
ISRAEL and Hamas have agreed a ceasefire deal for the Gaza Strip, mediators announced today, raising hopes that Israel will halt its killing spree in the Palestinian territory after 15 months of death and destruction.
The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people to what remains of their homes.
It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into the devastated coastal enclave.

As the Alliance of Sahel States and southern African nations advance pan-African goals, the African Union must listen and learn rather than parroting the Western line on these positive developments, writes ROGER McKENZIE

Money makers already exploit cleaning and catering contracts while the military-industrial complex diverts billions from health to warfare — but Bevan’s vision will endure as long as people fight for it, writes ROGER MCKENZIE