Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome from lawmakers in Israel. The Indian leader started a two-day visit on Wednesday with a speech to the Israeli Parliament in which he promised continued "friendship, respect and partnership." Israeli and Indian officials expect the visit to strengthen security, economic and technological cooperation between the allied countries. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Modi he has "never been more moved" by a foreign leader's visit. Modi became India's first prime minister to visit Israel in 2017. This is his second trip, nine years later.
President Donald Trump has announced at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package. He also says five countries have agreed to deploy troops as part of an international stabilization force for the war-battered Palestinian territory. While lauding the pledges, Trump faces the unresolved challenge of disarming Hamas, a sticking point that threatens to delay or even derail the Gaza ceasefire plan that his administration notched as a major foreign policy win. The dollars pledged on Thursday, while significant, represent a small fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace is set to meet for the first time on Thursday in Washington. It's an early test of whether one of his marquee foreign policy initiatives can gain broad support or advance the shaky ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. Trump's ballooning ambitions for the board extend from governing and rebuilding Gaza as a futuristic metropolis to challenging the United Nations Security Council's role in solving conflicts. But they could be tempered by the realities in Gaza, where there has so far been limited progress in achieving the narrower aims of the ceasefire.
Two Palestinian men riding bicycles were killed in an Israeli drone strike Tuesday, hospital officials said, as deadly violence continued in Gaza despite an October ceasefire. Gaza health authorities say 586 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect, bringing the war's overall toll to more than 72,000. Israel says its strikes respond to ceasefire violations. Some elements of the agreement have advanced, including the return of all hostages and limited reopening of the Rafah crossing. Plans for an international stabilization force are also emerging, with Indonesia saying it is preparing thousands of troops for humanitarian and reconstruction roles, though the force's mandate remains unclear.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli military strikes on Monday killed three people west of Gaza City, according to the hospital where the…
Health officials in Gaza say Israeli strikes have killed at least 24 Palestinians, including two babies. Israel says it killed three militant leaders and that some of the strikes were in response to an attack that wounded a soldier. The strikes come as an already fragile ceasefire deal is under increasing strain. Hospital officials report that among the dead are at least five children, seven women and an on-duty paramedic. The violence since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10 has killed more than 550 Palestinians. Eight Arab and Muslim countries have condemned Israel's actions. The ceasefire deal aimed to end a 2-year-old war between Israel and Hamas.
Three women from the first group of Palestinians to enter Gaza through the newly reopened Rafah crossing told The Associated Press that Israeli troops blindfolded, handcuffed and interrogated them for hours after they crossed. They said the treatment occurred at a screening station in Israeli-controlled territory. Asked about the allegations, the Israeli military said it wasn't aware of any inappropriate conduct or mistreatment. Confusion over luggage rules and tight vetting further marred the reopening, which allowed fewer people to cross than expected.
