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Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades on Wednesday under the auspices of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism, though Lebanon’s premier cautioned the new diplomatic contact did not amount to broader peace discussions.The two sides met at the UN peacekeeping force’s headquarters in Lebanon’s Naqura near the border with Israel, where the guarantors of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah regularly convene.Lebanon and Israel have technically been at war since 1948, but Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the new discussions were strictly limited to fully implementing last year’s truce.”We are not yet at peace talks,” Salam told journalists, including AFP, on Wednesday.He said the talks only sought “the cessation of hostilities”, the “release of Lebanese hostages” and “the complete Israeli withdrawal” from Lebanon.Israel has kept up regular air strikes in Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and facilities, and it has kept troops in five areas in the south despite the ceasefire’s stipulation that it pull out entirely.Until now, Israel and Lebanon, which have no formal diplomatic relations, had insisted on limiting participation in the ceasefire mechanism to military officers.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the atmosphere at the talks was “positive”, and that there had been agreement “to develop ideas to promote potential economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon”.Israel also made it clear it was “essential” that Lebanese militant group Hezbollah disarm regardless of any progress in economic cooperation, the premier’s office added.The ceasefire mechanism is orchestrated by the United States, and also includes the involvement of France and the UN.- ‘Normalisation will follow peace’ -The US embassy in Beirut said in a statement that Morgan Ortagus, the US special envoy for Lebanon, also attended Wednesday’s meeting. The United States has been piling pressure on Lebanon to rapidly disarm Hezbollah.Washington’s embassy welcomed the inclusion of the civilian representatives — former Lebanese ambassador to the US Simon Karam and Israeli National Security Council official Uri Resnick — in the ceasefire mechanism.”Their inclusion reflects the Mechanism’s commitment to facilitating political and military discussions with the aim of achieving security, stability, and a durable peace for all communities affected by the conflict,” it said.Ortagus was in Jerusalem a day earlier, where she met with Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. The United States has pushed for direct talks between the two neighbours in a bid to stabilise the region and further weaken Iran-backed Hezbollah.Salam on Wednesday said Lebanon was “open to verification by the mechanism” when it came to its army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah in the country’s south.Lebanon has declared itself ready for negotiations with its southern neighbour.Netanyahu has repeatedly said Lebanon should join the Abraham Accords, under which a handful of Arab and Muslim countries have normalised ties with Israel.But Salam said on Wednesday that “normalisation will follow peace. It cannot precede peace.”- Ramped-up strikes -The new talks came days after the first anniversary of the start of the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah.The ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities that erupted after the militant group launched attacks in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, saying it seeks to stop the group from rebuilding its military capabilities.Under a government-approved plan, the Lebanese army is set to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani river by the end of the year, before tackling the rest of the country.Judging the Lebanese efforts insufficient, Israel has ramped up its strikes in recent weeks.Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Tuesday that Israel has been preparing for a “significant escalation” with Hezbollah, deemed “inevitable” despite Washington’s efforts.burs-at/raz/smw

The reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, part of US President Donald Trump’s truce plan for the Palestinian territory, has long been on hold despite calls from the UN and aid groups.Here are five things to know about this crucial crossing:- Vital access point -The Rafah crossing into Egypt is a crucial entry point for humanitarian workers and for lorries transporting aid, food and fuel, which is essential for daily life in a territory deprived of electricity.For a long time, the crossing was also the main exit point for Palestinians from Gaza who were authorised to leave the narrow strip of land, under Israeli blockade since 2007.From 2005 to 2007, it was the first Palestinian border terminal controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and later became a symbol of Hamas control over the Gaza Strip after the militant group seized power. – Under Israeli control – On May 7, 2024, the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side, claiming that the crossing was being “used for terrorist purposes”, amid suspicions of arms trafficking. Many access points have since been mostly closed, including those used by the United Nations.Rafah briefly reopened during a short ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect on January 19, initially allowing the passage of people authorised to leave Gaza, and later access for trucks.- Reopening soon? -After the new ceasefire spearheaded by Trump took effect on October 10, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar mentioned plans for a reopening, but the Israeli prime minister’s office ultimately announced that the crossing would remain closed “until further notice”.Israel said on Wednesday it would open the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt to allow residents to exit the Palestinian territory “in the coming days,” but Egypt denied such a deal.Israel’s COGAT, which oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said that the crossing would operate under the supervision of the EU’s Border Assistance Mission, “similar to the mechanism that operated in January 2025”.Trump’s plan, which underpins the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, stipulates that the territory would once again become accessible to international humanitarian aid and that the Rafah crossing would open. But since the ceasefire took effect, Israeli authorities have stalled on the matter, citing Hamas’s failure to return the bodies of all hostages and the need for coordination with Egypt. – Kerem Shalom – International aid generally arrives in Egypt via the ports of Port Said or El-Arish, the city closest to the Gaza Strip. According to drivers’ accounts, once through the Rafah checkpoint, the trucks are directed to the Israeli crossing of Kerem Shalom, a few kilometres away.There, the drivers disembark their vehicles for inspection.After strict checks, the goods authorised for entry are unloaded and then reloaded onto other vehicles authorised to enter Gaza.- Other crossings – The agreement brokered by Trump provides for the entry of 600 trucks per day. For now, Israel is allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid in smaller quantities, three quarters of it through Kerem Shalom, and the rest through the Kissufim crossing, according to the UN. The Erez, or Beit Hanoun, crossing between Gaza and southern Israel was destroyed by Hamas gunmen during their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.Briefly reopened in early 2025, it is currently closed, with no reopening date set. Other access points have operated in the past, but Israeli authorities have not communicated on whether they will reopen.

Israel announced Wednesday it had received hostage remains found in Gaza from the Red Cross, which were being transported to the morgue for identification.It comes as the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violating the terms.Under the first phase of the deal — which came into effect in October — Palestinian militants were due to return all 48 hostages they held captive, 20 of whom were still alive.All but the bodies of two hostages — Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak — have since been handed over, but Israel has accused Hamas of dragging their feet on returning remains.”Israel has received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a deceased hostage, which was delivered to (army) and Shin Bet (internal security service) forces in the Gaza Strip,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.”The coffin of the deceased hostage… crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and is on its way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out,” the Israeli army said in a statement.The military did not specify whether what was discovered were the remains of one of the last two Gaza hostages but the premier’s office said authorities were in “continuous contact” with their families.Israeli police in a brief statement said they were “currently escorting, with reverence, the coffin of the fallen hostage to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine”.A Hamas official told AFP before the Israeli statement that a team from the two groups’ armed wings had “found remains that are possibly those of an Israeli hostage” under the rubble in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.AFP footage from northern Gaza showed masked militants from the two groups standing on the back of a truck with a stretcher covered with a white body bag.Diggers were busy working to remove vast piles of rubble.- ‘No link’ in past remains -On Wednesday morning, Netanyahu’s office said forensic tests showed remains retrieved from Gaza the day before were “not linked” to the last two dead hostages held in the Palestinian territory.Israeli police said on Tuesday they had received the presumed remains of one of the remaining hostages and escorted what they called “the coffin of the fallen hostage” to the forensic centre.Hamas has blamed difficulties in finding the remains beneath the sea of rubble created by the two-year war with Israel.The Gaza Strip remains in a deep humanitarian crisis despite the ceasefire which came into effect on October 10.Under the first phase of the deal brokered by Trump, Palestinian militants have handed over the last 20 living hostages, and so far, the remains of 26 out of 28 deceased ones.In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.Militants took 251 people hostage during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the devastating war and resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people.Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed at least 70,117 people, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.The ministry says since the ceasefire came into effect, 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. Israel’s military has reported three soldiers killed during the same period.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon in three ongoing corruption cases is widely seen as his latest bid to ensure his political survival, as the canny premier stares down the prospect of close elections in 2026.The first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand trial, Netanyahu has been dogged by the allegations for years, and has had to appear in front of a judge weekly for hearings.He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and denounced the cases as a politically motivated plot against him.He submitted his request on Sunday to President Isaac Herzog, who will now decide whether to take the rare move of pardoning Netanyahu before any conviction.”The pardon request that Netanyahu’s lawyers submitted is not a legal move. It is purely a political move,” prominent columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the Yediot Aharonot daily.The request starts a negotiation led by Herzog that could see the trials end through a plea bargain agreement, a pardon or a combination of the two, the columnist said.”If Herzog grants him a deluxe pardon he will be freed from his trial… he will ride that wave all the way to victory in the elections,” he wrote Monday.”If the negotiations end in failure,” he added, “Netanyahu will ride the wave of victimhood all the way to victory in the elections.”- ‘Political tool’ -Netanyahu, 76, is Israel’s longest-serving premier, having spent more than 18 years in the post across three spells since 1996.The next election must be held no later than November 2026, but could be even earlier if Netanyahu chooses, or if his hand is forced by the loss of his very fragile majority.The premier has already made it clear he intends to run again, though he is facing a tricky race.Polls have shown that if an election were held today, Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party would win, putting him in prime position to form the next government.But according to a Kan poll conducted the day of his pardon request, the prime minister’s parliamentary bloc would win just 52 seats, compared to 58 for the opposition — not counting Arab parties, which are unlikely to join a coalition with either side.Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces a wall of anger in Israel.Nearly two-thirds of Israelis want him to acknowledge his responsibility for the security failures that led to Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.Opinions are mixed on the prospect of offering him clemency, with between 40 and 48 percent of Israelis opposing it, and 35 to 38 percent in favour, according to two surveys published after the request.For Netanyahu, it is all about securing the next term, said legal expert Dorit Koskas, who said the premier was using the pardon as a “political tool”.He wants to “erase the consequences of his failings so he can continue his political career instead of finally being held accountable”, she told AFP.Political journalist Ari Shavit speculated in Yediot Aharonot that Netanyahu would propose a deal: “a pardon in exchange for a complete halt to the judicial reform” that deeply divided the country in 2023.Netanyahu’s government proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics said sought to weaken the courts, prompting massive protests that were only curtailed after the onset of the Gaza war.- Trump backing -But Netanyahu has one significant and powerful supporter: US President Donald Trump, who wrote to Herzog last month seeking a pardon for the prime minister.Netanyahu said in a letter sent alongside the pardon request that an end to his trials would heal the divisions in Israel.Although the Israeli opposition rejects a pardon without Netanyahu’s withdrawal from political life, Herzog said Monday he would focus only on Israel’s “best interests” when he weighs the request.According to political analyst Myriam Shermer, a pardon for Netanyahu would only reduce divisions if it allowed “a broad centrist coalition to emerge… after years of political deadlock”.Israel’s system of proportional representation has often led to coalitions made up of very different parties which frequently results in unstable governments.To achieve a broad centrist coalition, Shermer said the opposition must end its stigmatisation of Netanyahu, and the prime minister must agree to govern with parties other than his current far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies.She added Netanyahu would also have to establish a “real commission that will examine the security and political failings” that led to the October 7 attack, which the premier opposes despite wide support across Israel for such a move.Shermer said Netanyahu should “have no problem putting aside” the judicial reform in exchange for a final term, which the premier hopes will be “crowned with diplomatic successes”, including his dream of normalisation with Saudi Arabia.

Iran said Wednesday it would now send representatives to the World Cup finals draw in Washington in a complete reversal of an earlier decision to boycott the event over visa issues.”Amir Ghalenoei, head coach of Iran’s national team, will participate in the World Cup draw ceremony as the technical representative of the national football team with one or two other people,” the Iranian Football Federation spokesperson told state television.On Friday, the federation’s spokesperson said that they had informed FIFA about the Iranian delegation not participating in the ceremony as the United States refused to grant visa to several members of the delegation.Iranian sports website Varzesh 3 earlier reported that one of those who didn’t receive the visa was Mehdi Taj, the president of the federation. “We have told the head of FIFA mister (Gianni) Infantino, that it is purely a political position and that FIFA must tell them (the US) to desist from this behaviour,” Taj said then.According to Varzesh 3, four members of the delegation including Ghalenoei had been granted visas for the draw on December 5.Iran qualified for the sport’s quadrennial showpiece in March, securing a fourth successive appearance at World Cup finals and a seventh in all.They have yet to progress to the knockout stages but there was unconfined joy when, at the 1998 finals in France, Iran beat the USA 2-1 in their group match.The USA avenged that by edging Iran 1-0 in the 2022 edition in Qatar.The United States — which is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico — and Iran have been at loggerheads for over four decades.They had, though, been holding high-level nuclear talks that had begun in April, during which the two sides were at odds over Iran’s right to enrich uranium — which Tehran defends as “inalienable”.However, the negotiations ended when in mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined with strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.

More than 200 celebrities, including actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Josh O’Connor, called on Israel on Wednesday to release imprisoned Palestinian politician Marwan Barghouti, who is seen by supporters as a key unifying figure.Barghouti, 66, has been in jail since 2002 but is regarded as a likely major player in the creation of any Palestinian state because of his ability to unite various political factions.The open letter calling for his release featured film A-listers Josh O’Connor, Benedict Cumberbatch and Javier Bardem, as well as musicians Fontaines D.C. and Sting.Top-selling writers Sally Rooney, Annie Ernaux and Margaret Atwood also lent their support, as did artist Nan Goldin and British footballer-turned-broadcaster Gary Lineker.”We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned,” they wrote. “We call upon the United Nations and the governments of the world to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison.”Most of the signatories were already active in efforts to bring an end to Israel’s war in Gaza, but the new letter is part of an international “Free Marwan” campaign launched by Barghouti’s family. Sometimes dubbed the “Mandela of Palestine” by his supporters, Barghouti was handed five life sentences by an Israeli court in 2004 over deadly attacks during the 2000-2005 second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. He was an MP at the time and refused to recognise the court during his trial, which was later denounced as flawed by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a body that represents parliaments around the world.Israel has refused to release Barghouti — known for his anti-corruption stance — in any prisoner exchanges carried out since the Gaza war erupted after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.Barghouti’s son said in October that his father had been severely beaten by Israeli guards during a prison transfer in September, resulting in four broken ribs and head injuries.In a video he shared on social media in August, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was seen threatening a physically weak Marwan Barghouti in jail.

A Libyan prison boss accused of overseeing murder, rape, and torture at a notorious detention centre appeared at the International Criminal Court Wednesday to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, sat impassively dressed in a dark blue jacket and light blue shirt, confirming his name and date of birth before the three-woman judging panel.He stands accused of six counts of war crimes and six crimes against humanity, including torture, murder, rape, sexual violence, and persecution between February 2015 and early 2020 at the notorious Mitiga prison near Tripoli.The ICC, which tries individuals for the world’s worst crimes, believes there are “reasonable grounds” to believe he personally killed one detainee at the prison, which he ran with an iron fist.A “significant number” of people died during El Hishri’s time there, either from torture, being left outside in winter, untreated injuries, or starvation, the court said.ICC judges believe at least five detainees, including a 15-year-old boy, were raped by guards or other prisoners. Women prisoners were also subjected to sexual abuse, the court alleged.The court alleges El Hishri took part in “personally torturing, mistreating, sexually abusing and killing detainees” and also “exercised his authority over all Mitiga prison staff and detainees.”The suspect “imposed prison conditions aimed at increasing the detainees’ suffering,” alleged the court, which said “several thousand” were held there.Detainees were tortured on arrival and at regular times during their stay.The court said they were beaten with plastic pipes, batons, electrical cables, as well as fists. Detainees were shot, placed in stress positions, and confined in small metal boxes.”Extensive beatings” were commonplace at the prison, said the court, “sometimes for the entertainment and amusement of guards.”- ‘Horrific abuses’ -Presiding judge Iulia Motoc said the court had received an email earlier Wednesday from El Hishri’s defence team applying for interim release.When invited to speak, El Hishri said he had no observations — “just requesting my release”.Motoc said the next phase of proceedings, a “confirmation of charges” hearing, would take place on 19 May, 2026.El Hishri is the first suspect to appear at the ICC as part of its investigation into Libya which began in 2011.The oil-rich country is still grappling with the aftermath of the armed conflict and political chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi.It remains divided between a United Nations-recognised government in the west and its eastern rival, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said the case would “bring into the light the horrific abuses taking place behind the locked doors of Libya’s prisons.”The ICC is also seeking Osama Almasri Najim, head of Libya’s judicial police, on charges relating to alleged crimes at the prison.Najim was arrested in Italy but then released and returned to Libya, sparking a major political row in Italy and consternation in The Hague, where the ICC is based.

A Doctors Without Borders official has pleaded for countries to open their doors to tens of thousands of Gazans in dire need of medical evacuation, warning that hundreds have already died waiting.”The need is really huge,” said Hani Isleem, who coordinates medical evacuations from Gaza for the charity, known by its French acronym MSF.The numbers taken in by countries so far remains “just a drop in the ocean”, Isleem told AFP in an interview on Tuesday.The World Health Organization estimates that more than 8,000 patients have been evacuated out of Gaza since the war erupted following Hamas’s attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023.It says more than 16,500 patients still need treatment outside of the Palestinian territory.Speaking at the MSF headquarters in Geneva after accompanying seriously ill and injured Gaza children to Switzerland for treatment, Isleem said that number was based only on patients registered for medical evacuation and the true figure was higher.”Our estimate is that it is three to four times that number,” he said.To date, over 30 countries have taken patients, but only a handful, including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, have accepted large numbers.In Europe, Italy has taken over 200 patients, compared to France, which by the end of October had taken 27, and Germany none.- Evacuation pace slowing -Switzerland in November took in 20 Gaza children who arrived in two batches.The 13 children aged two months to 16 years whom Isleem accompanied last week included four babies with severe congenital heart disease, as well as cancer patients and children requiring complex orthopaedic surgery.Without the evacuation, some of those children would not have made it, he said, pointing out that the babies basically went straight to surgery after their arrival in Switzerland to avoid “irreversible damage”.Isleem lamented that as conditions in Gaza become more desperate, the pace of medical evacuations has slowed.Initially, some 1,500 patients left each month on average, but after Israel in May 2024 closed the Rafah crossing into Egypt, the monthly average has dropped to around 70.A US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 has not seemed to speed up the process.Nor, surprisingly, has a dramatic drop in Israeli evacuation refusals.Isleem pointed out that the Israeli authorities’ denial rate had plunged from an average of around 90 percent to just five percent in recent months, adding that this was still too high.They should not “block any patients from leaving Gaza to access treatment”, he said.- Stop the ‘shopping list’ -Despite these shifts, there has been no big uptick in evacuations, with 148 carried out in October and 71 last month, with only around 30 expected to take place in December, Isleem said.The problem, he said, was the long and often “politicised” process for nations to accept Gaza’s medical evacuees.”Countries are taking a long time to decide or allocate the budget for these patients, but (they cannot) wait for this discussion to happen.”More than 900 people have died while waiting for evacuations from Gaza since October 2023 — a figure Isleem said was an underestimate.Another problem, Isleem warned, was that “99.9 percent of countries are asking for children”. “They are ignoring completely the adults (who also) need support and lifesaving aid,” he said, pointing out that three quarters of those waiting for medical evacuations were over 18. Governments also impose other criteria, including refusing patients with accompanying family members, and especially with any male siblings over 18.Isleem urged countries to “stop this selection shopping list”, and to “focus only on the needs and saving people’s lives”.