How US firm, Cisco Systems, saw Israeli invasion of Gaza as a means of ramping up lucrative stream of business
One “Iron Swords” presentation deck states that, “Supply of Cisco equipment to Israel will be reinforced, priority given to Cybersecurity equipment,” while assigning designated Cisco employees to “to support Israeli Sales Teams presenting our Cybersecurity solutions to officials and Private sector partners.”
UN warns civilian casualties and severe constraints on aid operations worsening crisis in Lebanon, Gaza and West Bank
UN peacekeepers along the Blue Line, known as UNIFIL, describe the situation as bleak and concerning. UNIFIL said the Israel Defence Forces have expanded their incursion westward, with tanks and clashes reported in Sector West, roughly 12 km north of the Blue Line.
South Africa expulsion of Israeli diplomat elicits reciprocal action as relations between the nations sour further
Analysts say the mutual expulsions signal that relations have escalated into a direct diplomatic confrontation. Since South Africa downgraded its diplomatic ties with Israel to liaison-office level in 2019, the two countries have maintained only limited political and diplomatic contact, making near-term rapprochement unlikely.
Officials say former US President Biden ignored Israeli military lawyers’ evidence of Gaza war crimes
Reports of internal US government dissent over Israel’s Gaza campaign emerged during Biden’s presidency. This account – based on detailed recollections from those involved – offers a fuller picture of the debate’s intensity in the administration’s final weeks, which ended with President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
‘Truce is not peace’: In the media, truce means bombing has stopped, in Gaza it’s a frightened breath and an ache of survival
The truce there is a short breath between two suffocations. And here, the calm feels like betrayal. Words lose meaning when you know the distance between language and reality is measured in pain. I saw a short video of a woman still searching for her son’s body under the rubble – even after the truce. She said: “The war didn’t stop inside me.”
Freed Palestinians prisoners, some in Israeli jails for 20 years, arrive home in Gaza under ceasefire deal
Several thousand people gathered inside and around the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, awaiting the arrival of freed prisoners, with some waving Palestinian flags and others holding pictures of their relatives.
How Trump’s family mega-dollar business interests in Qatar kowtowed Netanyahu into signing Israel-Hamas peace deal
Qatar has also played an increasingly critical role in helping the US broker diplomatic deals. In recent years, Qatar played a role in helping Nato and US arrange the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Iran–US prisoner swap, and the release of Ukrainian children from Russia. More recently, it has been a key mediator and drafter of ceasefire plans to end the genocide in Gaza.
Trump to receive hero’s welcome in Israel’s parliament as fragile Gaza ceasefire holds
The US, along with Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, mediated what has been described as a first phase agreement between Israel and Hamas. The next phase of Trump’s plan calls for an international body – a “Board of Peace” led by Trump.
End of two years of war doesn’t guarantee immediate rebound in Israel’s economy
At 3.25 to the dollar, the shekel has appreciated nearly 20 per cent against the US currency since October 2023, aided by Bank of Israel stabilisation measures. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark index is up nearly 300 per cent, compared to 56 per cent for the S&P 500. Israel has also maintained access to international debt markets, raising a record $8 billion in March 2024 and $5 billion in February 2025.
US, Israel skip world summit on two-state solution as support grows for Palestinian state
Israel and the United States will boycott the summit, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon, said, describing the event as a “circus.” Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal all recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday. France and five other states are expected to also formally do so this week.
