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EU, Israel Resume Dialogue with Focus on Gaza's Future

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during the visit of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem February 16, 2025. JACK GUEZ/Pool via REUTERS/File
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during the visit of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem February 16, 2025. JACK GUEZ/Pool via REUTERS/File
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EU, Israel Resume Dialogue with Focus on Gaza's Future

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during the visit of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem February 16, 2025. JACK GUEZ/Pool via REUTERS/File
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during the visit of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem February 16, 2025. JACK GUEZ/Pool via REUTERS/File

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called for a constructive dialogue but braced for criticism from some European countries as he arrived for talks on Monday in Brussels.

The Israeli minister is meeting senior European officials, reviving a dialogue with the European Union as the bloc considers a role in the reconstruction of Gaza following last month's fragile ceasefire deal.

"I'm looking for a constructive dialogue, an open and honest one, and I believe that this is what it will be," Saar told reporters on arrival, Reuters reported.

"We know how to face criticism," he said, adding "it's okay as long as criticism is not connected to delegitimisation, demonisation, or double standards ... but we are ready to discuss everything with an open mind".

Saar will co-chair a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in the first such session since 2022. Talks are set to focus on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israeli-Palestinian relations and changing regional dynamics.

The Israeli foreign minister said that within the EU "there are very friendly countries, there are less friendly countries", but that Monday's meeting showed a willingness to renew normal relations.

The Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel's response, exposed sharp divisions within the EU. While all members condemned the Hamas attacks, some staunchly defended Israel's war in Gaza as others condemned Israel's military campaign and its toll on civilians.

COMPROMISE

In February 2024, the leaders of Spain and Ireland sent a letter to the European Commission asking for a review of whether Israel was complying with its human rights obligations under the 2000 EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides the basis for political and economic cooperation between the two sides.

But ahead of Monday's meeting, the bloc's 27 member countries negotiated a compromise position that praises areas of cooperation with Israel while also raising concerns.

At the meeting, the EU will emphasize both Europe's commitment to Israel's security and its view that "displaced Gazans should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza", according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

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World

Iran Seizes Ships in Strait of Hormuz after Trump Halts Attacks

FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS
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Iran Seizes Ships in Strait of Hormuz after Trump Halts Attacks

FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS

Iran seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, tightening its grip on the strategic waterway, after US President Donald Trump called off attacks indefinitely with no sign of peace talks restarting.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said the Revolutionary Guards had seized two vessels for maritime violations and escorted them to Iranian shores. It was the first time Iran has seized ships since the war began at the end of February.

The Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy also warned that any disruption to order and safety in the strait would be considered a "red line", Tasnim said.

Earlier, a British maritime security agency reported that three ships had come under fire.

Trump said in a statement on social media late on Tuesday that the US had agreed to a request by Pakistani mediators "to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal ... and discussions are concluded, one way or the other."

But even as he announced what appeared to be a unilateral ceasefire extension, Trump also said he would continue the US Navy's blockade of Iran's trade by sea. The US fired on and seized an Iranian cargo vessel on Saturday and boarded a huge Iranian oil tanker on Tuesday in the Indian Ocean.

Iran considers the US blockade an act of war and has said that as long as it continues it will not lift its closure of the strait, which has caused a global energy crisis.

In a show of defiance, Iran showcased some of its ballistic weapons at a parade in Tehran on Tuesday evening, with images showing a large banner in the background with a fist choking off the strait, the WANA news agency reported.

Captions read: "Indefinitely under Iran's Control" and "Trump could not do a damn thing", referring to the waterway.

PAKISTAN STILL WORKING TO FOSTER TALKS DESPITE 'SETBACK'

Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator, was still trying to bring the sides together for negotiations after both failed to show up for last-ditch talks on Tuesday before the two-week-old ceasefire had been due to expire.

A luxury hotel in Islamabad had been cleared out for the talks, but Iran never publicly accepted the invitation and the US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance never left Washington. The hotel was still shut on Wednesday but a wider security perimeter had been loosened.

"We were all prepared for the talks, the stage was set," a Pakistani official briefed on the preparations told Reuters. "If you ask me honestly, it was a setback we were not expecting, because the Iranians never refused, they were up to come and join, and they still are."

Another Pakistani source who was involved in the talks said Pakistan was still "working very hard to bridge that conflict, talk to each side with their sensitivities in mind".

"We will know later on when they can come. Things change so often it's hard to speak on what's to come," the source said.

There was no response early on Wednesday to Trump's ceasefire announcement from senior Iranian officials, although some initial reactions from Tehran suggested Trump's comments were being treated skeptically.

Tasnim said Iran had not asked for a ceasefire extension and repeated Tehran's threats to break the US blockade by force.

An adviser to Iran's lead negotiator, the speaker of parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said Trump's announcement might be a ploy.

Just hours before Trump called off attacks, he had repeated threats to resume them, saying his military was "raring to go".

World

Chief of Staff: Israel Ready ‘to Return Immediately and Forcefully’ to Fighting on All Fronts

Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir speaks during the funeral of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin who was killed during the six-week 2014 war in Gaza, in a military cemetery in Kfar Saba on November 11, 2025. (Photo by Abir SULTAN / POOL / AFP)
Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir speaks during the funeral of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin who was killed during the six-week 2014 war in Gaza, in a military cemetery in Kfar Saba on November 11, 2025. (Photo by Abir SULTAN / POOL / AFP)
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Chief of Staff: Israel Ready ‘to Return Immediately and Forcefully’ to Fighting on All Fronts

Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir speaks during the funeral of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin who was killed during the six-week 2014 war in Gaza, in a military cemetery in Kfar Saba on November 11, 2025. (Photo by Abir SULTAN / POOL / AFP)
Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir speaks during the funeral of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin who was killed during the six-week 2014 war in Gaza, in a military cemetery in Kfar Saba on November 11, 2025. (Photo by Abir SULTAN / POOL / AFP)

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Wednesday that the military remained on high alert and was ready to return to fighting on all fronts, amid the fragile truces in Iran and Lebanon.

“Since the inferno of October 7, we have been working to reestablish our military strength through continuous fighting,” Zamir said while addressing soldiers honored at an Independence Day ceremony at the President’s Residence.

The Times of Israel quoted Zamir as saying that in Gaza, the Israeli military “prevailed in the fight against Hamas.”

“At this very moment, we are conducting intense fighting in Lebanon to strengthen the defense of the northern communities,” he stated.

“So too in the fighting against Iran in Rising Lion and Roaring Lion,” he said, referring to the June 2025 war with Iran and the latest 40-day conflict with Iran.

The Israeli military is on high alert and “prepared to return immediately and forcefully to combat in all sectors,” Zamir added.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Lebanon to work with Israel to disarm the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah ahead of negotiations in Washington on Thursday.

The meeting follows a similar gathering last week in Washington, and is the first time in decades the two countries are speaking directly.

World

NATO ‘Will Always Defend’ Türkiye, Says Rutte

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (R) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) shaking hands during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 21 April 2026. (EPA/Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (R) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) shaking hands during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 21 April 2026. (EPA/Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout)
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NATO ‘Will Always Defend’ Türkiye, Says Rutte

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (R) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) shaking hands during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 21 April 2026. (EPA/Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (R) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) shaking hands during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 21 April 2026. (EPA/Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout)

NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Wednesday the alliance would do "what's necessary to defend" its members including Türkiye after intercepting four missiles fired from Iran and head into Turkish air space over the past weeks.

A member of the US-led defense alliance, Türkiye, which borders Iran, has been largely spared the sort of retaliation from Tehran suffered by countries in the Middle East before the ceasefire.

NATO forces had shot down ballistic missiles fired from Iran for four times, prompting the alliance to deploy a new Patriot missile battery at Incirlik air base in southern Türkiye.

"Iran is spreading terror and chaos, and you feel this prominently here in Türkiye," Rutte told journalists on a visit to Türkiye’s largest defense electronics company Aselsan.

"In recent weeks, NATO has successfully intercepted ballistic missiles heading to Türkiye from Iran on four separate occasions," he said.

"NATO is prepared for such threats and will always do what is necessary to defend Türkiye and all others. And we cannot do it alone," he added.

Rutte's visit comes ahead of a July summit by NATO leaders to be held in Ankara.

Praising the progress made by Türkiye in the defense field, Rutte said: "We can learn a lot from what Türkiye is doing here".

"This is needed because we live in a more dangerous world... and that means we need strong defenses to protect our security".

Rutte said: "Türkiye has gone through a defense industrial revolution. I could really say it's a revolution in recent years."

The NATO chief is due to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.