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The first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce is due to expire on Saturday, but negotiations on the next stage, which should secure a permanent ceasefire, have so far been inconclusive.The ceasefire took effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country’s history.Over several weeks, Gaza militants freed 25 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others to Israel, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.The second phase of the fragile truce, which was brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt after months of gruelling negotiations, should begin on Sunday, and should secure the release of dozens of hostages still in Gaza.On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold a ministerial meeting with security officials, according to Israeli media, after he sent a delegation to Egypt for discussions on phase two of the truce.On Thursday, Egypt’s State Information Service said: “The relevant parties have begun intensive talks to discuss the next phases of the truce agreement, amid ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the previously agreed understandings.”It also said Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were in Cairo for the talks.By early Saturday, there was no sign of consensus, or of a presence of a Hamas delegation in the Egyptian capital.Max Rodenbeck, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said the second phase cannot be expected to start on Saturday.”But I think the ceasefire probably won’t collapse also,” he said.The preferred Israeli scenario is to free more hostages under an extension of the first phase, rather than a second phase, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.Hamas, for its part, has pushed hard for phase two to begin, after it suffered staggering losses in the devastating war.In a statement, it said that it “affirms its full commitment to implementing all the provisions of the agreement in all its stages and details”.The group also called for global pressure on Israel “to immediately enter the second phase of the agreement without any delay”. – Ceasefire ‘must hold’ -Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal “must hold”, with just hours to go before the initial phase expires.”The coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal,” Guterres said in New York.The truce enabled greater aid flows into the territory, where more than 69 percent of buildings were damaged or destroyed, almost the entire population was displaced, and widespread hunger occurred because of the war, according to the United Nations.- Ramadan begins -In Gaza and throughout the Muslim world, this weekend is also the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Among the rubble of a war-devastated neighbourhood of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, traditional Ramadan lanterns hung.The Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The Israeli retaliation has killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the UN has deemed reliable.In a relatively rare incident during the truce, Israel’s military said an air strike on Friday targeted two “suspects” approaching troops in southern Gaza, as a hospital in Khan Yunis said it had received the body of one person killed “in a strike”.- ‘Shackled with chains’ -Among the Israeli hostages released during the first phase of the truce was Eli Sharabi, now 53, who recounted his suffering in a televised interview.”For a year and four months my legs were shackled with chains with very, very heavy locks that cut into your flesh,” Sharabi said.He spoke of intense hunger and food deprivation.In return for the release of Sharabi and other captives, Israel released around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.The Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights issued a report that denounced mistreatment “amounting to torture” of Gazan health care workers in Israeli custody. It said more than 250 have been detained by Israel since the Gaza war began.Gaza militants also released five Thai hostages outside the truce deal’s terms.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal “must hold”, with just hours to go before an initial phase expires.His comments came after Palestinian militant group Hamas called for international pressure on Israel to enter the next phase of the ceasefire, as Egypt said negotiations had resumed in Cairo.The truce’s first phase is due to expire on Saturday morning, after largely halting more than 15 months of bombardment and fighting in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.”The ceasefire and hostage release deal must hold. The coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal,” Guterres said in New York.The truce led to the exchange of hostages held by militants in Gaza for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. It also enabled greater aid flows into the territory, where more than 69 percent of buildings were damaged or destroyed, almost the entire population was displaced and widespread hunger occurred because of the war, according to the United Nations.But talks on a second phase had been delayed. They were supposed to begin 16 days into the first stage, and an analyst, Max Rodenbeck, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said the second phase — aiming to bring a permanent end to the war — cannot be expected to start on Saturday.”But I think the ceasefire probably won’t collapse also,” he said.The preferred Israeli scenario is to free more hostages under an extension of the first phase, rather than a second phase, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.Hamas said in a statement that “with the end of the first phase of the ceasefire” the group “affirms its full commitment to implementing all the provisions of the agreement in all its stages and details”.The group called for global pressure on Israel “to immediately enter the second phase of the agreement without any delay”. The State Information Service of mediator Egypt said in a statement on Thursday: “The relevant parties have begun intensive talks to discuss the next phases of the truce agreement, amid ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the previously agreed understandings”.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “instructed the negotiation delegation to depart for Cairo” on Thursday, his office said shortly after Hamas handed over the remains of Tsachi Idan and three other hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli custody.- Ramadan begins -In Gaza and throughout the Muslim world, this weekend is also the start of the holy month of Ramadan.Amid the rubble of a war-devastated neighbourhood of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, traditional Ramadan lanterns hung.The war began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The Israeli retaliation has killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the UN has deemed reliable.In a relatively rare incident during the truce, Israel’s military said an air strike on Friday targeted two “suspects” approaching troops in southern Gaza, as a hospital in Khan Yunis said it had received the body of one person killed “in a strike”.On Friday thousands of people lined the streets in the Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv for the funeral of Idan, 49, after militants returned his body. At Bloomfield Stadium, home ground of Hapoel Tel Aviv, the football club Idan supported, many stood in the stands weeping and waving the club’s red colours alongside the national flag.Palestinians too mourned their dead.In Gaza City, armed militants and other Palestinians attended the funeral for 40 militants and civilians killed during the war, AFP images showed.- ‘Shackled with chains’ -During the truce’s first phase, Hamas freed in stages 25 living Israeli hostages and returned the bodies of eight others.Among those released was Eli Sharabi, now 53, who recounted his suffering in a televised interview.”For a year and four months my legs were shackled with chains with very, very heavy locks that cut into your flesh,” Sharabi said.He spoke of intense hunger and food deprivation.In return for the release of Sharabi and other captives, Israel was expected to free around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in total during the first phase. Hamas officials told AFP that Israel had freed about 1,700 so far.The Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights issued a report that denounced mistreatment “amounting to torture” of Gazan health care workers in Israeli custody. It said more than 250 have been detained by Israel since the Gaza war began.Gaza militants also released five Thai hostages outside the truce deal’s terms.Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

For Muslims in Saudi Arabia and most Sunni-ruled Middle Eastern states Ramadan will begin on Saturday, but in Shiite-majority Iran and Iraq it will start the following day, authorities announced. The holy month, during which hundreds of millions of faithful around the world observe a daytime fast, traditionally begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two holiest sites, was joined by its Gulf Arab neighbours in declaring that the moon had been sighted on Friday.”The Supreme Court has decided that tomorrow, Saturday, is the first day of the month of (Ramadan),” the official Saudi Press Agency posted on X.Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and Tunisia announced they too would begin the daytime fast on Saturday.But the office of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, declared Sunday the first day of Ramadan.Only in Morocco, at the far-western edge of the Arab world, will Sunnis start observing the daytime fast on Sunday, its Islamic affairs ministry announced. In multi-confessional Lebanon, the grand mufti announced Saturday as the first day of Ramadan for Sunnis, state media reported.Observing the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring believers to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours. Observant Muslims are also encouraged to donate to the poor.burs/kir/it

Deep in the Saudi Arabian desert, a group of robed men are peering into the sky, trying to spot the crescent moon that signifies the start of Ramadan.Their work is significant: an official sighting of the moon begins a month of fasting and prayer for millions of Muslims in Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam’s holiest sites, and beyond. “I feel a great responsibility, before God above all… and I seek success because the matter is related to the fasting of all Muslims,” said Abdullah al-Khudairi, director of the Majmaah University Astronomical Observatory. After much squinting, and using a large yellow triangle and protractor to work out where the moon will appear, the anxiety lifts: the moon is sighted, just after sunset. “The crescent has been seen. Tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan,” Khudairi told AFP. The news is relayed to the Royal Court, which duly announces Saturday as the start of the holy month. A similar process has played out for centuries, following the instructions decreed by the Prophet Mohammed about 1,400 years ago.Several Muslim countries follow the announcement from Saudi Arabia, the Prophet’s birthplace, in declaring the start of Ramadan. Although this group, one of 12 moon-sighting teams deployed around the kingdom, is equipped with high-tech telescopes, Saudi religious authorities insist the celestial body must be spotted with the naked eye. Khudairi, 58, takes his task so seriously that he stays away from smartphones and computer screens year-round, fearing they will dim his eyesight. “I don’t use the phone except for calls and I don’t turn on the computer… Colleagues do that for me, so I don’t use screens at all,” he told AFP. – ‘Ability to focus’ -The spotting team, wearing traditional kandora robes and red-and-white ghutrah headdresses, have driven about 30 minutes from the observatory down bumpy desert tracks to a rocky promontory about 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Riyadh. Khudairi inherited his passion for astronomy from his father, who would often take him on trips to the desert. But he says his success in moon-sighting is down to his vision and concentration. Seeing the crescent with the naked eye demands “sharp eyesight, colour differentiation, and the ability to focus”, he said. “Not just anyone can say they saw the crescent; the person must be sane, balanced, adult, and known for justice for their testimony to be accepted,” added Khudairi. Sighting expeditions are often unsuccessful, delaying the start of Ramadan for at least a day. “Stirred dust, clouds or industrial and environmental pollution” can all obscure the view,” Khudairi said.Meanwhile, in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, authorities took a more modern approach: flying drones equipped with artificial intelligence in an attempt to capture the moon.”This method will complement traditional naked-eye sighting accounts,” the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE Council for Fatwa. 

For Muslims in Saudi Arabia and most Sunni-ruled Middle Eastern states Ramadan will begin on Saturday, but in Shiite-majority Iran and Iraq it will start the following day, authorities announced. The holy month, during which hundreds of millions of faithful around the world observe a daytime fast, traditionally begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two holiest sites, was joined by its Gulf Arab neighbours in declaring that it had been sighted on Friday.”The Supreme Court has decided that tomorrow, Saturday, is the first day of the month of (Ramadan),” the official Saudi Press Agency posted on X.Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, the Palestinian territories and Sudan announced they too would begin the fast on Saturday.But the office of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, declared Sunday the first day of Ramadan.In multi-confessional Lebanon, the grand mufti announced Saturday as the first day of Ramadan for Sunnis, state media reported.Observing the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring believers to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours. Observant Muslims are also encouraged to donate to the poor.burs/kir/it

Lebanese on Friday conducted a delayed burial in a border village for more than 90 civilians and fighters from the Hezbollah movement who died during the war with Israel that ended with a November ceasefire.Under the truce, Israel had an initial 60 days, later extended to February 18, to pull out its troops from southern Lebanon, but it did not withdraw most of them until the later deadline.In the heavily damaged town square of Aitaroun, the coffins arrived on four trucks, some covered in the yellow flag of Iran-backed Hezbollah, others in the national flag.Flowers were scattered on top.Sobbing women, dressed in black, gathered around the vehicles holding photos of the Hezbollah fighters or the movement’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by an Israeli air strike during the war.The coffins were then transported to a cemetery where 95 graves were dug, each marked by a number.The dead included 51 Hezbollah fighters, most of them killed in combat, and 31 civilians, including five children and 16 women, killed by Israeli strikes, according to a channel dedicated to the village on the Telegram app.It added there were 13 people who had died of natural causes. One of the mourners, Atef Khouzeirat, said an Israeli strike on a building killed his son Hussein, a volunteer with the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee.”My son stayed for 56 days inside the building after his death, without rescuers being able to recover his body,” Khouzeirat said. “Where is the humanity? Where are the human rights?”Khouzeirat added that his son had studied radiography at university. “He was not a terrorist,” but a volunteer “in the service of his country.”Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel in October 2023, saying it was acting in support of Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza. Nearly a year of low-level conflict escalated in September last year, with Israel sending in ground troops.The ceasefire took effect on November 27, after more than a year of conflict killed more than 4,000 people. Reconstruction costs are expected to top $10 billion, Lebanese authorities have said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday spoke to Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, urging him to release a British citizen and activist jailed in Cairo, Downing Street said.”The prime minister discussed the case of British national Alaa Abd El-Fattah with President Sisi. He pressed for Alaa’s release, having met his mother Laila Soueif in recent weeks,” Downing Street said in a readout of the pair’s telephone call. Fattah, 43, a pro-democracy and rights campaigner, was arrested by Egyptian authorities in September 2019 and later given a five-year sentence for “spreading false news”.He was a key figure in the 2011 revolt that toppled Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak and was given British citizenship in 2022 through his British-born mother.His family criticised his trial as a “farce” and has demanded he be released having completed his sentence.Soueif, 68, has been on hunger strike for 152 days in protest against the detention, and has been given a glucose drip after being hospitalised in London, a campaign group said on Friday.She was admitted to London’s St Thomas’s Hospital late on Monday due to “dangerously new lows” in her blood sugar and sodium levels, as well as her blood pressure.She had previously turned down artificial glucose, despite being warned there was an “immediate risk to life”, but agreed at the request of her daughters Sanaa and Mona to take one dose “in an effort to extend her life”, campaign group Free Alaa said in a press release.- ‘Free my brother’ -Soueif started the drip on Thursday and the dose was given to her over the course of 12 hours “due to the dangers of the intervention at this stage in her hunger strike”, said the campaign group.”Doctors at the hospital have stressed that this is a temporary intervention, that they cannot guarantee it will extend Laila’s life, and that if it does it will be for a limited time, possibly only a few hours, and if lucky a few days,” they added.Soueif has lost almost 30 kilograms (66 pounds) since starting her hunger strike, which she has vowed to continue until her son is released.For weeks, Soueif braved London’s bitter cold to demonstrate outside Starmer’s Downing Street office each working day since the date she says her son should have been released.Sanaa Seif called on Starmer to take urgent action.”When we met Keir Starmer he asked us for more time and promised that he would do all he could to free my brother,” she said.”I don’t think we’ll be able to convince mum to do this again. So we desperately urge the prime minister to use this time well,” she added.