The first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce is drawing to a close yesterday, but negotiations on the next stage, which should secure a permanent ceasefire, have so far been inconclusive.

An Israeli delegation in Cairo aims to negotiate to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal by an additional 42 days, two Egyptian security sources said yesterday.

Saudi Arabia today announced that the holy month of Ramadan will commence on Saturday (March 1) after the Ramadan crescent moon was sighted in the Kingdom

Defence Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that Israeli forces would indefinitely remain in what he called a “buffer zone”, in southern Lebanon.

Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in recent months, according to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by AFP yesterday.

Palestinian militants yesterday freed five Israeli hostages, among the last living captives to be released under the first phase of a fragile truce that is also expected to see Palestinian prisoners released.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to carry out an “intensive” operation in the West Bank after explosions on buses close to Tel Aviv on Thursday, in what Netanyahu’s office described as an attempted mass attack.

Hamas yesterday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “threats” to make the Palestinian group pay after he accused it of violating the ceasefire by not returning the hostage Shiri Bibas.

A source close to the Saudi government told AFP that Arab leaders would discuss 'a reconstruction plan to counter Trump's plan for Gaza'

Iran executed at least 975 people last year in a “horrifying escalation” of its use of capital punishment, two human rights groups said yesterday.

Three Palestinians were killed on Wednesday evening by Israeli forces in the al-Faraa camp near Tubas in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported.

Iranian authorities said yesterday that a British couple arrested last month in the country’s southeast had been charged with espionage and accused of links to Western intelligence services.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz yesterday confirmed that troops remain at five positions in southern Lebanon past a pullout deadline, vowing action against any truce violation by militant group Hezbollah.

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham dismissed on Monday President Donald Trump’s proposal to seize Gaza and force out the Palestinians, while Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal said he expects Arab states to put forward a workable alternative.

Israel and the United States have a common approach to Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday, praising President Donald Trump’s “bold vision” for the territory after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Palestinian militants released three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian inmates freed by Israel, completing the latest swap despite fears the Gaza truce deal was near collapse.

Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit on February 20 to discuss Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, a source with knowledge of the preparations said Friday.

Hamas said yesterday it was committed to honouring a truce with Israel that is facing its worst crisis since it took effect, and added that mediators were pushing for hostages to be released this weekend as planned.

Israel’s military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to release more Israeli hostages and a nearly month-old ceasefire breaks down.

A Hamas official said yesterday Israeli hostages can be brought home from Gaza only if a fragile ceasefire is respected, dismissing the “language of threats” after US President Donald Trump said he would “let hell break out” if they were not freed.