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Yesterday

Could Trump force Jordan and Egypt to take Palestinians deported from Gaza?

US President Donald Trump’s demands for Jordan and Egypt to take in what could be millions of Palestinians deported from Gaza under the president’s stated plan for the devastated territory have been met with a fierce backlash from the Arab world. But wit

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Israel orders army to prepare for 'voluntary' departures from Gaza Strip

Israel's defence minister instructed the military on Thursday to prepare for "voluntary" departures from Gaza, after US President Donald Trump doubled down on his proposal to take over control of the Gaza Strip and move out Palestinians from the territor

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🔴 Live: Washington invites countries critical of Trump's Gaza plan to 'step forward'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that countries denouncing President Donald Trump's comments on the Gaza Strip should step forward and help the battered Palestinian enclave. "There are countries in the region who express a lot of concern,"

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Wednesday, february 5, 2025

Five hurdles to Donald Trump's Gaza-takeover plan

US President Donald Trump put forward his proposal to "take over" and "own" Gaza on Tuesday but despite the US president's inflammatory rhetoric there are likely to be overwhelming roadblocks to his proposal. The idea aligns with other grandiose schemes

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How serious is he? Trump's plan for Gaza

Donald Trump has told the world in the company of a beaming Binyamin Netanyahu that "the US will take over the Gaza Strip". Should we take at face value what he's selling as a grand development scheme and what critics denounce as a quixotic pipe dream th

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'Palestinian people have right to decide their future, enjoy dignified, liberated & sovereign state'

Palestinians view Donald Trump's vision to forcibly transfer hundreds of thousands of civilians out of the Gaza Strip and develop it as a tourist destination as ethnic cleansing. Countries throughout the Middle East and across the globe see the plan as a

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'Building a future that's more promising, stable' for Israelis, Palestinians & all people of region

President Donald Trump's proposal that the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip, redevelop the war-torn territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents was swiftly rejected and denounced on Wednesda

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'There is a tussle between the White House and the Israeli government'

President Donald Trump's plan for the United States to take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically heighten fears among Palestinians in Gaza of being driven out of the coastal strip. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FR

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Iraq's famed 'hunchback' of Mosul rises from ruins of IS group destruction

Mosul's emblematic leaning minaret – known as the Al-Hadba or "hunchback" – has been rebuilt brick by brick, symbolising the rescue of the Iraqi city's priceless heritage after it was reduced to rubble in the fight for the capital of the Islamic State gr

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Papers react to Trump's shock assertion that US will 'take over' Gaza

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, February 5: Papers react to US President Donald Trump's shock announcement that he wants the US to take over Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East". Meanwhile, Google has lifted a ban on using its AI for weapons

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Son of late Aga Khan succeeds as spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims

Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini has succeeded his father to become the 50th hereditary Imam, or spiritual leader, of Ismaili Muslims. He was named after the will of his late father Prince Karim Aga Khan IV was unsealed on Wednesday, the Aga Khan Development Net

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White House appears to backtrack after Trump’s Gaza takeover plan sparks global outcry

The Trump administration appeared to backtrack after US President Donald Trump’s shock proposal to take over the Gaza Strip Tuesday sparked condemnation from Palestinians, world leaders and the United Nations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday

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Trump says US will take over Gaza Strip, create 'Riviera of the Middle East'

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States would "take over" the Gaza Strip, resettle Palestinians in other countries and turn the territory into "the Riviera of the Middle East" in a startling announcement that drew audible gasps during a joi

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Tuesday, february 4, 2025

Is Erdogan eying run in 2028? Kurdish situation in Syria will have 'huge impact on domestic agenda'

Syria’s interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa was in the Turkish capital on Tuesday for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to focus on Syria’s economic recovery as well as the presence of Kurdish-led forces in the north of the country that Tur

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Disappointment in Rafah as fewer injured Palestinians than expected evacuated into Egypt

Fewer wounded Palestinians than expected were evacuated into Egypt on Tuesday through the newly opened Rafah crossing. Under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire, more than 70 wounded Palestinians have been evacuated from Gaza into Egyptian hospitals in recen

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Erdogan hails Syrian leader's 'commitment' to fighting terror during his visit to Turkey

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Turkey's offer to help with Syria's recovery after its devastating 13-year civil war. Erdogan hailed Sharaa for his "strong co

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USAID $40bn budget frozen: Int'l aid from UN agencies, NGOs, public/private sector severely impacted

President Donald Trump's overhaul of US foreign assistance has led to chaos in the aid and development field, leaving hundreds of contractors in a severe financial crunch with some already having to lay off staff and others facing millions of dollars in

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Civilians caught in crossfire of Israeli military operation in West Bank's Jenin

On January 21, less than 48 hours after a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, the Israeli military launched an operation dubbed "Iron Wall" in Jenin, in the north of the occupied West Bank. Its stated aim is to destroy armed Palestinian groups operating

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Trump suggests US could 'take over' Gaza as Netanyahu visits White House

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants the US to take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere. “We will own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapon

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Monday, february 3, 2025

Syria's interim president says organising elections could take up to five years

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday said that organising national elections could take up to five years as infrastructure for voting needs to be "re-established". Al-Sharaa said that Syria would become "a republic with a parliament and an executive g

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Israeli army operation in West Bank’s Tulkarm ‘like a smaller-scale Gaza’

The Israeli military has expanded its operation, dubbed “Iron Wall”, from the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp to Tulkram, further north in the occupied Palestinian territory. The IDF says it has found what it calls terrorist infrastructure in Tulkarm. But

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Israeli army denies issuing evacuation orders during Jenin operation

The Israeli army has intensified its military raid in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp, the third such operation since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Reporting from Jerusalem, FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky says the Israeli army continues to deny th

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Israeli army operation in West Bank’s Tulkarm ‘like a smaller scale Gaza’

The Israeli military has expanded its operation, dubbed “Iron Wall” from the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp to Tulkram, further north. The IDF says it has found what it calls terrorist infrastructure in Tulkarm. But residents of a Tulkarm neighbourhood s

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Sunday, february 2, 2025

Israeli military kills dozens of militants in weeks-long West Bank operation

The Israeli military reported Sunday that over two weeks, at least 50 militants were killed in the West Bank, with operations including the destruction of 23 buildings in Jenin refugee camp, identified as terrorist infrastructure.

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Netanyahu to meet Trump amid fragile Gaza ceasefire

Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu left Sunday for the United States where he will become the first foreign leader to meet Donald Trump since the US president returned to office.

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Israel's Netanyahu heads to US for meeting with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will discuss "victory over Hamas,” countering Iran and expanding diplomatic relations with Arab countries in his meeting with US President Donald Trump. Tuesday's meeting at the White House will be

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Syria's new leader al-Sharaa meets Saudi crown prince on first trip abroad

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa met Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on his first international trip Sunday, visiting Saudi Arabia in what appears to be an effort to signal Damascus' pivot away from Iran as its primary r

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Israel’s military destroys ‘several buildings’ in West Bank’s Jenin

An Israeli military operation was under way Sunday in the north of the occupied West Bank, where “several buildings” have been destroyed near Jenin. The expanding crackdown came as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu headed to Washington to bolster

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Saturday, february 1, 2025

Sick and wounded Gazan children cross to Egypt for treatment

A group of 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children began crossing to Egypt through Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Saturday, in the first opening of the border since Israel captured it nearly nine months ago. With the health system in Gaza shut down, children

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Gaza ceasefire enters 'new phase' with second round of talks poised to begin

The ceasefire in Gaza is entering a "new phase" as a second round of negotiations on the second stage of the truce is poised to begin on Monday. With Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu seemingly reluctant to resume peace talks, the ceasefire is at

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'Very real' risk of ceasefire 'unravelling', expert says

There is a "very, very real" risk of the Gaza ceasefire "unravelling", Director and Co-Founder of NGO Forward Thinking Oliver McTernan told FRANCE 24, citing the fragile peace and emotionally charged atmosphere in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. “It does

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Israel, Hamas complete latest ceasefire swap as Rafah crossing opens

Hamas freed three hostages in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday and Israel released scores of Palestinian prisoners in a fourth round of exchanges as part the Gaza ceasefire deal. The swap came as sick and wounded Palestinian children began crossing to

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Second phase of ceasefire depends on Trump administration, specialist says

The second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza will largely depend on US President Trump’s administration which is currently in favour of pursuing negotiations, said Yossi Mekelberg, senior consulting fellow at MENAP, Chatham House. With talks set to resume M

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'Justice is being done': Joy and relief in West Bank with return of Palestinian prisoners

The release of some 180 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza has resulted in scenes of jubilation in the West Bank as families reunite with their loved ones. The overall joy is also accompanied by a sense that "justice is b

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Gunmen in Syria kill at least 10 in Alawite village, war monitor says

Gunmen killed at least 10 people in Syria on Friday in an attack on a village from former president Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority, in what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called a "massacre". The war monitor said the attacks “bear all the ha

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Gaza ceasefire: Palestinians returning from south to north a ‘big sign’ of optimism, journalist says

The return of displaced Palestinians from the south back to the north of the enclave is a “big sign” of optimism regarding the current ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Palestinian journalist Shrouq Aila told FRANCE 24, adding “we are on track”.

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Israel to release 183 Palestinian prisoners in hostage swap

The Palestinian Authority’s commission of prisoners’ affairs says that a total of 183 Palestinian prisoners are slated for release Saturday in exchange for the three Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The release departs from the previous formula of 30 Pales

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'Deep concern' over released hostages' health

There is deep concern over the health of the three released hostages, FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky said, citing the men's overall frail look, adding that one of the hostages who was already known of having poor health – 65-year-old Keith Siegel – appeare

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Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after Hamas frees three more hostages

Hamas on Saturday released three more hostages – Yarden Bibas, French-Israeli dual national Ofer Kalderon and American-Israeli Keith Siegel – in Gaza as part of its ceasefire deal with Israel. Shortly after, dozens of Palestinians held in Israeli jails w

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Friday, january 31, 2025

Three Israeli hostages set for release in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners

Hamas and Israel will conduct their next hostage-prisoner swap as part of the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday, with three Israelis to be released in exchange for 183 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

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Why were so many Thai nationals taken hostage by Hamas?

Five Thai farmers were released by Hamas on Thursday, meaning nearly all of the 31 Thai hostages seized during the October 7 attack on Israel have been freed. How did so many Thai nationals end up being taken hostage that day?

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Jailed Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi says 'determined to continue fighting'

Jailed Iranian women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi gave an interview to FRANCE 24 while on temporary leave from Tehran's Evin prison. Despite nine trials and facing another 10 years in jail, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate is determined to conti

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Israel and Hamas prepare for fourth hostage-prisoner swap

Hamas and Israel will carry out their fourth hostage-prisoner swap of the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday, with the militant group to free three Israeli captives in exchange for 90 inmates in Israeli jails. Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have so far handed

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Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt to reopen

Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt is set to reopen Saturday following a fourth exchange of hostages and prisoners under a truce agreement. The Rafah crossing was a vital entry point for humanitarian aid to enter into Gaza before the Israeli militar

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Israel has 'vested interest' to break off Gaza ceasefire, expert says

Israel has a vested interest in not following through with negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, Israeli diplomat and political consultant Alon Pinkas told FRANCE 24, citing Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's administration, wh

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Israel urged to ‘work with UN’ as UNRWA warns of threat to Gaza ceasefire

France, Britain and Germany on Friday reiterated their "grave concern" over Israel implementing a law forbidding any contact between its officials and UNRWA as the UN Palestinian relief agency warned that any forced halt of its work would put a fragile c

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Israel, Hamas complete latest ceasefire swap as Rafah crossing opens for Gaza wounded

Hamas freed three hostages in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday and Israel released scores of Palestinian prisoners in a fourth round of exchanges as part the Gaza ceasefire deal. The swap came as sick and wounded Palestinian children began crossing to

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Israel receives names of three hostages to be released Saturday

Israel said it had received the names of captives to be freed by Hamas on Saturday in the fourth hostage-prisoner swap of the Gaza ceasefire. The three hostages to be released are Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel and Ofer Kalderon. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky

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Syria's interim president al-Sharaa vows to uphold 'civil peace'

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, promised Thursday to hold a "national dialogue conference" in his first address to the nation since the fall of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa, who was appointed interim president a day earlier for an un

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Israel severs ties with UN Palestinian aid agency

Israel, backed by Washington, will cease contact with the UN's Palestinian humanitarian relief agency UNRWA and any body acting on its behalf, its UN envoy said Tuesday, drawing condemnation from aid groups. UNRWA's offices and staff in Israel play a maj

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Who's the man behind the Gaza ceasefire deal?

Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff made a rare trip to Gaza this week, the White House said, in a bid to prop up the fragile ceasefire. He also met Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. An unusual figure in US politics, Witkoff, a billionaire r

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EU resumes monitoring mission at Gaza's Rafah border crossing

The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the bloc will revive its civilian mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt as part of efforts to support the ceasefire. "The EU’s civilian border mission deploys today (Friday)

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Thursday, january 30, 2025

Israeli ban on UN's Palestinian aid agency UNRWA comes into effect

Israel on Thursday formally banned the main United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory, despite heavy diplomatic backlash. Humanitarian officials warn the move could have a disastrous impact on aid delivery and jeo

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Israel's ban on UN's Palestinian aid agency has come into effect

Israel on Thursday formally banned the main United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory despite heavy diplomatic backlash, a move that humanitarian officials warn could have a disastrous impact on aid delivery and j

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Hamas confirms death of October 7 mastermind Mohammed Deif

Hamas has for the first time confirmed the death of the group's military chief Mohammed Deif, believed to be one of the key architects behind the October 7 attacks in southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

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Five Thai hostages released by Hamas

Five Thai farm labourers, held hostage for nearly 16 months in the Gaza Strip, were released by Hamas on Thursday during a truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group. They were released along with three Israelis. On October 7, 2023, after th

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Israel-Hamas ceasefire: How to keep it on track?

Each time, there's suspense. There was some stage-managing and some confusion, but in the end, a third round of exchanges of Gaza hostages for Palestinian prisoners this Thursday has kept the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal on the rails. We ask about the opt

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Israel-Hamas ceasefire: 'It's time for this war to end, we have to stop doing this to each other'

Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who masked militants shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands, drew an angry protest from Israel. For in

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3 Israeli hostages released in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners

Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages, including three Israelis, on Thursday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Israel later began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after the swap was delayed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who demand

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Israel-Hamas ceasefire: Next phase requires 'building trust and accepting war should come to an end'

Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who masked militants shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands, drew an angry protest from Israel. For in

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