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Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an "immediate" ceasefire Saturday, the two countries said in a joint statement, pledging to end border clashes that killed dozens of people.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement "as a positive step towards alleviating the suffering of civilians... and creating an environment conducive to achieving lasting peace", spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.At least 47 people were killed and more than a million displaced in three weeks of fighting with artillery, tanks, drones and jets, according to official tallies.The conflict spread to nearly every border province on both sides, shattering an earlier truce for which US President Donald Trump took credit.Cambodia and Thailand agreed to the ceasefire that took effect at 12pm (0500 GMT), said the declaration signed by the Southeast Asian neighbours' defence ministers at a border checkpoint on the Thai side.The truce applies to "all types of weapons, including attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas".Both sides agreed to freeze all troop movements and allow civilians living in border areas to return home as soon as possible, the statement said.They also agreed to co-operate on demining efforts and combatting cybercrime, while Thailand was to return 18 captured Cambodian soldiers within 72 hours.Thai Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit said the initial three-day window would be an "observation period to confirm that the ceasefire is real".He called the truce "a door to a peaceful resolution" in a speech earlier.The ceasefire was holding, Thai defence ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri told Reuters about two ⁠hours after it went into effect."So far there's been no report of gunfire," he said.Cambodia's ministry of national defence did not report any clashes after what it said had been a Thai airstrike early on Saturday before the ceasefire announcement.Displaced Cambodian Oeum Raksmey told AFP that she was "very happy that people can return home" if the fighting stops."But I dare not return home yet. I am still scared," said the 22-year-old, who has sheltered with her family in Cambodia's Siem Reap province.On the other side of the border, 55-year-old Thai village head Khampong Lueklarp was similarly cautious."I personally think the ceasefire won't really happen," said the head of Ban Ta Sawang Samakkee village in Sisaket province, adding that he hoped for "a real peace".The ceasefire followed three days of border talks convened following a crisis meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni, in a post on X, thanked "Asean for playing a positive part" and called on Cambodia and Thailand to implement the agreement "in good faith".The European bloc was ready to provide any needed support, he added.The United States and China also pushed for an end to the fighting.Beijing's foreign ministry said the ceasefire "demonstrates that dialogue and consultations are a realistic and effective way of resolving complex disputes", offering support moving forward.China's top diplomat Wang Yi will host the Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers for talks in Yunnan province on January 28-29, the countries said.The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of the 800km (500-mile) Thai-Cambodian border, where both sides claim ancient temples.Five days of fighting in July killed dozens of people before a truce was brokered by the United States, China and Asean chair Malaysia.Trump witnessed the signing of an expanded agreement between Thailand and Cambodia in October, but it was broken within months, with each side blaming the other for instigating the fresh fighting.At least 25 Thai soldiers and one Thai civilian were killed in the latest round of clashes, officials said.Cambodia, outgunned and outspent by Bangkok's military, said 21 civilians were killed.Phnom Penh has reported no military deaths, even though an official Facebook post showed first lady Pich Chanmony, the wife of Cambodia's leader Hun Manet, at a funeral for troops killed in the fighting.The violence was still raging while this week's border talks were underway.On Friday, Cambodia accused Thailand of intensifying its bombardment of disputed border areas, and Thai media reported Cambodian attacks overnight.While both sides agreed to halt the fighting, they will still need to resolve the demarcation of their border following the ceasefire.The contested temples are claimed by both nations because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907."War and clashes don't make the two countries or the two people happy," Thailand's Air Chief Marshal ⁠Prapas Sornjaidee told reporters. "I want to stress that the Thai people and the Cambodian people are not in conflict with each other."UN human rights chief Volker Turk said he hoped the ceasefire "will pave the way for confidence building & peace". 

When her children, trembling with fear, ask where the family can go to escape Israel’s continued bombardment in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis area, Umm Ahmed has no answer. In her small, devastated village near Khan Yunis city, recent Israeli drone and artillery strikes shattered the tenuous sense of peace delivered by a ceasefire that has largely held since October 10. Residents say the strikes have targeted neighbourhoods east of the so-called Yellow Line — a demarcation established under the truce between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military says its troops are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire framework. More than two years after Hamas’s October 2023 storming of Israel sparked a devastating war, tens of thousands of Gazans still live in tents or damaged homes in these areas, where the Israeli army maintains control and operates checkpoints. Now, many fear being forced from their homes, compelled to move west of the Yellow Line. “We don’t sleep at night because of fear. The bombardments in the east are relentless,” said Umm Ahmed, 40. “My children tremble at every explosion and ask me, ‘Where can we go?’ And I have no answer.” Her home in Bani Suheila has been completely destroyed, yet the family has stayed, pitching a tent beside the ruins. “Staying close to our destroyed home is easier than facing the unknown,” Umm Ahmed said. Crossing the Yellow Line to Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Yunis, is not an option for them. There, makeshift camps stretch as far as the eye can see, housing tens of thousands of Palestinians who fled the fighting. “There is no place left for anyone there, and not enough food or water,” Umm Ahmed said, as Gaza remains trapped in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The Israeli military blames continued threats from Hamas fighters for its actions in the area. The war in Gaza began with Hamas’s storming of Israel in October 2023 . Since the war began, more than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The vast majority of Gaza’s more than 2mn residents were displaced during the war, many multiple times. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October 10, though both sides regularly accuse each other of violations. Under the truce, Israeli forces withdrew to positions east of the Yellow Line. Earlier this month, Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir described the Yellow Line as the “new border line” with Israel. “The Yellow Line is a new border line — serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity,” he said to reserve soldiers in Gaza. For Palestinian officials, the line is seen as a tool for permanent displacement. “The objective is to frighten residents, expel them from their areas, and force them west,” said Alaa al-Batta, mayor of Khan Yunis, denouncing the bombardments as “violations of the ceasefire agreement”. Mahmud Baraka, 45, from Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis, described constant artillery fire and home demolitions in the area. “It feels like we are still living in a war zone,” he said. “Explosions happen as if they are right next to us. The objective of the occupation is clear: to intimidate us and drive us out, so the region is emptied.” For now, residents feel trapped between bombardment and displacement, uncertain how long they can endure. Despite the danger, Abdel Hamid, 70, refuses to leave his home located north of Khan Yunis, where he lives with his five children. “We will not leave... this is our land,” he said. “Moving would not be a solution, but yet another tragedy.” 

The Israeli occupation army has continued to violate the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, launching new bombardments and artillery shelling on multiple areas across the enclave on Sunday.Palestinian sources reported ongoing artillery shelling targeting the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, accompanied by intense gunfire from armored vehicles and tanks positioned along the eastern border, striking Palestinian homes and agricultural lands.In the north, Israeli occupation vehicles stationed east of Tuffah, Shujaiyya, and the Jabalia refugee camp opened heavy fire, while artillery units bombarded the eastern parts of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.Field sources also confirmed that Israeli forces continue to carry out large-scale demolitions in eastern Gaza, causing loud explosions as they destroy residential neighborhoods and homes located within the so-called “yellow line” along the separation barrier between Gaza and the Israeli-occupied territories.The violations also include the continued targeting and killing of civilians, renewed shelling across several areas of Gaza, and the ongoing closure of the Rafah border crossing, which prevents the evacuation of the wounded and sick for treatment and hinders the entry of humanitarian aid in the agreed-upon quantities and mechanisms.The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect on October 10, as part of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative aimed at ending the war on Gaza.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday that its forces had killed 1,165 Ukrainian soldiers and shot down 116 drones. In a statement, the ministry reported strikes on Ukrainian positions across 147 locations along the front lines, claiming damage to armored vehicles, artillery systems, ammunition depots, and electronic warfare stations.It also said Russian forces targeted energy infrastructure and railway cars used to transport Ukrainian troops to the Donbas region, as well as facilities involved in the production and launch of long-range drones and storage sites for unmanned boats.Since the start of the war on Feb. 24, 2022, both Russia and Ukraine have issued near-daily battlefield updates, often asserting gains or repelling attacks. These claims are difficult to independently verify due to the ongoing conflict.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday that its forces had taken control of two additional towns in eastern Ukraine, continuing a recent push in the region.In a statement, the ministry said Russian troops had seized the towns of Chonishchyne in Donetsk and Poltavka in Zaporizhzhia.It added that Ukrainian forces suffered losses of more than 485 personnel, along with a tank, an armored fighting vehicle, six cars, and an artillery piece during operations in those areas.Russia has reported steady advances in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, controlling over several towns it described as "strategic." Ukrainian officials have not denied the territorial losses but continue to call for increased Western support to halt Russia's progress.

The Israeli occupation forces continued their heavy artillery and airstrikes since last night and until Tuesday morning, killing and wounding several people. The Palestinian news agency (WAFA), citing medical sources, reported that three citizens were martyred and others wounded in the Israeli shelling of the Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City. The same sources added that a number of citizens were wounded in the Israeli artillery shelling of a residential apartment on Al-Shuhada Street in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in central Gaza City. The Israeli occupation forces' air and artillery shelling continues in the southern and northwestern areas of Gaza City, and violent explosions are being heard in the Al-Karama and Al-Mukhabarat Towers areas, northwest of the city. Israeli warplanes are also flying at low altitudes in the Gaza Strip, and helicopters are firing at the center of Khan Yunis, south of the city. The war of genocide on the Gaza Strip is entering its second year. To date, this has resulted in the martyrdom of 67,160 civilians, the majority of whom are children and women, and the injury of 169,679 others. This is a preliminary toll, with a number of victims still buried under the rubble and in the streets, unable to be reached by ambulances and rescue teams.

Four Palestinian citizens were martyred on Thursday in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip as the Israeli occupation forces escalated the aggression on Gaza City, intensifying the aerial and artillery bombardment and detonating booby-trapped robots to destroy homes and force citizens to leave the city. The Palestinian news agency (WAFA) said that four citizens were martyred, and ten others were injured when Israeli aircraft bombed a house in the Block 7 area of ​​Al-Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip. The occupation forces carried out operations to destroy infrastructure and demolish residential buildings south and north of Gaza City, forcing citizens to flee to the southern part of the Strip, WAFA said. This escalation in Gaza City and its neighborhoods comes amid the continued disruption of internet and landline services in Gaza and North Gaza governorates due to the ongoing aggression and the targeting of key network routes, according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. The ongoing aggression on Gaza City has resulted in the forced displacement of more than 40,000 people over the past two days, according to the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric. Medical sources announced last night that 99 citizens were martyred in massacres committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, including 77 martyrs in the northern Gaza Strip. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has committed genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip, killing 65,062 and injuring 165,697 wounded, most of them children and women. A famine has also claimed the lives of 432 Palestinians, including 146 children.