May 30 Israel seizes control of strategic Gaza land border, claims area is awash in smuggling tunnels By Tia Goldenberg, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Beyond Rafah, Israeli forces were still battling militants in parts of Gaza the military said it wrested control of months ago — potential signs of a low-level insurgency that could keep Israeli troops engaged in the territory. Continue reading
May 29 Israel’s military says it’s taken control of a strategic corridor near Rafah, along Gaza’s border with Egypt By Melanie Lidman, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press The corridor, known as Philadelphi, stretches along the border with neighboring Egypt, near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where Israeli forces have been fighting recently. Continue reading
May 06 Israel strikes targets in Rafah, hours after Hamas agrees to a cease-fire By Sam Mednick, Josef Federman, Bassem Mroue, Associated Press The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive — but only barely — for an accord that could bring at least a pause in the 7-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. Continue reading
May 06 Hamas says it accepts Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal By Sam Mednick, Josef Federman, Bassem Mroue, Associated Press There was no immediate comment from Israel. Continue reading
Apr 26 Egypt delegation in Israel attempts to broker cease-fire agreement in Gaza By Associated Press As the war drags on and casualties mount, there has been growing international pressure for Hamas and Israel to reach an agreement on a cease fire. Continue reading
Apr 05 AP report: Biden asks Egypt and Qatar to urge Hamas on hostage deal By Aamer Madhani, Associated Press President Joe Biden on Friday wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling on them to press Hamas for hostage deal with Israel, according to a senior administration official. Continue reading
Mar 29 The EU plans to fast-track some financial aid to Egypt amid influx of migrants By Lorne Cook, Associated Press The funds are part of a bigger aid package under an EU-Egypt deal aimed partly at stopping migrants from reaching European shores. Continue reading
Mar 21 WATCH: Blinken and Egyptian foreign minister hold briefing after talks about Gaza’s future By Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is huddling with top Arab diplomats in Cairo to discuss post-conflict plans for Gaza as relations between the United States and Israel are souring further over Israel's war against Hamas. Continue reading
Mar 17 EU announces $8 billion aid package for Egypt as concerns over migration mount By Samy Magdy, Associated Press The European Union on Sunday announced a 7.4 billion-euro ($8 billion) aid package for cash-strapped Egypt as concerns mount that economic pressure and conflicts in neighboring countries could drive more migrants to European shores. Continue reading
Feb 17 Watch 7:25 Israeli attack on Rafah would have ‘severe repercussions,’ Egypt’s foreign minister says By Nick Schifrin, Andrew Corkery, Kaisha Young As Israel steps up its bombing across Gaza this week, talks aimed at negotiating the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas and a pause in fighting have stalemated. At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Nick Schifrin sat down… Continue watching