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After two years of war, Gaza is buried under more than 61 million tonnes of debris and three quarters of buildings have been destroyed, according to UN data analysed by AFP.The fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which came into effect on October 10 under pressure from US President Donald Trump, opens the way for the reconstruction of the devastated territory.This will require managing the immense amount of rubble.As of July 8, 2025, the Israeli army had damaged or destroyed nearly 193,000 buildings in the densely populated territory, representing about 78 percent of existing structures before the conflict began on October 7, 2023, according to satellite analysis by the United Nations' UNOSAT programme.In an assessment of images from September 22-23 of Gaza City, the UN agency estimated that an even higher proportion -- 83 percent -- of buildings there had been damaged or destroyed.The total 61.5 million tonnes of debris is nearly 170 times the weight of New York's Empire State Building and is equivalent to over 169 kilogrammes of debris for each square metre of Gaza's small territory.Nearly two-thirds of the debris was made in the first five months of the war, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).The destruction of buildings also accelerated in the months leading up to the current ceasefire.Eight million tonnes of debris were generated from April to July 2025, mostly in the southern part of the territory between Rafah and Khan Yunis.A preliminary analysis published by UNEP in August warned the debris poses a serious health risk to the exposed population.The UN agency suggests that at least 4.9 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated with asbestos from old buildings, particularly near refugee camps such as those in Jabaliya in the north, Nuseirat and al-Maghazi in the centre, and Rafah and Khan Yunis in the south.UNEP also reports at least 2.9 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated with "hazardous waste from known industrial sites".

US President Donald Trump said he would like to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin only when a productive summit can be expected. Trump had previously announced that he had agreed with Putin to hold a new summit to discuss ending the war in Ukraine in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, following a phone call that lasted more than two hours and which he described as constructive. Trump did not comment on media reports Tuesday that the scheduled meeting with Putin had been postponed or suspended, but in response to a reporter's question about the upcoming summit and his position on the potential sale of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, he said, "I don't want to have a wasted meeting. I don't want to have a waste of time, so I'll see what happens." He indicated that no decision had been made yet, and it was unclear whether he was referring to the potential meeting with Putin or to the issue of selling long-range missiles to Ukraine. During his recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump expressed reservations about supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, which are capable of striking deep into Russian territory. Several US media outlets previously reported growing doubts about the possibility of the planned meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest.

The number of martyrs among prisoners and detainees who were identified rose to 80 since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip. There were at least 47 martyrs from Gaza among them. According to the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), citing the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, the total number of martyrs among prisoners and detainees whose identities are known since 1967 has risen to 317. This figure reflects what institutions have been able to document over decades. However, in light of the ongoing war, there is information about dozens of detainees who were executed in the field after being arrested, particularly from Gaza. The Prisoners' Club also noted that the Israeli occupation continues to withhold the bodies of 88 martyrs from the prisoners' movement, including 77 since the beginning of the war, while dozens of martyrs from among Gaza detainees remain forcibly disappeared.

Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation Sergei Naryshkin said that European member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are preparing for war with Russia. Naryshkin added during a meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Samarkand, "we see how the European NATO allies are preparing for war with our country. The task has been set to quickly provide all the necessary resources to the Allied Rapid Reaction Forces designated for this purpose," according to both RIA Novosti and Sputnik News. "The process of significantly increasing the production of the European military-industrial complex has begun. Mobilization exercises and propaganda indoctrination about the inevitable aggression from Moscow have become a regular practice," he said. Naryshkin stressed that restraint, the ability to compromise, and responsibility are now required to avoid a new global armed conflict, noting that Russia has observed in recent years unprecedented NATO activity along its western borders, emphasizing that the West must abandon its policy of militarizing the continent. He also accused Kyiv of ignoring the commitment made by the administration of US President Donald Trump to engage in constructive discussions to resolve the crisis.

Ukraine drones hit Russia's Orenburg gas processing plantGas from Karachaganak is being processed at the Orenburg plantShell, Eni, Chevron are among Karachaganak stakeholdersA Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Orenburg gas plant has forced neighbouring Kazakhstan to reduce production at its Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field by 25% to 30%, two industry sources told Reuters on Monday.One of the world's largest gas processing plants, Orenburg was forced to suspend its intake of gas from Kazakhstan after the attack, Kazakhstan's energy ministry said on Sunday.Ukraine confirmed it hit a gas plant in the Orenburg region, some 1,700 kilometres east of the Russian border with Ukraine, and an oil refinery in the Samara region.Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russian refineries and other energy facilities since August to try to disrupt fuel supplies and deprive Moscow of funding.Output at Karachaganak on Monday was down to between 25,000 metric tons (196,500 barrels per day) and 28,000 metric tons from the usual level of 35,000-35,500, according to two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.They said Orenburg, which is controlled by gas producer Gazprom, might resume some gas intake from Karachaganak on Monday. However, they declined to say when normal levels of supply would be restored.Oil and gas output at Karachaganak are closely linked, meaning the field is not able to produce much oil if its gas production is down.Apart from processing at Orenburg, Karachaganak gas is used for re-injection to maintain reservoir pressure as well as for power generation at local facilities.Karachaganak produced around 263,000 bpd of oil in 2024. It is exported by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium via a Russian Black Sea terminal, as well as through Russia's Druzhba pipeline to Germany.The field is operated by a consortium which includes US major Chevron (18%) and European energy firms Shell (29.25%) and Eni (29.25%).Russia's Lukoil (13.5%) and local firm KazMunayGaz (10%) also hold stakes.The consortium, Gazprom, and Kazakhstan's energy ministry did not reply to requests for comment.Kazakh authorities agreed with Karachaganak shareholders in 2024 to build a new gas processing plant at the field with annual capacity of up to 4 billion cubic metres, expected to start operations in 2028.However, the project has been suspended under the current consortium, and the government is seeking new investors, aiming to attract Kazakh companies.Industry sources has said that oil and gas condensate production at Karachaganak declined in September by 24% from August to 200,000 bpd amid maintenance at the Orenburg plant.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the war with Russia to be frozen along current battle lines before the two sides can enter peace negotiations, even as his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin continues to demand that Ukraine cede the entire Donetsk region in the east to Russia. Zelenskyy affirmed the need to end the war, especially from the contact line between the two armies. To end the war and return to peace negotiations, the Ukrainian president stressed that the soldiers need to stay where they are, so as to not cede anything more to Putin. During a phone call with US President Donald Trump on October 16, the Russian president demanded that Kyiv cede full control of Donetsk as a condition for ending the war, the Washington Post reported, citing unidentified senior officials. The Ukrainian president has repeatedly refused to cede any territory to Russia.

US President Donald Trump affirmed that he is working hard on resolving the Ukrainian crisis, amid the ongoing Russian military operation against Ukraine since February 24, 2022. Trump added, in press statements, that he continues to work on ending the Russian war on Ukraine, saying he is working diligently on this file, ahead of the expected visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House scheduled for Friday. On another note, the US President stated that the United States is in a trade war with China. In response to a question about the possibility of escalating relations with China into a trade war, Trump said, "We're in one now."

Germany called on US President Donald Trump to increase pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine following his successful mediation to end the war in the Gaza Strip. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, during a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Georgiev in Sofia, that Trump has made a decisive contribution to the agreement on the Gaza Strip, and "Germany is calling on him to continue his efforts to secure negotiations between Russia and Ukraine." Wadephul added that the German government has high expectations of the US administration, as President Trump has convincingly demonstrated his interest in participating in concluding peace agreements in various parts of the world. He indicated his country's readiness to support Trump in such a peace initiative, stressing that "it is worth making every effort to launch a new attempt at a peace process in Ukraine now, before large-scale fighting flares up again." The US president has sought to end the war in Ukraine since taking office. He sent his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Russia several times and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a peace agreement between the two sides, but without any success due to the wide gap in the two countries' positions.

US President Donald Trump praised Qatar's mediation efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip and stressed that the ceasefire will hold. In a press statement, the US President said that the war in the Gaza Strip has ended and that numerous guarantees have been provided to ensure the ceasefire holds. President Trump explained that Hamas may release some of its prisoners earlier than the date stipulated in the agreement between the movement and Israel. He pointed out that the new administration in the Gaza Strip would begin its work very quickly. He also expressed his desire to visit the Strip. The US President will co-chair the Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt. The summit aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip and advance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.

More than 1 million had suffered power cuts in UkraineTwo killed, 20 people hurt, officials sayTransport delays and blackouts disrupt life in KyivRussia intensifies attacks on Ukraine's energyEmergency crews restored power to many parts of Ukraine after an overnight Russian drone and missile attack on Friday struck energy facilities, plunging large districts of Kyiv and other areas into darkness and cutting water supplies.In the latest mass attack targeting the energy system as winter approaches, electricity was interrupted in nine regions and over a million households and businesses were temporarily without power across the country.In southeastern Ukraine, a seven-year-old was killed when his home was hit and at least 20 people were injured.In Kyiv, an apartment block in the city centre was damaged by a projectile, while on the left bank of the Dnipro that divides the capital, crowds waited at bus stops with the metro out of action. People filled water bottles at distribution points."We didn't sleep at all," said Liuba, a pensioner, as she collected water. "From 2:30 a.m. there was so much noise. By 3:30 we had no electricity, no gas, no water. Nothing."Ukraine's energy ministry said more than 800,000 customers had at one point suffered power cuts in Kyiv.By Saturday morning, the private power company DTEK said electricity had been restored to most of Kyiv residents, but local problems remained. It said power had also been restored in areas outside the capital and in Dnipropetrovsk region in the southeast.Authorities reported Russian attacks in different parts of the country throughout Friday. An official in the northern Chernihiv region said one person was killed when a car belonging to the local energy utility was hit by a drone.Ukrainians are bracing for a tough winter, as the full-scale war launched by Russia's February 2022 invasion nears its fourth anniversary. Russia has intensified attacks on the energy system in recent weeks, striking power plants and gas production facilities, and local authorities are struggling with the scale of repairs."They can't demonstrate anything real on the battlefield... so they will attack our energy sector," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv.Calling for more support from allies, he said that 203 main energy facilities in the country needed air-defence protection.Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk met G7 ambassadors and representatives of some of Ukraine's biggest energy companies to discuss how allies could help protect the country against further attacks and repair the damage."The blow is strong, but it is definitely not fatal," Zelenskiy said.Speaking later in his nightly video address, he said Putin had deliberately launched the attack when world attention was focused on the "valuable opportunity" to move towards Middle East peace after the ceasefire agreement in Gaza."This marks a new record of Russian depravity, to intensify terrorist strikes and target civilian lives at such a moment," he said.Ukraine's air force said it had downed 405 of 465 drones and 15 of 32 missiles in this attack. Ukraine's stretched air defences are no match for regular barrages on such a scale.According to Zelenskiy, Russia waited for bad weather to attack and the inclement conditions reduced the efficiency of Ukraine's air defences by between 20% and 30%.Russia said its overnight strikes were in response to Ukraine's attacks on Russian civilian facilities.Ukraine regularly launches drone strikes against Russia's military and oil installations, although they are generally on a far smaller scale. Kyiv says it wants to force Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in good faith.For many Kyiv residents, the day started with power cuts, disruptions in the water supply and transport delays."We had no power or water when I left my house. I can't get to work because the subway is not operating and buses are overflowing," Anatoliy, a 23-year-old student, told Reuters.Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the assault was among the heaviest concentrated strikes on energy infrastructure and reported significant damage.Her deputy, Oleksiy Kuleba, said two million customers in Kyiv temporarily faced problems with water supplies.DTEK said its thermal power plants had suffered significant damage without providing details.

The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip revealed that more than 10,000 Palestinians remain missing to date, since the onset of the genocide war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.In remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Saturday, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, Mahmoud Basal, stated that Civil Defense teams are awaiting the full withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from all agreed-upon locations under the ceasefire agreement, in order to carry out their duties of recovering the bodies of martyrs and searching for the missing.He pointed out that thousands of citizens have been lost beneath the rubble and destroyed homes since the beginning of the aggression, and could not be reached due to the presence of occupation forces or because the bodies are trapped under residential buildings and towers that were demolished by their inhabitants.He noted that Civil Defense lacks the heavy equipment necessary to remove the debris and extract the bodies, adding that field teams will face significant challenges in retrieving or identifying the remains due to decomposition over time.Basal explained that on the first day of the Israeli army's withdrawal from various areas of the Strip, more than 140 bodies of martyrs were recovered, including over 60 in Gaza City, with many others still under the rubble.He noted that Civil Defense teams continue to receive reports of remains beneath the debris but are unable to retrieve them due to the lack of necessary equipment.He further stated that within a single day following the ceasefire, Civil Defense and municipal and service teams carried out more than 850 rescue and relief operations, including body recovery, debris removal, and securing destroyed areas.Basal confirmed that Civil Defense headquarters in areas vacated by the Israeli army were completely destroyed, emphasizing that the occupation committed horrific crimes by targeting humanitarian and service personnel. More than 1,670 medical staff, 140 Civil Defense members, and over 1,000 Civil Defense and civilian police personnel were martyred while conducting rescue operations, delivering aid, or performing their duties to serve and protect citizens. Hundreds of municipal employees and humanitarian aid workers were also killed.The Civil Defense spokesperson highlighted the immense challenges facing the humanitarian and relief sectors in Gaza, amid the collapse of the health infrastructure and destruction of hospitals, medical facilities, municipal buildings, Civil Defense and rescue centers.He called on the international community and relevant organizations to act urgently to deliver aid, medical supplies, and rescue and emergency equipment.The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli entity, reached in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, came into effect Friday afternoon, following the Israeli government's approval of the deal and the beginning of its military withdrawal from populated areas in the Strip.The return of displaced residents to northern Gaza also began, as part of the first phase of US President Donald Trump's initiative to end the war on Gaza.

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali al-Thani, who is visiting Washington, met with US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.Discusion during the meeting, dealt with issues of common interest, ways to enhance and develop bilateral co-operation, and the latest regional and international developments.**media[367122]**The meeting was attended by Qatar's ambassador to the United States, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani; Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine and a number of senior officers from both sides.**media[367123]**