Netanyahu said to have held recent secret meeting with al-Sisi
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a clandestine meeting in May with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to a foreign diplomatic source.
Egypt
No rockets or airstrikes as fragile Gaza truce lasts through the night
After two days that saw the worst exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas since the 2014 war, a fragile truce prevailed Friday in Gaza, with no rocket attacks or airstrikes since an apparent ceasefire went into effect at midnight.
After talks in Cairo, Hamas leaders head to Gaza for ‘consultations’
Senior Hamas officials who held talks with Egyptian intelligence officials in Cairo over the past three days were scheduled to arrive in the Gaza Strip Thursday to meet with party leaders, sources close to the Islamist movement said.
UN peace envoy ‘positive’ after talks with Egypt’s foreign minister on Gaza
The United Nations envoy for Middle East peace met Sunday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and other officials for talks on calming tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, relieving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and reviving the long-stalled peace process.
Hamas accepts Egyptian proposal to end dispute with Fatah
Hamas has accepted an Egyptian proposal to reconcile with Fatah and is awaiting a response from its rival Palestinian faction, senior Hamas officials said on Wednesday.
Army told to prepare for large-scale military operation in Gaza
Israel’s political leadership has reportedly instructed the army to prepare for a military offensive in the Gaza Strip, to be initiated if the launching of incendiary devices from the Hamas-run coastal enclave into Israeli territory continues.
Hamas leaders in Cairo for talks on Gaza crisis, ‘reconciliation’
Egypt has invited senior Hamas officials to Cairo for talks on the continued tensions along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel and ways of ending the dispute between the Islamist movement and the ruling Fatah faction in the West Bank.
U.S., France and Gulf allies agree to new round of talks on Syria
French President Emmanuel Macron and President Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels have reportedly agreed on a plan to push Middle East allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan to start talks on way to put an end to Syria’s seven-year civil war.
Kushner and Greenblatt meet Netanyahu for a second time
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Saturday night for the second day in a row with US negotiators Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, even as the Palestinian Authority continues to boycott the team and characterize them as ‘spokespeople for the Israeli occupation’ intent on normalizing ‘Israeli apartheid.’
Kushner, Greenblatt to arrive in Israel for talks on peace process
US President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Jason Greenblatt are due to arrive in Israel on Friday which is the last stop on their Middle East tour aimed at promoting President Trump’s Israel-Palestinian peace plan as well as focusing on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
How Muslim Mobs Attack Christian Churches in Egypt with Impunity
Christians coerced into an out-of-court settlement following an Islamist attack on a church building in Egypt recently saw the usual outcome – a closed church – a practice that has long oppressed Christians, according to Middle East observers.
Kushner, Greenblatt to visit region for peace plan talks
Senior Trump administration officials will visit the Middle East next week to consult regional governments on their plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Saudis, allies launch long-awaited, high-risk assault on key Yemeni port
The Saudi-led coalition battling Iranian-backed Houthi separatists in Yemen launched a long-awaited, high-risk campaign to break the back of the insurgency, with American military assistance, in a mass offensive against a key rebel stronghold in the country.
US peace envoys to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt next week for talks
White House special adviser Jared Kushner and US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt will reportedly travel to Israel and other Middle East countries next week for talks with regional leaders on when to present a Trump administration peace plan, as well as to seek ideas on resolving the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Iran is the culprit behind Tuesday’s Gaza rocket barrage, Israel says
Israel is pointing a finger at Iran for being behind the most serious escalation on it’s southern front in four years.
‘Oldest Manuscript’ of Gospel of Mark Discovered
An ancient and much-debated fragment of the Gospel of Mark has been dated to the late second to early third century A.D., making it the oldest fragment of Mark ever found.
IAF hits 2 dozen Hamas sites in second wave of strikes as Gaza fire continues
Israeli warplanes hit some 25 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip late Tuesday and early Wednesday in a second wave of retaliatory strikes, the army said, as Palestinian terror groups continued to fire mortars and rockets into Israel.
Christian Girls and Women are Disappearing in Egypt with Few Being Found
Since April of this year, several Coptic Christian young women have recently been reported missing from various communities around Egypt in what World Watch Monitor calls a recurring phenomenon.
Israel says Hamas curbed Gaza protests after Egyptian warning
Palestinian protests on the Gaza-Israel border have dropped off over the past two days, amid reports that Egyptian officials intervened to restore calm.
‘We Never Fear Bombs or Death’: Church in Egypt Grows Despite Jihadist Threats
It was a year ago this week that twin suicide bombings struck two churches in Egypt killing 45 people.