MIDDLE EAST

The long-term ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that has ended over seven weeks of bloodshed in the Gaza Strip has exposed a split within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. The truce deal, effective since 16:00 GMT on Tuesday, was accepted by the Israeli premier after consultations with his Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. However, he did not put the …

On Tuesday, Qatar hailed the ceasefire which ended 50 days of conflict in and around the Gaza Strip, and offered to provide funds for reconstruction efforts. Qatar is a key backer of Hamas and hosts the Palestinian movement’s exiled leader Khaled Meshaal. On Tuesday, it paid tribute to “the resistance and the sacrifices” of Palestinians in seven weeks of conflict …

On Thursday, Syrian rebel groups captured 43 UN peacekeepers on the Syrian half of the border at Golan Heights and surrounded 81 others, the United Nations said. Forty-three peacekeepers from Fiji were forced to give up their arms and were taken hostage near the Quneitra crossing, but 81 Filipino peacekeepers “held their ground” and refused to surrender their arms, the …

Syrian rebel groups, including the Al-Nusra Front, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, on Wednesday took over the Syrian border crossing with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Syrian Observatory for human rights said. “Al-Nusra Front and other rebel groups took the Quneitra crossing, and heavy fighting with the Syrian army is continuing in the surrounding area”, Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the …

A United Nations probe on Wednesday said that lashings, amputations, mock crucifixion and public executions are all regularly performed in extremist-controlled parts of Syria, and accused the Syrian government of using chemical agents on civilians repeatedly. “Executions in public spaces have become a common spectacle on Fridays” in Syrian territory controlled by extremist group Islamic State (IS), the independent Commission …

Former New York Supreme Court judge appointed to UN Gaza investigation committee Mary McGowan Davis, a former New York City judge, on Monday was appointed to the UN commission to investigate the Israeli offensive and the actions of Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, the UN’s Human Rights Council said. Lebanese-born British human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin was previously offered the …

On Tuesday, several senior Islamic Jihad and Hamas leaders appeared in public for the first time since the conflict began, shortly after a long-term truce deal took hold in Gaza. Mohammed al-Hindi, a senior Islamic Jihad official, and Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, were among the leaders making a public appearance – the two gave a …

Head of Israeli manufacturers’ association(MAI) Zvi Oren urged his European counterparts to not boycott Israeli businesses and warned that such a move could affect Palestinians too. The, open letter seen on Monday sent to European industry leaders, came a week before Israel will end its export of dairy produce and poultry from its West Bank settlements to the European Union. …

The Palestinian command will demand the United Nations to set Israel a deadline for its occupation of Palestinian territory, as world leaders and Palestinian leadership continues to push for peace in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian leadership is willing “to go to the U.N. Security Council to enforce an end to the (Israeli) occupation”, Wasel Abu Yusef, a senior official …

Palestinian officials have said that they have reached an agreement with their Israeli counterparts in a “permanent” peace in Gaza, a source close to the delegation said on Tuesday, in an advance which Hamas has hailed as a “victory”.  However, there was no immediate comment from the Israeli officials on the alleged deal to end the seven weeks of violent …