Israeli PM to discuss next steps with Donald Trump this month but timetable for lasting peace remains unclear

Ahmed al-Sharaa says Israel justifies aggression in the name of security amid airstrikes on southern Syria

Four people arrested after civil-resistance group Take Back Power protest against inequality in the UK

<article data-history-node-id="432385" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/two-more-palestinians-injured-israeli-fire-al-ram" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/two-more-palestinians-injured-israeli-fire-al-ram" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Two more Palestinians injured by Israeli fire in Al-Ram</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p data-end="225" data-start="55">Two Palestinians were wounded on Saturday evening by live fire from Israeli forces in the town of Al-Ram, north-east of occupied Jerusalem, the Wafa news agency reported.</p> <p data-end="426" data-start="227">The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its crews treated two men, aged 47 and 27, who were shot in the lower limbs near the Israeli separation wall adjacent to Al-Ram. Both were taken to a hospital.</p> <p data-end="589" data-is-last-node data-is-only-node data-start="428">Earlier in the evening, Red Crescent teams had also treated two other Palestinians from Salfit who were shot near the wall in Al-Ram and transferred to the hospital.</p> </div> </div> </article>

<article data-history-node-id="432378" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/qatar-and-egypt-call-israeli-withdrawal-gaza" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/qatar-and-egypt-call-israeli-withdrawal-gaza" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Qatar and Egypt call for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/qatar" target="_blank">Qatar</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/egypt" target="_blank">Egypt</a>, the states serving as guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, on Saturday called on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel" target="_blank">Israel</a>&nbsp;to withdraw from Gaza&nbsp;and for&nbsp;an international stabilisation force be deployed, steps they say are essential to fully carry out the fragile agreement.</p> <p>Mediators are now working to advance the next phase of the ceasefire, which outlines these measures, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said during a panel discussion at the Doha Forum conference in Qatar's capital on Saturday.&nbsp;</p> <p>Israel and Hamas have not yet settled on how to proceed beyond the ceasefire agreement’s initial phase.</p> <p>During that first phase, Israeli forces moved back behind a designated "yellow line" inside Gaza, while Hamas freed the remaining living hostages in its custody and returned the bodies of all but one of the deceased captives.</p> <p>"Now we are at the critical moment. It's not yet there. So what we have just done is a pause," Al Thani told the&nbsp;annual diplomatic gathering.</p> <h3>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/qatar-and-egypt-call-israeli-withdrawal-gaza">Qatar and Egypt call for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza</a></h3> <figure role="group" class="media-block"> <div class="group-inner"> <div alt="Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani attends a session on the opening day of the Doha Forum on 6 December 2025 (AFP)" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="27062d15-d64e-42d5-9635-f850c7a2ee42" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"> <img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/images-story/qatar-Mohammed-bin-Abdulrahman-Al-Thani-doha-forum-6dec-2025-afp.jpg" width="2800" height="1574" alt="Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani attends a session on the opening day of the Doha Forum on 6 December 2025 (AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high"> </div> <figcaption>Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani attends a session on the opening day of the Doha Forum on 6 December 2025 (AFP)</figcaption> </div> </figure> <p><span style="background: url(&quot;https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png&quot;) rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); top: -15px; left: 0px;"><img height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy"></span></p> </div> </div> </article>

Ahmed al-Sharaa also called on Israel to abide by deconfliction accord and withdraw from territories seized after the fall of the Assad dynasty

<article data-history-node-id="432379" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israeli-attacks-kill-least-seven-people-across-northern-gaza" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israeli-attacks-kill-least-seven-people-across-northern-gaza" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Israeli attacks kill at least seven people across northern Gaza</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>At least seven people have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza City and northern areas as Israel continues attacks across the so-called yellow line truce demarcation, Al Jazeera reported.&nbsp;</p> <p>A 70-year-old woman was among those gunned down by drone strike attacks in&nbsp;Beit Lahiya, Jabalia, and Zeitoun in northern Gaza, health officials said.</p> </div> </div> </article>

Robert Reich

Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research finds