#buffer-zones

#buffer-zones

What America and Israel are doing in their aggression against the countries of the region is not a war of a military nature, but a senseless war, said Dhirgham Samir, a demonstrator in his 40s.

The plan would see disarmament as one of the components of the October ceasefire to end Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, implemented gradually over an eight-month, multiphase process.

The handshake between Nikol Pashinyan and Recep Tayyip Erdogan represents a historic moment, as it is the first time an Armenian leader has visited Turkey.

The ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States and France, formally aimed to end active hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. In practice, however, the agreement never truly halted the conflict. Israeli forces maintained a presence in Lebanese territory, and military strikes against Lebanon continued on an almost daily basis.

Iranian health officials contend the U.S. and Israeli campaign has killed 1,200 people there. Lebanese authorities report 500 deaths in an Israeli assault. And we go next to Lebanon, where NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi has been covering this from Beirut.

United States President Donald Trump launched the Board of Peace on Thursday, saying it's one of the most consequential bodies ever created in the history of the world. This is all part of the agreement to reach a ceasefire in Gaza after more than two years of Israel's genocidal war on Palestinians in the territory. Trump said the board will work in partnership with the United Nations to address crises far beyond Gaza.

While the world's attention is on the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, the Israeli military has placed the West Bank under a functional lockdown. Checkpoints in and out of most major cities are closed, and Palestinians have been left to look for other travel arrangements. Some residents who spoke with Truthout said they traveled for hours through village back roads in an attempt to reach their destinations.

At least three Palestinians have been killed in Israeli drone strikes in war-battered Gaza, nearly two and a half years into Israel's genocidal war on the enclave, as severely limited medical evacuations restarted through the Rafah border crossing. Doctors at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said two people were killed in a drone strike in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, in the eastern part of Gaza City.

Since then, both sides have accused the other of breaking the deal. Israel has continued to restrict aid into the strip and conduct attacks. The Gazan health ministry says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, and UNICEF announced this week that at least 100 of the victims were children. Israel says Hamas militants continue to be a threat and that its airstrikes in Gaza are targeting the group.