United News of Bangladesh

Two decades after being detained by U.S. forces in Iraq for fighting alongside al-Qaida, Ahmad al-Sharaa is poised to make history as the first Syrian president to visit Washington since the country’s independence in 1946. Following his forces’ ouster of Bashar Assad last December, al-Sharaa has sought to rebrand himself and Syria, rebuilding ties with nations that once isolated Damascus. His meeting Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to formalize Syria’s entry into the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group and push for a full repeal of remaining sanctions, including the Caesar Act. Trump has praised al-Sharaa’s leadership, saying he deserves “a fighting shot.” The U.N. Security Council and the U.S. Treasury recently lifted sanctions against him and Syria’s interior minister. However, some Republicans in Congress want to attach conditions to a broader repeal, citing sectarian violence and minority rights concerns. Human rights and religious groups have urged Washington to ensure protection for Alawite and Druze minorities, calling for a humanitarian corridor from Israel’s Golan Heights into southern Syria. Despite concerns, supporters argue the Caesar Act now hinders Syria’s reconstruction and foreign investment. Advocates like Mouaz Moustafa say the law is “a sledgehammer instead of a scalpel,” warning it punishes civilians more than officials. Al-Sharaa is also expected to sign an agreement bringing Syria into closer coordination with U.S. forces against IS militants. U.S. officials say the move marks a “milestone” in regional security cooperation, even as remnants of the extremist group continue to stage attacks across Syria and Iraq. Al-Sharaa’s journey—from insurgent commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani to Washington guest—underscores one of the most surprising political transformations in the modern Middle East.

Hamas said Sunday it would hand over the body of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, killed during the 2014 Gaza war and held in the enclave for 11 years — the only remains kept in Gaza before the current conflict. The move marks a major development in the U.S.-brokered truce and could bring closure to Goldin’s family, who have long campaigned for his return. Hamas claimed it discovered the body in a tunnel in Rafah on Saturday. Goldin was killed on Aug. 1, 2014, just two hours after a ceasefire began. Israeli media reported that Hamas had delayed the release in hopes of negotiating safe passage for over 100 militants trapped in Rafah, though Israeli officials dismissed any “deal within a deal.” Goldin is one of five Israeli hostages’ bodies still held in Gaza. Under the truce, Hamas is expected to return all remains of hostages, while Israel has released the bodies of Palestinians in exchange — 15 for each Israeli hostage. President Isaac Herzog confirmed Israel expected Goldin’s body to be returned later Sunday. The announcement came as he attended the funeral of another soldier, Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, whose remains were released last week. Since the ceasefire began last month, militants have returned 23 Israeli bodies, while Gaza’s Nasser Hospital says it has received the remains of 300 Palestinians, with 89 identified. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 69,000 Palestinians have since been killed. Goldin’s death was confirmed by the Israeli military in 2014 based on evidence from the tunnel where his body was taken.

Health officials in Gaza said Saturday that more than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, as both sides continued exchanging bodies under a shaky ceasefire agreement. The increase in casualties comes as additional bodies are recovered from the rubble across Gaza and previously unidentified victims are confirmed. The latest handover saw Israel return 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza, a day after militants gave back the remains of an Israeli hostage. The exchange of remains forms part of the first phase of the truce, which began on Oct. 10, and aims to de-escalate the conflict that erupted after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which maintains detailed records widely regarded as credible, said that 284 more names have recently been verified, pushing the total to 69,169. Officials said 241 people have been killed since the truce began, while hundreds remain missing. Israel confirmed that the body returned Friday was that of Lior Rudaeff, an Israeli hostage who died during the initial Hamas assault. For each Israeli hostage’s remains, Israel has been releasing 15 Palestinians’ bodies. So far, militants have returned 23 Israeli remains, while Israel has handed over 300 Palestinians’ bodies, of which 89 have been identified. Meanwhile, violence flared in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers, journalists, and medics during the olive harvest. At least 11 people were injured in one assault in Beita, witnesses said, describing settlers armed with clubs and rocks. Rights groups say prosecutions for settler violence are extremely rare, reinforcing fears of growing lawlessness across the West Bank even as Gaza mourns its mounting losses.

Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza began on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have returned the remains of 23 hostages held over the past two years. However, the process of recovering the remains of the five remaining hostages has been slow, officials said Friday. Hamas says some bodies remain under rubble left by Israel’s two-year offensive, while Israel accuses the group of delaying the process and has threatened to resume military operations or withhold aid if all remains are not returned. In the latest exchange, Hamas returned the remains of Lior Rudaeff, 61, who died fighting Hamas during the militants’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. In return, Israel has sent 285 Palestinian remains to Gaza, though it has not disclosed their identities. Gaza health officials have identified 84 of the returned bodies despite limited access to DNA kits. The five hostages whose remains are still in Gaza include: ·         Meny Godard, 73 – A former professional soccer player and Israeli soldier, killed along with his wife Ayelet on Oct. 7, 2023. They are survived by four children and six grandchildren. ·         Hadar Goldin, 23 – An Israeli soldier killed on Aug. 1, 2014, shortly after a ceasefire ended that year’s war. He is survived by his parents, three siblings, and fiancée. ·         Ran Gvili, 24 – Served in an elite police unit; killed on Oct. 7, 2023, while assisting civilians. Survived by his parents and sister. ·         Dror Or, 52 – A dairy farm manager and cheesemaker at Kibbutz Be’eri, killed along with his wife. Two children were abducted but later released in November 2023. ·         Sudthisak Rinthalak – A Thai agricultural worker employed at Kibbutz Be’eri, abducted on Oct. 7, 2023. He was among the 31 Thai hostages, most of whom were later released. The ongoing delays in returning the remaining remains underscore the fragility of the ceasefire and the human toll of the conflict, which has left thousands dead and disrupted life across Gaza.    

Israel has celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages held in Gaza under the first phase of the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, officials said Friday. Under the current truce, militants have released the remains of 23 hostages, leaving five bodies still in Gaza. Hamas says some remains are buried under rubble from Israel’s two-year offensive, while Israel accuses the group of delaying the return and has threatened to resume military action or withhold aid if all remains are not handed over. As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel has returned the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage. So far, 300 Palestinian remains have been sent back to Gaza. Gaza health authorities have identified 89 of the bodies, despite limited access to DNA kits. The hostage crisis dates back to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. The conflict that followed has claimed more than 68,800 Palestinian lives, roughly half of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, whose casualty records are considered generally reliable by the United Nations and independent experts. Hostage details: ·         Total hostages taken during Oct. 7 attack: 251 ·         Hostages taken before Oct. 7: 4 (including two killed soldiers from 2014) ·         Living hostages released: 160 ·         Hostages rescued alive: 8 ·         Bodies of hostages released in deals: 30 ·         Bodies retrieved by Israeli forces: 51 ·         Bodies still in captivity: 5 (including one Thai national)    

Hospital officials in Gaza said on Saturday they have received the bodies of 15 Palestinians returned from Israel under the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement. The bodies arrived at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the officials said, a day after Palestinian militants returned the body of an Israeli hostage. Under the terms of the deal, Israel is to return the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage handed over. Israel confirmed on Saturday that the remains returned the previous night were those of Lior Rudaeff, an Israeli man who died fighting Hamas during the militants’ October 7, 2023 assault that ignited the war. According to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the identification marked another step in the fragile truce. Rudaeff, born in Argentina, moved to Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in southern Israel as a child. He served as an ambulance driver for more than four decades and was a member of his community’s emergency response team. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said he was killed in the Hamas-led attack and his body was taken to Gaza. Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 23 hostages, including Rudaeff’s body, with five still held in Gaza. In exchange, Israel has so far returned the bodies of 285 Palestinians, according to the Red Cross and Gaza’s Health Ministry. Health officials in Gaza, lacking DNA testing kits, have identified 84 of the bodies. The ceasefire deal also requires Israel to allow significantly more humanitarian aid into Gaza. But the United Nations says current relief efforts remain far below the population’s needs. UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haqq said more than 200,000 metric tons of aid are ready for delivery to Gaza, but only 37,000 tons—mostly food—have entered so far. The Hamas-led assault on southern Israel in October 2023 killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s ongoing military offensive has since killed more than 68,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas but staffed by medical professionals whose figures are widely considered credible by independent experts. Source: AP

Hundreds gathered in Jerusalem for the military funeral of Capt. Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American soldier whose body was recently returned from Gaza under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Neutra, 21, was killed and abducted by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the ongoing war. His remains arrived in Israel on Sunday, alongside those of two other soldiers. Speaking at the ceremony, Neutra’s father, Ronen, remembered his son’s smile and voice, expressing relief at finally having a place to mourn him. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog also eulogized Neutra, calling him “a hero of two nations.” His mother, Orna Neutra, addressed the coffin, emphasizing the gap left by her son and the mission to honor his memory through light and goodness. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Neutra moved to Israel to serve in the military as a volunteer. Following his abduction, his parents traveled repeatedly to Washington, protested in both countries, and spoke at the U.S. Republican National Convention. For over a year, they held hope he was alive before being informed by military intelligence of his death. As part of the ceasefire, six hostages’ bodies remain in Gaza, while 22 bodies have been returned since last month, and 20 living hostages were released on Oct. 13. Israel has transferred 285 Palestinian bodies to Gaza under the agreement, which prioritizes the return of all hostages’ remains. Meanwhile, violence continues in the West Bank. Israeli troops have shot and killed three Palestinian teenagers, ages 15 and 16, and withheld their bodies. Palestinian authorities and human rights groups report that at least 54 Palestinian children’s bodies have been held by Israeli forces since June 2016. The killings reflect a broader escalation of military operations and settler violence in the West Bank following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. The U.N. reports 42 Palestinian children under 18 killed by Israeli forces this year, with October marking the highest monthly number of settler attacks on Palestinians and their property since 2006. Palestinians continue to seek the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and Gaza as part of a future independent state.

Gaza hospital officials said Wednesday they have received the bodies of 15 Palestinians returned by Israel, raising the total number of Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire to 285. The handover comes a day after Palestinian militants in Gaza returned the body of an Israeli soldier captured during the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Under the ceasefire that began on October 10, Hamas has returned the remains of 21 Israeli hostages, with all living hostages now released. Gaza militants have been handing over one to three bodies every few days, with Israel urging faster returns. Each Israeli hostage returned has prompted Israel to release the remains of 15 Palestinians, though fewer than half have been identified. Forensic identification in Gaza is challenging due to a shortage of DNA testing kits, and the Health Ministry posts photos online to help families recognize their loved ones. The war began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and left 251 taken hostage. Israel responded with a large-scale military offensive that, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, has killed over 68,800 Palestinians, including civilians and combatants. Israel disputes these figures and has denied accusations of committing genocide in Gaza.  

The United States has circulated a draft U.N. Security Council resolution proposing the establishment of an international stabilization force in Gaza for at least two years, as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to end two years of war between Israel and Hamas. Two U.S. officials confirmed to The Associated Press that the draft, shared Tuesday afternoon, serves as an initial framework for negotiations among the 15 Security Council members and other partners. They said discussions are ongoing and the text is being revised based on feedback. Arab and other nations considering participation have reportedly insisted that the mission must have U.N. authorization before they commit troops. “Whatever entity is created in Gaza should have the legitimacy of a mandate from the Security Council,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Doha. The proposed resolution calls for the stabilization force to help “demilitarize the Gaza Strip” and oversee “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.” The force would operate until the end of 2027 and work alongside a proposed “Board of Peace,” which would temporarily govern the territory. It also envisions cooperation with Egypt and Israel, and coordination with a trained Palestinian police force to secure border areas and aid delivery routes. The draft stresses the need for the “full resumption” of humanitarian assistance by the United Nations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, while ensuring supplies are not diverted. Displaced Palestinians find shelter among graves in Gaza cemeteries China and Russia, both permanent council members, are expected to be the main obstacles as the U.S. seeks to pass the resolution without a veto. U.K. Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer told the AP that London’s priority is to maintain the fragile ceasefire and expand humanitarian access, adding that any Gaza stabilization force should be “underpinned by a Security Council mandate.” Axios first reported on the draft proposal.

Israel handed over the bodies of 45 Palestinians on Monday, the Red Cross said, a day after militants returned the remains of three hostages. Israeli officials identified the three as soldiers who were killed in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered the war in Gaza. The exchange marked another step forward for the tenuous, U.S.-brokered ceasefire intended to end the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas. Since the truce took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 20 hostages, with eight now remaining in Gaza. For each hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. With Monday's return, the bodies of 270 Palestinians have been handed back since the start of the ceasefire. Slow identification process in Gaza The Red Cross said it had facilitated the transfer of 45 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Monday morning. Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson at the Gaza Health Ministry, told The Associated Press that Nasser Hospital received the bodies around noon. Only 78 of the bodies returned so far have been identified, the ministry said. Forensic work is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza, it added. The ministry posts photos of the remains online, in the hope that families will recognize them. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office identified the three hostages, whose bodies were returned to Israel on Sunday night, as Capt. Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli, Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel and Col. Assaf Hamami. A Hamas statement earlier said their remains were found on Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza. Neutra was 21 when Hamas militants abducted his tank crew during the 2023 attack. In December 2024, the military announced Neutra had been killed in the attack. Daniel, 19, was part of the tank crew and was taken into Gaza. Nimrod Cohen, who was also in the tank, was released alive earlier, as was the body of one of the other crew members. U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he had spoken with Neutra's family. “They were thrilled, in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, it’s not too great,” Trump said. Hamami, commander of Israel’s southern brigade in the Gaza division, was killed during the 2023 attack while fighting to defend Kibbutz Nirim and his body was taken into the Palestinian territory. Militants have released one to three bodies every few days. Israel has pushed to speed up the returns and in certain cases has said the remains were not those of hostages. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation. Arrests of 2 ex-military figures rock Israel A political scandal continued to rock Israel involving the military's former legal chief, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who admitted to leaking a video of Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee and resigned from office. Far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, said Tomer-Yerushalmi was arrested Sunday night. At a court hearing Monday, the judge extended her detention by 48 hours until Wednesday, according to a copy of the decision. It said she is being held on suspicion of offenses including fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice. The investigation continues while she is held in a women’s prison in central Israel. Police conducted a frantic search for Tomer-Yerushalmi on Sunday after her family raised concerns about her safety and police found her abandoned car near the beach in Tel Aviv, Israel’s Channel 12 reported. Police said she was found soon after the search began. Israeli media reported that former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomesh was also arrested overnight and his detention was also extended. The Palestinian detainee who was the subject of sexual abuse in the video leaked by Tomer-Yerushalmi last year was released and returned to Gaza on Oct. 13, according to documentation from the military prosecutor's office obtained by the AP. 2 Palestinians killed in the West Bank Two Palestinians, one of them a teenager, were killed by Israeli gunfire Sunday night in separate incidents in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah. Jamil Hanani, 17, was killed in the town of Beit Furik, the ministry said Monday. Israel’s military said soldiers opened fire at Palestinians hurling rocks, hitting one person. Hanani’s death extends a surge in military killings of Palestinian youth in the West Bank during an upswing in violence since the start of the war. Also Sunday, Ahmed Al-Atrash, 32, was fatally shot by an Israeli settler at an entrance to the city of Hebron, the ministry said. Israel’s military referred the AP to the police, who did not immediately comment. Hundreds of hard-line settlers live in fortified enclaves under military protection in the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians. Efforts to ramp up Gaza aid and a vaccination campaign U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will be in Jordan on Monday, with plans to visit a warehouse where British aid remains stuck waiting to enter Gaza. Ahead of the visit, Cooper said that “humanitarian support is desperately needed and the people of Gaza cannot afford to wait.” “Following the U.S.-led peace process and the plans for a substantial increase in aid for Gaza, we need an increase in crossings, an acceleration in lifting of restrictions and more agencies able to go in with aid,” Cooper said. Cooper also announced that Britain will provide an extra 6 million pounds ($7.9 million) of humanitarian support for Gaza, provided by the U.N. Population Fund. Also Monday, Gaza’s Health Ministry announced that a campaign to vaccinate some 40,000 Palestinian children under 3 years old against preventable diseases like measles, polio and meningitis will kick off next week. It will focus on children who missed routine vaccinations or received only partial doses due to the war, Dr. Nedal Ghoneim, the Health Ministry’s public health manager, told the AP. The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel two years ago killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts. Israel, which has denied accusations by a U.N. commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll.