humanitarian convoys inside Gaza. Israel has withdrawn its forces from Gaza&#39;s main cities, but still controls around half of the territory from positions on the Yellow Line, and has resisted calls to allow aid through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Defence Minister Israel Katz, meanwhile, said Israel has lifted the state of emergency for areas near the border with Gaza for the first time since the October 2023 attack.

Families of Israeli hostages urged delaying the next Gaza ceasefire phase until Hamas returns all bodies, as Egypt and Red Cross teams join searches amid ongoing disputes over truce enforcement and security arrangements

Families of missing Israeli hostages demand delay in Gaza truce plan

JERUSALEM: Israel&rsquo;s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday apologized for what he called his &ldquo;unfortunate&rdquo; remarks about Saudi Arabia, after facing backlash for making disparaging comments toward the Kingdom.&nbsp;Speaking at a conference earlier in the day, Smotrich had rejected the idea of Saudi Arabia linking normalization with Israel to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.&nbsp;&ldquo;If Saudi Arabia tells us normalization in exchange for a Palestinian state, friends, no thank you,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Keep riding camels on the sand in the Saudi desert; we&rsquo;ll keep developing our economy, our society, and our state.&rdquo;&nbsp;The comments sparked swift criticism at home, with opposition figures accusing Smotrich of damaging Israel&rsquo;s international standing.&nbsp;In a video statement posted on X, Smotrich expressed regret, calling his earlier remarks &ldquo;unfortunate.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;I regret any offense they may have caused,&rdquo; he said, adding that he also expects others &ldquo;not to offend the State of Israel.&rdquo;&nbsp;Smotrich, who lives in a West Bank settlement, is a strong advocate for annexing Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967.&nbsp;Opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the comments, posting in Arabic on X:&nbsp;&ldquo;To our friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Smotrich does not represent the State of Israel.&rdquo;Lapid later urged the minister to issue a formal apology.&nbsp;Former defense minister Benny Gantz also criticized Smotrich, saying his comments &ldquo;reflect ignorance and a lack of understanding of his responsibilities as a senior minister.&rdquo;&nbsp;Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s normalization talks with Israel have been on hold since Hamas&rsquo;s October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which triggered the ongoing Gaza war.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich apologizes for “unfortunate” remarks telling Saudis to “keep riding camels” amid normalization talks. His comments draw condemnation from Israeli opposition leaders, as Saudi-Israel ties remain frozen since the Gaza war.

Articles tagged with "ISRAEL"