Author: Gulf News Week

Israelis held captive in Gaza and Palestinians swept into Israel detention centres have been the focus of ceasefire talks.Israeli authorities have said that there are no remaining captives left in Gaza after they received the remains of police officer Ran Gvili, fulfilling a key component of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.The plight of Israeli and Palestinian captives has been a focus of ceasefire talks, with hundreds of people taken captive by Palestinian fighters during the October 7, 2023 attacks and subsequent waves of detentions of Palestinians by Israeli forces.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Envoys from…

Israel says the remains of the last captive in Gaza recovered, which could pave the way for the Rafah Crossing with Egypt to reopen.The Israeli military says the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive in the Gaza Strip, have been retrieved, clearing the way for the next phase of a ceasefire deal agreed in October.“Following the completion of the identification process by the National Centre of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, [military] representatives informed the family of the late Ran Gvili that his body has been returned for burial,” said army…

Medical charity will hand over details of its Palestinian staff to Israel, which targeted aid workers during the Gaza genocide.The medical charity Doctors Without Borders says it will provide Israeli authorities with the personal details of some of its Palestinian and international staff working in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory.But critics warn Israel, whose army has killed more than 1,700 health workers – including 15 employees of the charity, also known by its French initials MSF – during the genocide in Gaza, could use the information to target more humanitarian workers in the besieged Strip and…

Lebanese government says it documented 2,036 Israeli breaches of Lebanon’s sovereignty in the last three months of 2025.Lebanon has filed a complaint with the United Nations about repeated Israeli violations of a November 2024 ceasefire, calling on the Security Council to push Israel to end its attacks and fully withdraw from the country.The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants said the complaint, sent on Monday, stressed that Israeli abuses are a “clear” violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Rubio speaks to…

Abu Hussein al‑Hamidawi, leader of Iraqi armed group, says war against Iran will not be a ‘walk in the park’.Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi paramilitary group, has warned of a “total war” if Iran is attacked, signalling it would militarily support Tehran if conflict breaks out as the United States amasses military assets in the region.The Iran-backed group’s chief, Abu Hussein al‑Hamidawi, issued a fiery statement late on Sunday, calling on fighters to be prepared for war.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US military moves Navy, Air Force assets to the Middle East: What to knowlist 2 of 3What…

Marco Rubio’s call with PM Shia al-Sudani comes as Iraq is expected to see a new government amid US-Iran tensions.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, following the transfer of ISIL (ISIS)-linked detainees from Syria to Iraq, as he encouraged Baghdad to maintain autonomy from Iran amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.In a news release, the United States Department of State said Rubio and al-Sudani spoke on Sunday, during which the top US diplomat “commended the Government of Iraq’s initiative and leadership in expediting the transfer and detention of ISIS terrorists”.Recommended…

One-third of Egyptians were born after the 2011 Arab Spring protests which removed longtime President Hosni Mubarak.Fifteen years have passed since the Arab Spring protests erupted in Egypt.Inspired by the successful uprising in Tunisia just 11 days earlier, when demonstrators succeeded in bringing down the country’s president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Egyptian people wanted freedom and their voices to be heard.For 18 days, millions took to the streets to protest, driven by high unemployment, poverty and political repression, and demanding the departure of longtime President Hosni Mubarak.With a median age of approximately 24 years, Egypt ranks among the…

Border with Egypt to open for pedestrians under Israeli inspections as part of Trump-brokered “20-point plan”. JERUSALEM — Israel will partially reopen the critical Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt under a new U.S.-mediated arrangement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Monday. The decision followed high-level talks between Israeli officials and American envoys in Jerusalem. In a statement posted on social media platform X, Netanyahu’s office confirmed the “limited reopening” would apply “for pedestrian passage only” and would be “subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism.” The move is described as part of a broader diplomatic framework referred…

UAE retail prices climb to Dh601 per gram as investors rush into precious metals amid debt, currency, and geopolitical fears. SHARJAH: Gold’s historic surge broke new ground on Monday as prices soared beyond the $5,000-per-ounce mark for the first time, fuelled by widespread investor flight from shaky sovereign debt and volatile currencies toward perceived safe-haven assets. The precious metal climbed as high as $5,085 an ounce—a gain of over 2%—extending a dramatic rally that has seen gold more than double in two years. In the UAE, the global surge translated into local retail prices hitting approximately Dh601 per gram for 24-carat…

Convoy carrying food and fuel reaches Kurdish-majority town, also known as Kobane, in Aleppo province.A United Nations convoy carrying “life-saving” aid has arrived in the Kurdish-majority town of Ain al-Arab in northern Syria as a ceasefire agreement between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continues to hold.The convoy’s arrival in Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, on Sunday came amid growing concerns about humanitarian conditions in the town, which has been surrounded by Syrian government forces.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US envoy meets SDF commander, calls for Syria ceasefire to be upheldlist 2…