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Wednesday, March 11, 2026 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.

Tag Results for "ceasefire" (116 articles)

Egyptian trucks and heavy machinery line up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Sunday. AFP
Region

Egyptian convoy enters Gaza to help recover hostage remains

A convoy of Egyptian trucks and vehicles transporting heavy machinery entered Gaza overnight to help locate the remains of Israeli hostages in the territory, AFP footage showed.The vehicles were filmed in Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza.The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request on Sunday morning for confirmation that the vehicles had entered.But The Times of Israel had reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the entry of the Egyptian team and several engineering vehicles to the Palestinian territory to locate the missing remains.On Saturday night, Egyptian state-linked Al-Qahera News channel reported that the team was on its way to Gaza.Two Egyptian military sources had also confirmed to AFP that the convoy was at the Kerem Shalom crossing Saturday night, awaiting authorisation to cross into the Palestinian territory.On October 17, a Turkish official had announced that a team of 81 rescuers sent by Ankara to locate the hostages' bodies in Gaza was waiting in Egypt to enter the strip.But the Turkish team never received approval from Israel, amid reports that Israel objected to any Turkish involvement in Gaza.Based on the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Hamas was due to return all 48 remaining hostages, alive and dead, who were still held in the territory, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians held by Israel.But only 15 of the 28 dead hostages have been returned so far, with the remaining bodies buried under the rubble across the devastated territory and Hamas calling for tools and assistance to locate them.

Gulf Times
International

UNICEF warns of worsening humanitarian crisis for Gaza children

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has issued an appeal on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In a series of statements, the UN agency painted a grim picture of life for Gaza's children, saying that although the latest ceasefire had offered a brief window of survival, current aid levels remained vastly insufficient to meet the scale of destruction and need.UNICEF reported devastating statistics on the impact of the conflict, stating that more than 64,000 children have been killed or injured, while over 56,000 have lost one or both parents.The UN agency said Israel had caused widespread destruction across the territory.While acknowledging a slight increase in the flow of humanitarian aid, UNICEF insisted that the current assistance remains far from enough. The agency urged Israeli authorities to open all crossings immediately and unconditionally to ensure that humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza freely.Beyond emergency relief, UNICEF said it is working to preserve Gaza's future by supporting education.

Palestinians take shelter in a damaged building in Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip Saturday.
Region

Israel continues to violate Gaza truce

Israeli forces carried out a "targeted strike" on an individual in central Gaza, Israel's military said Saturday.A US-backed ceasefire is in force between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas more than two years after the war in the Gaza Strip began.Witnesses said they had seen a drone strike a car and set it ablaze. Local medics said four people had been wounded, but there were no immediate reports of deaths.Witnesses said separately that Israeli tanks had shelled eastern areas of Gaza City, the Gaza Strip's biggest urban area.Several Israeli media sites said Israel, in a reversal of a policy of barring entry to foreign forces, had allowed Egyptian officials into the Gaza Strip to help locate the bodies of hostages taken captive on October 7, 2023.As part of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has said it will return all the hostages, but the remains of 18 are still in the enclave. Reuters

Gulf Times
International

US Secretary of State said that Israel’s moves toward annexation in the West Bank threaten Gaza deal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Israel's moves to annex the West Bank threaten the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. In response to the Knesset's preliminary approval of two bills aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and one of the settlements, Rubio added that this would threaten President Donald Trump's plan to end the conflict in Gaza. Regarding Trump's announcement of the cancellation of a summit scheduled to be held with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Rubio confirmed that the United States still wants to hold meetings with Russia.

Gulf Times
International

Pakistan calls on international community to ensure full implementation of Gaza ceasefire

Pakistan called on the international community to take effective and urgent measures to halt the Israeli occupation's violations and ensure the full implementation of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry condemned in a statement the renewed attacks by the Israeli occupation forces on Gaza, which have resulted in the martyrdom of dozens of civilians. It added that such actions contradict the spirit of the peace agreement signed in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh in the presence of leaders of the Arab and Islamic world, the United States, Europe, and the United Nations. The Ministry reiterated Pakistan's continued and steadfast support for the Palestinian people and its demand for an immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Palestinian children gather to receive food portions from a charity kitchen in the Nuseirat refugee camp, located in the central Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. AFP
Region

Food flows into Gaza still far below targets: World Food Programme

WFP says just two aid crossings are open and none to northIsrael says aid is entering in accordance with ceasefire planGazans store supplies for fear they will halt againThe UN World Food Programme said on Tuesday that supplies into Gaza were ramping up after the US-brokered ceasefire but were still far short of its daily target of 2,000 tons because only two crossings are open, and none to the famine-hit north of the enclave.Around 750 metric tons of food are now entering the Gaza Strip daily, according to the WFP, but this was still well below the scale of needs after two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas that has reduced much of Gaza to ruins."To be able to get to this scale-up, we have to use every border crossing point right now," WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told a Geneva press briefing.She said only two of the Israeli-controlled crossings into Gaza were operational - Kerem Shalom in the south and Kissufim in the centre.The ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump envisages "full aid" being sent into Gaza. An Israeli security official said that humanitarian aid continues to enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing and additional crossings in accordance with the plan, without naming them.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, with its reopening dependent on Hamas handing over bodies of deceased hostages.The UN children's agency spokesperson Ricardo Pires said on Tuesday the humanitarian response was still far below the required scale and called for all entry points to reopen.Some nutrition supplies for children and pregnant women have reached the north via the south, Etefa said, but far short of the level required. "We haven't had large-scale convoys into Gaza City or to the north of Gaza," she said, adding that WFP had not been granted permission to use the main north-south Salah al-Din road.Food supplies delivered so far are enough to feed around half a million people for two weeks, she said.Many Gazans were storing the food they are receiving because they are afraid that supplies might again dry up."They eat part of it, and they ration and keep some of the supplies for an emergency, because they are not very confident how long the ceasefire will last and what will happen next," she said.

Mourners react as they attend the funeral of Palestinians killed in Sunday's Israeli strikes, according to medics, at al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza Strip, on Monday. REUTERS
Region

97 killed in Israeli violations since Gaza ceasefire

The Israeli occupation forces have committed 80 documented violations since the announcement of the ceasefire in Gaza, resulting in the slaying of 97 Palestinians and injuries to over 230 others, with varying degrees of severity, including 21 violations recorded on Sunday, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported in a statement Monday.The statement added that these breaches included direct shooting at civilians, deliberate bombing of residential compounds, creation of fire belts, and unleashing field detentions in several areas.These practices confirm the persistent Israeli occupation's belligerent approach and its determination to field escalation in an unequivocal violation of the ceasefire decision and the international humanitarian rules-based order, the statement continued.The statement further pointed out that in their assaults, the occupation forces operated tanks stationed at the perimeter of residential neighborhoods, alongside remotely-operated sensor-equipped cranes with electro-optical targeting capability, in addition to fighter jets and quadcopters that daily hover over populated areas and directly launch firepower at civilians.The Israeli breaches have been recorded in various governorates across the Gaza enclave, emphasising the Israeli occupation's non-compliance with the ceasefire and its persistent pursuit of the policy of killing and terrorising against the population, the statement clarified.The Media Office held the Israeli occupation forces fully responsible for these violations and called on the UN and nations that guaranteed the ceasefire deal to urgently intervene to compel the Israeli occupation to stop its attacks and protect the unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Gulf Times
Region

Egyptian Foreign Minister discusses developments in Gaza region with French, Danish counterparts

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati held two phone calls on Monday with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, discussing the rapid developments in the Gaza Strip and support for security and stability in the region. During the two phone calls, Abdel Aati stressed the critical importance of both parties to the Sharm el-Sheikh pact adhering to the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized that respecting the agreement represents a fundamental step toward consolidating the ceasefire, permanently ending the war, and alleviating the humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip. He also emphasized the need for full access to humanitarian and relief aid to the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The two calls addressed the ongoing preparations for Egypt to host the International Conference on Early Recovery, Reconstruction and Development in Gaza next November. The Egyptian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of beginning the implementation of early recovery and reconstruction plans for Gaza as soon as possible, within the framework of a comprehensive vision that preserves the rights of the Palestinian people, in accordance with the Arab-Islamic Plan for Early Recovery and Reconstruction, and US President Donald Trump's Middle East Peace Plan. In turn, the Danish and French foreign ministers affirmed their full support for Egypt's tireless efforts to promote stability in the region, expressing their aspiration to continue coordination with Egypt on issues related to early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza.

Gulf Times
Region

Muslim World League welcomes Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire agreement

The Muslim World League (MWL) has welcomed the signing of an immediate ceasefire agreement between the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In a statement issued by its General Secretariat, MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al Issa commended this positive step and the two governments' agreement to establish mechanisms aimed at consolidating lasting peace and stability through negotiations. He noted that this would spare both countries and their peoples the dangers and tragedies of armed conflict, affirming the League's full support for this positive step.

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Region

Britain expresses concern over escalation in Gaza

The British Foreign Office expressed concern over the escalation carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip. "The escalation today in Gaza is deeply concerning," Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement. "The ceasefire must hold, and humanitarian aid must get through to those in need." Cooper called on all parties to respect US President Donald Trump's peace plan to avoid further bloodshed. Dozens of Palestinians were killed earlier in intensive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, the most significant violation of the ceasefire agreement signed on October 9. Meanwhile, reports emerged that Israel decided to close all crossings into the Strip but later reversed its decision.

Gulf Times
Region

GCC welcomes Qatar and Turkiye's efforts to reach ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassim Mohammed Al Budaiwi welcomed the diplomatic efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar and Turkiye to reach the ceasefire agreement that was signed by Pakistan and Afghanistan in Doha. The GCC Secretary-General noted that this agreement represents a positive step towards consolidating stability and strengthening bridges of trust between the two countries. He affirmed the GCC's support for all initiatives aimed at establishing peace and promoting dialogue in the region and beyond, contributing to a more stable and prosperous future for peoples.

People run for cover following an Israeli strike that targeted a building in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip Sunday.
Region

Renewed violence in Gaza threatens ceasefire

Israel launched dozens of deadly strikes in Gaza Sunday, after accusing the resistance group Hamas of attacking its troops, in the worst violence since the start of a ceasefire nine days ago.Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said at least 33 people had been killed across the territory.Hamas denied the accusations, with one official accusing Israel of fabricating "pretexts" to resume the war.In a separate statement, the Israeli military said two of its soldiers "fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip".A security official said that Israel was also suspending the entry of aid into Gaza, blaming "Hamas's blatant violations" of the ceasefire.Israel repeatedly cut off aid to the territory during the war, exacerbating dire humanitarian conditions, with the United Nations saying it caused a famine in northern Gaza.The truce in the Palestinian territory, brokered by US President Donald Trump and taking effect on 10 October, brought to a halt more than two years of devastating war between Israel and Hamas.Palestinian witnesses said clashes erupted in the southern city of Rafah in an area still held by Israel.A statement from Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, reaffirmed the group's commitment to the ceasefire and said Israel "continues to breach the agreement and fabricate flimsy pretexts to justify its crimes".Hamas's armed wing insisted on Sunday that the group was adhering to the ceasefire agreement with Israel and had "no knowledge" of any clashes in Rafah.Israel resumes ceasefireThe Israeli military said Sunday it had resumed enforcing a ceasefire in Gaza after carrying out dozens of strikes on Hamas targets earlier in the day. "The IDF has begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire," the military said in a statement."The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it."