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Indirect Gaza talks begin between Hamas, Israel in Egypt

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A mural depicting some of the world leaders who attended the 1996 peace conference is seen on the main road in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahmed Hassan)

Indirect Gaza talks begin between Hamas, Israel in Egypt

CAIRO: Delegations from Hamas and Israel on Monday began indirect talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza, Egyptian state-linked media reported.

Al-Qahera News, which is linked to state intelligence, said the delegations “are discussing preparing ground conditions for the release of detainees and prisoners,” in line with a proposal from US President Donald Trump to halt hostilities.

“Egyptian and Qatari mediators are working with both sides to establish a mechanism” for the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, they added.

Behind closed doors and under tight security, negotiators will speak through mediators shuttling back and forth, only weeks after Israel tried to kill Hamas’s lead negotiators in a strike on Qatar.

The Hamas delegation, led by top negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya who survived the attack in Doha, held a meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials ahead of the talks, according to an Egyptian security source.

This round of negotiations, launched on the eve of the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, “may last for several days,” said a Palestinian source close to Hamas’s leadership.

“We expect the negotiations to be difficult and complex, given the occupation’s intentions to continue its war of extermination,” he told AFP.

Trump, whose envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected in Egypt, has urged negotiators to “move fast” to end the war in Gaza, where Israeli strikes continued on Monday.

At least seven Palestinians were killed in the latest Israeli air strikes, according to Mahmud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense agency.

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AFP footage showed explosions in the Gaza Strip, with plumes of smoke rising over the skyline, even after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel must stop bombing the territory.

‘Require several days’

Both Hamas and Israel have responded positively to Trump’s proposal, but reaching an agreement on the details is set to be a herculean task.

The plan envisages the disarmament of Hamas, which the militant group is unlikely to accept.

It also provides for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, but Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to redeploy troops “deep inside” the territory while securing the release of hostages.

According to the Palestinian source, the initial hostage-prisoner exchange will “require several days, depending on field conditions related to Israeli withdrawals, the cessation of bombardment and the suspension of all types of air operations.”

Previous rounds of negotiations have also stalled over the names of Palestinian prisoners the Islamist group proposed for release.

Negotiations will look to “determine the date of a temporary truce,” a Hamas official said, as well as create conditions for a first phase of the plan, in which 47 hostages held in Gaza are to be released in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

Mirjana Spoljaric, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has coordinated previous exchanges, said its teams were standing at the ready “to help bring hostages and detainees back to their families.”

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The ICRC said it was ready to facilitate aid access, which must resume “at full capacity” and be distributed safely across the territory, where the UN has declared a famine.

‘MOVE FAST’

Posting on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump praised “positive discussions with Hamas” and allies around the world including Arab and Muslim nations.

“I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” he wrote.

On Monday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi praised Trump’s plan saying it offered “the right path to lasting peace and stability.”

A Palestinian source close to Hamas said it would halt its military operations in parallel with Israel stopping its bombardment and withdrawing its troops from Gaza City.

Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned if the negotiations failed, then the military would “return to fighting” in Gaza.

Militants seized 251 hostages during their October 7, 2023 attack, 47 of whom are still in Gaza. Of those, the Israeli military says 25 are dead.

According to Trump’s plan, in return for the hostages, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from Gaza taken during the war.

Hamas has insisted it should have a say in the territory’s future, though Trump’s roadmap stipulates that it and other factions “not have any role in the governance of Gaza.”

Under the proposal, administration of the territory would be taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

“We hope Trump will pressure Netanyahu and force him to stop the war,” said Ahmad Barbakh, from the Al-Mawasi area.

“We want the prisoner exchange deal to be completed quickly so that Israel has no excuse to continue the war.”

Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,160 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Indirect Gaza talks begin between Hamas, Israel in Egypt

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Canada Mass Shooting: Nine Dead in School, Residence Attack

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Canada Mass Shooting Nine Dead in School

Canada Mass Shooting: Nine Dead in School, Residence Attack

A mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada has left nine people dead and dozens injured after an attacker opened fire at a secondary school and a nearby residence on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), seven victims were killed at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, while two others died at a residence connected to the incident. At least 27 people were wounded, including two in critical condition, while the rest sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect was found deceased at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted injury. Authorities have not yet released the identity or motive behind the attack, which has shaken the small community of roughly 2,400 residents.

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Police responded rapidly, issuing an active shooter alert, placing schools on lockdown, and evacuating students safely. The RCMP and local officials continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack and the suspect’s background.

Local leaders described the event as a devastating tragedy, expressing solidarity with victims’ families. The shooting has prompted national attention in Canada and renewed calls for enhanced school security and measures to prevent mass shootings.

Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity, emphasizing the importance of community cooperation in maintaining safety and preventing similar tragedies.

The attack is considered one of the deadliest school-related shootings in Canada in recent years, drawing widespread condemnation and grief across the country.

Canada Mass Shooting: Nine Dead in School, Residence Attack

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Iran Warns U.S. Against Israeli Pressure as Nuclear Talks Resume

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and US President Donald Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and US President Donald Trump

Iran Warns U.S. Against Israeli Pressure as Nuclear Talks Resume

Iran has warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States is a calculated move to undermine the newly resumed nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S., urging Washington to resist external pressure that could derail diplomacy.

Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Tuesday for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, as he seeks to push for a tougher American position on Iran, particularly on its ballistic missile programme, ahead of the next phase of negotiations.

The trip marks Netanyahu’s seventh meeting with Trump since the U.S. president returned to office. Their last meeting took place in Jerusalem in October 2025, shortly after Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza.

Speaking before his departure, Netanyahu said discussions would focus on Gaza, regional developments and Iran’s nuclear file.

“On this trip, we will discuss a range of issues: Gaza, the region, but of course first and foremost the negotiations with Iran,” he said.

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Netanyahu added that he would present Israel’s position on what he described as “the principles of the negotiations,” arguing that these principles were crucial not only for Israel but for peace and security in the Middle East.

His office has repeatedly insisted that any agreement with Iran must extend beyond nuclear matters to include ballistic missile development and Iran’s regional activities.

Reacting to the visit, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused Israel of being the primary source of instability in the region and of working against diplomatic efforts.

Baghaei said Israel had turned Iran’s “peaceful nuclear programme” into what he described as a “fabricated crisis”, adding that Israel opposes any diplomatic process capable of restoring peace and calm in the Middle East.

He cautioned U.S. officials against allowing foreign actors to shape American foreign policy, urging Washington to act independently of what he called “destructive pressures and lobbies.”

Baghaei said Iran had demonstrated seriousness and goodwill in the talks and was eager to secure the lifting of “illegal sanctions” imposed on the country.

Referring to a brief encounter between Iranian and U.S. delegations last Friday, he said there was an understanding to continue the diplomatic process, describing it as an important step forward.

Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, arrived in Oman on Tuesday, according to local media, as diplomatic engagements around the talks intensify.

Iran Warns U.S. Against Israeli Pressure as Nuclear Talks Resume

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US to Deport 18 More Nigerians on ‘Worst-of-the-Worst’ Criminal List (Full Names)

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Mass deportation

US to Deport 18 More Nigerians on ‘Worst-of-the-Worst’ Criminal List (Full Names)

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced plans to deport an additional 18 Nigerians from its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register, bringing the total number of Nigerians slated for removal to 97. The latest names were added to DHS records on Monday, reflecting an expansion of the ongoing enforcement exercise targeting serious criminal immigrants.

According to DHS, the newly listed Nigerians were convicted of offences such as wire fraud, mail fraud, and identity theft, among other crimes. The department emphasized that the arrests are part of a nationwide crackdown coordinated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the leadership of Under Secretary Noem, fulfilling President Trump’s promise to prioritize the deportation of the most dangerous criminal aliens.

In a statement, DHS said:
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of the worst criminal aliens arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, the men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations, starting with the worst of the worst.”

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The 18 Nigerians recently added to the list include: Oluwaseyanu Akinola Afolabi, Olugbeminiyi Aderibigbe, Benjamin Ifebajo, Obinwanne Okeke, Kolawole Aminu, Oluwadamilola Olufunsho Ojo, Franklin Ibeabuchi, Alex Afolabi Ogunshakin, Joshua Ineh, Stephen Oseghale, Eghosa Obaretin, Adesina Surajudeen Lasisi, Ibrahim Ijaoba, Azeez Yinusa, Charles Akabuogu, Kelechi Umeh, Lotenna Chisom Umeadi, Donald Ehie, and Chukwudi Kingsley Kalu.

This development underscores the U.S. administration’s tough stance on illegal and criminal immigrants, with foreign nationals, including Nigerians, continuing to be significantly affected by enforcement drives. Analysts say the DHS crackdown signals the federal government’s commitment to prioritizing the removal of individuals considered threats to public safety and national security.

The announcement follows a series of previous deportations affecting Nigerian nationals, with the total number of Nigerians removed under the “worst-of-the-worst” initiative steadily rising. Nigerian authorities have historically prepared reintegration measures for deported citizens, assisting returnees with relocation and support upon arrival.

US to Deport 18 More Nigerians on ‘Worst-of-the-Worst’ Criminal List (Full Names)

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