Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Gaza deal reached; Iran targets US bases in Kuwait

Response from Hamas and Israeli officials suggest Gaza deal still faces obstacles; Tehran launches drone strikes at Kuwait in retaliation for recent US attacks Trump claims agreement for ‘complete disarmament’ of Hamas in Gaza but support uncertain Saudi Arabia prepares sea and possible land offensive against Houthis Donald Trump claims a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles and conditions remained in the Palestinian territory. “The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump said on social media. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.” Twenty-five commodities vessels passed through the ⁠Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday , while traffic through the strait ⁠of Hormuz ⁠remained ​low with only two tankers transiting, according to Kpler shipping ⁠data. Analysts are expecting major oil companies to report large profits while fighting between Iran and the US impeded petroleum shipments. Six of Europe’s largest oil companies have posted first-quarter profits of $22bn altogether, a total 43% higher than the same time last year, according to Global Witness. Saudi Arabia on Thursday said it had set up a maritime defence alliance of 14 regional countries to secure navigation around the Bab al-Mandab strait . An Iranian strike hit a Chinese firm’s building in Kuwait on Thursday , severely damaging the structure and killing a worker, Kuwait’s military said, hours after Jordan’s air defences shot down five missiles launched from Iran. Egypt’s government said on Thursday authorities were analysing drone fragments from an unprecedented strike on one of its ports, after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned of regional escalation . His government had earlier confirmed that a fire on two gas vessels in the Damietta port – one of which was US-owned – was a result of a drone strike, the first to target the country since the outbreak of the Middle East war. Continue reading...