Daily News

Hamas has survived 500 days of relentless bombardment, defying Israel's repeated vows to destroy it. Despite its losses, including assassinations of prominent leaders, Hamas is intact, manning checkpoints, coordinating aid, and releasing Israeli captives. How does Hamas continue to endure?

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, will participate in talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Saudi Arabia for the discussions, which are intended to pave the way for a potential meeting later this month between US President Donald Trump and Putin. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine will not take part in this week's US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia regarding the war in Ukraine.

There are less than two weeks left until the end of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Palestinians have had some respite from the Israeli military's relentless bombardment. But after 15 months of war destroyed 70% of the buildings in the strip, most families have nowhere to live. Convoys of trucks carrying mobile homes and tents are stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, in the south of the strip. Under the ceasefire, Israel had agreed to allow 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents into Gaza. But only a fraction of the number of tents have been allowed in and none of the mobile homes. Israel is also blocking the entry of bulldozers and heavy equipment needed to clear the rubble. It considers them “dual purpose” items which Hamas could weaponise. Meanwhile, an Israeli negotiating team is heading to Egypt for talks. There have been questions as to whether the ceasefire will hold, with Hamas accusing Israel of repeatedly violating its terms. A day ago, an Israeli drone strike killed three Palestinian policemen in Rafah. Yet the US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff says he believes the deal will absolutely continue for a second stage.

More than a thousand Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been released as part of phase one of the ceasefire deal with Israel. On Saturday, over 300 people were returned to the occupied West Bank, Gaza, or deported to Egypt. Many have spoken about the months and years they spent in Israeli custody and stories continue to emerge of abuse, deprivation and torture. Palestinian prison groups have issued an urgent warning about the fate of thousands of prisoners in Ofer military Prison in the occupied West Bank after the Israeli Prisons Service said it had stormed detainee cells. An Israeli spokesperson said that prisoners began banging on doors during a military unit's tour of the prison. The Palestinian Prisoners' society says Israel is carrying out a "large-scale repression operation”, including beating prisoners and firing tear gas. There are more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Human rights groups have previously accused Israel of violent abuse in Ofer Prison.

A rift appears to be developing between Europe and its long-time ally, the United States. US Vice President JD Vance stunned delegates at a security conference in Munich when he lectured Europe on what he described as its retreat from free speech and shared values. His comments have been widely denounced as meddlesome and unacceptable. So, where does this leave transatlantic relations -- built up over decades after World War Two? And how can Europe respond to a reversal of Washington’s isolationist stance towards Russia?

Western ideals of morality and international law have been dealt a fatal blow by Israel’s war on Gaza, argues author Pankaj Mishra. Mishra, whose latest book is The World After Gaza: A History, tells host Steve Clemons that US and Israeli leaders are normalising the idea of mass expulsion of the two million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip and may eventually succeed in carrying it out as the world watches. The author dives into the racist logic behind some Western foreign policies and argues that India has lost “moral and diplomatic leadership” due to its support for Israel.

Nabeel Khoury says the US secretary of state has broken with the traditional set-up for US diplomats to first meet with the Israeli government and then the Palestinian Authority. “Rubio is not doing that. So this is sidetracking the Palestinian Authority despite all the conveniences and all the cooperation and collaboration it has given the Israeli government,” the former US diplomat told Al Jazeera. “The next stop after Israel is going to be Riyadh and possibly the United Arab Emirates,” Khoury added, arguing that this fits into “Trump’s vision, … which is rebuilding Gaza minus the Palestinian population”. Khoury also said: “I imagine, reading behind the lines, … they’re discussing the details of the transfer of the Palestinian population somewhere else outside of Gaza. That somewhere else has yet to be determined. “They [US and Israel] haven’t gotten any approval from either Egypt or Jordan for a mass transfer,” Khoury noted, adding, “In the end, they would have to come up with a solution, and I imagine part of that solution would be some kind of camps in the Negev desert.”

we delve into the dynamic world of contemporary African art. From the vibrant scenes of the Dakar Biennale to global platforms, three influential women - a Senegalese art critic, an African-American photographer, and a Senegalese curator - share their insights. They discuss reclaiming Africa's artistic narratives, the interplay between history and modernity, and the evolving role of the diaspora in shaping the continent's cultural future.

Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas told Al Jazeera he doesn’t believe the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will move into the second phase, due to start on March 1, which would include a permanent ceasefire and an almost full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, with Hamas staying in power. While Hamas has been significantly degraded militarily, politically they maintain power and there’s no replacement to fill the vacuum, Pinkas said.

Syria’s transition following the fall of Bashar al-Assad is fraught with challenges. How will the new government navigate disinformation, a lack of public trust and the legacies of dictatorship?