Palestinian Authority urges Gaza ceasefire as part of Iran war truce
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority has demanded that a ceasefire deal announced in the Iran-Israel war be widened to include the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“The Palestinian Presidency welcomed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire agreement,” President Mahmoud Abbas’s office said in a statement carried by official news agency Wafa.
It added: “We demand the completion of this step by achieving a ceasefire that includes the Gaza Strip.”
‘Moment has come’ for Gaza ceasefire: German chancellor
Friedrich Merz says Israel’s war in Gaza should be brought to an end. Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, the German chancellor said “the moment has come” for a ceasefire in the enclave between Israel and Hamas.
Although Merz noted that Israel “has a right to defend its existence and the safety of its citizens”, he stressed that Germany is allowed to “critically question what Israel wants to achieve in the Gaza Strip”.
Merz urged Israel to ensure “humane treatment of the people in the Gaza Strip, especially women, children and the elderly”.
Lebanon seeks diplomatic pressure on Israel to stop attacks
Over the past two weeks, the focus really has been on the conflict between Israel and Iran. But Israel continues to carry out air strikes and drone strikes on targets in Lebanon – targets it says belong to Hezbollah.
A few hours ago, an Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle in southern Lebanon, killing at least three people.
Nawaf Salam, Lebanon’s prime minister, is seeking diplomatic help from Qatar and Arab countries as well as from the United States. The Lebanese state is hoping that it will receive assistance to stop the Israeli attacks.
Because the state believes that as long as those attacks continue, as long as Israel occupies Lebanese territory, it will be very hard to convince Hezbollah to fully disarm.
Netanyahu needs Hezbollah to stay in power, that is for Netanyahu to stay in power. He can't have a unified Lebanon nor Syria. Without enemies Israel has lost its reason of existence.
Israeli drone falls in south Lebanon
Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that an Israeli surveillance drone was found in the village of Markaba near the border. It is not clear how it fell. Israel continues to attack parts of south Lebanon in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire that it reached with Hezbollah.
