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Israel and the United States have a common approach to Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, praising President Donald Trump’s “bold vision” for the territory after talks Sunday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Washington’s top diplomat is on his first visit to the Middle East, a trip that comes after Trump made a widely-condemned proposal to take control of Gaza and relocate its more than two million residents.”We discussed Trump’s bold vision for Gaza’s future and will work to ensure that vision becomes a reality,” Netanyahu told reporters after their meeting, adding that the two leaders had a “common strategy” for the future of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.The scheme that Trump outlined earlier this month, while Netanyahu visited Washington, lacked details. Trump said Palestinians had “lived a miserable existence” in Gaza and suggested the coastal territory could become the “Riviera of the Middle East”, following redevelopment after more than 15 months of war.Though Netanyahu welcomed the idea, foreign leaders have largely rejected it.Netanyahu warned Israel would “open the gates of hell” in Gaza unless all hostages were returned, echoing Trump, who said “hell” would break out if Hamas failed to release them.Rubio arrived hours after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners — the sixth swap under a fragile ceasefire which the United States helped mediate along with Qatar and Egypt.”At any moment the fighting could resume. We hope that the calm will continue and that Egypt will pressure Israel to prevent them from restarting the war and displacing people,” said Nasser al-Astal, 62, a retired teacher in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis.Washington, Israel’s top ally and weapons supplier, has said it is open to alternative proposals from Arab governments but insists that, for now, “the only plan is Trump’s”.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday said the establishment of a Palestinian state is “the only guarantee” of lasting Middle East peace.Rubio is due to also visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.Overnight, Israel said it received a shipment of US-made bombs, after the previous Biden administration blocked a shipment of heavy 2,000-pound ordnance.- Brink of collapse -Hamas and Israel are implementing the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire that began on January 19 but nearly collapsed last week.Israel had warned Hamas it must free three living hostages by the weekend or face renewed fighting.The freed hostages — Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, and Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn, 46 — returned to emotional family reunions.Flanked by armed and masked Hamas fighters on a stage, they had to undergo a last-minute ordeal of speaking in front of the crowds as the militants staged a show of force.Israel freed 369 Palestinian prisoners, mostly Gazans detained during the war, but also some serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis.Footage aired by Israeli media showed Palestinian prisoners in sweatshirts bearing a Star of David and the slogan: “We will not forget and we will not forgive.”They tore them off upon reaching Gaza and burned them in a bonfire at the reception point in Khan Yunis.Since the truce began last month, 19 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.Out of 251 people seized in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, 70 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.- Heightened tensions -Negotiations on a second phase of the truce, aimed at securing a more lasting end to the war, could begin this week in Doha, a Hamas official and another source familiar with the talks have said.Trump has warned of repercussions for neighbouring Egypt and Jordan unless they accept displaced Gazans under his plan.Diplomats say Egypt is leading efforts to propose an alternative focused on training a new security force and appointing local Palestinian leaders.Rubio has said he believed Arab states were “working in good faith”.On Sunday, speaking alongside Netanyahu, he said: “Hamas cannot continue as a military or a government force… they must be eliminated.”The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,264 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.On Sunday, Hamas said an Israeli air strike killed three police officers near south Gaza’s Rafah. Israel said it struck “several armed individuals” in south Gaza.It is at least the second Israeli air strike in Gaza since the ceasefire began.burs-lb/it/dv

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israel’s prime minister in Jerusalem on Sunday for talks on the Gaza ceasefire, launching a Middle East tour a day after the latest hostage-prisoner exchange.On his first visit to the region as Washington’s top diplomat, Rubio is expected to push US President Donald Trump’s widely condemned proposal to take control of Gaza and relocate its more than two million residents.The plan envisions redeveloping the coastal territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East” after it was devastated by more than 15 months of war.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the idea during his recent White House visit, but foreign leaders have largely rejected it.Rubio arrived hours after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners — the sixth swap under the fragile ceasefire.Negotiations on a second phase of the truce, aimed at securing a more lasting end to the war, are expected to begin next week in Doha.The United States, Israel’s top ally and weapons supplier, has said it is open to alternative proposals from Arab governments but insists that, for now, “the only plan is Trump’s”.Rubio is also due to visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with tough talks expected on Monday in Riyadh, a key player in Trump’s regional strategy.- Brink of collapse -Hamas and Israel are implementing the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire that nearly collapsed last week.Israel had warned Hamas it must free three living hostages by the weekend or face a renewed offensive.Netanyahu credited “President Trump’s firm stance” with ensuring Saturday’s releases went ahead.The freed hostages — Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, and Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn, 46 — returned to emotional family reunions.Flanked by Hamas fighters, they carried gift bags from their captors and urged further exchanges.In an Israeli government video, Dekel-Chen’s wife, Avital, told him the name of their daughter who had been born two months after his abduction in October 2023.”That’s perfect,” the 36-year-old replied.Israel freed 369 Palestinian prisoners, mostly Gazans detained during the war, but also some were serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis.Footage aired by Israeli media showed Palestinian prisoners in sweatshirts bearing a Star of David and the slogan: “We will not forget and we will not forgive.”They tore them off upon reaching Gaza and burned them in a bonfire at the reception point in Khan Yunis.Ibrahim, 61, a freed prisoner who declined to give his full name, said he was shocked by Gaza’s devastation.Arrested in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, he said he still did not know why he had been jailed for nine months.Since the truce began last month, 19 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.Out of 251 people seized in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, 70 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.- Second phase alternatives -The second phase of the ceasefire, still to be negotiated, is expected to include the release of the remaining hostages and discussions on ending the war.Trump’s Gaza plan has heightened tensions.The US president has warned of repercussions for neighbouring Egypt and Jordan unless they accept displaced Gazans.Diplomats say Egypt is leading efforts to propose an alternative focused on training a new security force and appointing local Palestinian leaders.Rubio said he believed Arab states were “working in good faith”, but insisted Hamas must have no future role.The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,264 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.On Sunday morning, Hamas said an Israeli air strike killed two police officers and wounded another near south Gaza’s Rafah. Israel said it struck “several armed individuals” in south Gaza.And overnight, Israel said it received a shipment of “heavy” US-made bombs. The Biden administration had blocked a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs during the Gaza war.burs-lb/dv/jsa

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will discuss the Gaza ceasefire with Israel’s prime minister in Jerusalem on Sunday, launching a Middle East tour a day after the latest hostage-prisoner exchange.On his first visit to the region as Washington’s top diplomat, Rubio is expected to push US President Donald Trump’s widely condemned proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip and relocate its more than two million residents.The plan envisions redeveloping the coastal territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East” after it was devastated by more than 15 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the idea during his recent White House visit, but foreign leaders have largely rejected it.Rubio landed at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv hours after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners — the sixth swap under the fragile ceasefire.Negotiations on a second phase of the truce, aimed at securing a more lasting end to the war, are expected to begin next week in Doha.Washington has said it is open to alternative proposals from Arab governments but insists that, for now, “the only plan is Trump’s”.Rubio is also due to visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with tough talks expected on Monday in Riyadh, a key player in Trump’s regional strategy.”Israel will now have to decide what they will do,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The United States will back the decision they make!”- Brink of collapse -Hamas and Israel are implementing the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire that nearly collapsed last week.Israel had warned Hamas it must free three living hostages by the weekend or face a renewed offensive, after the Islamist group said it would pause releases over what it described as Israeli truce violations.Netanyahu credited “President Trump’s firm stance” with ensuring Saturday’s releases went ahead.The freed hostages — Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, and Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn, 46 — returned to emotional reunions with their families.Flanked by Hamas fighters, they carried gift bags from their captors and urged further exchanges.In a video released by the Israeli government, Dekel-Chen’s wife, Avital, told him the name of their daughter who had been born two months after his abduction in October 2023.”That’s perfect,” the 36-year-old replied.Israel freed 369 Palestinian prisoners, mostly Gazans detained during the war, but some were serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis.Footage aired by Israeli media showed Palestinian prisoners in sweatshirts bearing a Star of David and the slogan: “We will not forget and we will not forgive”.They tore them off upon reaching Gaza and burned them in a bonfire at the reception point in Khan Yunis.Ibrahim, 61, a freed prisoner who declined to give his full name, said he was shocked by Gaza’s devastation.Arrested in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, he said he still did not know why he had been jailed for nine months.Since the truce began last month, 19 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.Out of 251 people seized in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, 70 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.- Second phase alternatives -The second phase of the ceasefire, still to be negotiated, is expected to include the release of the remaining hostages and discussions on ending the war.Trump’s Gaza plan has heightened tensions.The US president has warned of repercussions for neighbouring Egypt and Jordan unless they accept displaced Gazans.Diplomats say Egypt is leading efforts to propose an alternative within weeks, focused on training a new security force and appointing local Palestinian leaders.Rubio said he believed Arab states were “working in good faith,” but insisted Hamas must have no future role.The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,264 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.burs-lb/dv

With Coldplay and Ed Sheeran among the superstars who have played to packed-out crowds in India recently, there is increasing talk that the world’s most populous nation could soon become a mainstay of the global touring schedule.However, a lack of world-class venues to host big-name events has left fans wanting, with complaints ranging from filthy …

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Smoke billows from chimneys as factories churn in South Korea’s steelmaking heartland, now under threat from Washington’s swingeing new tariffs on the port city’s largest export.The city of Pohang on South Korea’s east coast for decades pumped out the steel that fuelled the country’s breakneck economic rise.South Korea was the fourth largest exporter of the …

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Palestinian militants released three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian inmates freed by Israel, completing the latest swap despite fears the Gaza truce deal was near collapse.An AFP journalist saw masked Hamas gunmen parade the hostages on a stage in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis.Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov and Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn were made to make statements into a microphone before being handed over to the Red Cross and taken back home to Israeli territory, after being held for more than 16 months.Clutching gift bags given by their captors, the three men, flanked by fighters, called for the completion of further hostage exchanges under the ceasefire deal.Not long after, a busload of Palestinian prisoners departed Israel’s Ofer Prison and were greeted by a cheering crowd in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, an AFP journalist reported.More buses took inmates from an Israeli prison in the Negev desert to the Gaza Strip.Saturday’s swap, the sixth since the truce took effect on January 19, came after Hamas had threatened to pause hostage releases over alleged Israeli violations, while Israel had threatened to resume the war if it did.Out of 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, 70 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.The latest release led to tears of joy among friends and family members.”Finally, Sasha can be surrounded by his loved ones and begin a new path,” Trupanov’s family said in a statement.Dekel-Chen’s wife, Avital, said in a call to her sister aired by Israel’s Kan public broadcaster: “My breath has returned. He looks so handsome.”Dekel-Chen finally learned the name of his youngest daughter, born two months after his capture.- Next phase -Later in the day, hundreds of Palestinians freed by Israel reached Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, where they made victory signs and waved to a jubilant crowd.In the West Bank, one freed inmate, Amir Abu Radaha, said: “I’ve returned to my family and I’ve returned anew, born again.”Charged with intentionally causing death and being a member of an illegal organisation, according to Israeli justice ministry records, Abu Radaha had spent almost 32 years in jail.According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group, those to be freed included 36 serving life sentences, 24 of whom were due for deportation under the terms of the truce deal.The deportees, with shaven heads, later arrived by bus on the Egyptian side of the border, an AFP correspondent reported.Images broadcast on Israeli media showed Palestinian prisoners ahead of their release wearing sweatshirts featuring the prison service logo, a Star of David, and the slogan: “We will not forget and we will not forgive.”The prisoners tore them off as soon as they reached Gaza and piled them up on a bonfire at the reception point in Khan Yunis.Negotiations on a second phase of the ceasefire, meant to lay out steps towards a more permanent end to the war, are expected to begin next week.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose country is Israel’s top backer and one of the truce mediators, arrived in Israel late Saturday ahead of expected talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the truce.Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump Saturday for his “full support” in this week’s standoff with Hamas.Trump had warned that “all hell” would break loose if every Israeli hostage was not released from Gaza by noon on Saturday. “President Trump’s firm stance led to the release of three of our hostages today, despite Hamas previously refusing to release them,” Netanyahu’s office said.Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the United States “must compel” Israel to adhere to the truce deal “if it truly cares about the prisoners’ (hostages) lives”.An Israeli campaign group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, warned against the deal’s “collapse”.- ‘Welcome back’ -A crowd gathered in Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv to watch a live feed of the exchange. Many carried Israeli flags and posters with messages including “Sorry and welcome back” and “Complete the ceasefire”.Last week’s release sparked anger in Israel and beyond after the freed hostages were paraded onstage, with their emaciated state sparking concern over conditions in captivity.There were also fears for Palestinians in Israeli custody after several were hospitalised following their release last week.The Red Crescent said four of those released on Saturday were admitted to hospital in the West Bank.After the swap, the Red Cross said more must be done by all sides for “dignified” hostage-prisoner releases.The ceasefire has been under massive strain since US President Donald Trump proposed a takeover of the Gaza Strip under which the territory’s population of more than two million people would be moved to Egypt or Jordan.Arab countries have come together to reject Trump’s plan.Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,264 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.burs/it/kir/ysm

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel late Saturday on the first leg of a Middle East tour, an AFP journalist reported.Rubio landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and is due to hold talks with Israeli officials on Sunday when he will highlight President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by more than 15 months of war between Hamas and Israel.Coming from Munich, where he took part in a security conference dominated by the Ukraine war, the top US diplomat is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday.Netanyahu, who recently visited Washington where he met Donald Trump, expressed his appreciation for the US president’s “full support” for Israel’s next moves in Gaza.”Israel will now have to decide what they will do,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday.”The United States will back the decision they make!” he added.Rubio arrived in Israel hours after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in the sixth swap of a nearly month-old ceasefire.The ceasefire came close to collapse earlier this week and Netanyahu credited “President Trump’s firm stance” with ensuring Saturday’s releases went ahead.In his meetings, the US top diplomat is expected to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire, which should see the release of remaining hostages and a more permanent end to the war but which has yet to be agreed in detail.A source close to the negotiations said mediators hope to begin talks on the second phase “next week in Doha.”Washington has expressed openness to alternative proposals from Arab governments but has stressed that currently, “the only plan is Trump’s.”Trump has proposed taking control of the Palestinian territory and displacing its residents to Egypt or Jordan, both of which strongly oppose the proposal.Trump has warned of repercussions for Egypt and Jordan if they do not allow in the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza.”Right now the only plan — they don’t like it — but the only plan is the Trump plan. So if they’ve got a better plan, now’s the time to present it,” Rubio said on Thursday.Rubio is due to fly on from Israel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.His talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday are expected to be particularly tough, with Riyadh expected to play a key role in Trump’s regional plans.

Through tears and tight embraces, freed Israeli-American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen on Saturday finally learnt the name of his youngest daughter, born two months after he was abducted by Gaza militants in October 2023.In footage published by the Israeli government, Dekel-Chen’s wife Avital, shedding tears of joy as the two embraced after 16 months apart, told him that the baby girl was named Shahar Mazal, which could translate into “lucky dawn” in English.”That’s perfect,” the 36-year-old responded, moments after he was brought back to Israel.The couple reunited at a military base in the south, where Sagui Dekel-Chen was brought along with two other hostages — Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, and Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn, 46 — all freed on Saturday in the sixth hostage-prisoner exchange of the Gaza ceasefire.The three men had been seized from their homes in Nir Oz, a kibbutz community near the Gaza border, during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war.A statement from Dekel-Chen’s family, shared by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group, said: “Our Sagui is home. A friend, son, partner, and most importantly a father, has returned.”After nearly 500 days in captivity, “now he’s finally on Israeli soil, with us,” it added.”In the coming hours, he will begin his rehabilitation process, he will meet his daughters Gali and Bar, and for the first time meet his little daughter, Shahar, who was born while he was in captivity.”The statement said the family plans to keep campaigning “until the last hostage returns home”.In return, Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, most of them residents of the Gaza Strip detained during the war but some of them serving life sentences for attacks against Israelis.Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, was greeted by his girlfriend and mother who threw themselves into his arms at the reception point. Later, he was expected to be reunited with his grandmother.All three women had been abducted with him but were released in during a first, week-long truce in November 2023. According to Israeli media, it was only after his release that Trupanov learnt of his father’s death in the October 2023 attack.Yair Horn was first reunited with his brother Amos and his mother before going to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv to see his father, who is diabetic like him and had just had a kidney transplant.On the way, the helicopter transporting them flew over the stadium of Horn’s beloved Hapoel Beersheva Football Club in southern Israel.He was wearing the club’s red jersey when he arrived at the hospital, an AFP photographer reported. His brother Eitan Horn remains in captivity in Gaza.