Foreign
Gaza War Not Over Until Hamas Disarms, Says Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that the war in Gaza would not be over until Hamas was disarmed and the Palestinian territory demilitarised.
His declaration came as Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, handed over the remains of two further hostages on Saturday night under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military said late Saturday that a Red Cross team received the remains of two hostages and the coffins were on their way to its security forces in Gaza.
The issue of the dead hostages still in Gaza has become a sticking point in the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire. Israel has linked the reopening of the key Rafah crossing to the territory to the recovery of the hostages’ remains.
Netanyahu cautioned that completing the ceasefire’s second phase was essential to ending the war.
He said late Saturday that “Phase B also involves the disarming of Hamas and the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip.
“When that is successfully completed — hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a hard way — then the war will end,” he added in an appearance on right-wing Israeli Channel 14.
Hamas has so far resisted the idea and since the pause in fighting has moved to reassert its control over the Gaza Strip.
Rafah crossing closed
Under the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas has so far released all 20 living hostages, along with the remains of nine Israelis and one Nepalese.
The most recent handover was on Friday night — the body was identified by Israel as Eliyahu Margalit, who died aged 75 in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 135 other bodies of Palestinians since the truce came into effect on October 10.
Hamas has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies, which it says are buried under Gaza’s rubble.
The two bodies to be returned on Saturday “were recovered earlier today”, the al-Qassam Brigades said on Telegram.
Netanyahu on Saturday hinted that the reopening of the vital Rafah crossing to Egypt could depend on Hamas returning all the bodies of hostages still in Gaza.
The Palestinian mission in Cairo announced that the crossing could open as early as Monday, though only for Gazans living in Egypt who wished to return to the territory.
Shortly after, however, Netanyahu’s office said he had “directed that the Rafah crossing remain closed until further notice”.
“Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfils its part in returning the hostages and the bodies of the deceased, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework,” it said, referring to the week-old ceasefire deal.
Hamas warned late Saturday that the closure of the Rafah crossing would cause “significant delays in the retrieval and transfer of remains”.
Digging latrines
Further delays to the reopening could also complicate the task facing Tom Fletcher, the UN head of humanitarian relief, who was in northern Gaza on Saturday.
“I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing and, to see the devastation — this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland — and it’s absolutely devastating to see,” he told AFP.
Fletcher said the task ahead for the UN and aid agencies was a “massive, massive job”.
He said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes who were trying to dig latrines in the ruins.
“They’re telling me most of all they want dignity,” he said.
“We have a massive 60-day plan now to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school.”
While the Rafah crossing has yet to reopen just over a week since the brokering of the truce, hundreds of trucks are rolling in each day via Israeli checkpoints and aid is being distributed.
‘What did they do wrong?
Some violence has persisted despite the ceasefire.
Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said on Saturday that it had recovered the bodies of nine Palestinians — two men, three women and four children — from the Shaaban family after Israeli troops fired two tank shells at a bus.
Two more victims were blown apart in the blast and their remains have yet to be recovered, it said.
At Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Hospital, the victims were laid out in white shrouds as their relatives mourned.
“My daughter, her children and her husband; my son, his children and his wife were killed. What did they do wrong?” demanded grandmother Umm Mohammed Shaaban.
The military said it had fired on a vehicle that approached the so-called “yellow line”, to which its forces withdrew under the terms of the ceasefire, and gave no estimate of casualties.
“The troops fired warning shots toward the suspicious vehicle, but the vehicle continued to approach the troops in a way that caused an imminent threat to them,” the military said.
“The troops opened fire to remove the threat, in accordance with the agreement.”
Iran has ruled out fresh negotiations with the United States at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, despite US President Donald Trump saying he expects talks between the two countries to resume this week.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Monday that the Iranian delegation in New York had no plans to hold negotiations with Washington, citing an unnamed source close to the delegation.
The development came a day after Trump told Axios that he expected US and Iranian representatives to engage in further discussions following Washington’s rejection of Tehran’s latest proposal concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran’s delegation in New York has no plans for negotiations with the United States,” IRNA quoted the source as saying.
However, indirect diplomatic contacts appear to be continuing through regional mediators, particularly Qatar. Axios reported that Qatari officials have been shuttling between Iranian and US negotiators in an effort to narrow differences between the two sides.
Iran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days as part of a broader arrangement to halt hostilities. Tehran has linked the proposal to demands including the lifting of the US naval blockade, removal of sanctions affecting its oil exports and a regional ceasefire.
The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial global energy corridor through which a significant share of the world’s oil trade passes, making the dispute over access to the waterway a major concern for international energy markets.
The latest diplomatic standoff follows months of conflict between Washington and Tehran. Iran has sought to use negotiations over the strait as a pathway toward a broader settlement, while the Trump administration has also pressed Tehran over its nuclear programme.
Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal on Saturday but said the door to further discussions remained open. According to Axios, he said he expected more talks during the week and that Qatar and other regional mediators were continuing efforts to revive negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also indicated Sunday that Tehran remained open to diplomacy, saying Iran was waiting for an official response through mediators despite Trump’s rejection of the proposal.
The conflicting statements highlight the uncertainty surrounding the next phase of US-Iran diplomacy, with Washington signalling interest in further talks while Tehran says its delegation currently in New York has no plans for direct negotiations.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic announced his resignation on Sunday, seven months before his tenure was originally scheduled to expire.
56-year-old Vucic ended his second and final five-year term amid campaigning for the October 25 snap parliamentary vote to elect 250 members of the National Assembly.
His departure sets the stage for early presidential elections and allows him to be appointed Prime Minister if the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) retains majority control of government.
“I have faithfully served you and my fatherland, Serbia. I am proud of what we have done together,” he told supporters at the Presidency building in Belgrade.
The populist politician, who previously served as Minister of Defence, said the first round of presidential elections will be held by the end of December.
Serbia’s constitution stipulates that the presidential election must be completed within 90 days, with the campaign lasting between 30 and 60 days.
Outgoing parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic will serve as acting President until her successor is elected. She was the Prime Minister from 2017 until 2024.
Factor Plus polling places public support for Vucic’s United Serbia, led by the SNS, at 49%. The youth-backed opposition challenger, known as the Student List, has about 37% popularity.
The movement stemmed from the “Students in Blockade” group after the collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy in November 2024, which sparked anti-corruption protests.
The group, which comprises academics, public figures, and professionals, gathered nearly 70,000 signatures and was proclaimed as number 3 on the ballot by the Electoral Commission.
At least 27 people have been killed and 26 others wounded in two separate mass shootings near South Africa’s two biggest cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town, triggering a police manhunt for the attackers.
The shootings occurred within hours of each other, adding to growing concern over gun violence and organised crime in the country.
In the first attack, eight gunmen armed with assault rifles and pistols stormed a tavern in Wedela township, about 80 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg, at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Police said the attackers opened fire on patrons drinking outside before moving into the tavern and continuing the shooting.
Seventeen people — 13 men and four women — were killed, while 15 others sustained gunshot injuries.
The suspects reportedly searched some patrons and took their mobile phones before fleeing in two vehicles, which they later set ablaze. No arrests had been made as of Sunday, according to police.
The motive for the Wedela attack remained unclear. However, police said preliminary information suggested it could have been linked to an earlier incident at the same tavern.
Deputy provincial police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said investigators had obtained images of the suspects and were confident they would eventually be identified and arrested.
The shooting occurred in an area where authorities have been intensifying operations against illegal mining and criminal networks operating around abandoned mine shafts.
Second attack near Cape Town
Hours later, another mass shooting was reported in Lwandle township, near Cape Town.
Police said gunmen opened fire at an entertainment venue selling grilled meat at about 1:46 a.m. on Sunday, killing 10 people and injuring 11 others.
Five victims died at the scene, while five others succumbed to their injuries after being taken to medical facilities.
Police said detectives were searching for the perpetrators, with no arrests reported in connection with the attack.
Videos circulating on social media showed people drinking and dancing before gunfire erupted, sending revellers scrambling for safety.
Ramaphosa vows action
The two attacks came just days after another mass shooting near Durban in which 11 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed at a house party.
South Africa has long struggled with high levels of violent crime, with shootings frequently linked to gangs, organised criminal groups and disputes involving local businesses.
President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the latest attacks and said security agencies would continue efforts to reduce violent crime.
“This cannot go on like this,” Ramaphosa said, stressing that people should not be able to pick up firearms and randomly shoot others.
South Africa has repeatedly deployed soldiers to support police operations in areas affected by serious violence and organised crime.
Despite those efforts, shootings remain a persistent security challenge.
The latest attacks have renewed questions about the availability of firearms, organised crime and the ability of security agencies to prevent repeated mass-casualty shootings.
Police investigations into both incidents are ongoing, and authorities are urging anyone with information about the attackers to come forward.
Iran Rules Out Fresh US Talks as Trump Pushes for New Negotiations
Ex-Plateau Governor Wanted N40m Vehicle Invoice Doubled to N80m, Coscharis Founder Alleges
Obi: I Left Over $150m in Anambra, Enough to Offset Alleged $123.7m Debt
-
Entertainment17 hours agoBREAKING: Nollywood Actor Rykardo Agbor Survives Ghastly Car Crash in Ibadan
-
Foreign17 hours agoSad! 27 Killed, 26 Injured in Two South Africa Mass Shootings as Police Hunt Gunmen
-
News17 hours agoTinubu Shifts Return Date Again, Now Expected Back Tuesday
-
News10 hours agoNECO 2026: Kano beats Lagos, Oyo, emerges best-performing state
-
Metro10 hours agoTerrorists abduct newlywed couple, four others in Kwara
-
News4 hours ago2027: Elections must never be treated as do-or-die affairs – INEC Chair, Amupitan appeals to Emir of Zazzau