LONDON: The embassy of Palestine was officially inaugurated in London in a short ceremony on Monday, hailed by its ambassador as a &quot;profound milestone&quot; in British-Palestinian relations.&nbsp;&quot;We gather today to mark a historic moment - the inauguration of the embassy of the State of Palestine to the United Kingdom, with full diplomatic status and privileges,&quot; said ambassador Husam Zomlot in a speech outside what was previously known as the Palestinian Mission to the UK in west London.&nbsp;The official upgrading of the mission to embassy status came after the UK announced it would recognise the State of Palestine in September 2025, along with several other countries, including Australia and Canada, at a time of major international concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.&nbsp;Sporting a traditional black and white keffiyeh scarf, Zomlot told the ceremony this is &quot;not merely a change of name&quot;, but a &quot;change of direction&quot; towards Palestinian statehood.&nbsp;&quot;What a way to begin a new year together, marking a profound milestone in the British-Palestinian relations, and in the Palestinian people&#39;s long journey to freedom and self-determination,&quot; Zomlot said, before unveiling the embassy&#39;s new plaque.&nbsp;&quot;This is a day of hope, a day of steadfastness, and a day that reminds the world that peace is not only possible, it is inevitable... when rooted in justice, dignity, equality and mutual recognition.&quot;&nbsp;The UK&#39;s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to an AFP query on whether the UK planned to follow suit by opening a British embassy in the Palestinian territories.&nbsp;Speaking just after Zomlot at a lectern flanked by Palestinian and British national flags, UK diplomatic representative Alistair Harrison said the occasion represented a &quot;moment of hope&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;This is the beginning of a step change in our bilateral relationship,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I wish you ambassador, and your team, a very happy stay in what is now your embassy, and congratulations.&quot;&nbsp;A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October in Gaza, following a devastating war waged by Israel in response to Hamas&#39;s unprecedented deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

United Kingdom

Middle East

Palestine opens its embassy in London, a landmark in British-Palestinian relations, signaling progress toward statehood and highlighting hope and justice amid humanitarian challenges in Gaza.

Palestinian embassy in UK officially inaugurated

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: In 2025, Israel launched an unprecedented series of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/the-bitter-relationship-between-israel-and-arab-states" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military attacks across six countries in the Middle East</a>, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).&nbsp; The data analysis group&rsquo;s report, &ldquo;Israel recalibrates its military campaigns in a region still on edge,&rdquo; highlights the growing scope and intensity of Israel&rsquo;s actions in the region. ACLED, an independent global conflict monitor, reported that Israel launched military attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen throughout the year, marking the widest geographic reach of any military worldwide in 2025. &ldquo;In 2025, Israel launched attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen,&rdquo; ACLED states, noting that between January 1 and November 28 alone, Israel &ldquo;undertook more than 12,500 military actions across the Middle East.&rdquo; Deadliest zone: Palestine (Gaza Strip and West Bank)ACLED identified the Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza, as the deadliest theater of Israel&rsquo;s military activity in 2025. &ldquo;Gaza remained the deadliest arena; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/gaza-civil-defense-says-7-killed-in-israeli-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDF killed thousands</a>&nbsp;&mdash; the majority civilians &mdash; in strikes,&rdquo; the report details. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strikes reportedly killed over 16,100 Palestinians in Gaza. The report further stated that Israel broke a ceasefire in January and, by October, had &ldquo;confined Palestinians in Gaza to less than 25% of the enclave and was pushing to establish full control over Gaza City.&rdquo; In the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/14-countries-condemn-israels-expansion-of-west-bank-settlements" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">West Bank</a>, ACLED documented intensified Israeli military operations: &ldquo;The IDF conducted its largest operations in decades, displacing tens of thousands from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur al-Shams camps.&rdquo; Lebanon: ongoing air and artillery strikesDespite a ceasefire, ACLED recorded that Israel continued to carry out air and artillery strikes in Lebanon. &ldquo;The IDF conducted nearly 1,600 air- and artillery strikes, as well as shooting attacks, in Lebanon,&rdquo; the report said. Israeli forces withdrew ground troops in February but continued &ldquo;hundreds of near-daily strikes, mainly in the south but also in the Bekaa Valley and Beirut,&rdquo; killing hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, including nearly 25 commanders. Iran: strategic campaignACLED describes Israel&rsquo;s campaign in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-says-missile-programme-defensive-nonnegotiable" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran</a>&nbsp;as the most strategically consequential foreign operation of 2025. &ldquo;Israel launched a 12-day military campaign consisting of over 350 airstrikes across 27 provinces, including in the capital Tehran,&rdquo; the report notes. Targets included missile sites, military bases, nuclear facilities, and government buildings, with assassinations of senior military leaders and nuclear scientists. Syria: expanded presence and strikesIsrael maintained and expanded its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/three-wounded-in-southern-syria-after-israeli-incursion-state-media" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military presence in Syria</a>, according to ACLED. &ldquo;In Syria, the IDF targeted Syrian military assets despite al-Assad&rsquo;s ouster,&rdquo; the report says, noting that Israel &ldquo;established six additional outposts in the demilitarized buffer zone, deploying up to 15 kilometers inside Syria.&rdquo; Yemen: targeted operations against HouthisIn Yemen, Israel escalated its military campaign against Houthi forces. &ldquo;The IDF conducted operations on 16 separate days in 2025, killing over 120 people,&rdquo; ACLED states, highlighting strikes that decimated the Houthi de facto government and killed the military chief of staff. Qatar: Rare but significant targetACLED points out Israel&rsquo;s rare&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/qatar-says-us-claims-of-warnings-prior-to-doha-attack-are-%E2%80%98baseless%E2%80%99" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military action in Qatar</a>, related to its pursuit of Hamas leaders. &ldquo;From Palestine to Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and even Qatar, the Israel Defense Forces projected military power across the region in 2025,&rdquo; the report says. The strike in Qatar marked a diplomatic turning point affecting regional relations later in the year. ACLED concludes that Israel&rsquo;s 2025 military posture shifted from a status quo power to a more revisionist one, noting: &ldquo;Israel established or expanded buffer zones and military outposts in three countries.&rdquo; This data underscores the complex and far-reaching nature of Israel&rsquo;s military campaigns in the Middle East throughout 2025, marking one of the most active and geographically expansive years in recent regional history.

ACLED says Israel launched military attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen throughout the year.

Israel attacked six Muslim countries in 2025: Report

ISLAMABAD: An Israeli reservist soldier ran over a Palestinian man while he was praying by the roadside, according to footage broadcast by CNN.&nbsp;The incident, which has been widely reported by international media citing Reuters, shows the man being struck as he prayed, sparking condemnation and raising questions over the conduct of Israeli security personnel in the occupied territories.&nbsp;In a statement, the Israeli military said it had received footage showing an armed individual running over a Palestinian man, adding that the driver was a reservist whose military service had since been terminated.&nbsp;The military said the reservist acted in severe violation of his authority and that his weapon had been confiscated.&nbsp;Israeli media reported that the reservist was placed under house arrest following the incident.&nbsp;The Palestinian man was taken to hospital for medical checks after the incident, as per media reports.&nbsp;In a separate incident, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces on Friday fatally shot a Palestinian man east of Gaza City. The victim, identified as Uday al-Maqadma, was reportedly sitting near the entrance of a school when Israeli forces opened fire. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died of his injuries.&nbsp;Wafa said the killing comes amid continued Israeli military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have carried out near-daily raids, arrests and use of live fire since the start of the war.&nbsp;Palestinian health officials say dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during these operations, which Israeli authorities describe as security measures targeting militants.&nbsp;The agency also reported that two Palestinians were shot dead earlier this week in Gaza City&rsquo;s Shujaiya neighborhood during Israeli military activity in the area.

The footage, shared by CNN, shows the man being struck as he prayed, sparking condemnation and raising questions over the conduct of Israeli security personnel in the occupied territories.

Israeli reservist rams vehicle into praying Palestinian man

PARIS: Fourteen countries, including France, Britain, and Germany, condemned on Wednesday Israel&#39;s recent approval of new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.&nbsp;&quot;We, States of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank,&quot; said a joint statement released by the French foreign ministry.&nbsp;&quot;We recall our clear opposition to any form of annexation and to the expansion of settlement policies,&quot; it added.&nbsp;On Sunday, Israel&#39;s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.&nbsp;In their statement, the countries stressed such unilateral actions &quot;violate international law&quot; and risk undermining a fragile ceasefire in Gaza as mediators push for the implementation of the second phase of the truce.&nbsp;The countries urged Israel &quot;to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements&quot;.&nbsp;They also reaffirmed their &quot;unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution... where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side in peace and security&quot;.&nbsp;Israel has occupied the West Bank following a war in 1967.&nbsp;Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, along with about three million Palestinian residents.&nbsp;Earlier this month, the United Nations said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank -- all of which are illegal under international law -- had reached its highest level since at least 2017.

Europe

Fourteen nations condemned Israel’s approval of new West Bank settlements, calling them illegal, urging reversal, warning of risks to the Gaza ceasefire, and reaffirming support for a two-state solution.

14 countries condemn Israel's expansion of West Bank settlements

GAZA CITY: Hamas said Saturday it was ready to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian authority governing the territory on the condition that the Israeli army&#39;s occupation ends.&nbsp;&quot;Our weapons are linked to the existence of the occupation and the aggression,&quot; Hamas chief negotiator and its Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement, adding: &quot;If the occupation ends, these weapons will be placed under the authority of the state.&quot; Asked by AFP, Hayya&#39;s bureau said he was referring to a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.&nbsp;&quot;We accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force, tasked with monitoring the borders and ensuring compliance with the ceasefire in Gaza,&quot; Hayya added, signalling his group&#39;s rejection of the deployment of an international force in the Strip whose mission would be to disarm it.

Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya supports UN border-monitoring forces but rejects any international mission aimed at disarming the group.

Hamas to surrender arms to Palestinian authority if Israeli occupation ends

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Israel&#39;s military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir dismissed several senior officers over their failure to prevent the October 2023 attacks by Hamas. Following an investigation, Zamir said late Sunday he had fired and also reprimanded several senior commanders over the military&#39;s failure &quot;to protect the civilians of the State of Israel.&quot; Israel&#39;s military chief on Nov. 10 called for a &quot;systemic investigation&quot; into the failures that led to Hamas&#39;s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as the government dragged its feet on establishing a state commission of inquiry on the matter. &#39;A&nbsp;significant step&#39;Zamir made the call following the publication of a report by an expert committee he himself had appointed, which, according to him, marks the conclusion of the military&#39;s internal investigations into the Oct. 7 attacks. &quot;The expert committee&#39;s report presented today is a significant step toward achieving the comprehensive understanding that we, as a society and as an organization, require.&quot; Zamir was quoted as saying in the report. &ldquo;To ensure that such failures never recur, a broader understanding is needed &mdash; one that encompasses the inter-organizational and inter-hierarchical interfaces that have not yet been examined.&quot;

FILE: Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir speaks during a funeral in Kfar Saba on November 11, 2025 (AFP)

Dismisses and reprimands senior officers over failures linked to Hamas’s October 2023 attack, urging broader investigation; Zamir made the call following the publication of a report by an expert committee he himself had appointed

Israeli military chief says army failed to protect Oct 7 attack

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump&#39;s Gaza peace plan, diplomats said.&nbsp; Last week, the Americans officially launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump&#39;s plan. A draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP &quot;welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace,&quot; a transitional governing body for Gaza -- that Trump would theoretically chair -- with a mandate running until the end of 2027. It would authorize member states to form a &quot;temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)&quot; that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip. Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state. The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, called Friday for the UN Security Council to quickly adopt the resolution. &quot;The United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and T&uuml;rkiye express our joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration,&quot; the countries said in a joint statement, adding they were seeking the measure&#39;s &quot;swift adoption.&quot; Friday&#39;s joint statement comes as Russia circulated a competing draft resolution to Council members that does not authorize the creation of a board of peace or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza, according to the text seen Friday by AFP. The Russian version welcomes &quot;the initiative that led to the ceasefire&quot; but does not name Trump. It also only calls on the UN secretary-general to submit a report that addresses the possibilities of deploying an international stabilization force in war-ravaged Gaza. The United States has called the ceasefire &quot;fragile,&quot; and warned Friday of the risks of not adopting its draft. &quot;Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,&quot; the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, wrote in The Washington Post. &quot;Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to relitigate the past, will come with a real human cost.&quot; While it seemed until now that Council members supported principles of the peace plan, diplomatic sources noted there were questions about the US text, particularly regarding the absence of a monitoring mechanism by the Council, the role of the&nbsp; Palestinian Authority, and details of the ISF&#39;s mandate. The Russian UN mission said in a statement that its alternative proposal differed by recognizing the principle of a &quot;two-State solution for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement.&quot; &quot;Unfortunately, these provisions were not given due regard in the US draft,&quot; it said.

Draft of the resolution "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," AFP reports

UN Security Council to vote Monday on Trump Gaza plan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday &ldquo;strongly condemned&rdquo; the latest Israeli attacks in Gaza, terming them a &ldquo;flagrant violation&rdquo; of the Gaza Peace Agreement, and called upon the international community to take immediate and effective measures to halt the aggression. In an official statement, the Foreign Office expressed deep concern over the renewed Israeli airstrikes that have claimed numerous civilian lives in Gaza. &ldquo;Pakistan strongly condemns Israel&rsquo;s violation of the Gaza Peace Agreement and the continued targeting of civilians,&rdquo; the statement said. &ldquo;These actions constitute a serious breach of the understanding reached in Sharm El-Sheikh under the witness of the international community.&rdquo; According to Gaza&rsquo;s Government Media Office, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and over 230 wounded since the start of the ceasefire. The office accused Israeli forces of breaching the truce more than 80 times through &ldquo;direct gunfire, bombardments, and arrests of civilians.&rdquo; The Israeli military, however, claimed its airstrikes were in response to &ldquo;a blatant violation&rdquo; of the truce following the killing of two Israeli soldiers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset that &ldquo;153 tons of bombs were dropped on Hamas positions last week,&rdquo; insisting the strikes were &ldquo;necessary defensive actions.&rdquo; Hamas denied any breach, slamming Israel for &ldquo;fabricating pretexts&rdquo; to resume hostilities. The exchange of accusations has heightened concerns over the fragile ceasefire, which had allowed thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza to find their homes destroyed. Islamabad and Expatriates of Palestine also denounced what it described as &ldquo;terrorist assaults&rdquo; by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and international solidarity activists during the olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank. The Pakistan Foreign Office echoed this concern, stating: &ldquo;Such actions run contrary to the spirit of the peace agreement signed in Sharm El-Sheikh in the presence of leadership from the Muslim and Arab world, the United States, Europe, and the United Nations.&rdquo; Islamabad urged the global community to intervene decisively to ensure full implementation of the ceasefire and to prevent further loss of civilian life. &ldquo;Pakistan calls for urgent and effective international measures to end these violations and restore peace,&rdquo; the statement read. &ldquo;Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian people and calls for the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.&rdquo; In related developments, Qatar&rsquo;s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday condemned Israel for repeatedly violating the ceasefire in Gaza, calling its recent strikes a &ldquo;flagrant breach&rdquo; of international law and warning that the fragile truce could collapse if such actions continue. Delivering his annual address to the Shura Council, Sheikh Tamim said the humanitarian situation in Gaza had deteriorated despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10. He urged the global community to &ldquo;hold Israel accountable for its actions.&rdquo; &ldquo;We reiterate our condemnation of all Israeli violations and practices in Palestine, particularly the transformation of the Gaza Strip into an area unfit for human life and the continued violation of the ceasefire,&rdquo; the emir said. Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, has been facilitating talks in Doha to prevent renewed hostilities and secure humanitarian access to Gaza. The emir also denounced Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;genocidal war,&rdquo; its expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, and what he described as attempts to &ldquo;Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound&rdquo; in East Jerusalem. Referring to an alleged Israeli strike on a Hamas delegation in Doha, Sheikh Tamim said: &ldquo;Israel has violated all international laws and norms governing relations between states by attacking a country that acts as a mediator and by attempting to kill delegation members. We consider this aggression an act of state terrorism.&rdquo;

Islamabad slams Israeli Gaza attacks, urges global action, reaffirms support for Palestine, and calls for an independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as capital

Pakistan condemns Israeli attacks in Gaza, urges urgent global action

ISLAMABAD: Nearly 100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 230 others injured since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, according to Gaza&rsquo;s Government Media Office, as both sides trade accusations of violating the fragile truce. In a statement, the office said Israel has violated the ceasefire 80 times, citing &ldquo;direct gunfire at civilians, deliberate bombardment, the execution of fire belts, and arrests of civilian citizens.&rdquo; The statement called the actions &ldquo;grave and repeated breaches&rdquo; of international humanitarian law. On Monday, Gaza&rsquo;s civil defense agency reported that four people were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza City. &ldquo;They were returning to check on their homes in the Al-Shaaf area, east of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood,&rdquo; said Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the rescue service, which operates under Hamas authority. He said the victims were killed in two separate incidents &ldquo;by Israeli gunfire.&rdquo; The Israeli military said it fired at armed militants who crossed the so-called &ldquo;Yellow Line,&rdquo; the boundary where Israeli troops remain positioned under the ceasefire. The army said the individuals &ldquo;approached troops in the Shujaiya neighborhood,&rdquo; adjacent to Al-Tuffah. Several similar confrontations have occurred since the truce began, resulting in repeated casualties and heightening concerns over its durability. On Sunday, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes across Gaza after &ldquo;two of its soldiers were killed in combat.&rdquo; The military called the operation a response to &ldquo;a blatant violation&rdquo; of the truce. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament that Israel dropped 153 tons of bombs on Hamas positions. &ldquo;One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace,&rdquo; Netanyahu said. Hamas denied responsibility for any attacks, accusing Israel of fabricating &ldquo;pretexts&rdquo; to resume fighting. The fragile ceasefire has allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, where many have found their homes reduced to rubble. With additional inputs from AFP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel dropped 153 tons of bombs on Hamas targets, as Gaza authorities report more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 230 injured since the US-brokered truce began

Israeli military actions in Gaza kill over 100 since US-brokered ceasefire began

Reuters

WASHINGTON: Planning has begun for an international force to go into Gaza to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisors said Wednesday. One of the top requirements of President Donald Trump&rsquo;s 20-point Gaza plan was the formation of a US-backed stabilization force. The United States has agreed to provide up to 200 troops to support the force without deploying them in Gaza itself. The two senior advisors, in a briefing for reporters, said tensions remain high between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the enclave. &ldquo;Right now, what we&rsquo;re looking to accomplish is just a basic stabilization of the situation. The international stabilization force is starting to be constructed,&rdquo; one adviser said. Among the countries the US is speaking to about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, and Azerbaijan, the advisor said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The advisors said there were up to two dozen US troops in the region to help set up the operation, serving in a &ldquo;coordination, oversight&rdquo; role. &ldquo;The goal is to use all the different local partners who want to help and be involved,&rdquo; the advisor said. After Hamas killed seven men in Gaza City it accused of collaborating with Israel, the advisors said there were discussions to establish safe zones for civilians to prevent such incidents. The second advisor said no Gazans would be forced to leave the battered Palestinian enclave. Officials are looking at rebuilding in areas that are free of Hamas militants. Trump has said he would like to see the enclave rebuilt and has pledges of investment from various international partners, but that this effort will take time. The advisors also said patience was needed for the recovery of dead Israeli hostages, saying it would take longer than expected because their remains are buried under rubble and unexploded ordnance. They said there are discussions about offering rewards for information leading to the discovery of remains.

An Israeli tank manoeuvres in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, September 28, 2025. 

Planning has begun for an international force to go into Gaza to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisors said.

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