Israeli military says it intercepted two attacks launched from Yemen
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it intercepted a missile and a projectile in separate launches from Yemen toward Israel.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have continued to fire missiles at Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, although they have agreed to halt attacks on US ships.
Israeli military says it intercepted missile from Yemen
Israel has carried out strikes in response, including one on May 6 that damaged Yemen's main airport in Sanaa and killed several people.
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Express Tribune
42 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan joins China's new international mediation body
Listen to article Pakistan has signed on as a founding member of China's newly launched International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), a global dispute resolution body headquartered in Hong Kong, the Foreign Office said on Friday. Statement by the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 , on the Occasion of Signing Ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 30, 2025 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar signed the convention establishing the organisation during a ceremony attended by officials from several countries, including Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and Serbia. Representatives from around 20 international organisations, including the United Nations, were also expected to participate, according to Hong Kong's public broadcaster RTHK. 'IOMeD also offers new opportunities and fresh hopes to build a more inclusive, more just and more equitable world. As one of the founding members of IOMed, Pakistan would continue to be an active voice in this noble mission,' the statement quoted him as saying. The new mediation body, spearheaded by Beijing, is intended to function as a neutral forum for peaceful dispute resolution and aims to match the standing of the International Court of Justice. Speaking at the event, Dar praised China's leadership for developing the initiative and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to multilateral diplomacy. 'The creation of IOMed underscores the indispensability and significance of multilateralism as the centrepiece for international peace, stability, and development,' Dar said. He added that Pakistan would remain an active participant in the forum and viewed the new platform as a means to create a more just and inclusive world order. A vision of shared peace The idea for IOMed was originally proposed during China's 2nd Belt and Road Forum in 2019, with formal negotiations beginning in 2021. Pakistan was invited as an early negotiating partner and co-signatory. The organisation is intended to promote trust-based dialogue, uphold respect for national sovereignty, and integrate diverse legal traditions into its mediation efforts, the Pakistani Foreign Office said. Dar used the platform to draw attention to what he called India's 'violation of international law', citing the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty as examples. He also referenced the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. 'The resolution of longstanding disputes, particularly Jammu and Kashmir, in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, is vital for regional peace,' Dar said. China has promoted IOMed as an inclusive alternative mediation framework open to all countries, regardless of legal tradition or political alignment. 'Through our presence in IOMed, Pakistan brings not only its rich diplomatic experience but also an unwavering commitment to peace, equity, and justice,' Dar concluded, urging member states to empower the organization to reach its full potential.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Hamas says US-brokered ceasefire plan would prolong Gaza suffering
A girl stands in the ruins of the school building in Gaza City that was hit by an air strike Photo: Reuters Listen to article A ceasefire proposal put forward by the Trump administration has been met with criticism by Hamas, who say the current terms would lead only to further killing and famine in the besieged Gaza Strip. The plan, which the United States says Israel has already accepted, remains under review by the Hamas leadership, Al Jazeera reported. Hamas officials say the proposal lacks the core guarantees Palestinians have long demanded: a permanent halt to Israeli military operations, full withdrawal of occupation forces and unfettered humanitarian access. 'The deal does not meet any of our people's demands, foremost among them, halting the war,' said Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau. 'Nonetheless, the movement's leadership is studying the response with full national responsibility.' A response is expected by the end of the week even as tensions prevail on the ground and within diplomatic channels. A plan with conditions According to a draft seen by Reuters, the ceasefire plan would span 60 days and include the release of 28 Israeli hostages, both alive and deceased, in exchange for 125 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 Palestinians. The terms have not been revealed publicly by officials from either side. Mediated by Egypt and Qatar, and reportedly guaranteed by President Donald Trump, the plan would allow international aid to flow into Gaza as soon as Hamas signs the agreement. However, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the proposal failed to include any Israeli commitment to end the war or lift the blockade, raising serious doubts about its sincerity. 'This is just another attempt to pressure the resistance while civilians in Gaza continue to suffer,' Zuhri told Reuters. READ: Israeli strikes kill 55 people in Gaza today Conflicting accounts Earlier this week, Hamas said it had reached an initial understanding with Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, involving a framework for a permanent ceasefire and the establishment of a neutral administrative body to manage post-war Gaza. Witkoff, however, denied that any such agreement had been reached, calling Hamas's version 'completely unacceptable'. A US official described the group's statement as 'inaccurate and disappointing'. Israeli officials also rejected the Hamas account, with one unnamed source quoted in local media labelling it 'psychological warfare'. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signalled a willingness to move forward with the US-backed proposal, according to reports shared with families of Israeli captives. Some analysts suggest this could be a political calculation aimed at placing the blame on Hamas if talks collapse. 'It's not the first time Netanyahu has made a deal impossible to accept, then blamed Hamas for the failure,' Israeli analyst Akiva Eldar told Al Jazeera. On the ground: war and hunger The situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. Since Israel resumed its military assault on March 18 after breaking ceasefire terms and conditions, more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed, bringing the total death toll in the enclave to over 54,000, according to Palestinian health authorities. The blockade on humanitarian aid has pushed many areas of Gaza to the brink of famine. Though Israel partially eased its restrictions on May 19, allowing some aid to enter, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the relief 'a teaspoon of what is needed'. Read more: Hamas agrees to US ceasefire proposal, but Israel rejects it This week, chaotic scenes unfolded as thousands of Palestinians swarmed limited aid deliveries distributed by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – a new and controversial initiative criticised by many in the region for lacking transparency and local coordination. Israel's war on Gaza Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday that at least 3,785 people had been killed in the territory since a ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,939, mostly civilians, according to AFP. Israel's atrocities have displaced around 90% of Gaza's estimated 2 million residents, created a severe hunger crisis, and caused widespread destruction across the territory. The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing at least 61,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Al Jazeera. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Business Recorder
US says that Israel accepts Gaza ceasefire plan; Hamas reviewing proposal
WASHINGTON/UNITED NATIONS/CAIRO: Israel has agreed to a US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, the White House said on Thursday, and Hamas said it was reviewing the plan although its terms did not meet the group's demands. As a U.S.-backed system for distributing food aid in the shattered enclave expanded, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted a deal presented by U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Netanyahu's office did not confirm the reports, but White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington that Israel had signed off on the proposal. She did not detail its contents. Hamas agrees to US proposal on Gaza ceasefire A source briefed on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the initial phase of the proposed deal would include a 60-day ceasefire and the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave. The Palestinian group Hamas said it was studying the proposal, and senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group was still discussing it. But Abu Zuhri said its terms echoed Israel's position and do not contain commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or admit aid as Hamas has demanded. Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March after only two months. Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely and be dismantled as a military and governing force and that all 58 hostages still held in Gaza must be returned before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. Aid effort expands The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private group backed by the United States and endorsed by Israel, expanded its aid distribution to a third site on Thursday. Heavily criticised by the United Nations and other aid groups as inadequate and flawed, the group's operation began this week in Gaza, where the U.N. has said 2 million people are at risk of famine after Israel's 11-week blockade on aid entering the enclave. The aid launch was marred by tumultuous scenes on Tuesday when thousands of Palestinians rushed distribution points and forced private security contractors to retreat. The chaotic start to the operation has raised international pressure on Israel to get more food in and halt the fighting in Gaza. GHF has so far supplied about 1.8 million meals and plans to open more sites in the coming weeks. Hamas source says group accepts mediators' latest Gaza ceasefire proposal Witkoff told reporters on Wednesday that Washington was close to 'sending out a new term sheet' about a ceasefire to the two sides in the conflict that has raged since October 2023. 'I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict,' Witkoff said then. Israel has come under increasing international pressure, with many European countries that have normally been reluctant to criticise it openly demanding an end to the war and a major relief effort. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the devastating Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and left the enclave in ruins.
