GAZA CITY: The head of the Palestinian technocratic committee formed to handle day-to-day governance of Gaza, Ali Shaath, was in Washington Thursday to attend the inaugural &quot;Board of Peace&quot; meeting, two Palestinian officials told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;Ali Shaath ... arrived in Washington at dawn today to participate in the Washington meeting of the Board of Peace,&quot; a source familiar with the committee told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;Shaath is scheduled to deliver a speech outlining the general framework of his plan for the first 100 days. He is accompanied by the committee&#39;s official in charge of the finance portfolio,&quot; the source added.&nbsp;A committee member confirmed to AFP that Shaath had arrived &quot;following an invitation he received yesterday to attend the Washington meeting&quot;.&nbsp;Around two dozen world leaders and senior officials have travelled to Washington for the meeting, which was set up after the Trump administration, along with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt two years of war in Gaza.&nbsp;At Thursday&#39;s meeting, Trump is expected to detail pledges of more than $5 billion for Gaza.&nbsp;The meeting will also discuss how to launch the International Stabilization Force to ensure security in Gaza.

Middle East

Ali Shaath arrives in Washington for the inaugural Board of Peace meeting. The Trump administration, along with Qatar and Egypt, seeks $5 billion in pledges and a stabilization force for security there.

Head of Gaza technocrat committee in Washington for 'Board of Peace' meeting

RAMALLAH: A Palestinian child died after stepping on a mine near an Israeli military camp in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, with an Israeli defence ministry source confirming the death.&nbsp;&quot;Our crews received the body of a 13-year-old child who was killed after a mine exploded in one of the old camps in Jiftlik in the northern Jordan Valley,&quot; the Red Crescent said in a statement.&nbsp;A source at COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry&#39;s agency in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, confirmed the death to AFP and identified the boy as Mohammed Abu Dalah, from the village of Jiftlik.&nbsp;Israel&#39;s military had previously said in a statement that three Palestinians were injured &quot;as a result of playing with unexploded ordnance&quot;, without specifying their ages.&nbsp;It added that the area of the incident, Tirzah, is &quot;a military camp in the area of the Jordan Valley&quot;, near Jiftlik and close to the Jordanian border.&nbsp;&quot;This area is a live-fire zone and entry into it is prohibited,&quot; the military said.&nbsp;Jiftlik village council head Ahmad Ghawanmeh told AFP that three children, the oldest of whom was 16, were collecting herbs near the military base when they detonated a mine.&nbsp;Jiftlik as well as the nearby Tirzah base are located in the Palestinian territory&#39;s Area C, which falls under direct Israeli control.&nbsp;Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.&nbsp;Much of the area near the border with Jordan -- which Israel signed a peace deal with in 1994 -- remains mined.&nbsp;In January, Israel&#39;s defence ministry said it had begun demining the border area as part of construction works for a new barrier it says aims to stem weapons smuggling.

A 13-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Abu Dalah, died after stepping on a mine near the Tirzah military camp in Jiftlik, West Bank. Two other children were injured, as the live-fire Area C zone remains partially mined despite demining efforts.

Palestinian child dies after stepping on mine in West Bank

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump announced that member states of the Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion for Gaza&#39;s reconstruction and committed thousands of personnel to join the International Stabilization Force in the region. In a post on Truth Social,&nbsp;Trump said he would announce this development when the board meets in Washington at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace on Feb. 19.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;We will announce that member states have pledged more than $5 billion dollars toward the Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, and have committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and local police to maintain security and peace for Gazans.&rdquo; Trump wrote. He also urged Hamas to move forward with disarmament under his plan for postwar Gaza. &quot;Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization,&quot; Trump said in the post.&nbsp;Disarmament is a key part of the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire plan sealed in October between Israel and the Palestinian militant group to end the war triggered by Hamas&#39;s attack on Israel in October 2023. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/c51f8c1d-e843-4892-a1f8-4b170e26e738-Screenshot 2026-02-15 214653.png" alt="Screenshot 2026-02-15 214653.png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></figure> The United Nations endorsed the plan in November.&nbsp;The second phase stipulates that Israeli forces gradually withdraw from Gaza and Hamas should disarm, with an international stabilization force deployed to ensure security.&nbsp;Hamas has repeatedly said that disarmament is a red line, although it has indicated it could consider handing over its weapons to a future Palestinian governing authority.&nbsp;Both sides accuse each other daily of ceasefire violations.&nbsp;Although originally intended to oversee Gaza&#39;s rebuilding, the Board of Peace&#39;s charter does not appear to limit its role to Palestinian territory.&nbsp;&quot;The Board of Peace has unlimited potential,&quot; Trump said Sunday in his post.&nbsp;After an initial meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, the board is due to meet on Thursday in the US capital.&nbsp;Countries have been asked to pay $1 billion for permanent membership of the board, and the invitation for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country invaded Ukraine in 2022, has drawn criticism.&nbsp;Key US allies, including France and Britain, have expressed doubts.&nbsp;Trump has said the organization will work &quot;in conjunction&quot; with the United Nations.&nbsp;&quot;The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Under the ceasefire plan, a Palestinian technocratic committee has also been set up with a goal of taking over governance in the battered Gaza Strip.

Americas

The US president urged that 'Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization.'

Board of Peace members have committed 'thousands of personnel' to peace force, over $5B for Gaza: Trump

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s disaster management authority sent another humanitarian aid shipment to the people of Palestine on Monday, according to a statement from the Press Information Department. At the special directive of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the 28th relief shipment, comprising 100 tons of tents, was dispatched by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). &ldquo;The relief goods were dispatched via a special flight from Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, to Al-Arish, Egypt, for further delivery to Gaza,&rdquo; the statement said. The total humanitarian aid sent to Palestine has now reached 2,727 tons. Since October 2023, Pakistan has sent several consignments of humanitarian aid to Gaza, aiming to ease the suffering of civilians, especially women and children affected by the conflict. &ldquo;Government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan stand firmly with the people of Palestine in this difficult time and will continue to make every possible effort to support them and address their humanitarian needs,&rdquo; it added.

The relief shipment, comprising 100 tons of tents, was dispatched by the National Disaster Management Authority.

Pakistan sends 28th humanitarian aid shipment for Gaza

GENEVA: At least 100 children have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and ground forces in Gaza since the start of a tenuous ceasefire three months ago, the United Nations said on Tuesday.&nbsp;The UN children&#39;s agency UNICEF said that at least 60 boys and 40 girls had been killed in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory since early October.&nbsp;&quot;More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire,&quot; UNICEF spokesman James Elder told reporters in Geneva.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during a ceasefire,&quot; he said, speaking from Gaza City.&nbsp;&quot;These children are killed from airstrikes, drone strikes, including suicide drones. They&#39;re killed from tank shelling. They&#39;re killed from live ammunition. They&#39;re killed from quad copters.&nbsp;&quot;We are at 100 -- no doubt,&quot; he said, adding that the true number was likely higher.&nbsp;&quot;A ceasefire that slows the bombs is progress but one that still buries children is not enough.&quot;&nbsp;AFP has sought a response from the Israeli military.&nbsp;An official at Gaza&#39;s health ministry, which maintains casualty records, has reported a higher figure of 165 children killed during the tenuous ceasefire, out of a total 442 fatalities.&nbsp;&quot;Additionally, seven children have died from exposure to cold since the beginning of this year,&quot; Zaher Al-Wahidi, Director of the Computer Department at the Ministry of Health, told AFP.&nbsp;Elder stressed that the ongoing Israeli attacks came after more than two years of war which has &quot;left life for Gaza&#39;s children unimaginably hard&quot;.

Since early October, at least 100 children, 60 boys and 40 girls, have been killed in Gaza during a tenuous ceasefire, mainly from airstrikes, drones, tanks, and live ammunition, UNICEF and Gaza’s health ministry reported.

At least 100 children killed in Gaza since ceasefire: UN

JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Sunday they detained a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspected of obstructing an investigation, with local media reporting that it was tied to leaks of military information during the Gaza war.&nbsp;Police did not name the individual, but Israeli media reported it was Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu&#39;s current chief of staff, who is designated to be Israel&#39;s next ambassador to the UK.&nbsp;&quot;This morning, a senior official in the prime minister&#39;s office was detained for questioning... on suspicion of obstructing an investigation,&quot; the police said.&nbsp;&quot;The suspect... is currently being questioned under caution.&quot;&nbsp;Former Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein recently alleged that Braverman tried to obstruct an investigation into a leak of sensitive military information to the foreign press during the war against Hamas in Gaza.&nbsp;In September 2024, Feldstein leaked a classified document from the Israeli military to the German tabloid Bild, for which he was later arrested and indicted.&nbsp;The document aimed to prove that Hamas was not interested in a ceasefire deal, and to support Netanyahu&#39;s claim that the hostages captured by Palestinian militants in their October 7, 2023 assault on Israel could only be released through military pressure instead of negotiations.&nbsp;In an interview with Israel&#39;s public broadcaster KAN, Feldstein said Braverman asked to meet with him soon after the leak.&nbsp;Braverman informed him that the army had launched a probe into the affair, and said he could &quot;shut down&quot; the investigation, according to Feldstein.&nbsp;In the same interview, Feldstein said Netanyahu was aware of the leak and was in favour of using the document to drum up public support for the war.&nbsp;Israeli media reported that police also searched Braverman&#39;s home on Sunday, and that Feldstein was expected to speak with police later in the day regarding Braverman&#39;s suspected involvement in the affair.&nbsp;Feldstein is also a suspect in the so-called &quot;Qatargate&quot; scandal, in which he and other close associates of Netanyahu are suspected of having been recruited by Qatar to promote the Gulf monarchy&#39;s image in Israel.&nbsp;Qatar hosts senior Hamas leaders and has played a mediating role between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement during the war in Gaza.&nbsp;An investigation is under way, and Feldstein, together with another Netanyahu aide, was taken into custody in late March.&nbsp;In response to Braverman&#39;s questioning by the police on Sunday, opposition leader Yair Lapid called to suspend his appointment as ambassador to the UK.&nbsp;&quot;In light of the new developments in the Qatargate affair, the appointment of Tzachi Braverman as ambassador to Britain must be immediately suspended,&quot; Lapid wrote on X.&nbsp;&quot;It is unacceptable that someone suspected of involvement in obstructing a serious security investigation should be the face of Israel in one of the most important countries in Europe.&quot;&nbsp;Braverman is not suspected of direct involvement in the Qatargate affair, according to Israeli media.

Israeli police detained Netanyahu aide Tzachi Braverman over alleged obstruction linked to Gaza war leaks. Opposition demands suspending his UK ambassador appointment as investigations continue.

Israeli police detain aide to Netanyahu

JERUSALEM: Israel has said 37 aid organizations will be banned from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they comply with guidelines requiring detailed information on Palestinian staff, drawing criticism from the United Nations and the European Union.&nbsp;Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on food and medical shipments to Gaza, at a time when humanitarian organisations say the amount of aid getting in is inadequate to the devastated territory&#39;s needs.&nbsp;Israel&#39;s deadline for NGOs to provide the details expires at midnight on Wednesday.&nbsp;&quot;They refuse to provide lists of their Palestinian employees because they know, just as we know, that some of them are involved in terrorism or linked to Hamas,&quot; spokesman for the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Gilad Zwick told AFP, naming 37 NGOs that had so far failed to meet the new requirements.&nbsp;&quot;I highly doubt that what they haven&#39;t done for 10 months, they will suddenly do in less than 12 hours,&quot; Zwick said. &quot;We certainly won&#39;t accept any cooperation that is just for show, simply to get an extension.&quot;&nbsp;The ministry had said in a statement on Wednesday that the move was part of Israel&#39;s decision to &quot;strengthen and update&quot; regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.&nbsp;A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas&#39;s unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.&nbsp;For Israel, it says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories.&nbsp;On Tuesday, Israel specified that &quot;acts of de-legitimising Israel&quot; or denial of events surrounding Hamas&#39; October 7 attack would be &quot;grounds for license withdrawal&quot;.&nbsp;Israel has singled out international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), alleging that it had two employees who were members of Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas.&nbsp;Apart from MSF, some of the 37 NGOs to be hit with the ban are the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision International, CARE and Oxfam, according to the list given by Zwick.&nbsp;Guarantee accessOn Wednesday, the United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel&#39;s decision as &quot;outrageous&quot;, calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course.&nbsp;&quot;Israel&#39;s suspension of numerous aid agencies from Gaza is outrageous,&quot; he said in a statement, warning that &quot;such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza&quot;.&nbsp;The European Union also warned that Israel&#39;s decision would block &quot;life-saving&quot; assistance from reaching Gazans.&nbsp;&quot;The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form,&quot; EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib posted on X.&nbsp;&quot;IHL (international humanitarian law) leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those in need,&quot; Lahbib wrote.&nbsp;On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of ten countries, including France and the United Kingdom, had already urged Israel to &quot;guarantee access&quot; to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains &quot;catastrophic.&quot;&nbsp;In a territory with 2.2 million inhabitants, &quot;1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support,&quot; the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said.&nbsp;While a deal for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.&nbsp;COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said last week that on average 4,200 aid trucks enter Gaza weekly, which corresponds to around 600 daily.&nbsp;

Israel says it will ban 37 NGOs from Gaza unless they share Palestinian staff details, drawing UN and EU criticism as aid groups warn the move will further restrict food and medical assistance amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Israel to ban 37 aid groups operating in Gaza

PALM BEACH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, with the US president pushing to move to the next stage of his fragile Gaza truce plan.&nbsp;Netanyahu is also expected to try to shift some focus onto Iran, amid reports he will call for more US strikes on the Islamic republic.&nbsp;The meeting at Trump&#39;s lavish Mar-a-Lago resort the fifth between the two leaders to be held in the United States this year comes as some White House officials fear both Israel and Hamas are slow-walking the second phase of their ceasefire.&nbsp;Trump, who said Netanyahu had asked for the talks, is reportedly keen to announce as soon as January, a Palestinian technocratic government for Gaza and the deployment of an international stabilization force.&nbsp;The two leaders are to meet at 1 pm (1800 GMT), the White House said.&nbsp;In recent months, Israeli officials and media have expressed concern that Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile arsenal after it came under attack during the 12-day war with Israel in June.&nbsp;But Sina Toossi, a researcher at the Center for International Policy (CIP) in Washington, said Trump&#39;s insistence that US strikes in June destroyed Tehran&#39;s nuclear program had &quot;removed Israel&#39;s most powerful historical justification for US support for war with Iran&quot;.&nbsp;Netanyahu&#39;s new focus on Iran&#39;s missiles is &quot;an effort to manufacture a replacement casus belli,&quot; Toossi told AFP.&nbsp;Iran on Monday denounced the reports as a &quot;psychological operation&quot; against Tehran, emphasizing it was fully prepared to defend itself, and warning renewed aggression would &quot;result in harsher consequences&quot; for Israel.&nbsp;Phase two has to beginNetanyahu&#39;s visit caps a frantic few days of international diplomacy in Palm Beach, where Trump hosted Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday for talks on ending Russia&#39;s invasion.&nbsp;The Gaza ceasefire in October is one of the major achievements of Trump&#39;s first year back in power, but his administration and regional mediators want to keep up the momentum.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s global envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner hosted senior officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in Miami earlier this month.&nbsp;The timing of the Netanyahu meeting is &quot;very significant,&quot; said Gershon Baskin, the co-head of peacebuilding commission the Alliance for Two States, who has taken part in back-channel negotiations with Hamas.&nbsp;&quot;Phase two has to begin,&quot; he told AFP, adding that &quot;I think the Americans realize that it&#39;s late because Hamas has had too much time to re-establish its presence.&quot;&nbsp;The first phase of the truce deal stipulated that Hamas release the remaining hostages, both dead and alive, taken during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The group has so far returned all the living captives and the remains of all but one.&nbsp;Under the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, while Hamas is supposed to lay down its weapons.&nbsp;An interim authority is meanwhile meant to govern the Palestinian territory, and the international stabilization force (ISF) is to be deployed.&nbsp;Both sides, however, have alleged frequent ceasefire violations.&nbsp;Frustrated with NetanyahuThe Axios news outlet reported on Friday that Trump wanted to convene the first meeting of a new Gaza &quot;Board of Peace&quot; that he will chair at the Davos forum in Switzerland in January.&nbsp;But it said that senior White House officials were growing exasperated with what they viewed as efforts by Netanyahu to stall the peace process.&nbsp;&quot;There are more and more signs that the American administration is getting frustrated with Netanyahu,&quot; said Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at London-based think-tank Chatham House.&nbsp;&quot;The question is what it&#39;s going to do about it,&quot; he added, &quot;because phase two is right now going nowhere.&quot;&nbsp;Israel is continuing to strike Hamas targets in Gaza, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon despite another ceasefire there. Syria will also be on the agenda.&nbsp;Mekelberg said Netanyahu could be attempting to shift attention from Gaza onto Iran as Israel enters an election year.&nbsp;&quot;Everything is connected to staying in power,&quot; he said of the long-time Israeli premier.

Netanyahu meets Trump in Florida as the US urges progress on the Gaza ceasefire, while Washington grows frustrated with delays and Netanyahu shifts attention toward Iran as Israel continues military strikes.

Netanyahu to meet Trump in Florida for talks on Gaza, Iran

JERUSALEM:&nbsp;Israel will reopen the crossing on the Israeli-controlled border between Jordan and the occupied West Bank to humanitarian aid trucks destined for Gaza for the first time since late September, an Israeli official said on Tuesday.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;Following the understandings and a directive of the political echelon, starting tomorrow (Wednesday) the transfer of goods and aid from Jordan to the area of Judea and Samaria and to the Gaza Strip will be permitted through the Allenby Crossing&quot;, an Israeli official said in a statement, using the Israeli Biblical term for the West Bank.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;All aid trucks destined for the Gaza Strip will proceed under escort and security, following a thorough security inspection&quot;, the official added.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Israel closed the crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, after a Jordanian truck driver shot dead an Israeli soldier and a reserve officer at the border in September.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The crossing in the Jordan Valley reopened to travellers a few days later, but not to humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip, devastated by more than two years of war.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Since the closure at Allenby, Jordan said it had been able to send some aid to Gaza via the Sheikh Hussein crossing, north of the West Bank.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The Allenby crossing is the only international gateway for Palestinians from the West Bank that does not require entering Israel, which has occupied the territory since 1967.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Tzav 9, an extremist Israeli right-wing activist group seeking to halt any aid arriving in Gaza so long as Israeli hostages are held in the Palestinian territory, condemned Tuesday&#39;s announcement.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Of the 251 people taken hostage during Hamas&#39;s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war in Gaza, all but the remains of Israeli Ran Gvili have been handed over.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire deal that entered into force on October 10, Hamas committed to returning all living and deceased hostages.

Israel will reopen the Allenby Crossing to allow humanitarian aid trucks from Jordan into Gaza for the first time since September. The move follows security checks and comes despite criticism from a right-wing group opposing aid while hostages remain.

Israel to reopen crossing with Jordan-Gaza aid trucks: Israeli official

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s ambassador to Jordan, Major General (Retd) Muhammad Ajmal Iqbal said Pakistan and Jordan are poised to deepen their diplomatic, defense and economic cooperation as King Abdullah II arrives in Islamabad tomorrow.&nbsp;&quot;Pakistan and Jordan share a relationship rooted in history, trust and religious affinity, dating back to 1948 when Jordan became one of the earliest states to recognize Pakistan&rsquo;s independence,&quot; said ambassador Ajmal Iqbal, in an exclusive interview with Pakistan TV.&nbsp;He noted that this foundation has consistently shaped cooperation across diplomacy, defense and people-to-people contact.&nbsp;He highlighted that both countries hold &ldquo;complete commonality of views&rdquo; on developments in Gaza and the wider Middle East. Pakistan and Jordan, he said, participated together in discussions in Doha and Turkey, maintaining aligned positions on achieving a just, rational, and lasting peace for Palestinians.&nbsp;&nbsp;He emphasized that every past visit of King Abdullah II resulted in increased cooperation and expects similar momentum this time. &ldquo;The leadership will identify areas where economic relations can be expanded,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Discussing defense relations, Ambassador Iqbal referenced the recent 27 October 2025 meeting between Pakistan&rsquo;s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and King Abdullah II. He described the interaction as &ldquo;highly significant,&rdquo; noting that multiple one-on-one sessions focused on security cooperation and Pakistan&rsquo;s role in safeguarding its sovereignty. King Abdullah II also commended Pakistan&rsquo;s military professionalism.&nbsp;Ambassador Iqbal also commented on Pakistan&rsquo;s decision to confer its highest civilian award on King Abdullah II, calling it a symbol of &ldquo;deep affection and respect&rdquo; for the Jordanian royal family. He recalled that a similar honour was last extended to King Hussain in the early 1960s.&nbsp;As Islamabad welcomes the Jordanian King, officials anticipate renewed momentum across diplomacy, defense, trade and cultural exchange&mdash;ushering in a new phase of cooperation between the two brotherly nations.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan and Jordan are set to deepen diplomatic, defense, and economic ties as King Abdullah II visits Islamabad. Both nations share aligned views on Middle East issues, with renewed cooperation expected across trade, security, and cultural exchange.

Articles tagged with "gaza"