
-
Viral Mexican 'grandparents' recount flood horror
-
Sandra Oh trades the small screen for the grand stage of the Met Opera
-
Australian rainforests no longer a carbon sink: study
-
Trump indicates approval of CIA action against Venezuela
-
'Living legend' Ariarne Titmus announces retirement from swimming
-
Australian swimming star Ariarne Titmus announces retirement
-
UK's Starmer publishes evidence in collapsed China spy case
-
Argentine markets cheer new US aid, but Trump threat sparks anger
-
Israel threatens to resume fighting if Hamas does not respect Gaza truce deal
-
US expert on India accused of China meetings denies charges
-
United sees demand 'strengthening' as profits edge lower
-
US agency blames faulty engineering for Titanic sub disaster
-
Judge 'reluctantly' tosses youth case challenging Trump climate policies
-
Syria won't wait for global community to reform economy: Finance Minister
-
Guatemala minister ousted after gang members' jail break
-
Chelsea's Maresca banned for Forest match after wild celebration
-
Madagascar vows to install colonel as president after takeover
-
US judge 'reluctantly' tosses youth case challenging Trump climate policies
-
Flood-hit Mexican town digs out debris, fearing disease outbreaks
-
NATO and EU scramble to boost drone defences to counter Russia
-
UN relief chief urges Israel to open Gaza border crossings
-
Exiting TED leader clings to tech optimism
-
EU economy chief urges G7 to join plan tapping Russia assets for Ukraine
-
US says working on new $20 bn 'facility' for Argentina
-
Rain denies Pakistan historic World Cup win over England
-
Madagascar enters military rule after colonel seizes power
-
Dutch tech giant ASML posts stable profits, warns on China
-
FIFA hopes 2026 World Cup cities will be 'ready' for games after Trump comments
-
Canada fears for auto jobs after Stellantis announces US investment
-
Doris to return from injury to captain Ireland in November
-
Ahmedabad set to host 2030 Commonwealth Games
-
Gaza to Egypt crossing remains shut as Israel pushes for hostage remains
-
US Treasury chief: Beijing's rare earths move is 'China vs world'
-
Maronite leader says Pope Leo will carry message of 'peace' to Lebanon
-
Row over conscription mars Germany's Russia strategy
-
Russell, Antonelli extend Mercedes deals for 2026
-
US Supreme Court hears voting rights case that could decide Congress control
-
Ceasefire called after new Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes kill dozens
-
Kenyans swarm home of fallen 'hero' Raila Odinga
-
Greece weighs disputed 13-hour workday reform
-
'Absolutely critical' to boost growth in Europe: IMF official
-
'Adolescence' creator asks dads to share letters with sons
-
Magnus Carlsen and chess federation agree on new world championship
-
De Jong pens new Barca deal to 2029
-
Pokemon brushes up decades-old formula with 'Legends: Z-A'
-
Syrian leader seeks reset in Russia relations in Putin meeting
-
Will Arnett admits doing stand-up for new role was 'very scary'
-
Madagascar adjusts to military rule after colonel seizes power
-
Huge telecom takeover bid raising alarms in France is rejected
-
Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga dies, sparking emotion, uncertainty

Israel threatens to resume fighting if Hamas does not respect Gaza truce deal
Israel's defence minister on Wednesday threatened to resume fighting if Hamas does not honour the terms of a US-backed ceasefire that halted the war in Gaza.
The statement from Defence Minister Israel Katz's office came after Hamas handed over the remains of two more deceased hostages, and said it would be unable to retrieve any more bodies from the ruins of Gaza without specialised equipment.
Since Monday, under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, the Palestinian Islamist group has handed back 20 surviving hostages to Israel in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.
Before the two bodies were handed over late on Wednesday, Hamas had already returned the remains of seven of 28 known deceased hostages -- along with an eighth body which Israel said was not that of a former hostage.
"If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war," a statement from Katz's office said.
Hamas's armed wing said the two bodies returned would be the last for now -- falling far short of the plan's demand to hand over all of them.
"The Resistance has fulfilled its commitment to the agreement by handing over all living Israeli prisoners in its custody, as well as the corpses it could access," the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement on social media.
"As for the remaining corpses, it requires extensive efforts and special equipment for their retrieval and extraction. We are exerting great effort in order to close this file."
This is likely to pile further domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to tie humanitarian aid to the fate of the bodies.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has threatened to cut off desperately needed aid supplies to Gaza if Hamas fails to return the remains of soldiers still held in the Palestinian territory.
- Humanitarian risk -
Israel, meanwhile, transferred another 45 Palestinian bodies that had been in its custody to Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, bringing the number returned to 90, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said.
Under the Trump plan, Israel is to return 15 Palestinian dead for every deceased Israeli hostage.
With the deal underway, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher urged Israel to immediately open all crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid.
"It should happen now. We want it to happen immediately as part of this agreement," Fletcher told AFP in an interview in Cairo on Wednesday, ahead of a planned trip to the Gaza border.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN had reported that the Rafah crossing point to Egypt would reopen, but this did not happen, and an Israeli spokesperson did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, is expected to head to the Rafah crossing on Thursday.
It is the only border point that connects Gaza to the world without passing through Israel.
"The test is that we have children fed, that we have anaesthetics in the hospitals for people getting treatment, that we have tents over people's heads," Fletcher said.
- Possible violations -
Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas, said Israeli fire killed three Palestinians on Wednesday, including two while trying to reach their homes in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City.
The Israeli military said that "several suspects were identified crossing the yellow line and approaching" troops in the northern Gaza Strip, referencing the line to which Israeli forces have pulled back to under the ceasefire deal.
The military said this "violates the agreement" and that "troops removed the threat by striking the suspects."
The war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel led to a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with the densely populated territory reliant on aid that was heavily restricted, when not cut off outright.
At the end of August, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, though Israel rejected the claim. The return of aid is listed in Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza.
Another political challenge is Hamas's disarmament, a demand the militant group has refused to accept.
Hamas is tightening its grip on Gaza's ruined cities, but Israel and the United States insist the group can have no role in a future government for the territory.
burs-dc/acc/giv/jhb
H.Jarrar--SF-PST