Turkey likely to be excluded from Gaza stabilisation force after Israeli objection

Doubts over whether Ankara will be part of 5,000-strong force to be deployed to prevent postwar power vacuum

Turkey will probably be excluded from the 5,000-strong stabilisation force that is to be set up inside Gaza after Israel made clear it did not want Turkish troops taking part.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said it was a requirement that Israel is comfortable with the nationality of the multinational force, set up to prevent a security vacuum when the massive task of reconstruction in Gaza starts. Turkey has said it is willing to offer troops, but Israel has let it be known that it disapproves of Turkish troops taking part in the force.

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Egypt expected to lead global stabilisation force in Gaza, say diplomats

Decommissioning Hamas weapons seen as major stumbling block, with British diplomats advising on process

A European and US-backed UN security council motion to give a planned international stabilisation force robust powers to control security inside Gaza is being prepared, with the strong expectation that Egypt will lead it, diplomats have said.

The US is pressing for the force to have a UN mandate without being a fully fledged UN peacekeeping force and will operate with the kind of powers given to international troops operating in Haiti to combat armed gangs.

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Infectious diseases in Gaza ‘spiralling out of control’, says WHO – as it happened

UN official says: ‘Whether meningitis … diarrhoea, respiratory illnesses, we’re talking about a mammoth amount of work’. This live blog is closed

We’ve got a bit more from the UN’s World Food Programme on the situation in Gaza.

WFP spokeswoman Abeer Etefa told a media briefing in Geneva that, from Saturday until Wednesday, around 230 trucks with 2,800 tonnes of food supplies crossed into Gaza.

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Hamas’s aim to retain authority in Gaza involves keeping the guns

With no law, order or any alternative administration under the ceasefire, the group is using violence to deter rivals

Throughout Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, aid officials working in the territory avoided naming Hamas in conversations they suspected might be intercepted, instead referring to the militant Islamist group as the “de facto authority”.

This careful euphemism for Hamas, which violently seized power in 2007, captured an important truth. Though the group was a less obvious presence in the last months of the conflict, in the absence of any alternative, it remained the closest the increasingly devastated territory had to a ruler.

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Hamas says all reachable hostage bodies recovered amid Israel threat to resume Gaza fighting

Hamas says it needs specialist equipment to recover remaining bodies as Israel’s defence minister threatens to resume fighting

Israel has threatened to resume fighting in Gaza after Hamas announced that it could not return any further remains of deceased Israeli hostages without specialist recovery equipment that is needed to retrieve the rest from the ruins of the devastated territory.

The threat from Israel Katz, the defence minister, came after Hamas handed over the remains of two further bodies late on Wednesday, bringing the total of known deceased hostages returned by Hamas to nine – along with a tenth body that Israel said was not that of a former hostage.

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Trump says Hamas will be forced to disarm or ‘we will disarm them’

US president says it should take place in a ‘reasonable period of time’ amid questions over group’s status

Donald Trump has said that Hamas will be forced to disarm after questions swirled around the group’s status following the signing of a peace deal meant to bring an end to the war in Gaza.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Trump said: “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them and it will happen quickly and perhaps violently.

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Tuesday briefing: After the hostage release, five questions that will shape Gaza’s future

In today’s newsletter: Wild celebrations on both sides – but prospects for an enduring peace rest on compromises that appear difficult to reach

Good morning. The last 20 living Israeli hostages in Gaza were freed yesterday, after more than two years in captivity. Meanwhile, huge crowds in Ramallah greeted some of the 2,000 Palestinians – 1,700 of them held without charge – released by Israel in exchange.

Even against the backdrop of the horrors of the 7 October attack, and the Israeli assault that killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and left Gaza a wasteland, the scenes of reunion were overwhelming to watch. This picture gallery of Israeli hostages being reunited with their families captures something of an extraordinary day of catharsis and relief.

Environment | Millions more homes in England, Scotland and Wales face devastating floods, and some towns may have to be abandoned as climate breakdown makes many areas uninsurable, a Guardian investigation has found.

UK news | Tommy Robinson claimed Elon Musk was paying his legal costs as he went on trial for refusing to comply with a request made by counter-terrorism police as he tried to leave Britain last year.

Espionage | The government made “every effort” to support the trial of two men accused of spying for China, security minister Dan Jarvis has said, as he accused the Tories of claiming the case was deliberately abandoned “without a shred of evidence”.

UK politics | The families of the murdered MPs David Amess and Jo Cox have voiced concern about a recent surge in violent political rhetoric in Britain.

Nobel prize | Three experts in the power of technology to drive economic growth have been awarded this year’s Nobel prize in economics.

Peace in Gaza represents an opportunity to forget; to erase from the collective consciousness an era in which some western countries took a bludgeon to international norms and institutions, and indeed their own domestic politics, in order to force through the destruction of Gaza.”

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Trump sets sights on peace with Iran as he hails ‘end of Gaza war’

In speech to Israeli Knesset hours after hostages released, US president spoke of ‘historic dawn of new Middle East’

Donald Trump has vowed to use the power of his presidency to ensure that Israel recognises it has achieved “all that it can by force of arms”, and begin an age of cooperation in the Middle East that may ultimately extend as far as peace with Iran.

In a speech to the Israeli Knesset, made hours after the last remaining Israeli hostages were released from Gaza, Trump hailed the “historic dawn of a new Middle East” and an end to the “long and painful nightmare” of the Gaza war.

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Trump says ‘war is over’ in Gaza as Israel awaits release of hostages

US president says Middle East will ‘normalize’ before he boarded flight to Israel for world leaders’ peace summit

The war in Gaza has ended and the Middle East is going to “normalize”, Donald Trump said on Sunday as he flew to Israel, which was waiting for Hamas to release Israeli hostages as world leaders were gathering to discuss the next steps toward peace.

“The war is over, you understand that,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One as he began a flight from Washington DC to Israel.

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Agencies prepare to bring aid to starving people in Gaza as ceasefire appears to hold

Unicef says ‘humanitarian crisis continues’ and expects to scale up aid deliveries on Sunday

Aid agencies are preparing to bring large amounts of vital aid to starving people in Gaza this weekend, as a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas appeared to be holding.

“We have received signals that tomorrow will be the day that the scale-up [in aid deliveries] begins in earnest under the ceasefire,” said Tess Ingram, a spokesperson for the UN agency for children, Unicef.

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Gaza ceasefire plan live: Israel says it is preparing to pull back troops; living hostages could be released within days

US president Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to ‘first phase’ of plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners

Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza gathered in what has come to be known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv after the announcement.

“President Trump, thank you very much. We thank him, our children will not have returned home without him,” said Hatan Angrest, whose son Matan is among the hostages.

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Thursday briefing: What the first phase of a Gaza peace plan will bring

In today’s newsletter: A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will see the release of hostages and the withdrawal of most of Israel’s troops

Good morning. After more than two years of devastating war, a ceasefire has finally been announced in Gaza.

US president Donald Trump said Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause fighting and secure the release of hostages and prisoners. Under the deal, Hamas is expected to release 20 surviving hostages over the coming days in exchange for Palestinian detainees, while Israeli forces will begin withdrawing from most of Gaza.

Gaza | Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners held in Gaza, bringing the best hope yet of a definitive end to a bloody two-year conflict that has killed ten of thousands, destabilised much of the Middle East and prompted protests across the world.

Health | Ministers are preparing to raise the amount the NHS pays pharmaceutical firms for medicines by up to 25% after weeks of intensive talks with the Donald Trump administration and drugmakers.

Education | Universities in the UK reassured arms companies they would monitor students’ chat groups and social media accounts after firms raised concerns about campus protests, according to internal emails.

AI | The Bank of England has warned there is a growing risk of a “sudden correction” in global markets as it raised concerns about soaring valuations of leading AI tech companies.

Politics | The Conservatives will scrap stamp duty on sales of primary residences if they win the next election, Kemi Badenoch has said, in a policy-heavy speech designed to improve her standing as Tory leader and her party’s economic credibility with voters.

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Diplomacy’s lowest point: how the Israel-Gaza conflict was mishandled

In two years there have been many versions of a ‘day after’ plan for Gaza and many obstacles to overcome

George Mitchell, the great US advocate for the Northern Ireland peace agreement, described diplomacy as 700 days of failure and one of success. In Gaza, tragically, there have been 730 days of failure and none of success. Indeed, the destruction, the death toll and the spillover of the conflict into other countries is a monument to shame diplomacy and what remains of international law. Arguably, it is the profession’s lowest point since 1939.

Some will claim failure is inevitable since this conflict is now so embedded and impervious to compromise that it can only be settled at the barrel of the gun, in essence through the repression or erasure of one side.

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Hamas to demand key revisions to Trump Gaza plan before accepting, sources say

Turkey and Qatar putting pressure on group to make concessions – but condition it disarm is a sticking point

Hamas will demand key revisions to Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire proposal but is likely to accept the plan in coming days as a basis for renewed negotiations, analysts and sources close to the group say.

Trump imposed a deadline of “three or four days” from Tuesday for Hamas to give its response to his 20-point plan, which aims to bring the two-year war in Gaza to a close and allow an apparently indefinite international administration of the devastated territory, or “pay in hell”.

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Israel says ‘last opportunity’ for Gaza City residents to leave

Defence minister issues warning, while Hamas reportedly considers seeking amendments to Trump plan

The Israeli military has issued what it said was its final warning for Gaza City residents to flee as it intensified its bombardment and offensive on Wednesday, while Hamas was reportedly considering requesting amendments to Donald Trump’s ceasefire ultimatum.

Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said the warning was the last opportunity for people to move to southern Gaza as the military encircled the city. Gaza’s civil defence agency said on Wednesday that Israeli forces had killed at least 46 people, including 36 in Gaza City.

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Middle East crisis: Israeli minister says ‘last opportunity’ for Gaza City residents to flee – as it happened

Israeli offensive intensifies amid reports Hamas will seek amendments to Trump’s Gaza plan

Here are some images coming in via the newswires today:

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the “intensification of military operations in Gaza City” has forced the humanitarian organisation to temporarily suspend operations at its Gaza City office and relocate its staff to ICRC offices in southern Gaza “to ensure staff safety and operational continuity”.

The ICRC will continue to strive to provide support to civilians in Gaza City, whenever circumstances allow, from our offices in Deir al-Balah and Rafah, which remain fully operational. This includes providing medical donations to the few remaining health facilities in Gaza City and doing the utmost to facilitate the movements of first responders. In Rafah, the Red Cross Field hospital will continue to be a lifeline for the many wounded patients pouring in.

The ICRC has been in Gaza City for decades. Following the latest intensification of hostilities, ICRC teams stayed as long as they possibly could to protect and support the most vulnerable people. The ICRC remains committed to returning as soon as conditions allow.

The rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance must be allowed and facilitated across the Gaza Strip.

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Trump gives Hamas ‘three or four days’ to respond to his peace plan for Gaza

US president warns militant group will ‘pay in hell’ if it rejects the deal, which seeks to end two-year-long war

Donald Trump has given Hamas an ultimatum of “three or four days” to respond to his proposed peace and reconstruction plan in Gaza, warning the militant group would “pay in hell” if it rejects the deal, as the Israeli offensive continued, inflicting further civilian casualties.

Trump’s proposal was announced in a joint press conference in Washington with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and seeks a definitive end to the relentless two-year-long war. At least 31 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Tuesday, local hospitals said.

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What’s in Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza?

Plan calls for immediate end to war between Israel and Hamas but lacks detail on how key points will be executed

The White House peace plan for Gaza proposes an immediate end to the devastating war between Israel and Hamas that has raged in the coastal territory for nearly two years, while pointedly excluding the Palestinian militant group from any future governing role.

Assuming both sides agree to a detailed list of conditions, the end of fighting will be accompanied by the release of all Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, “within 72 hours” of Israel publicly accepting the deal.

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Israeli loudspeakers broadcast Netanyahu’s speech to UN into Gaza

Operation prompts outrage as Israeli PM criticises western countries for recognising Palestine as a state and pledges to continue war

Israeli military loudspeaker systems have broadcast Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the UN into Gaza in an unprecedented operation that immediately prompted controversy and outrage.

In a statement on Friday, an Israeli government spokesperson said: “As part of the public diplomacy effort, the prime minister’s office has directed civilian elements, in cooperation with the [Israel Defense Forces], to place loudspeakers on the backs of trucks on the Israeli side of the Gaza border so that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s historic UN general assembly speech will be heard in the Gaza Strip.”

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Netanyahu calls UK’s Palestine recognition ‘absurd prize for terrorism’

Opposition leader Yair Golan blames government’s political recklessness and refusal to end the war in Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, called the UK’s recognition of Palestine on Sunday “an absurd prize for terrorism”.

In remarks to ministers released by his office, he said Israel would have “to fight both in the UN and in all the other fronts against the slanderous propaganda aimed at us, and against the calls to create a Palestinian state that will endanger our existence and constitute an absurd prize for terrorism”.

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