Blog

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said Palestinian militant group Hamas did not want to make a deal on a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.

Trump made the comments to reporters at the White House one day after his Middle East peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the Trump administration had decided to bring its negotiating team home for consultations following Hamas’ latest proposal.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Ryan Patrick Jones, Editing by William…

JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Palestinian militant group Hamas, a day after withdrawing their delegations from talks.

Netanyahu said Israel was now considering “alternative” options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending the rule of Hamas in the territory. Trump said Hamas did not want to make a deal and he believed the…

PARIS (Reuters) -France’s Cour de Cassation, the country’s highest court, ruled on Friday that a warrant issued for former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was invalid.

(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Writing by Makini Brice)

DUBAI (Reuters) -Syria’s foreign minister held frank and productive talks with the United States and France at which they said on Friday they underlined the importance of ensuring the success of Syria’s political transition, unity and territorial integrity.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot and U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack met in Paris, days after a ceasefire halted bloodshed in Syria’s southern province of Sweida.

Hundreds of…

DUBAI (Reuters) -Israel will allow foreign countries to parachute aid into Gaza starting on Friday, Israeli army radio quoted a military official as saying.

An Israeli military spokesperson did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment on the report.

The Gaza health ministry says more than 100 people have died from starvation in the Palestinian enclave since Israel cut off supplies to the territory in March.

Israel, which has been at war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas…