BEIRUT: United Nations peacekeepers said Friday that Israel&#39;s army has built walls in south Lebanon near the UN-demarcated Blue Line, the de facto border, nearly a year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.&nbsp;In October, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon surveyed &quot;a concrete T-wall erected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) southwest of Yaroun. The survey confirmed that the wall crossed the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people,&quot; UNIFIL.&nbsp;&quot;In November, peacekeepers observed additional T-wall construction in the area. A survey confirmed that a section of wall southeast of Yaroun also crossed the Blue Line,&quot; it added, urging Israel to withdraw.

Middle East

UN peacekeepers say Israel has built concrete walls in south Lebanon that cross the Blue Line and block Lebanese land, have urged Israel to remove the walls.

UN peacekeepers say Israel built walls inside Lebanon

Reuters

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CAIRO/JERUSALEM: The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding its reopening will depend on Hamas handing over the bodies of deceased hostages as the two sides continued to trade blame over ceasefire violations. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Netanyahu&#39;s statement came shortly after the Palestinian embassy in Egypt announced that the Rafah crossing, the main gateway for Gazans to leave and enter the enclave, would reopen on Monday for entry into Gaza. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Netanyahu&#39;s government and Hamas have been trading blame over violations of the US-mediated ceasefire for days. Late Saturday in Washington, the State Department said it had received &quot;credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.&quot; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The State Department said the planned attack against Palestinian civilians would be a &quot;direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement.&quot; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&quot;Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,&quot; the department said in a statement, without providing further details. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump had said he would consider allowing Israeli forces to resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to uphold its end of the ceasefire deal that he brokered. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The militant group has launched a security crackdown in urban areas vacated by Israeli forces, demonstrating its power through public executions and clashes with local armed clans. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dispute over aid, return of bodies&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hamas, in a statement late on Saturday, said Netanyahu&#39;s decision &quot;constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and a repudiation of the commitments he made to the mediators and guarantor parties.&quot; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It also said the continued closure of the Rafah crossing would prevent the entry of equipment needed to search for and locate more hostage bodies under the rubble, and would thus delay the recovery and handover of the remains. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Israel said it received two more bodies late on Saturday, meaning 12 out of 28 bodies have been handed over under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal agreed between Israel and Hamas last week. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The war has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with nearly all inhabitants driven from their homes, a global hunger monitor confirming famine and health authorities overwhelmed. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The dispute over the return of bodies, and shipments of life-saving humanitarian aid, underlines the fragility of the ceasefire and still has the potential to upset the deal along with other major issues that are included in U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s 20-point plan to end the war. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As part of the deal, Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages it had been holding for two years, in return for almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners jailed in Israel. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Formidable obstacles to peace <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Israel says that Hamas has been too slow to hand over the bodies of deceased hostages it still holds. The militant group says that locating some of the bodies amid the vast destruction in Gaza will take time. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The deal requires Israel to return 360 bodies of Palestinian militants for the deceased Israeli hostages and so far it has handed over 15 bodies in return for each Israeli body it has received. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rafah has largely been shut since May 2024. The ceasefire deal also includes the ramping up of aid into the enclave, where hundreds of thousands of people were determined in August to be affected by famine, according to the IPC global hunger monitor. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After cutting off all supplies for 11 weeks in March, Israel increased aid into Gaza in July, scaling it up further since the ceasefire. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Around 560 metric tons of food had entered Gaza per day on average since the US-brokered truce, but this was still well below the scale of need, according to the UN World Food Programme. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Formidable obstacles to Trump&#39;s plan to end the war still remain. Key questions of Hamas disarming and how Gaza will be governed, the make-up of an international &quot;stabilization force&quot; and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state have yet to be resolved.

File Photo - Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, following an agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding its reopening will depend on Hamas handing over the bodies of deceased hostages as the two sides continued to trade blame over ceasefire violations.

Israel says Rafah crossing will stay closed until further notice

GAZA: Israel&rsquo;s military said it opened fire on Tuesday to eliminate a threat posed by suspects who approached its forces in the northern Gaza Strip. Health authorities in the enclave said at least six Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire. The military said the suspects had crossed a boundary established for an initial Israeli pullback under a United States&ndash;brokered ceasefire plan, violating the agreement.Gaza&rsquo;s local health authority said Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in two separate incidents across the enclave on Tuesday. On Monday, Hamas released the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza, and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees as part of the ceasefire deal. US President Donald Trump declared the end of a two-year war that has reshaped the broader Middle East.

Israeli soldiers work on their tanks at a gathering point on the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 after Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their war and the release of the remaining hostages. (AP Photo/Ariel 

Israel’s military said it opened fire on Tuesday to eliminate a threat posed by suspects who approached its forces in the northern Gaza Strip. Health authorities in the enclave said at least six Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire.

Israel says it fired on Gaza suspects; six reported killed

Reuters/AP

JERUSALEM/GAZA:&nbsp;The Hamas-run Prisoners Office said&nbsp;on Monday that&nbsp;buses carrying the freed Palestinian prisoners arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah and in the Gaza Strip. Israel freed more than 1,900 prisoners and detainees after Hamas freed all remaining living hostages held in Gaza under the two sides&rsquo; ceasefire deal. The buses arrived in Ramallah after leaving Ofer prison, in the Israel-occupied West Bank, said the Prisoners Office. At least one bus also crossed into the Gaza Strip, it said. Earlier, Hamas handed over 20 surviving Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as part of US President Donald Trump&#39;s ceasefire deal. News agencies quoting Israel&rsquo;s public broadcaster reported Hamas had handed over all 20 surviving Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives. Earlier, President Donald Trump arrived in Israel to celebrate the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, an agreement that he declares has effectively ended the war and opened the door to building a durable peace in the Middle East. The moment, however, remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of the plan, which includes the release of Israeli hostages that have been held since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants. With families overjoyed at the impending reunions and Palestinians eager for a surge of humanitarian assistance, Trump thinks there is a narrow window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. &ldquo;The war is over, OK?&rdquo; Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One while on his way from Washington DC to Israel. &ldquo;I think people are tired of it,&rdquo; he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that. While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and Hamas. As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire. With the hostages&rsquo; release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over. While Israel considers the prisoners to be terrorists, Palestinians view them as freedom fighters against Israeli occupation. Israel has warned Palestinians in the West Bank against celebrating after people are released, according to a prisoner&rsquo;s family and a Palestinian official familiar with the plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Trump in Israel, Egypt&nbsp;Trump is first visiting Israel, where a White House schedule said he would meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel&rsquo;s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages. &ldquo;The war is over,&rdquo; Trump asserted to reporters as he departed, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold. Trump will continue to Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi&#39;s office said he will co-chair a &ldquo;peace summit&rdquo; on Monday with regional and international leaders. Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash, told The Associated Press. Netanyahu has rejected any role in postwar Gaza for Abbas, though the US plan leaves the possibility open if the Palestinian Authority undergoes reforms. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007. Other key questions in the ceasefire deal remain unresolved, including the future governance of Gaza and the funding for a billion-dollar reconstruction process. Israel wants to ensure that the weakened Hamas disarms, and Netanyahu has warned that Israel could do it &ldquo;the hard way.&rdquo; Hamas refuses to disarm and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza. The Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis, and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza&rsquo;s far north, and the wide strip along Gaza&rsquo;s border with Israel. Under the US plan, an international body will govern Gaza, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said that Gaza&rsquo;s government should be worked out among Palestinians. The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 US troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire. The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.

Red Cross buses carrying Palestinian prisoners arrive in Ramallah and Gaza; Hamas hands over hostages to the Red Cross; Trump to address Israeli parliament; later, attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt, which aims to strengthen peace in Gaza after two years of devastation by Israel.

All surviving Israeli hostages, 1,900 Palestinian prisoners released

GAZA CITY: A top Hamas official told AFP Saturday that the release of 48 mostly Israeli hostages held by Palestinians in Gaza would begin on Monday morning. &quot;According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on this matter,&quot; Osama Hamdan said in an interview with AFP. Hamas on the ground have not yet notified the movement&#39;s leadership about the logistics of the hostages&#39; handover, Hamdan added. Following the return of the captives from Gaza, Israel will proceed with the release of about 2,000 Palestinian detainees from its prisons, according to the terms of the first stage of a ceasefire deal signed by the two parties under US mediation. Hamdan said that the list of Palestinian prisoners slated for release was still under negotiation. Hamas&#39;s &quot;prisoners office has said that, so far, the process has not been finalized. Israel is still refusing to release certain names. However, the negotiating delegation is making every effort to secure their release,&quot; the official said, adding that the final list would be ready on Saturday night or by Sunday morning &quot;at the latest.&quot; Hamdan further highlighted that under the agreement, five entry points for humanitarian aid are expected to be opened, and said that the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will reopen &quot;for individuals in both directions starting next Wednesday.&quot; Italy said that the Rafah crossing would reopen on Tuesday under the supervision of an EU monitoring mission, with a police presence from Italy, Spain, and France.

The hostage-prisoner exchange will begin Monday, involving 48 hostages and about 2,000 Palestinian detainees. Negotiations continue over final names; Rafah crossing set to reopen next week.

Hamas official says hostages release to begin Monday morning

JERUSALEM: Israel said on Thursday all parties have signed the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, adding that Hamas freeing the captives would &quot;bring the end to this war.&quot; The agreement in Egypt follows a 20-point peace plan for Gaza announced last month by US President Donald Trump, after more than two years of war sparked by Hamas&#39;s October 2023 attack on Israel. Trump said he planned to leave on Sunday for the Middle East. Egypt is planning an event to celebrate the conclusion of the agreement, with the US president also expected to stop in Israel and consider going to devastated Gaza. Despite celebrations in Israel and Gaza and a flood of messages from world leaders hailing the deal, numerous issues remain unsettled, including the plan&#39;s call for Hamas to disarm and a proposed transitional authority for Gaza led by Trump himself. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the Palestinian movement rejected the latter. &quot;No Palestinian would accept this. All the factions, including the Palestinian Authority, reject this,&quot; Hamdan told Qatar-based broadcaster Al Araby. Trump said the issue of Hamas surrendering its weapons would be addressed in the second phase of the peace plan. &quot;There will be disarming,&quot; he told reporters, adding there would also be &quot;pullbacks&quot; by Israeli forces. The Israeli government said the ceasefire was to take hold within 24 hours of meetings on Thursday to approve the deal, under which the military would withdraw from Gaza. Early on Friday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government had &quot;approved the framework for the release of all the hostages &mdash; both the living and the deceased.&quot; Netanyahu had faced pushback from his far-right allies, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying he would vote against the agreement, calling the plan to release thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the 47 hostages remaining in Gaza &quot;an unbearable heavy price.&quot; &#39;Tears of joy&#39;&nbsp;Confirming that the first-phase draft had been signed by &quot;all parties&quot; early Thursday, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told journalists that &quot;all of our hostages, the living and the deceased, will be released 72 hours later, which will bring us to Monday.&quot; Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the release of the hostages &quot;should bring the end to this war.&quot; In a rare interview with an Israeli network, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas told the Channel 12 broadcaster that &quot;what happened today is a historic moment.&rdquo;&nbsp;&quot;Today, we are very happy that the bloodshed has ceased. We hope it remains this way, and that peace, security, and stability will prevail between us and Israel.&quot; US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner travelled to Jerusalem on Thursday night, where they met both Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, their offices said. Israeli media reported that the pair later participated in the government meeting held to approve the plan. The deal, thrashed out in indirect, closed-door talks in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, also envisions a surge of aid into Gaza, where the UN has declared famine. The announcement sparked joy in Gaza, much of which has been flattened by Israel&#39;s offensive. &quot;Honestly, when I heard the news, I couldn&#39;t hold back. Tears of joy flowed. Two years of bombing, terror, destruction, loss, humiliation, and the constant feeling that we could die at any moment,&quot; displaced Palestinian Samer Joudeh told AFP. In Israel, thousands of people gathered in a Tel Aviv square to celebrate, some holding photos of hostages still in Gaza and waving Israeli and US flags. &quot;We have been waiting for this day for 734 days. We cannot imagine being anywhere else this morning,&quot; said Laurence Ytzhak, 54. While Arab leaders said they hoped the ceasefire would lead to a permanent solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, there was no indication the talks were addressing any of the deeper issues at stake. Hamas has submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants released from Israeli jails in the first phase. The list names 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 others arrested by Israel since the war began, according to a Hamas source. High-profile inmate Marwan Barghouti &mdash; from Hamas&#39;s rival, the Fatah movement &mdash; is among those the group wanted to see released, according to Egyptian state-linked media. However, Israel said Barghouti would not be part of the exchange. Explosions continue&nbsp;The talks were taking place under the shadow of the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also took 251 people hostage into Gaza, where 47 remain, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel&#39;s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,194 people, according to the health ministry in the territory, figures the United Nations considers credible. The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children. Gaza&#39;s civil defense agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas&#39;s authority, reported several strikes on the territory after the announcement of the deal. AFP journalists and witnesses said more explosions and artillery fire could be heard Thursday evening in southern and central Gaza.

Trump says he planned to leave on Sunday for Middle East; Egypt planning an event to celebrate conclusion of the agreement.



Israel says 'all parties' signed phase one of Gaza deal

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MADRID: Spanish lawmakers on Wednesday approved the enshrinement in law of an arms embargo on Israel that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez introduced to end what he called &ldquo;the genocide in Gaza.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Parliament backed the decree by 178 votes to 169. It was announced in September by Sanchez, one of the most vocal critics among world leaders of Israel&rsquo;s devastating two-year-old war in the Palestinian territory.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The support of the far-left party Podemos, which has four MPs and had criticized the decree, helped swing the vote in the leftist minority coalition&rsquo;s favor after days of speculation about the lawmakers&rsquo; position.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The government said it had already banned buying weapons from or selling them to Israel since the start of the war, sparked by the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil on Oct. 7, 2023.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sanchez announced last month a decree to &ldquo;consolidate in law&rdquo; the embargo as part of a series of measures against Israel&rsquo;s offensive.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;Israel&rsquo;s response to the terrible attacks committed by terrorist group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, has ended up becoming an indiscriminate attack against the Palestinian population that the majority of experts have called genocide,&rdquo; reads the preamble of the law.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It bans all exports of defense equipment, products or technology to Israel and imports of such goods from the country.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The decree also outlaws the transit of aviation fuel with potential military use and bans the advertising of products &ldquo;coming from illegal colonies in Gaza and the West Bank.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The text allows the government to make exceptions for dual-use defense equipment &ldquo;if the application of the ban harmed general national interests.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">September&rsquo;s announcement triggered furious condemnation from Israel, which had already withdrawn its ambassador to Madrid in 2024 after Spain recognized a Palestinian state.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The vote was initially scheduled for Tuesday, but Spanish media said it was held a day later to avoid coinciding with the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attack.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Israel&rsquo;s embassy in Spain criticized the original plan, calling it &ldquo;a cynical and reprehensible decision&rdquo; in a letter released late Monday.

Reports said:  Spanish lawmakers debate and vote on a bill formalizing an arms embargo on Israel during a parliamentary session in Madrid, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Screengrab/Reuters)

Europe

Spanish lawmakers on Wednesday approved the enshrinement in law of an arms embargo on Israel that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez introduced to end what he called “the genocide in Gaza.”

Spanish parliament approves Israel arms embargo

ROME: Israel&rsquo;s World Cup qualifying match at Italy next week is expected to attract more pro-Palestinian protesters outside the soccer stadium in Udine than ticket-holding spectators inside the arena.&nbsp;Protesters already approached the gates of Italy&rsquo;s training center in Florence last week to demand that the match isn&rsquo;t played because of the war in Gaza, part of a national strike that saw millions of activists take to the streets.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not going to be a calm environment,&rdquo; Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso acknowledged Tuesday from inside the Coverciano training center that was targeted. &ldquo;There will be 10,000 people outside the stadium and 5-6,000 inside the stadium.&rdquo;&nbsp;As of Monday, only 4,000 tickets were sold for next Tuesday&rsquo;s match at Stadio Friuli.&nbsp;While UEFA had been considering suspending Israel over the war and Udine Mayor Alberto Felice De Toni had called for the game to be postponed, with Italy desperately attempting to avoid failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, the four-time champion doesn&rsquo;t plan to risk not playing.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have to play this match. Because if we don&rsquo;t, we&rsquo;ll lose it 3-0,&rdquo; Gattuso said, referring to the rule for forfeited matches. &ldquo;(Italian soccer federation) president (Gabriele) Gravina explained that very well.&rdquo;&nbsp;There was also tension on the field between the two squads after the final whistle when Italy edged Israel 5-4 in a nine-goal thriller last month in neutral Hungary, where Israel has been playing its &ldquo;home&rdquo; matches during the war.&nbsp;The protesters in Italy and elsewhere have also been reacting to an international aid mission blocked by Israeli forces.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s upsetting to see what&rsquo;s happening to innocent people and children,&rdquo; Gattuso said. &ldquo;It hurts your heart.&rdquo;&nbsp;Italy and Israel are level six points behind group leader Norway, with only the first-place finisher in the group to qualify directly for next year&rsquo;s tournament in North America.&nbsp;The second-place finishers progress to a playoff, the stage where Italy was eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia and ruled out of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;Israel could also face protests during a visit to Norway on Saturday.&nbsp;The Norwegian soccer federation pledged to give its profits from ticket sales for the game in Oslo to humanitarian work in Gaza by Doctors Without Borders.&nbsp;Italy played Israel in Udine last October in the Nations League. That game went off without incident amid a heavy police presence and despite a pro-Palestinian demonstration before the game. Italy won 4-1.

Football

Protests are expected during next week’s Italy-Israel World Cup qualifying match in Udine, raising security concerns amid anger over the Gaza war and increasing calls for the game’s cancellation.


Tension builds as Italy-Israel World Cup qualifying match faces protests

ROME: Some of the activists detained while trying to reach Gaza by sea have returned to their home countries to describe abuse and humiliation at the hands of Israeli guards.&nbsp;Some 450 activists were arrested as Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel&rsquo;s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the famine-stricken territory. Those detained between Wednesday and Friday were brought to Israel, where many remain in prison.&nbsp;Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi said Israeli soldiers withheld medicines and treated prisoners &ldquo;like monkeys.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;This is called torture. It&rsquo;s called torture, a denial of human rights, even the most basic ones,&rdquo; he said on his return at Rome&rsquo;s Fiumicino Airport late Saturday.&nbsp;&ldquo;They took away everyone&rsquo;s medicine: people with heart disease, asthma, even an 86-year-old man they took away his inhaler.&rdquo;&nbsp;Among those detained were Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela&rsquo;s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European lawmakers.&nbsp;Tommasi said Thunberg was singled out by Israeli forces after being arrested.&nbsp;&ldquo;We also saw Greta Thunberg at the port, in that case with her arms tied and an Israeli flag next to her, just a mockery,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s say the mockery was part of the verbal and psychological violence they always carried out, in order to demean, ridicule and laugh in situations where there is nothing to laugh about.&rdquo;&nbsp;The inteception of the flotilla came as US President Donald Trump was appearing to be brokering a fresh peace initiative in Gaza, including a proposed ceasefire, as he ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza.&nbsp;Another Italian journalist, Lorenzo D&rsquo;Agostino, said detainees were repeatedly woken during the two nights he spent behind bars. They were also intimidated with dogs and by soldiers pointing the laser sights of their guns at prisoners &ldquo;to scare us.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Overall, I felt I was being held by a terrorist organization,&rdquo; he said after landing at Istanbul Airport, where 137 activists from 13 countries arrived from Israel on Saturday.&nbsp;D&rsquo;Agostino added that his belongings and money had been &ldquo;stolen by the Israelis.&rdquo;&nbsp;Activist Paolo De Montis described being crammed into a prison van for hours with his hands secured by zip ties.&nbsp;&ldquo;Constant stress and humiliation,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You weren&rsquo;t allowed to look them in the face, always had to keep your head down and when I did look up, a man came and shook me and slapped me on the back of the head.&rdquo;&nbsp;In a statement, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he was &ldquo;proud&rdquo; of the way staff behaved at Ketziot prison, a facility in the Negev desert.&nbsp;&ldquo;I was proud that we treat the &lsquo;flotilla activists&rsquo; as supporters of terrorism. Anyone who supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves the conditions of terrorists,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&ldquo;If any of them thought they would come here and receive a red carpet and trumpets they were mistaken. They should get a good feel for the conditions in Ketziot prison and think twice before they approach Israel again.&rdquo;&nbsp;The arrests led to criticism from several governments including Turkey, Colombia and Pakistan. Greece, which had 27 of its nationals in Israeli custody, issued a &ldquo;strong written protest&rdquo; to Israel over the &ldquo;unacceptable and inappropriate behavior of an Israeli minister.&rdquo;&nbsp;The complaint is thought to refer to footage of Ben-Gvir upbraiding the activists for supporting &ldquo;terrorism&rdquo; and mocking their aid initiative after they were brought ashore at the southern port of Ashdod on Friday.&nbsp;The Swedish Foreign Ministry said it had &ldquo;acted intensively to ensure that the detained Swedes&rsquo; rights are observed.&rdquo;&nbsp;The interception of the flotilla also led to large-scale demonstrations in cities across the world.

About 450 activists detained after Israel intercepted the Gaza flotilla report abuse, humiliation, and withheld medicine. Israel denies mistreatment, labeling them terrorists. The arrests sparked protests and criticism from multiple governments worldwide.

Activists accuse Israel of abuse during Gaza flotilla detention

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Saturday to discuss regional developments and the ongoing crisis in Gaza. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two leaders reviewed diplomatic efforts among eight Arab-Islamic countries and the United States in New York, focused on achieving an immediate and durable ceasefire and ensuring unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.<div class="fr-embed responsive-video"><div class="video-wrapper aspect-video"><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: 745px; 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=1974404763472253102&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=7476a1b91bc03244c33e93e80c45f9a3cb0e8dc6&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div></div> Dar appreciated Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s constructive role and continued engagement in advancing peace efforts. Both sides also discussed recent developments, including Hamas&rsquo;s response to a US peace proposal, which they described as a hopeful step toward ending hostilities. The deputy prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s firm commitment to the Palestinian cause and expressed support for all regional and international initiatives aimed at securing a comprehensive and lasting peace. Both leaders agreed to maintain close coordination with Arab and Islamic partners, as well as the international community, to promote a just resolution of the conflict based on the two-state solution.&nbsp; &#39;Key areas&#39; not addressedOn Tuesday, Dar clarified Pakistan&rsquo;s position on the Gaza peace plan presented by the US and Israel earlier this week, saying the proposal did not address &ldquo;key areas.&rdquo; The 20-point plan, supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, disarmament, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. US President Donald Trump said his administration was waiting for Hamas to accept the plan. Pakistan&rsquo;s stanceSpeaking to reporters in Islamabad, Dar said the document did not reflect several crucial points discussed in the joint commitment issued by the foreign ministers of eight Muslim-majority countries. &ldquo;If these issues are not addressed, they will be,&rdquo; he said, emphasizing the group&rsquo;s immediate goal of stopping displacement, ending the bloodshed, and ensuring humanitarian access to Gaza. He stressed that Pakistan&rsquo;s stance was aligned with the joint position of the eight countries and was not an independent statement. &ldquo;This is the collective commitment of eight countries, not just mine or the Prime Minister&rsquo;s,&rdquo; Dar said. Earlier, a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan welcomed the US initiative and lauded President Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;sincere efforts to end the war.&rdquo;

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Central Asia

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Saturday to discuss regional developments and the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

Articles tagged with "israel"