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  • Key moments from a momentous day for Israelis and Palestinians

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    (CNN) — The last 20 living hostages held in Gaza were released on Monday, reuniting with their families in jubilant scenes as world leaders gathered in Egypt to discuss the future of Gaza and the next phases of the US-brokered ceasefire deal.

    For the first time in more than two years, Hamas and its allies are not holding any living hostages in Gaza.

    Meanwhile, 1,718 Palestinian detainees who were being held in Israel without charge were released on Monday and returned to Gaza. Israel also released 250 Palestinians serving long-term sentences.

    Addressing the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Monday during his trip to the Middle East, US President Donald Trump said the “long and painful nightmare is finally over.”

    “This is a historic dawn of a new Middle East,” Trump told Israeli lawmakers, having earlier projected confidence that the ceasefire deal would hold and that the war in Gaza was over.

    But a number of issues related to the 20-point plan brokered by Trump, alongside Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, remain unresolved.

    Here are some key moments from Monday and where the peace process may go next:

    Hostages freed

    The remaining 20 living hostages were released in two groups on Monday, prompting elation and relief throughout Israel.

    In Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, large crowds cheered, waved flags and chanted “thank you, Trump!” as news of the hostages’ freedom was announced.

    Emotional scenes unfolded at the Re’im military facility in southern Israel, where the released hostages were reunited with their immediate families after more than two years in captivity.

    In footage shared by the Israeli military, 24-year-old Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, was met by his parents and siblings. His family cried and embraced him in a large hug.

    Omri Miran embraces his father Dani in Re’im, Israel, after his release from captivity on October 13. Credit: Israel Defense Forces / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Omri Miran, 48, who was kidnapped when Hamas gunmen broke into his family’s home in kibbutz Nahal Oz, was met by his wife Lishay Miran-Lavi and his father Dani Miran. Photos showed him playing with his children for the first time in more than two years.

    “We are at the beginning of a complex and challenging, yet moving, journey of recovery,” Miran’s family said in a statement.

    Under the agreement brokered by the US, Hamas and its allies were meant to release all of the remaining hostages, including 28 dead ones, within 72 hours of the ceasefire being announced.

    Israeli authorities said that Hamas had handed over four coffins said to contain the remains of four deceased hostages to the Red Cross on Monday.

    Later in the day, Israeli police said the coffins had been released into Israel, before being escorted to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for formal identification. Israel has not yet confirmed the identities of the remains being returned.

    Palestinian prisoners released

    Israel released 1,718 Palestinian detainees – detained by its forces in Gaza over the past two years and held without charge – on Monday. The detainees were brought back to Gaza on buses, where they were met by large crowds at Nasser hospital in the southern part of the enclave.

    A freed Palestinian is hugged by a relative in Ramallah, West Bank, after he was released from an Israeli jail on October 13. Credit: Ammar Awad / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Israel also released 250 Palestinians serving life or long-term prison sentences.

    Some of those released prisoners were taken to the occupied West Bank, where they were hugged by family and friends as they emerged from buses in Ramallah. CNN also witnessed a substantial presence of Palestinian security forces and medics at the scene.

    A further 154 Palestinian prisoners who had been serving long sentences in Israeli jails were deported to Egypt, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society. Israeli authorities had demanded that prisoners convicted of “violent offenses” be deported to third countries rather than be allowed to return to the West Bank or Gaza.

    Trump’s pointed address to Israel

    Trump spoke for more than an hour in the Israeli parliament, taking a victory lap for the ceasefire deal and repeatedly, pointedly telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to not restart the war.

    “Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms. You’ve won. I mean, you’ve won,” Trump said. “Now it’s time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East. It’s about time you were able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

    The US president also warned that more war would diminish Netanyahu’s legacy, adding that he will be remembered for the truce “far more than if you kept this thing going.”

    Netanyahu has previously been accused of prolonging the war in Gaza in order to delay and distract from his corruption cases and domestic political troubles, an accusation he’s rejected.

    World leaders meet in Egypt

    Trump traveled on to Egypt to meet with other world leaders, including the leaders of Qatar, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. They converged on the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Egypt and the US are co-hosting a summit on the end of the Gaza war and the next phases of a peace plan.

    World leaders took part in a signing ceremony for the Gaza ceasefire deal during the summit.

    Netanyahu said he was invited but did not attend.

    The 20-point ceasefire plan brokered by the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey still has several unresolved issues and details that must be hammered out.

    Those sticking points include how the largely destroyed Gaza Strip will be governed after the war, as well as how Hamas’ disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza will be carried out.

    Next steps of ceasefire plan

    The full withdrawal of the Israeli military is contingent on Hamas’ disarmament, according to the agreement, leaving some wiggle room for Netanyahu to say Israel still has the freedom to resume fighting.

    Hamas’ chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said last week that the group has received guarantees from the US and international mediators confirming that this deal means “the war has ended permanently,” rather than representing a temporary ceasefire. It’s not clear in what form those guarantees came.

    The key unanswered question is what will happen to Hamas, according to Burcu Ozcelik, senior research fellow for Middle East security at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British think tank.

    “You have what looks like a pathway to Palestinian statehood … but this, ultimately, is a Palestinian state that does not seem to have any place for Hamas. To what extent Hamas will agree to this and comply with this in the weeks and months to come – I think that is a big question,” Ozcelik told CNN.

    “I think Israel will retain what it sees as its national security imperative to operate in Gaza if it believes that there is a credible threat to its security and its border communities,” Ozcelik said. “But at the same time, there needs to be a governing body in Gaza. There needs to be security and law enforcement. There needs to be basic service delivery and distribution of vital humanitarian aid.”

    She added that other regional actors will be expected to play an important role in the transition, particularly Egypt and Turkey. “I think for the time being, all sides are going to want to be seen as doing all that they can to make Trump’s plan work.”

    CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Ivana Kottasova, Kara Fox, Tim Lister, Abeer Salman and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this report.

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  • Three Qatari Diplomats Killed in Car Crash in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh, Two Security Sources Say

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    CAIRO (Reuters) -Three Qatari diplomats were killed in a car crash in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, two security sources told Reuters on Sunday.

    Two diplomats were also wounded, the security sources said.

    The Egyptian city is set to host on Monday a global summit aimed at finalizing an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

    (Reporting by Ahmed Shalaby, Writing by Menna Alaa El-Din; editing by Diane Craft)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • UK PM Starmer to Attend Middle East Peace Summit in Egypt

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    LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Egypt to attend the Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit, where leaders are expected to sign a U.S.-brokered peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza, his office said on Saturday.

    The first phase of the plan is set to begin with the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners by Monday, marking what Britain called a “historic turning point” after two years of war.

    The British leader would pay tribute to the role of U.S. President Donald Trump and the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey in brokering the deal, his office said.

    He is expected to call for continued international coordination to implement the next phase, which includes deploying a ceasefire monitoring mission and establishing transitional governance in Gaza.

    Starmer will reiterate Britain’s “steadfast support” to help secure the ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid.

    (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Alex Richardson)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Egypt to Convene Global Leaders, Including Trump, in Sharm El-Sheikh on Gaza War Agreement

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    CAIRO (Reuters) -Egypt will host an international summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalise an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, an Egyptian presidential spokesperson said on Saturday.

    The summit will be attended by more than 20 leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, the spokesperson added in a statement.

    (Reporting by Mohamed Hendawy; Writing by Hatem Maher; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Qatar Facility at U.S. Air Force Base in Idaho Sparks Controversy

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    A Friday announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about a new training arrangement with Qatar’s Air Force has sparked a backlash from President Trump’s supporters, prompting him to issue a clarification later in the day.

    During a visit by Qatar’s defense minister, Hegseth announced a new facility that would be built at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Elmore County, Idaho, to host and train Qatari pilots on U.S.-made F-15s.

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    Michael R. Gordon

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  • Opinion | The Peace Deal Proves That Netanyahu’s Critics Were Wrong

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    They kept insisting the prime minister was prolonging the war for political reasons.

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    Elliot Kaufman

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  • Turkey Pleased With Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Will Monitor Implementation

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    ANKARA (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday he was very pleased that Hamas-Israel negotiations had resulted in a Gaza ceasefire deal, adding that Turkey would closely monitor its strict implementation and continue to contribute to the process.

    Turkey, which participated in the ceasefire negotiations in Egypt, has been one of the harshest critics of Israel’s assault on Gaza, calling it a genocide. It has halted all trade with Israel, repeatedly called for international measures against its government, and demanded a two-state solution.

    “I am very pleased that the Hamas-Israel talks taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, with contributions from us as Turkey, have resulted in a ceasefire in Gaza,” Erdogan posted on X.

    TURKEY WON’T REST UNTIL PALESTINIAN STATE SET UP

    He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump “who demonstrated the necessary political will to encourage the Israeli government towards the ceasefire”, and also thanked Qatar and Egypt.

    “As Turkey, we will closely monitor the strict implementation of the agreement and continue to contribute to the process,” he added, saying Ankara would not stop until a sovereign Palestinian state was established.

    Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin attended the talks in Egypt. Ankara, which calls Hamas a resistance group, has taken an increased role in discussions after last month’s White House meeting between Erdogan and Trump.

    Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said ahead of the truce announcement that after the sides declare a ceasefire as a first step in Trump’s plan to end the war, they would work on “heavier” issues like ensuring security in Gaza and post-war scenarios.

    In a statement, Turkey’s foreign ministry said it hoped the momentum in these talks could lead to a two-state solution.

    “We welcome the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza and hope that this ceasefire will bring an end to the genocide that has continued for the past two years,” it said.

    “With the ceasefire in place, it is imperative that humanitarian aid be delivered to Gaza … and that efforts for the reconstruction of Gaza be launched without delay,” it added, saying Ankara would continue providing humanitarian aid.

    (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu. Writing by Daren Butler. Editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Potter)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Celebrations Erupt in Gaza and Israel at News of Deal to End Two-Year War

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    KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza/TEL AVIV (Reuters) -Palestinians and the families of Israeli hostages broke into wild celebrations on Thursday after news of a pact between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza and return home all the Israeli hostages, both living and dead.

    In Gaza, where most of the more than 2 million people have been displaced by Israeli bombing, young men applauded in the devastated streets, even as Israeli strikes continued in some parts of the enclave.

    “Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

    “I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed. Thank you and all the love to those who stood with us.”

    In Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that sparked the war two years ago have gathered to demand the return of loved ones, Einav Zaugauker, the mother of a hostage, was ecstatic.

    “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare.

    “What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him,” she added, referring to her son, Matan. “Just tell him that I love him, that’s it. And to see his eyes sink into mine … It’s overwhelming — this is the relief.”

    Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for the Palestinian enclave, a ceasefire and hostage deal that could open the way to ending a bloody two-year-old war that has disrupted the Middle East.  

    “I have no words to describe it,” said former hostage Omer Shem-tov, when asked how the moment felt.  

    Just a day after the second anniversary of the cross-border attack by Hamas militants that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded a deal on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework for peace.

    In Gaza, circles of young men in the streets applauded the news, one of them clapping as he was hoisted onto the shoulders of a friend. 

    “These are moments … long awaited by Palestinian citizens after two years of killing and genocide,” said Khaled Shaat, a Palestinian in the city of Khan Younis.

    If fully adopted, the accord would bring the two sides closer than any prior effort to halt a regional war that drew in neighbours Iran, Lebanon and Yemen, deepened Israel’s international isolation and changed the Middle East.

    Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave flattened since Israel began its military response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. 

    About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials, with 20 of the 48 hostages still held believed to be alive.

    (Reporting by Rami Amichay and Andreea Popescu; Writing by Clarence Fernandez; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Deal Reached on First Phase of Gaza Ceasefire, Qatari Ministry Says

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    (Reuters) -An agreement was reached on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, said on Thursday.

    The details will be announced later, Ansari added in a post on X.

    (Reporting by Enas Alashray and Hatem Maher; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Opinion | Is Qatar Finally Ready to Split With Hamas?

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    Amit Segal writes that “change is afoot,” as Doha is finally pressing Hamas to accept the Gaza peace deal President Trump has put on the table (“ Why Qatar Changed Course on Hamas,” op-ed, Oct. 1). Qatari support for the proposal is a positive development, but the U.S. should be cautious it isn’t fleeting. Doha has played double games before, and unless it sustains its pressure on Hamas, this may prove to be another one.

    Qatar’s next move will be telling. Hamas agreed in part on Friday to the Trump administration’s proposal for Gaza, essentially saying, “Yes, but,” with the apparent intention of stalling the plan’s roll out. If talks drag on, will Doha increase the pressure on its longtime client, or back new conditions that Hamas demands and side with terrorists as it did on Oct. 7, 2023?

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  • Trump Says He Is Optimistic About a Gaza Deal

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two years after the Gaza conflict erupted, President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged U.S. support for Gaza security guarantees and said he believes a deal is close to being completed for the remaining hostages.

    Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East” beyond just Gaza. He said he would discuss Gaza with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

    A U.S. official said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who was Trump’s Middle East envoy during his first term, were headed to Egypt on Tuesday to join the negotiations there.

    The talks seem to represent the most promising negotiations yet for ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated Gaza since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.

    “We are very close to making a deal on the Middle East that will bring peace to the Middle East after all of these years,” Trump said at the start of an Oval Office meeting with Carney.

    Asked what security guarantees the United States was willing to offer, Trump pledged help without offering specifics.

    “We are going to do everything possible – we have a lot of power – and we’re going to do everything possible to make sure everybody adheres to the deal,” he said.

    (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland, Editing by Franklin Paul and Rod Nickel)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Sept. 2025

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  • Exclusive | Hamas Is Still at War With Itself Over Terms of Trump’s Peace Plan

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    To the world, Hamas said it has accepted major parts of President Trump’s peace plan. Internally, Hamas remains bitterly divided over how to proceed.

    On Friday, the U.S.-designated terrorist group said it was willing to release hostages and hand over Gaza, a landmark statement boosting Trump’s push for an end to the war. But importantly, Hamas used hedged language that some observers saw as problematic to clinching a final peace.

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  • Hamas agrees to return hostages but resists other parts of Trump’s peace plan

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    JERUSALEM  — Hamas accepted most of President Trump’s terms for ending the war in Gaza on Friday, delivering a “Yes, but …” response that agreed to handing over all hostages and relinquishing control of the enclave, but stopped short of the full surrender outlined in the agreement.

    The response came the day Trump said that the Palestinian militant group had until Sunday to accept what was essentially a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum.

    “If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, then all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” wrote Trump on his messaging platform, Truth Social.

    After days of what it said was “thorough study” — and intense pressure from its Arab interlocutors in Qatar, Egypt and others — Hamas issued a statement late Friday saying it would release all Israeli hostages, dead or alive, according to “the exchange formula outlined in President Trump’s proposal, provided that field conditions for carrying out the exchange are secured.”

    Trump’s deal, which comprises 20 points and amounts to more of a framework than a comprehensive agreement, represents his administration’s most concerted push to not only end the Hamas-Israel war, but achieve a more comprehensive peace in the region.

    Upon acceptance from both sides, the agreement says, hostilities must immediately end and aid be allowed into Gaza, where Israel’s months-long blockade has triggered famine. Hamas fighters who lay down their arms would be granted amnesty and Gazans would not be forced to leave the enclave.

    The agreement was negotiated with Israel along with a raft of Arab and Muslim nations. Media reports after the deal’s terms were published said Israel had inserted eleventh-hour modifications more in line with the wishes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has refused during two years of war any ceasefire deal that would see Hamas remain in power.

    His move infuriated Arab nations. Still, they nevertheless issued statements cautiously lauding Trump’s initiative, which he unveiled Monday after meeting with Netanyahu at the White House.

    A few hours after Hamas’ affirmative response, Trump wrote on Trump Social that he believed the group was “ready for a lasting PEACE,” adding “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!”

    “Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out,” he said. “This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

    The deal stipulates Israel will release 1,700 Gaza residents detained by Israel after Oct. 7, 2023, along with some 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences. It gives Hamas 72 hours to release the remaining 48 hostages, 20 of whom are still alive.

    Hamas also agreed to another Trump condition, all but relinquishing its 18-year-rule over the Gaza Strip and handing it over to what Trump said was a body of “technocratic” Palestinians overseen by a “Board of Peace” to be headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

    But Hamas’ acceptance Friday fell short of what could be an essential point for Israel: The notion of surrendering its weapons.

    Through Trump’s agreement stipulates the group should disarm and not be involved in any future governance, Hamas has long insisted it would hand over its weapons only as part of a deal that would lead to an independent Palestinian state — a position it reiterated again in its Friday statement, saying that any other issues would be discussed through a comprehensive national Palestinian framework that would include Hamas.

    “Regarding the future of the Palestinian issue, this is not a matter of Hamas alone. Hamas is a part of the Palestinian people, but it’s not alone,” said Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top-ranking Hamas official, speaking to Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera after the release of Hamas’ statement.

    Abu Marzouk also emphasized the logistical difficulties the group faces in gathering all the remaining hostages within the 72-hour time frame, describing the condition to be “unreasonable.” He added that there would need to be further negotiations to specify withdrawal lines.

    The response, said Bader Al-Saif, a professor of history at Kuwait University, was “in the same style of the offer it received — vague and incomplete.”

    “We have a quasi response to a quasi offer — one in need of more details, guarantees and enforcement ability on both Hamas and Israel,” he said, adding that Hamas was throwing the ball back into Israel’s court, knowing the divisions within the Israeli government over any plan that falls short of annihilating the group and excising it from any future negotiations.

    Netanyahu’s government is composed of a fractious coalition that relies on hard-right figures to have sufficient numbers for its survival. Those figures want Netanyahu to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed and the territory of Gaza given over to settlements.

    Other Israelis point to Israel’s growing isolation with every day of the war’s passing, with the U.N., rights and aid groups and governments, including Western allies of the U.S. and Israel, accusing Israel of committing genocide in the enclave. Israel denies the charge.

    With Hamas’ “conditional acceptance,” said Mouin Rabbani, a nonresident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, negotiations could be on a potential crash course.

    “It’s crunch time,” Rabbani said. “Hamas says, ‘We accept the proposal if the following issues are clarified to our satisfaction.’

    “We’ll now find out if the U.S. accepts entering discussions for these clarifications, or that Israel will persuade the Americans that Hamas has rejected it and the genocide should continue in full force.”

    Hamas’ action comes just days before the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that launched the conflict. On that day, Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Israel’s response has been punishing, leaving vast portions of Gaza in ruins; more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials.

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  • Trump issues executive order declaring any attack on Qatar be treated as a threat to U.S. security

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    President Trump has signed an executive order saying that any armed attack against Qatar would be considered “a threat to the peace and security of the United States.”

    “In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability,” reads the executive order, which was dated Monday, Sept. 29.

    A Qatari official confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s move to grant the small Gulf state the rare promise of U.S. military backup in the event of an attack on its territory came in response to Israel bombing Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Sept. 9. 

    Israel said its attack was aimed at Hamas leaders gathered in the Qatari capital, where the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group has long maintained a political office.

    Qatar hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, the Al-Udeid Air Base, where thousands of American forces are stationed. The United States already classifies Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally, a designation that was approved by President Biden.

    Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President Trump leave after a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Doha, May 14, 2025.

    KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty


    The executive order was signed in the wake of Israel’s attack on Doha, and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington to meet with Mr. Trump.

    While that visit was largely focused on Mr. Trump’s announcement of a still-pending proposal for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement to end the war in Gaza, it also saw Netanyahu apologize to Qatar for the strike in Doha.

    “As a first step, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” a White House readout of a trilateral phone call with Mr. Trump, Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, said.

    Netanyahu “further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future,” the White House said.

    The Israeli attack shocked the Qataris and raised questions about Qatar’s security relationship with the United States.

    Netanyahu, just several days after the strikes in Doha, threatened to launch new attacks on Qatar if it refused to eject Hamas political representatives. 

    The Israeli leader made the remarks after Mr. Trump said in a social media post that “eliminating” Hamas was “a worthy goal,” but that he had spoken with leaders in Qatar and assured the nation’s prime minister, “that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”

    Margaret Brennan and

    Tucker Reals

    contributed to this report.

    Haley Ott

    Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau.

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  • Opinion | Our Friends the al-Thanis

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    Trump gives the monarchy of Qatar a U.S. defense guarantee by executive order.

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    The Editorial Board

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  • Trump Order Pledges That US Will Defend Qatar in Event of Attack

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    By Simon Lewis and Trevor Hunnicutt

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States’ own security, according to a document published on Wednesday that says U.S. forces could step in to defend the Middle Eastern nation.

    The executive order – which appears to significantly deepen the U.S. commitment to its Middle East ally – comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha.

    That strike, launched with little advance notice to the Trump administration, caused consternation in Washington given the close U.S. relationship with Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region.

    The document was dated Monday, the day Trump hosted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and presented a proposal for ending the war in Gaza. Qatar has been a key mediator between the U.S. and Israel and Hamas over the war.

    “The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order said.

    “In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”

    The document said top U.S. defense and intelligence officials will maintain contingency planning with Qatar to ensure a rapid response to any attacks.

    Neighboring Saudi Arabia has long sought similar guarantees as part of Washington’s efforts to normalise relations between Riyadh and Israel, but such a deal has not materialised. Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.

    While the president can negotiate collective defense treaties like the one that created NATO, it requires Senate confirmation to become law. An executive order can be repealed by any U.S. president in the future and it is unclear what would compel the U.S. to fulfill the commitment.

    Trump’s order goes beyond a 2022 order by his predecessor Joe Biden that designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally, allowing increased military cooperation but falling short of promising to defend Qatar if attacked.

    There was no U.S. military response when Qatar came under attack by Iran in June after a U.S. strike on nuclear facilities in Iran.

    The Trump administration in May officially accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jetliner as a gift from Qatar and the military is working to prepare it for use as a new Air Force One to transport President Donald Trump. Trump dismissed legal and ethical concerns over the plane’s transfer.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Doha after the Israeli strike, and said an enhanced defense cooperation agreement was being finalized with Qatar.

    (Reporting by Simon Lewis and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Don Durfee)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Hamas Indicates It Is Open to Trump Peace Plan as It Faces Pressure From Muslim Nations

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    Hamas has indicated it is open to accepting President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza but is asking for more time to review its conditions, Arab mediators said, as the militant group faces intensifying pressure from Muslim governments to agree to the Israel-backed proposal to end the devastating war.

    The militant group has told mediators it has reservations about some of the terms of the 20-point plan, including the stipulation that it disarm and destroy its weapons, a demand it has previously rejected. Hamas also says that releasing all 48 hostages within 72 hours, as laid out in the Trump plan, would be difficult because it has lost contact in recent weeks with some other militant groups holding a number of them, the mediators said.

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    Summer Said

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  • Qatar’s Biggest Bank Joins JPMorgan’s Blockchain Payment Network

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    Qatar National Bank (QNB) has started using JPMorgan’s Kinexys payments platform for US dollar corporate flows, bringing on-chain settlement to clients in the country. According to JPMorgan, the move went live in March 2025.

    QNB Adopts Kinexys For USD Flows

    Based on reports, the Doha lender will now be able to move US dollar payments around the clock, removing the usual business-hour cutoffs that delay transfers.

    The system operates 24/7 and can settle some transfers in as little as two minutes, a speed level that banks say shortens what used to take days.

     

    For JP Morgan, Kinexys (the unit that grew out of its earlier blockchain work) is being rolled out more widely across the Middle East and North Africa.

    The bank says eight of the region’s largest lenders are now live on the platform, with QNB and Saudi National Bank named among them.

    That wider uptake is being framed as an effort to give corporate treasuries faster, programmable payment options across corridors that previously suffered from timing and liquidity friction.

    What This Means For Clients

    Reports have disclosed that clients can expect fewer reconciliation headaches and a clearer view of funds as they move between accounts.

    Banks on Kinexys can create “programmable” payment flows — for example, payments that trigger only after a condition is met — which can shorten manual steps in trade and treasury operations.

    The platform also claims to preserve full payment amounts until they reach beneficiaries, reducing the chance of unexpected deductions.


    Momentum In The Region

    The QNB announcement follows similar moves by other institutions earlier this year that used Kinexys to expand anytime dollar clearing.

    In March 2025, for instance, India’s Axis Bank began offering 24/7 US dollar clearing with JPMorgan — a sign that banks in different markets are testing the same capability for corporate customers.

    While the speed gains are clear in promotional materials and press coverage, several operational details remain thin in public disclosures.

    Despite that, QNB’s step into Kinexys highlights a shift in regional banking, as Qatar’s biggest bank joins JPMorgan’s blockchain payment network.

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    Christian Encila

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  • Opinion | Why Qatar Changed Course on Hamas

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    Doha had operated with Israeli complicity, but a strike on Qatari soil changed the equation.

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    Amit Segal

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  • White House peace blueprint for Gaza demands Hamas disarm, step down

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    BEIRUT  — President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday put forth a 20-point plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, a sweeping proposal that calls on Hamas to not only lay down its arms, but to give up any role in governing the enclave.

    Key elements of the plan, which the leaders announced at the White House in Washington, include the release of hostages, a prisoner swap involving hundreds and amnesty for Hamas fighters. Trump would play a role, heading a commission created to govern Gaza.

    Trump said he was “very, very close” to a deal to end the war, though it had yet to receive any reaction from Hamas. The plan calls for the Israeli military to cease fighting once the pact is approved, but does not specify a final pullout of forces from Gaza.

    “And I think we’re beyond very close,” added Trump of his most concerted push yet to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, even as the Israeli military presses with its offensive into Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center.

    In a 30-minute speech to reporters following his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump appeared enthusiastic about his proposal, touting it as an unprecedented step toward peace not only in Gaza but across the Middle East. “This is potentially one of the greatest days ever in civilization,” he said.

    Trump said that he was “hearing that Hamas wants to get this done too.” But, he added, if Hamas didn’t agree to the plan, Israel would have the “right” and “full backing” of the U.S. to “finish the job” — in other words, eliminate Hamas.

    Under Trump’s plan, which the White House published on Monday, hostilities would immediately end, with battle lines frozen before a partial Israeli withdrawal in preparation for the hostages’ release.

    Hamas would return all hostages — alive or deceased — within 72 hours of Israel accepting the deal, after which Israel would release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gaza residents detained after Oct. 7, 2023, and a number of the deceased.

    Aid, which Israel has blocked for months, would be allowed in. Hamas would surrender, and the U.S. and partner Arab nations would create an “International Stabilization Force,” which, once ready, would then take over areas in Gaza from which the Israeli military withdraws.

    A “temporary transitional government” will manage the day-to-day running of the Gaza Strip, overseen by a “Board of Peace” chaired and led by Trump. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will also play a role. This body will remain in place until the Palestinian Authority completes a reform program and then can take control of the Gaza Strip.

    And in a nod to Trump’s long-stated interest in developing Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East,” the enclave will be subject to a “Trump economic development plan” that would “rebuild and energize” Gaza, and will include a special economic zone.

    No one would be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave would be free to do so and could return. Hamas members who “commit to peaceful coexistence” receive amnesty, and those who wish to leave Gaza will get safe passage.

    Netanyahu, who repeatedly demonstrated his admiration for Trump and described him as “the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House,” said the proposal achieved “our war aims” and was “a critical step towards both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East.”

    But Netanyahu also threatened that “Israel will finish the job by itself” if Hamas rejects the plan, or if it accepts it but then backtracks. “This can be done the easy way, or it can be done the hard way. But it will be done,” he said.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt gave their endorsement of Trump’s plan in a joint statement, saying they were ready to “cooperate positively and constructively with the United States and the relevant parties to complete the agreement and ensure its implementation.” The countries added they would work with the U.S. to end the war through a comprehensive agreement that would see the establishment of “a just peace process based on the two-state solution.”

    The Palestinian Authority also welcomed the agreement. The Palestinian Authority, which oversees the Israeli-occupied West Bank, governed Gaza until Hamas prevailed in elections in 2006.

    Hamas is said to have received the proposal a short while ago, and said to be studying it.

    Though the plan as published remains scant on details, it’s unclear how Hamas would be amenable to what amounts to surrender and disarmament while getting none of the terms it has sought throughout more than a year of tortuous negotiations: a cessation of hostilities and a full Israeli withdrawal and disarmament, along with the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

    The plan also has little in the way of a viable path to a Palestinian state — a pre-condition set by Saudi Arabia before it joins any normalization agreement with Israel. Instead, the agreement gives a vague notion of recognizing self-determination and statehood as the “aspiration” of the Palestinian people, and that “conditions may finally be in place” for that after once the Palestinian Authority’s reform plan is “faithfully carried out” and Gaza is being redeveloped.

    Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted there will be no Palestinian state. A number of nations have recognized a Palestinian state. The United Kingdom, Australia and Canada took such action this month.

    Netanyahu earlier Monday formally apologized to Qatar for its recent attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha.

    “As a first step, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” the White House said in a statement. “He further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”

    The war in Gaza began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people — two-thirds of them civilians, Israeli tallies say — and kidnapping 251 others.

    Israel retaliated with a full-on offensive that pulverized wide swaths of the enclave and has so far killed more than 66,000 people, the vast majority of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities and aid groups.

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    Nabih Bulos

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