World

Three Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by the IDF had been holding a white flag, an Israeli military official has said. The official said an initial inquiry into the incident has found the hostages were fired upon against Israel’s rules of engagement. The IDF said yesterday that the victims – all Israeli men in their 20s

The Israeli military has mistakenly killed three hostages held in Gaza after wrongly identifying them as a threat. The Israeli Defence Forces said the victims, all three Israeli men in their 20s, were killed during combat with Hamas militants. The victims were identified as Samer Talalka, 22, Yotam Haim, 28, and Alon Shamriz, 26. Israeli

One person has died and another is in a critical condition in hospital after a boat carrying migrants got into trouble in the Channel. They were among at least 66 people on the inflatable dinghy which got into difficulty about 5 miles (8km) off the French coast, according to the coastguard. The survivors have been

It had all the makings of one of those nightmare EU summits. A crucially important meeting that would drag on rancorously late beyond the end of the week. The villain of the piece, Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban – whose critics call him Putin’s puppet – had arrived looking up for a fight. There was

Israel’s ambassador to the UK has told Sky News her country would not accept a two-state solution when the war in Gaza ends. When pressed on the question of Palestinians having their own state, Tzipi Hotovely told Mark Austin: “Absolutely no.” Asked how there can be peace without a Palestinian state, she added: “Israel knows

The US Navy has shot down a suspected Houthi drone which was headed in the direction of a warship after being launched from Yemen, according to a defence official. The USS Mason destroyer took out the targetted drone, according to the US military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Houthi rebels had attacked a

The draft resolution from COP28 does not contain the words “phase out” with regard to fossil fuels. The UN’s climate body published the proposed text of the deal early on Wednesday morning after negotiations massively overran in Dubai. Instead of the phrase “phase out” the proposal discussed “transitioning away” from fossil fuels, beginning this decade.

The president of a top Turkish football club has resigned after punching a referee to the ground at the end of a match. Faruk Koca, who has also been arrested, said he was “embarrassed” and “saddened” by the incident. The MKE Ankaragucu president hit the referee Halil Umut Meler at the end of the game

Professional football in Turkey has been suspended after a top referee was punched to the ground by a club president at the end of a match in the country’s highest league. Halil Umut Meler was attacked at the final whistle and hit in the face by MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca, sparking a melee of

UN envoys from the security council have made a whirlwind trip to Egypt’s Rafah Crossing into Gaza in what is being seen as a urgent attempt to try to halt the war. The trip went ahead under heavy security as there were further signs of a deterioration in law and order – with starving Gazans

Governments are considering a plan to “reduce” consumption and production of fossil fuels, according to a first version of the COP28 draft text. In the United Nations negotiations, the word “reducing” is used rather than previously proposed words saying “phase out”. But the language could frighten OPEC countries, as both their production of fossil fuels

The gulf between Israel and the US on one hand, and Arab states and much of the rest of the world on the other, couldn’t really be greater. With the US diplomatic backing, and with more of its ammunition supplies being shipped to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that to achieve

“Every day there is like hell. Abnormal fear, zero sleep.” Hostages released by Hamas have described weeks of fear and hunger inside the warren of tunnels beneath Gaza, and called on the world not to forget about those still in captivity. Their comments were broadcast in pre-recorded videos played at a rally in Tel Aviv

From Gaza to the West Bank and far beyond, there is a collective anger at the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.  And the UK’s abstention is seen as tacit support for the continuing Israeli campaign against Hamas, even as aid agencies are lining up to tell

As the United Nations vote showed last night, Israel still has the backing of its most powerful ally, the United States, and the UK who chose to abstain. However, with 13 of the 15 members of the Security Council voting in favour of a ceasefire, and more than eighty other countries supporting it, the US

Despite overwhelming military superiority, Israel is struggling to develop an effective strategy to tackle the tunnel network under Gaza. This “underworld” has provided Hamas with a degree of sanctuary beyond the gaze of satellites, drones and military forces. How will Israel defeat Hamas without destroying the tunnel network? Please use Chrome browser for a more

Footage has emerged appearing to show the Israeli military detaining dozens of Palestinian men in northern Gaza – with some stripped to their underwear. The video, widely shared on social media, shows those held lined up in rows. Some appear to have their hands tied behind their backs. A number of Israeli commentators originally incorrectly

Rami Shmuel went from producing a multi-day rave to searching through the bodies of partygoers who died at Nova festival. What happened there on 7 October is now recorded as the site of the country’s worst terror attack. Israeli police say more than 360 mostly young men and women were murdered at the rave by

The US has reaffirmed its support for Guyana’s sovereignty – as the South American country argues with Venezuela over jungle territory containing huge amounts of oil and gas. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali late on Wednesday, the State Department said. A few hours earlier, White House

In Nir Oz, a kibbutz on the Gaza border, they are still sifting through the ashes to find body parts of people killed in the Hamas attack on 7 October. We watched Israeli soldiers in their green military fatigues sitting opposite each other on plastic chairs, eyes down, expressionless faces and hands methodically searching for