Author: yreape

According to a report, Israel has announced a new expansion of 22 settlements in Samaria, some of which already exist but were built without government authority. Reportedly, Israel has built around 160 settlements housing 700,000 Israelis since the third arab Israeli war in 1967, the six day war was fought between Israel and Jordan, Egypt and Syria.

According to reports, military hostilities broke out amid poor relations between israelis and their Arab neighbours, and israeli settlements in Samaria commenced with Israel’s victory. The 1949 armistice agreements which waa signed at the end of the first arab israeli war was the factor. According to a report, they demarkated the green line between arab controlled territory, that is jordanian annexed Samaria as Jordan’s west bank and egyptian occupied Gaza.

According to a report, the eu are one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid to Gaza but the eu diplomat Kaja Kallas said most of it was currently unable to get to palestinians who need it. Reportedly, Ms Kallas said the eu did not support the new aid distribution body, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation backed by the u.s. and Israel which bypasses the u.n.

According to the report, the eu commissioner Ursula von der Layen described recent israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure as abhorrent and disproportionate, the new German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the way in which the civilian population has been affected can no longer be justified as a fight against hamas, and the uk said it was suspending trade talks with Israel.

Reportedly, the israeli prime minister reiterated plans to relocate Gaza’s population to the south of the territory so they can continue to fight hamas, he also wants to facilitate the voluntary emigration of some of Gaza’s population to other countries.

According to a report, ceasefire talks resumed via delegates in Qatar and the u.s. on Saturday in Qatar. Reportedly, hamas have agreed to release nine hostages in return for palestinian prisoners and a 60 day truce. According to the report, the new proposal would allow for 400 aid trucks per day and the evacuation of medical patients from Gaza.

Reportedly, thousands of people have died in Gaza since the collapse of the previous deal which lasted 2 months (Israel resumed strikes on 18 March), and according to rescuers atleast 300 people have been killed since Thursday.

According to a report, the u.s. has ordered embassies to stop issuing visas for foreign students as it prepares to expand student social media vetting. Reportedly, the Donald Trump administration had previously ordered student social media vetting with a focus on support for terrorist activity.

According to the report, some of the u.s.’s most prominent universities have been criticised for upholding discriminatory admission policies and enabling antisemitism on campus.

According to a report, israeli airstrikes have hit an unrwa facility sheltering displaced families, and atleast 19 people have died, including 9 children. Reportedly, the Israeli military said they were targeting hamas operatives who were hiding inside a centre that was used to coordinate activity and as a meeting point. According to the report, the u.n. said they were reducing their operations in Gaza.

Reportedly, Israel’s defence ministry said they would expand their offensive in Gaza, holding areas as security zones aimed at clearing the area of terrorists. According to the report, Israeli tanks and ground forces advanced in the southern city of Rafah where 140,000 people have been told to leave, evacuation orders have also been issued for parts of northern Gaza, and the situation around the 700 metre security buffer zone that separates Israel from Gaza remains tense.

Reportedly, 12 people died during israeli airstrikes in the Khan Younis area and there were strikes along the egyptian border.

According to the report, Israel launched a new offensive in March when hamas rejected a u.s. proposal to extend the ceasefire and free the 59 hostages still in captivity, they have refused to let aid into Gaza since March 2 and have asked the people of Gaza to act to remove hamas.

According to a report, Marine Le Pen, best known for her anti-immigration agenda says she and her colleagues are innocent of the charge of embezzlement of €2.9 million of european funds and are appealing against the verdict. Reportedly Geert Wilders, leader of the dutch Party for freedom who is known for his policies on immigration, opposition to islam and euro-scepticism has supported her on the social media platform X, as has the prime ministers of Hungary and Italy.

According to reports, Ms Le Pen said that the judgment was a political decision aimed at preventing her competing in the presidential election, but France has denied their courts are politicised and 57% of french people believe that justice was served without bias.

According to a report, the u.s. president said the president of Ukraine was trying to renegotiate a deal that will give the u.s. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Reportedly, the deal gives Ukraine no future security guarantees but requires them to contribute all income from natural resources to a joint investment fund.

According to the report, the leader of Russia’s wealth fund said Russia and the u.s. were beginning to discuss jointly exploiting Russia’s rare earth minerals. Reportedly, a spokesperson for Russia said they were continuing to work with the u.s. on bilateral relations and on peace in Ukraine. Progresss on peace is seemingly slow. According to the report, work is ongoing and the russian president remains open to contact with the president of the u.s., who says comments calling for a transitional government in Ukraine that would oust the ukrainian president were not going in the right direction.

Reportedly, 2 people have been injured following the second night of russian airstrikes on the north eastern ukrainian city of Kharkiv. According to the report, the ukrainian airforce said they had intercepted 57 of 131 drones.

According to a report, Marion Anne Perrine, known as Marine Le Pen, a member of the french National Rally party (previously the National Front) and president from 2011-2021 has been found guilty of embezzlement of european funds in order to finance her party.

Reportedly, she has been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment, 2 of which will be suspended, but it is unclear whether she will spend time in jail or will have restrictions such as wearing an electronic tag. According to the report, she has been banned from public office for 5 years which means she cannot run in the 2027 presidential election.

According to a report, Russia have agreed to a Black Sea ceasefire agreement if some sanctions are lifted. Reportedly, the u.s. who are committed to helping return forcibly removed ukrainian children said they were looking in to the russian request to lift sanctions and have agreed to help to restore their access to global markets for farm products, lower maritime insurance costs and increase access to ports and payments systems for transactions. According to the report, sanctions possibly lifted include russian trade ships and under the Black Sea ceasefire, Russia will again be able to export agricultural products.

Reportedly, Ukraine’s defence minister said any movement by russian military vessels outside the eastern part of the Black Sea will constitute a violation of the spirit of the agreement.

According to a report, european leaders are meeting in Paris (Thursday) for a summit on Ukraine, also present is the secretary of nato and the president of the european commission.

Reportedly, they are to discuss military assistance to Ukraine, satellite technology to monitor the border and the presence of a reassurance force to support Ukraine for if or when a ceasefire comes to pass. According to the report, the reassurance force, still in its planning stage would not be a substitute for peacekeeping forces and would not be on the contact line but deployed to strategic areas.