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Many Israelis emigrate over Gaza, discontent with Netanyahu

Israel is grappling with a profound social crisis, increasingly reflected in a growing wave of emigration. This surge is primarily driven by escalating political and security tensions, as well as widespread discontent with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s stan

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'Sinwar killed peace': Grandson of Israeli hostages urges 'to work back towards path' to peace

As it grinds on well into its twenty-second month, Israel's war in Gaza has set friends and families against one another and sharpened existing political and cultural divides. Hostage families and peace activists want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's

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Israeli PM Netanyahu seeks to expand Gaza operations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed to update the country's Gaza war strategy amid intensifying pressure to secure the release of remaining hostages and growing international concern over humanitarian crisis in the enclave after nea

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Israel to partially reopen Gaza private sector trade as Netanyahu prepares updated war plan

Israel announced plans Tuesday to reopen some private sector trade with Gaza, approving a limited number of merchants under strict security checks. The move came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to present an updated war strategy that could

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Amid desperation in war-torn Gaza, 'environment of fear, intimidation and worry in West Bank'

Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory's slide toward famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid are f

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Live: Israel must ‘complete’ defeat of Hamas to free hostages, Netanyahu says

Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday Israel "must complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free hostages all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel". The announcement came as the Israeli government announced plans to r

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More Gazans die seeking aid and from hunger

Israel announced plans Tuesday to reopen some private sector trade with Gaza, approving a limited number of merchants under strict security checks. The move came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to present an updated war strategy that could

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Yesterday

Videos of Israeli hostages in Gaza increase pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu for a ceasefire

New images of emaciated Israeli hostages held in Gaza have horrified Israelis and added pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire with Hamas, even as his government considers another expansion of the nearly 22-month war.

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Israel wants world attention on hostages held in Gaza

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Monday (August 4) said he wants the issue of hostages held in Gaza at the "front and centre" of the world stage, and that he will discuss it at a special UN Security Council session. Videos of emaciated Israeli hos

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Saudi Arabia executes 17 people in three days, approaching new record

Saudi Arabia has executed 17 people in just three days, marking the fastest pace of capital punishment since 2022 and raising the total number of executions this year to 239. The surge has drawn concern from rights groups, casting a shadow over the kingd

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More Gazans die as aid fails to reach most needy

At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes on Gaza on Monday (August 4) including 10 seeking aid, health authorities said, adding another five had died of starvation in what humanitarian agencies warn may be an unfolding famin

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Netanyahu to brief Israeli military on plan to ‘achieve war objectives’ in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed to update the country's Gaza war strategy amid intensifying pressure to secure the release of remaining hostages and growing international concern over humanitarian crisis in the enclave after nea

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Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel opens humanitarian corridors, halts airstrikes

Hamas said on Sunday (August 3) it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released showing an emaciated captive drew sharp criticism from Western pow

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Lebanon awaits justice 5 years after Beirut port blast

The blast on August 4, 2020 was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions, devastating swathes of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,500.

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FRANCE 24 report: France carries out airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza

Hospitals in Gaza said 33 more Palestinians seeking food aid were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday. The report came as efforts continued to get more aid into Gaza, with France pledging to parachute 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid in, despite criticism that

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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu asks Red Cross to help hostages in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday (August 3) to aid hostages in Gaza. In response, Hamas said that it would allow the agency access to the hostages but only if "humanita

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Migrant boat sinks off Yemen, killing at least 68

A shipwreck off Yemen has killed at least 68 people, the UN's migration agency said Monday (August 3), with dozens still missing after the boat carrying mostly Ethiopians sank.

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President Aoun vows 'justice is coming' as Lebanon marks five years since Beirut port blast

Five years after the massive Beirut port explosion that killed more than 220 people and injured thousands, victims' families gathered Monday to demand justice as Lebanon's president vowed accountability for one of the world's deadliest non-nuclear blasts

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Hundreds of Israeli ex-security officials call on Trump to end Gaza war

Hundreds of retired Israeli security officials urged US President Donald Trump on Monday to pressure the Israeli government into ending the war in Gaza, saying Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat and calling on the US leader to help "steer" their co

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Far-right Israeli minister sparks outrage by praying at flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparked regional outrage Sunday by visiting Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa compound, a flashpoint where non-Muslim prayer is banned. His presence defied longstanding norms as Gaza reeled from deadly aid chaos and deepening

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Israeli ex-security chiefs urge Donald Trump to help end Gaza war

Hundreds of retired Israeli security officials including former heads of intelligence agencies have urged US President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war in Gaza. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert tells us more and gives us his analys

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Lebanon marks 5 years since Beirut port blast

The blast on August 4, 2020 was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions, devastating swathes of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,500. Five years after the catastrophic explosion, "no one has been held accou

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Sunday, august 3, 2025

Scores dead, dozens missing after migrant ship sinks off Yemen coast

At least 76 migrants are dead and dozens missing after their ship sank off the coast of Yemen Sunday, the UN's migration agency said. Tens of thousands of migrants cross the perilous waters between the Horn of Africa and Yemen every year in search of wo

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Renewed clashes in Syria's Druze-majority Sweida kill four people, monitor says

Three Syrian security personnel and a member of a Druze militia were killed in renewed clashes in the southern province of Sweida, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday. More than 1,400 people were killed in an outbreak of sectaria

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Sweida: Clashes rattle civilians as truce frays

Renewed sectarian clashes erupted in southern Syria's Druze-majority Sweida province on Sunday (August 3). For more on that topic, FRANCE 24 spoke to Amr Fahed, a Syrian artist and human rights activist.

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Israeli minister Ben-Gvir says he prayed at flashpoint holy site

A far-right Israeli minister visited and said he prayed at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Sunday (August 3), triggering regional condemnation and fears that the provocative move could further escalate tensions. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani g

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Humanitarian needs escalate in Sweida as truce frays

New outbreaks of violence overnight into Sunday (August 3) rocked Syria straining a fragile ceasefire. Meanwhile residents in Sweida are calling access to more humanitarian aid.

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Hamas Israeli hostage videos 'appalling', EU foreign affairs chief Kallas says

Videos released by Palestinian militant group Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad showing a pair of emaciated hostages held in Gaza since the the October 7, 2023 attack were condemned as "appalling" by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Sunday. Israeli

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'We want this war to be over': Israeli hostage families protest in Tel Aviv

Over the past few days, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have released three videos showing two hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The videos sparked reactions from Israelis who are steppin

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'My children sleep without food': Gaza aid fails to reach most desperate

International outcry over images of emaciated children and increasing reports of hunger-related deaths have pressured Israel to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. Aid groups and Palestinians say the changes have only been incremental and are not enough to

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'Famine is unfolding. It's not pending anymore': Why isn't enough food reaching people in Gaza?

More deadly chaos in Gaza. Local officials say at least 18 more Palestinians were killed Saturday (August 2), including aid seekers near distribution sites. The UN has warned of the risk of famine, with 7 more malnutrition-related deaths in the past 24 h

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At least one killed in Israeli strike on Gaza Red Crescent HQ, says aid group

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Sunday that an Israeli strike on its headquarters in Khan Younis, Gaza, killed at least one staff member and wounded three others. The attack comes two days after US envoy Steve Witkoff visited a US-backed a

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Syrian government, Kurdish-led SDF exchange accusations over northern Syria attack

Syria’s defence ministry and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) exchanged blame on Saturday following an attack in the northern city of Manbij, threatening to compromise a landmark integration agreement signed by the two sides in March.

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Amid chaos, gangs and gunfire, Gaza aid fails to reach most desperate

The limited food aid that Israel permits into Gaza after nearly 22 months of conflict is often seized by Palestinians risking their lives under fire, stolen by gangs, or diverted under chaotic circumstances rather than reaching those most in need, say UN

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Saturday, august 2, 2025

FRANCE 24 report in Sweida: Tens of thousands displaced since clashes began

Since the beginning of sectarian clashes between Bedouins and Druze in Sweida province, several humanitarian organizations have been helping civilians to evacuate from the devastated city. The UN believes 173,000 people have been displaced since mid-July

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Amount of aid entering Gaza is 'very insufficient', Germany says

The amount of humanitarian aid that Israel is allowing to enter the besieged Gaza Strip is "very insufficient", the German government said Saturday, noting "limited initial progress" in getting more aid into the enclave. Aid agencies say that more than t

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Italy to begin air drops of aid into Gaza, minister says

After France and Spain, Italy said Friday (August 1) it would begin air drops over Gaza, which UN-backed experts say is slipping into famine. The first drops could come on August 9, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said. "I have given the green light to a

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Israel's army chief says 'combat will continue without rest' in Gaza unless hostages are freed

The Israeli army chief of staff said Friday that "combat will continue without rest" in the Gaza Strip unless Hamas releases the remaining hostages. Hospitals in Gaza reported that Israeli fire killed over a dozen people on Saturday, including eight indi

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Friday, august 1, 2025

France suspends intake of Gazan evacuees over student's antisemitic posts

France announced Friday it would halt its Gaza student evacuation programme after a scholarship recipient accused of sharing antisemitic posts was ordered to leave. All Gazan arrivals will now face new screening as authorities investigate the vetting pro

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US special envoy Witkoff to visit Gaza to assess humanitarian crisis

US envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to travel to the Gaza Strip on Friday to inspect humanitarian aid distribution sites and meet with residents — a rare visit by a foreign diplomat to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, which is facing the threat of

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Trump envoy to visit aid sites as humanitarian disaster worsens in Gaza

Noga Tarnopolsky, our correspondant in Jerusalem, has more.

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‘Mathematics of starvation’: The Guardian on famine in Gaza

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, August 1: Shocking images of famine in Gaza dominate front pages today, as US envoy Steve Witkoff travels to the territory amid mounting humanitarian concerns. Also, a Ukrainian soldier was reportedly rescued from enemy lines using

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Trump envoy pledges stepped-up Gaza aid as Hamas releases video of Israeli hostage

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited an aid distribution site in Gaza run by the Israeli-US backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) on Friday amid global outrage over shortages and deadly chaos. The visit came as Hamas released a video

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Syria forms panel to probe civilian attacks in Sweida violence

Syria's new authorities have established a committee to investigate attacks on civilians during recent sectarian clashes in the southern Druze-majority province of Sweida. The week-long clashes last month killed more than 1,400 people, according to the U

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Trump’s envoy visits an aid distribution center in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip

The special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump visited an aid distribution center in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip on Friday morning, as pressure mounts on Israel over the rising death toll in the famine-stricken Palestinian territory. Shrouq Al-Aila, jou

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France sending 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza, foreign minister says

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday that France is sending four flights carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza from Jordan. Jeremy Isacharoff, Former Ambassador of Israel to Germany and & Vice Director General of Foreign Minis

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Thursday, july 31, 2025

US imposes visa sanctions on Palestinian Authority, PLO officials for 'undermining' peace

The US State Department on Thursday announced sanctions on officials of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization for trying to "internationalise” their conflict with Israel, including by bringing cases to the International Criminal

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Trump envoy Witkoff, US Ambassador Huckabee to inspect Gaza food distribution

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will enter Gaza on Friday to inspect aid distrubution and meet with residents of the war-wracked territory.

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French FM condemns Israel, US-backed Gaza aid operation as ‘bloodbath’

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Thursday said the Israeli- and US-backed aid operation run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) “generated a bloodbath in distribution lines in Gaza" and “has to stop”. The UN estimates that Israeli forc

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Arab nations call on Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, July 31: We take a look at reactions to a call by Arab nations for Hamas to disarm as a step toward establishing peace in the Palestinian territories. Also, French Olympic champion Léon Marchand shatters a world record at the cha

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Dozens killed in Gaza after Israeli forces open fire on crowd seeking food

Dozens of Palestinians were killed on June 30 after Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd of people waiting for food at one of the Israeli-run aid distribution sites, amid intensifying fears of full-scale famine breaking out in the enclave.

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Wednesday, july 30, 2025

Israeli troops kill at least 30 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza’s north, civil defence agency says

Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians waiting to collect humanitarian aid in the north of Gaza Wednesday, the territory's civil defence agency said, saying at least 30 people had been shot dead and more than 300 wounded. More than a dozen other peop

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Palestinian activist Owdeh Hathaleen killed by Israeli settler in West Bank, witness says

Palestinian activist and teacher Owdeh Hathaleen was killed during an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank village of Umm al-Khair and several witnesses say that settler Yinon Levi is responsible for his death. The FRANCE 24 Observers tea

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War against captagon: Why is Saudi Arabia executing drug dealers on a massive scale?

Saudi Arabia is carrying out more executions than at any time since the 1990s as the kingdom cracks down hard on the trafficking of captagon, an illicit synthetic drug popular in the Middle East – and notably in Saudi Arabia.

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'It's too late: We have not prevented this genocide, but pressure is building to stop it'

When two human rights groups became the first major voices in Israel to accuse the state of committing genocide in Gaza, breaking a taboo in a country founded after the Holocaust, they were prepared for a backlash. B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Right

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France, 14 other nations issue ‘New York call’ urging recognition of Palestine

Foreign ministers of France and 14 other countries represented at a special UN conference issued a "New York call" urging nations across the world to recognise a Palestinian state, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Wednesday.

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Prominent Israeli rights groups 'acknowledge genocidal character of what own state is perpetrating'

Prominent Israeli rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel said on Monday that they had concluded the war in Gaza amounts to a "genocide" against Palestinians, a first for Israeli NGOs. Both organisations are frequent critics of Isra

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'Genocide': B’Tselem concludes that Israel is 'deliberately destroying Palestinian society in Gaza'

Two prominent Israeli human rights organizations have concluded in a new report that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza—marking the first time Jewish-led groups within Israel have made such allegations during nearly 22 months of war. The findings by B

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The Bright Side: Thousands of carpets sunbathe at Turkey resort to temper their hues

During the summer, thousands of colourful carpets and kilim rugs lie on the bare ground of an area the size of about 56 football fields just outside the coastal city of Antalya in the south of Turkey. The goal of the practice is to dry the fabric's natur

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Exclusive: GHF ‘complicit in war crimes’ in Gaza, says former aid contractor

Anthony Aguilar, a retired US army soldier, worked as a security subcontractor for the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) tasked with delivering aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave. In this exclusive testimony, Aguilar reveals u

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