JERUSALEM -- Israel said Thursday it will establish 22 new settlements across the occupied West Bank, in what officials described as a strategic expansion of Israeli presence in the Palestinian territory.
A map released by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich shows that the plan includes the reestablishment of two outposts, Homesh and Sa-Nur, in the northern part of the territory. Both outposts were evacuated in 2005 as part of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. (Israel-West Bank-New Settlements)
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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that his government accepts U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff's proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, state-owned Kan TV news reported.
According to Kan, Netanyahu made the remarks during a meeting with families of hostages who are believed to be deceased. (Israel-Gaza-Truce Deal)
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ISTANBUL -- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday that Türkiye is well-positioned to serve as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, offering a neutral ground for peace negotiations.
Fidan made the remarks to Turkish media while traveling from Poland to Kiev, where he is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-level officials. (Türkiye-Ukraine-Russia)
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GAZA -- A senior Hamas official said Thursday that a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip remains under review, even though it does not meet the core demands of the movement and the Palestinian people.
Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau, said in a statement that the movement had received the Israeli response to the U.S. proposal brokered last week by U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. (Gaza Strip-Hamas-Israel)
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ADEN, Yemen -- The Yemeni government announced Thursday the reopening of a key highway connecting the southern port city of Aden with the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa after a seven-year closure caused by the ongoing internal conflict.
A government official who asked to remain anonymous confirmed that senior officials from Yemen's Ministry of Defense supervised the reopening of the highway. (Yemen-Houthis-Highway) Enditem
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