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Arab, Western Countries Hail Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza 

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) after they spoke at a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 29 September 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) after they spoke at a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 29 September 2025. (EPA)
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Arab, Western Countries Hail Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza 

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) after they spoke at a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 29 September 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) after they spoke at a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 29 September 2025. (EPA)

Arab and western countries praised on Monday US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war on Gaza.

Trump said after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House that the Israeli leader had agreed to the plan. Hamas has yet to make its position clear on it.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad group chief Ziad al-Nakhala said on Monday that he considered the plan a "recipe to blow up the region". The group, which also has taken hostages, is an Iran-backed ally of Hamas.

Elsewhere, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt welcomed the plan, praising "Trump’s leadership and his sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza."

In a statement, they underlined the "importance of the partnership with the United States in securing peace in the region."

The ministers stressed "their readiness to engage positively and constructively with the US and the parties toward finalizing the agreement and ensuring its implementation, in a way that ensures peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region."

They reiterated their joint commitment to work with the US to end the war in Gaza "through a comprehensive deal that ensures unrestricted delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to the enclave, no displacement of the Palestinians, the release of hostages, a security mechanism that guarantees the security of all sides and a full Israeli withdrawal."

They hoped the plan would lead to "just peace based on the two-state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state in line with international law." Such a solution is "key to achieving regional stability and security."

Speaking at a joint White House press conference following a meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said they were "beyond very close" to an elusive peace deal for the Palestinian enclave. But he warned Hamas that Israel would have full US support to take whatever action it deemed necessary if it rejects what he has offered.

The White House released a 20-point document that called for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.

Other reactions

The Palestinian Authority welcomed Trump's efforts to end the war, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The Palestinian Authority reiterated its commitment to work with the US and partners to reach a comprehensive deal that includes "paving way for just peace on the basis of two-state solution," WAFA reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday praised Trump's "efforts and leadership" to end the war.

"I commend US President Donald Trump's efforts and leadership aimed at halting the bloodshed in Gaza and achieving a ceasefire," said Erdogan, who met Trump at the White House for the first time in six years last week.

Türkiye would continue to contribute to the process "with a view to establishing a just and lasting peace acceptable to all parties," he added on X.

Türkiye has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel's two-year assault on Gaza, which it calls a "genocide". It has halted all trade with Israel, urged international action against Netanyahu and his government, and repeatedly called for a two-state solution.

France's President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Trump's commitment to ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages.

"I expect Israel to engage resolutely on this basis. Hamas has no choice but to immediately release all hostages and follow this plan," Macron said in a statement on X.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Trump's efforts to end the war.

"We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalize this agreement and bring it into reality. Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages." Starmer said.

Italy also welcomed the plan and said it was ready to play its part in close coordination with the US, European partners, and regional actors, the prime minister's office said on Monday.

"The proposal presented today by US President Donald Trump could mark a turning point, enabling a permanent cessation of hostilities, the immediate release of all hostages, and full and secure humanitarian access for the civilian population," it said in a statement.

"Hamas, in particular - having initiated this war with the barbaric terrorist attack of October 7, 2023 - now has the opportunity to end it by releasing the hostages, agreeing to have no role in Gaza's future, and fully disarming," the statement added.

China said Tuesday that it "supports all efforts" for a de-escalation in Gaza.

"China welcomes and supports all efforts conducive to easing tensions between Palestine and Israel," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that she welcomed Trump's peace proposal.

"Welcome President @realDonaldTrump's commitment to end the war in Gaza. Encourage all parties to now seize this opportunity. The EU stands ready to contribute," she wrote on X.

"Hostilities should end with provision of immediate humanitarian relief to the population in Gaza and with all hostages released immediately," she added. 

Israeli opposition lawmaker Benny Gantz on Monday said in a post on X that Trump's proposal was an opportunity to free the hostages held there and safeguard Israel's security.

Gantz, who joined Netanyahu's government after the Hamas attack in October 2023 but later left, leads the Blue and White Party, which holds eight of the 120 seats in the Knesset.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid party has 24 seats, also wrote on X backing the Trump proposal.

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Arab World

Lebanon PM Pledges Reconstruction on Visit to Ruined Border Towns

This handout picture released by the Lebanese Government Press Office shows Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam being showered with confetti as he is received by locals during a tour in the heavily-damaged southern village of Dhayra near the border with Israel on February 7, 2026. (Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Lebanese Government Press Office shows Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam being showered with confetti as he is received by locals during a tour in the heavily-damaged southern village of Dhayra near the border with Israel on February 7, 2026. (Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)
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Lebanon PM Pledges Reconstruction on Visit to Ruined Border Towns

This handout picture released by the Lebanese Government Press Office shows Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam being showered with confetti as he is received by locals during a tour in the heavily-damaged southern village of Dhayra near the border with Israel on February 7, 2026. (Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Lebanese Government Press Office shows Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam being showered with confetti as he is received by locals during a tour in the heavily-damaged southern village of Dhayra near the border with Israel on February 7, 2026. (Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited heavily damaged towns near the Israeli border on Saturday, pledging reconstruction.

It was his first trip to the southern border area since the army said it finished disarming Hezbollah there, in January.

Swathes of south Lebanon's border areas remain in ruins and largely deserted more than a year after a US-brokered November 2024 ceasefire sought to end hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed group.

Lebanon's government has committed to disarming Hezbollah, and the army last month said it had completed the first phase of its plan to do so, covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border about 30 kilometers (20 miles) further south.

Visiting Tayr Harfa, around three kilometers from the border, and nearby Yarine, Salam said frontier towns and villages had suffered "a true catastrophe".

He vowed authorities would begin key projects including restoring roads, communications networks and water in the two towns.

Locals gathered on the rubble of buildings to greet Salam and the delegation of accompanying officials in nearby Dhayra, some waving Lebanese flags.

In a meeting in Bint Jbeil, further east, with officials including lawmakers from Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement, Salam said authorities would "rehabilitate 32 kilometers of roads, reconnect the severed communications network, repair water infrastructure" and power lines in the district.

Last year, the World Bank announced it had approved $250 million to support Lebanon's post-war reconstruction, after estimating that it would cost around $11 billion in total.

Salam said funds including from the World Bank would be used for the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.

The second phase of the government's disarmament plan for Hezbollah concerns the area between the Litani and the Awali rivers, around 40 kilometers south of Beirut.

Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming, has criticized the army's progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.

Despite the truce, Israel has kept up regular strikes on what it usually says are Hezbollah targets and maintains troops in five south Lebanon areas.

Lebanese officials have accused Israel of seeking to prevent reconstruction in the heavily damaged south with repeated strikes on bulldozers, excavators and prefabricated houses.

Visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday said the reform of Lebanon's banking system needed to precede international funding for reconstruction efforts.

The French diplomat met Lebanon's army chief Rodolphe Haykal on Saturday, the military said.

Arab World

Over 2,200 ISIS Detainees Transferred to Iraq from Syria, Says Iraqi Official

One of the American buses transporting ISIS fighters, according to a security source from the Syrian Democratic Forces, heads from Syria towards Iraq, in Qamishli, Syria, February 7, 2026. (Reuters)
One of the American buses transporting ISIS fighters, according to a security source from the Syrian Democratic Forces, heads from Syria towards Iraq, in Qamishli, Syria, February 7, 2026. (Reuters)
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Over 2,200 ISIS Detainees Transferred to Iraq from Syria, Says Iraqi Official

One of the American buses transporting ISIS fighters, according to a security source from the Syrian Democratic Forces, heads from Syria towards Iraq, in Qamishli, Syria, February 7, 2026. (Reuters)
One of the American buses transporting ISIS fighters, according to a security source from the Syrian Democratic Forces, heads from Syria towards Iraq, in Qamishli, Syria, February 7, 2026. (Reuters)

Iraq has so far received 2,225 ISIS group detainees, whom the US military began transferring from Syria last month, an Iraqi official told AFP on Saturday.

They are among up to 7,000 ISIS detainees whose transfer from Syria to Iraq the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced last month, in a move it said was aimed at "ensuring that the terrorists remain in secure detention facilities".

Previously, they had been held in prisons and camps administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria.

The announcement of the transfer plan last month came after US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack declared that the SDF's role in confronting ISIS had come to an end.

Saad Maan, head of the security information cell attached to the Iraqi prime minister's office, told AFP on Saturday that "Iraq has received 2,225 terrorists from the Syrian side by land and air, in coordination with the international coalition", which Washington has led since 2014 to fight IS.

He said they are being held in "strict, regular detention centers".

A Kurdish military source confirmed to AFP the "continued transfer of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq under the protection of the international coalition".

On Saturday, an AFP photographer near the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria saw a US military convoy and 11 buses with tinted windows.

- Iraq calls for repatriation -

ISIS seized swathes of northern and western Iraq starting in 2014, until Iraqi forces, backed by the international coalition, managed to defeat it in 2017.

Iraq is still recovering from the severe abuses committed by the extremists.

In recent years, Iraqi courts have issued death and life sentences against those convicted of terrorism offences.

Thousands of Iraqis and foreign nationals convicted of membership in the group are incarcerated in Iraqi prisons.

On Monday, the Iraqi judiciary announced it had begun investigative procedures involving 1,387 detainees it received as part of the US military's operation.

In a statement to the Iraqi News Agency on Saturday, Maan said "the established principle is to try all those involved in crimes against Iraqis and those belonging to the terrorist ISIS organization before the competent Iraqi courts".

Among the detainees being transferred to Iraq are Syrians, Iraqis, Europeans and holders of other nationalities, according to Iraqi security sources.

Iraq is calling on the concerned countries to repatriate their citizens and ensure their prosecution.

Maan noted that "the process of handing over the terrorists to their countries will begin once the legal requirements are completed".

Arab World

Drone Attack by RSF in Sudan Kills 24, Including 8 Children, Doctors’ Group Says

Displaced Sudanese wait to receive humanitarian aid at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese wait to receive humanitarian aid at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
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Drone Attack by RSF in Sudan Kills 24, Including 8 Children, Doctors’ Group Says

Displaced Sudanese wait to receive humanitarian aid at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese wait to receive humanitarian aid at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)

A drone attack by a notorious paramilitary group hit a vehicle carrying displaced families in central Sudan Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including eight children, a doctors’ group said.

The attack by the Rapid Support Forces occurred close to the city of Rahad in North Kordofan province, said the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country’s ongoing war.

The vehicle transported displaced people who fled fighting in the Dubeiker area of North Kordofan, the doctors’ group said in a statement. Among the dead children were two infants, the group said.

The doctors’ group urged the international community and rights organizations to “take immediate action to protect civilians and hold the RSF leadership directly accountable for these violations.”

There was no immediate comment from the RSF, which has been at war against the Sudanese military for control of the country for about three years.

Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.

The devastating war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to UN figures, but aid groups say that is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher.

It created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with over 14 million people forced to flee their homes. It fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of the country into famine.