Feb 08 Israel kills 13 in Rafah, southern Gaza town where many Palestinians have fled By Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa, Kareem Chehayeb, Associated Press More than half of Gaza's population has fled to Rafah, on the mostly sealed border with Egypt. It is also the main entry point for humanitarian aid. Continue reading
Feb 07 Watch 10:44 Experts discuss Gaza cease-fire negotiations as Netanyahu rejects Hamas’ latest terms By Nick Schifrin Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a counterproposal from Hamas that would have paused the war in exchange for releasing Israeli hostages over the next few months. The U.S. has hoped a pause could spark broader regional diplomatic progress. Nick… Continue watching
Feb 07 Netanyahu rejects Hamas terms for cease-fire, vows to fight until ‘absolute victory’ By Matthew Lee, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Blinken said an agreement between the sides was still possible. But Netanyahu's remarks also underscored how wide the chasm between Israel and Hamas remains as the war enters its fifth month. Continue reading
Feb 06 2 more ships in Mideast waters attacked by suspected Houthi drones By Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas. Continue reading
Feb 06 Blinken meets with Egyptian mediators to push for cease-fire in Gaza By Matthew Lee, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Egypt fears an expansion of combat to the Rafah area could push terrified Palestinian civilians across the border, a scenario Egypt has said it is determined to prevent. Continue reading
Feb 05 Watch 3:03 Blinken returns to Middle East in push for Gaza cease-fire, release of hostages By Nick Schifrin, Solveig Rennan Secretary of State Blinken returned to the Middle East hoping to make progress on a deal to pause the war in Gaza and release Israeli hostages. The Biden administration hopes the deal could lead to larger diplomatic initiatives across the… Continue watching
Feb 05 Watch 9:24 Experts discuss obstacles to Palestinian statehood and Saudi-Israeli normalization By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn Saudi leaders say diplomatic normalization with Israel isn’t possible without steps toward a Palestinian state. The U.S. hopes a pause in fighting could lead to progress on reforming the Palestinian Authority, normalization and two states. Nick Schifrin discussed more with… Continue watching
Feb 05 Europe may see new influx of migrants if conflict in Sudan persists, UN refugee chief says By Tom Odula, Associated Press More than 9 million people are thought to be displaced in Sudan and 1.5 million refugees have fled the country in months of clashes between the Sudanese military and paramilitary forces. Continue reading
Feb 05 Obstacles loom as Blinken returns to Middle East to negotiate plans for Gaza By Matthew Lee, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Blinken hopes to press ahead with a potential cease-fire deal and postwar planning while tamping down regional tensions. But on on all three fronts he faces major challenges. Continue reading
Feb 03 Hamas shows signs of return in Gaza City after Israel withdraws most of its troops from area By Najib Jobain, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Hamas has begun to resurface in areas where Israel withdrew the bulk of its forces a month ago, deploying police officers and making salary payments to some of its civil servants in Gaza City in recent days, four residents and a senior… Continue reading