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The ceasefire in Gaza is holding as Qatar continues intensive efforts to advance to the second phase of the Gaza agreement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr Majid bin Mohammed al-Ansari said during the weekly media briefing Tuesday.Dr al-Ansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister and official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to strengthening its global partnerships while sustaining its role as a key mediator in the Gaza negotiations. He cautioned, however, that ongoing Israeli violations were “alarming".Qatar, alongside the United States and Egypt secured a long-elusive truce in Gaza, which came into effect on October 10 and has mostly halted two years of fighting between Israel and Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.“Efforts are continuing through the monitoring room in Cairo to follow up on Israeli violations, and we have confidence in the plan of US President Donald Trump, his role, and the role of the mediators,” he said. Qatar believes the parties “should be pushing to stage two very, very soon,” he added.Highlighting Doha’s diplomatic role, the spokesperson stressed that Qatar is urging all sides to stay engaged in negotiations. “This is the longest-standing truce, and we are playing our part in implementing the agreement, monitoring violations, and trying to prevent its collapse,” he said.Under the second phase of the deal, which gained UN backing in November, Israel is to withdraw from its positions in the territory, an interim authority is to govern Gaza and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.Dr al-Ansari also condemned Israel’s continued killing of Palestinian journalists, saying such actions aim to silence reporting on the reality in Gaza.On Qatar's efforts regarding the Russia-Ukraine crisis, al- Ansari stated that Qatar engaged from day one in exploring possible mediation efforts and supported all global initiatives aimed at resolving the conflict.He highlighted Qatar's success in reuniting over 115 children affected by the war with their families from both sides, underlining the Qatari message to all parties is that conflicts are ultimately resolved through peaceful means, and the dialogue table remains the path to crisis resolution.Turning to domestic developments, he announced that the 23rd Doha Forum will be held on December 6–7, 2025, under the theme “Establishing Justice: From Promises to Tangible Reality.” The event will bring together world leaders, policymakers, and experts from more than 150 countries, reflecting Qatar’s growing role as a hub for dialogue, cooperation, and shared progress. 

Heavy rain caused flooding in the Gaza Strip Tuesday, swamping the tents of thousands of homeless Palestinians facing the prospect of harsh winter storms without sturdy shelter.The large majority of Gaza's 2mn people were forced from their homes during Israel's two-year ground and air war in the small, crowded enclave triggered by Hamas' October 2023 storming of Israel, with many now living in tents and other basic shelters.**media[385952]**A ceasefire has broadly held since mid-October but the war demolished much of heavily built-up Gaza, including basic infrastructure, leaving grim living conditions for most people.**media[385953]**"This suffering, this rain — and the low-pressure weather systems haven’t even started yet. It’s only the beginning of winter, and we’re already flooded and humiliated," Um Ahmed Aowdah said outside her tent as rain pelted down Tuesday. "We haven’t received new tents or tarps. Our tarp is two years old and our tent is two years old — they’re completely worn out."**media[385951]**Amjad al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network, said there was an urgent need for at least 300,000 new tents to house the roughly1.5mn people still displaced from their homes.The Palestinian Civil Defence Service said thousands of tents housing displaced families had been inundated by rainwater or damaged by torrential rainstorms over the past week.**media[385954]**Some tents completely washed away as floodwaters rose 40 to 50 centimetres above ground level in some areas of the coastal enclave, while a field hospital had to suspend operations due to flooding, medics and witnesses said.The UN said on Monday that while it was working to bring winter supplies into Gaza, the number of trucks able to enter the enclave was limited by Israeli curbs on aid groups.Hamas-led Gaza authorities say Israel is not letting in as much aid as was promised under the ceasefire deal. Aid agencies say Israel is preventing many essential items from entering.

Sudan's army said Tuesday it repelled a paramilitary assault on a key southern city, as Washington urged both sides to accept a ceasefire proposal aimed at stemming one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.Since April 2023, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in a brutal conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12mn.Speaking in Abu Dhabi Tuesday, US Africa envoy Massad Boulos said neither of Sudan's warring parties have accepted a new truce proposal from the Quad group that includes the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt."We appeal to both sides to accept the humanitarian truce as presented without preconditions," the US envoy said.His remarks came hours after RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo declared a unilateral three-month truce, before the army reported his fighters subsequently attacking a key base in the country's south.Recent days have seen renewed diplomatic activity after US President Donald Trump said last week he would move to help end the war, following discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to Washington.The Sudanese army Tuesday said it repelled an RSF assault on its infantry base in the strategic West Kordofan town of Babanusa, its last major stronghold in the region.Babanusa lies on a vital transport corridor linking the capital Khartoum through the Kordofan region to Darfur, where the army last month lost El-Fasher — its last stronghold in the western region.Over two years of conflict, both sides have repeatedly violated every ceasefire agreement. Diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have failed to make any breakthrough.A US-backed plan put forward on behalf of the Quad in September called for a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a nine-month transition to civilian-led governance.The army rejected the proposal, which also hinted at excluding both the army and the RSF from Sudan's post-war political roadmap.Burhan this week said he had dismissed a plan put forth by Boulos this month as "the worst yet", accusing him of parroting the UAE's talking points.Boulos Tuesday spoke alongside UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash, whose country has repeatedly denied widespread reports that it arms the RSF.Boulos rejected Burhan's accusations of bias."He was making reference to something that does not exist, that has never been presented by us. So we have no idea what he is talking about," the US envoy said."We have to overlook those comments and remarks and focus on the heart of the matter which is the humanitarian crisis," he added.

Gaza's civil defence agency said 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded in multiple Israeli air strikes Saturday, as Hamas and Israel again traded allegations of violating the fragile ceasefire. Saturday was one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10, after two years of war.Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defence agency which operates under Hamas authority, said there were "21 martyrs this evening in five separate Israeli air strikes, in a clear violation of the ceasefire in Gaza".They included seven killed and more than 16 injured in a strike on a house in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, and four killed and several injured in an air strike on a residential apartment in the Al-Nasr district, west of Gaza City, he said.The first reported strike targeted a vehicle in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood in western Gaza City. Five people were killed and several injured, said Bassal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of breaching the truce agreement. "We again call on the mediators to insist that Hamas fulfil its side of the ceasefire." In a statement, Hamas said the "escalation" of Israeli violations were "attempts to undermine the ceasefire".

At least 25 Palestinians were killed in four Israeli airstrikes Wednesday in a part of Gaza under Hamas control since a shaky ceasefire took effect in October, health authorities said. Medics said 10 people were killed in the Gaza City suburb of Zeitoun, two in Shejaia suburb to the east and the rest in two separate attacks in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.**media[383862]**The Israeli military said its forces struck Hamas targets across Gaza after members of the Palestinian fighters fired on its troops in violation of the nearly six-week-old ceasefire. No Israeli forces were injured. Repeated shooting incidents have pointed to the fragility of the ceasefire.Israel and Hamas have traded blame for what both call violations of the US-brokered truce, the first stage of President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for a post-war Gaza. All three attacks were far beyond an agreed-upon imaginary "yellow line" separating the areas under Israeli and Palestinian control, according to medics, witnesses and Palestinian media.**media[383863]**The Zeitoun attack was on a building belonging to Muslim religious authorities and the Khan Younis attack was on a UN-run club, both of which house displaced families. The October 10 ceasefire in the two-year Gaza war has eased the conflict, enabling hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza’s ruins.Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased. But violence has not completely halted. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 305 people in strikes on Gaza since the truce, nearly half of them in one day last week when Israel retaliated for an attack on its troops. Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began.

Britain's foreign minister Yvette Cooper plans to introduce sanctions relating to human rights violations and abuses in war-torn Sudan, she said Tuesday, stressing the need for sustained efforts for a ceasefire. "I've instructed my officials to bring forward potential sanctions relating to human rights violations and abuses in Sudan," Cooper told lawmakers, amid global efforts to end the war in the east African nation.The conflict erupted in 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). RSF's recent takeover of Al-Fashir, one of Sudan's largest cities, has raised grave concerns about mass killings. Both sides have increasingly relied on drone strikes in recent months.Cooper said that the international community had turned its back on Sudan for "far too long". "We may need to make sure teams can get in to investigate these atrocities and hold the perpetrators to account," she said. Last year, Britain imposed sanctions on three businesses which it said were funding military groups behind the Sudanese war.

The UN Security Council on Monday voted to adopt a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza and authorising an international stabilisation force for the Palestinian enclave. Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas agreed last month to the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza - a ceasefire in their two-year war and a hostage-release deal - but the UN resolution is seen as vital to legitimising a transitional governance body and reassuring countries that are considering sending troops to Gaza.The text of the resolution says member states can take part in the Trump-chaired Board of Peace envisioned as a transitional authority that would oversee reconstruction and economic recovery of Gaza. It also authorises the international stabilization force, which would ensure a process of demilitarising Gaza, including by decommissioning weapons and destroying military infrastructure. Hamas, in a statement, reiterated that it will not disarm and argued that its fight against Israel is legitimate resistance, potentially pitting the group against the international force authorised by the resolution."The resolution imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people and their factions reject," Hamas said in its statement, issued after the adoption of the resolution. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, said the resolution, which includes Trump's 20-point plan as an annex, "charts a possible pathway for Palestinian self-determination ... where rockets will give way to olive branches and there is a chance to agree on a political horizon." Russia, which holds a veto on the Security Council, earlier signaled potential opposition to the resolution but abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass.The UN ambassadors of Russia and China, which also abstained, complained that the resolution does not give the UN a clear role in the future of Gaza. The Palestinian Authority issued a statement welcoming the resolution, and said it is ready to take part in its implementation.Trump celebrated the vote as "a moment of true Historic proportion" in a social media post. "The members of the Board, and many more exciting announcements, will be made in the coming weeks," Trump wrote. The resolution has proven controversial in Israel because it references a future possibility of statehood for the Palestinians. The resolution's text says that "conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood" once the Palestinian Authority has carried out a reform programme and Gaza's redevelopment has advanced.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he thought Thailand and Cambodia were "going to be fine" after he sought to mediate a flare-up in their border dispute, but the Thai leader continued to demand an apology from Phnom Penh. Thailand this week suspended a US-brokered ceasefire deal and demanded an apology over allegations that Cambodia had laid fresh landmines that injured Thai soldiers, which Cambodia denies.Long-running tensions over a disputed border between the two Southeast Asian nations erupted into five days of fighting in July, when at least 48 people were killed and an estimated 300,000 temporarily displaced, before Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim brokered the ceasefire."I spoke to the prime ministers of both countries and they’re doing great. I think they’re going to be fine," Trump told reporters on Friday evening. But Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday that Bangkok would not adhere to the agreement until Cambodia admitted its violation and issued an apology for the latest incident.Anutin posted on Facebook after speaking to Trump and Malaysia's Anwar that Thailand has the right to take any action necessary to protect its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people and property from foreign threats. He said he asked Trump and Anwar, who has been a mediator in the dispute, to tell Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to abide by the agreement and not to interfere in the removal of mines.Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on Saturday that Phnom Penh would continue to implement the deal and hoped both sides would continue to work together in accordance with the agreed principles and mechanism. Trump also engaged with Malaysia on Friday, a White House official said.Anwar posted on X that Cambodia and Thailand were ready to "continue choosing the space for dialogue and diplomatic efforts as an effective path to resolution."

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has urged the opening of all crossings into the devastated Gaza Strip to expand humanitarian operations, stressing the urgent need to scale up life-saving assistance.WFP stated that nearly one million people in Gaza have received food aid since the ceasefire came into effect but emphasized that current access is insufficient to meet the vast humanitarian needs on the ground.WFP spokesperson Abeer Atefa said in a statement: "Three and a half weeks after the ceasefire in Gaza, we have distributed food parcels to nearly one million people across the entire Strip." She stressed the importance of opening more crossings and expanding humanitarian access within the Strip."To scale up our operations to the required level and in line with our commitments, we need better access, including opening more border crossings and allowing the use of main roads within Gaza," she said, noting that the WFP aims to reach 1.6 million people."We still have only two border crossings operational," the WFP spokesperson added, calling for the opening of crossings to northern Gaza to stabilize markets and meet the population's needs.The World Food Programme (WFP) currently operates 44 food distribution centers in the sector, out of 145 it aims to operate. The Israeli occupation authorities have repeatedly cut off aid to Gaza during the aggression against the Strip since October 2023, which exacerbated humanitarian conditions that the United Nations previously described as catastrophic. Before the ceasefire, the international organization warned of famine in some areas of the besieged Strip.

Ceasefire allows Palestinians to return home, but violence persistsHamas and Israel exchange hostages and bodiesIsraeli fire killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, north of the southern city of Rafah, which remains under Israeli control, according to local health authorities, further testing the fragile US-backed ceasefire.In a statement issued earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said forces identified "terrorists" who crossed the yellow line, which marks areas the army still occupies. It said they were advancing towards troops in southern Gaza, posing an immediate threat, before it struck them.Medics said one of those killed was a woman. The identities of the two others weren't immediately clear. The incident follows days of Israeli strikes on the enclave, provoking mutual accusations between Hamas and Israel over violations of the tenuous ceasefire that halted two years of war.Residents said Israeli forces continued to demolish houses in the eastern areas of Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, where forces continue to operate.The ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10, has calmed most fighting, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of their homes in Gaza. Israel has withdrawn troops from positions in cities, and more aid has been allowed to enter.Hamas turned over all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees held by Israel. Hamas has also agreed to turn over the bodies of hostages, a process which is still incomplete and which it says is difficult, while Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.But violence has not completely halted. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 239 people in strikes on Gaza since the truce, nearly half of them in a single day last week when Israel retaliated for an attack on its troops.Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed and it has targeted scores of fighters.Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday it received 45 bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel whose bodies were in Israeli custody. Monday's handover raised the number of Palestinian bodies Israel has returned to Gaza to 270.Hamas has so far returned 20 of the 28 bodies of hostages that had been buried in Gaza.

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.

The Israeli military attacked the Gaza Strip for a fourth day on Friday, killing three people, Palestinian health authorities said, in another test of a fragile ceasefire agreement.Residents reported Israeli shelling and gunfire in northern Gaza on Friday, as Israel continued to bombard areas of the enclave despite saying that it remains committed to a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump.The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.Another Palestinian died of wounds sustained from previous Israeli shelling, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.The US-brokered ceasefire, which left thorny issues like the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip unresolved, has been tested by periodic outbreaks of violence since it came into place three weeks ago.Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Israel retaliated for the death of an Israeli soldier with bombardments that Gaza health authorities said killed 104 people.Gaza's health ministry said the Red Cross had delivered to it 30 bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel during the war, a day after Hamas handed over two bodies of hostages.Under the ceasefire accord, Hamas released all living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, while Israel agreed to pull back its troops, halt its offensive and increase aid.Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all 28 dead hostages in exchange for 360 Palestinian fighters killed in the war. After Thursday's release, it had handed over 17 bodies, while 225 Palestinian bodies have so far been returned to Gaza.Hamas has said that it will take time to locate and retrieve the bodies of all the remaining hostages.Israel has accused Hamas of violating the truce by stalling in the handover.