logo
Trump to meet Qatar PM in ‘hopeful' bid to produce Gaza war ceasefire deal

Trump to meet Qatar PM in ‘hopeful' bid to produce Gaza war ceasefire deal

News2416-07-2025
US President Donald Trump will meet Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani to discuss Gaza.
Israel and Hamas are conducting indirect negotiations to end the conflict.
The UN says 875 people were killed at aid points in Gaza within the past six weeks.
US President Donald Trump will meet with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Wednesday to discuss negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire deal, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted on X.
Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been taking part in the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha since 6 July, discussing a US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire that envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the conflict.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had said on Sunday that he was 'hopeful' on the ceasefire negotiations under way in Qatar, a key mediator between the two sides.
US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been working to secure an agreement, however, Israel and Hamas are divided over the extent of an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel.
Israel says Hamas killed 1 200 and took about 250 hostages.
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 58 000 Palestinians.
Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images
It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
Israel denies the accusations.
A previous two-month ceasefire ended when Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on 18 March.
Trump earlier this year proposed a US takeover of Gaza, which was condemned globally by rights experts, the UN and Palestinians as a proposal of 'ethnic cleansing'.
READ | EU mulls Israel sanctions over Gaza, but action seems unlikely in divided Europe
The UN rights office said on Tuesday it had recorded at least 875 killings within the past six weeks at aid points in Gaza run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and convoys run by other relief groups, including the United Nations.
The majority of those killed were in the vicinity of GHF sites, while the remaining 201 were killed on the routes of other aid convoys.
Hassan Jedi/Anadolu via Getty Images
The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a UN-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the allegation.
The GHF, which began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May after Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade, previously told Reuters that such incidents have not occurred on its sites and accused the UN of misinformation, which it denies.
The GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest UN figures.
'The data we have is based on our own information gathering through various reliable sources, including medical human rights and humanitarian organisations,' Thameen Al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva.
The UN has called the GHF aid model 'inherently unsafe' and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.
Doaa Albaz/Anadolu via Getty Images
The GHF said on Tuesday it had delivered more than 75 million meals to Gaza Palestinians since the end of May, and that other humanitarian groups had 'nearly all of their aid looted' by Hamas or criminal gangs.
The Israeli army previously told Reuters in a statement that it was reviewing recent mass casualties and that it had sought to minimise friction between Palestinians and the Israel Defence Forces by installing fences and signs and opening additional routes.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has previously cited instances of violent pillaging of aid, and the UN World Food Programme said last week that most trucks carrying food assistance into Gaza had been intercepted by 'hungry civilian communities'.
Trump and Sheikh Mohammed are also expected to discuss efforts to resume talks between the US and Iran to reach a new nuclear agreement, Ravid added citing a source familiar with the matter.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

CNN Analyst Stunned After Trump Botches 'Easiest Question In Human History'
CNN Analyst Stunned After Trump Botches 'Easiest Question In Human History'

Yahoo

time4 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

CNN Analyst Stunned After Trump Botches 'Easiest Question In Human History'

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig was blown away after hearing President Donald Trump's answer to a question about whether he would pardon convicted sex trafficker and close Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. 'It's the easiest question in human history,' Honig told host Michael Smerconish on Saturday, quoting colleague Kevin Liptak as appropriately asking, 'Are you kidding me?' Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. On Friday, following the news that the Justice Department's No. 2 official had met with Maxwell in federal prison, a reporter asked Trump if he would consider a pardon or commutation for her. 'It's something I haven't thought about,' Trump replied. 'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about.' Honig expressed bewilderment at the answer. 'A pardon for the single worst, or No. 2 after Jeffrey Epstein, worst child sex trafficker in modern history?' he said. 'Absolutely not. N-O.' Ultimately, Honig said it was 'hard to imagine' that Trump would pardon Maxwell, though he noted 'other people who I know who are closer to Donald Trump and who have worked with him in the past say it could well happen.' Trump is facing escalating demands to release the files related to the case against the late Epstein, as the press continues to dig into his past friendship with the disgraced financier. The president left the country on Friday for a golf-heavy trip to Scotland, and was bombarded with questions about Epstein from reporters before takeoff and after touchdown. Related... Trump Claims He 'Never Went' To Epstein's Island, Tells People To Focus On Bill Clinton Instead Joe Rogan On Trump Administration's Handling Of Epstein Files: 'Do You Think We're Babies?' Trump's Calendar Girls Party Had Only 1 Other Guest: Jeffrey Epstein

Trump plays golf in Scotland while protesters take to the streets and decry his visit
Trump plays golf in Scotland while protesters take to the streets and decry his visit

Boston Globe

time5 minutes ago

  • Boston Globe

Trump plays golf in Scotland while protesters take to the streets and decry his visit

Advertisement Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on the cobblestone and tree-lined street in front of the U.S. Consulate about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital. Speakers told the crowd that Trump was not welcome and criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for striking a recent trade deal to avoid stiff U.S. tariffs on goods imported from the U.K. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Anti-Trump Protestors gather outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland, July 26, 2025. ROBERT ORMEROD/NYT Protests were planned in other cities as environmental activists, opponents of Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza and pro-Ukraine groups loosely formed a 'Stop Trump Coalition.' Anita Bhadani, an organizer, said the protests were 'kind of like a carnival of resistance.' Trump's late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and the president has suggested he feels at home in the country. But the protesters did their best to change that. Advertisement 'I don't think I could just stand by and not do anything,' said Amy White, 15, of Edinburgh, who attended with her parents. She held a cardboard sign that said 'We don't negotiate with fascists.' She said 'so many people here loathe him. We're not divided. We're not divided by religion, or race or political allegiance, we're just here together because we hate him.' Other demonstrators held signs of pictures with Trump and Jeffrey Epstein as the fervor over files in the case has increasingly frustrated the president. In the view of Mark Gorman, 63, of Edinburgh, 'the vast majority of Scots have this sort of feeling about Trump that, even though he has Scottish roots, he's a disgrace.' Gorman, who works in advertising, said he came out 'because I have deep disdain for Donald Trump and everything that he stands for.' Saturday's protests were not nearly as large as the throngs that demonstrated across Scotland when Trump played at Turnberry during his first term in 2018. But, as bagpipes played, people chanted 'Trump Out!' and raised dozens of homemade signs that said things like 'No red carpet for dictators,' 'We don't want you here' and 'Stop Trump. Migrants welcome.' People take part in a Stop Trump Scotland protest outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh, as US President Donald Trump begins his five-day private trip to the country at his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire on Saturday July 26, 2025. Jane Barlow/Associated Press One dog had a sign that said 'No treats for tyrants.' Some on the far right took to social media to call for gatherings supporting Trump in places such as Glasgow. Trump also plans to talk trade with Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. But golf is a major focus. The family will also visit another Trump course near Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland, before returning to Washington on Tuesday. The Trumps will cut the ribbon and play a new, second course in that area, which officially opens to the public next month. Advertisement Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who is also set to meet with Trump during the visit, announced that public money will go to staging the 2025 Nexo Championship, previously known previously as the Scottish Championship, at Trump's first course near Aberdeen next month. 'The Scottish Government recognizes the importance and benefits of golf and golf events, including boosting tourism and our economy,' Swinney said. At a protest Saturday in Aberdeen, Scottish Parliament member Maggie Chapman told the crowd of hundreds: 'We stand in solidarity, not only against Trump but against everything he and his politics stand for.' The president has long lobbied for Turnberry to host the British Open, which it has not done since he took over ownership. In a social media post Saturday, Trump quoted the retired golfer Gary Player as saying Turnberry was among the 'Top Five Greatest Golf Courses' he had played in as a professional. The president, in the post, misspelled the city where his golf course is located. This story has been corrected to reflect that the Trump family's company took over Turnberry in 2014, not 2008.

Trump calls leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to push for a ceasefire
Trump calls leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to push for a ceasefire

Washington Post

time6 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Trump calls leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to push for a ceasefire

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had called the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand to urge them to reach a ceasefire, suggesting that if their deadly border conflict continues, he would hit both countries with heavy tariffs on Aug. 1. The three-day-long clash between the two countries has been escalating, with more than 30 dead, thousands displaced and troops massing on both sides of the border, prompting growing concern from global leaders. Each country blames the other for starting the conflict and says it is acting in self defense. Trump said on Truth Social that he had spoken with both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Phumtham Wechayachai, Thailand's acting leader, to urge an end to the skirmish. The United States is engaged in trade talks with Thailand and Cambodia, he noted, but he could cease those negotiations. 'We happen to be, by coincidence, currently dealing on Trade with both Countries, but do not want to make any Deal, with either Country, if they are fighting — And I have told them so!' Trump posted. In a separate post, he said he had a 'good conversation' with the Thai leader. 'After speaking to both Parties, Ceasefire, Peace, and Prosperity seems to be a natural. We will soon see!' he wrote. He also suggested that his administration was adept at handling international conflicts. 'I am trying to simplify a complex situation! Many people are being killed in this War, but it very much reminds me of the Conflict between Pakistan and India, which was brought to a successful halt,' he added. Trump's mention of India and Pakistan referred to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between those two countries that was reached in early May after several days of heavy fighting broke out. That ceasefire was reached after Secretary of State Marco Rubio engaged in intensive shuttle diplomacy between Indian and Pakistani leaders. The president's latest pronouncements were another reflection of the way he is wielding the threat of tariffs to push other nations to bend to his preferences on issues beyond trade. Imports from Thailand and Cambodia are slated to face among the Trump administration's heaviest levies, 36 percent, if the countries do not reach a trade deal with the U.S. by Aug. 1. Trump made his announcement Saturday while visiting Scotland to play golf at his course in Turnberry, a trip that has attracted both supporters and protesters. His public intervention in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict raises pressure on the two countries, but the outcome is far from clear. Cambodia called for an 'immediate ceasefire' on Friday. But Thai officials have tempered their response. Thailand 'agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place,' Phumtham, the acting Thai prime minister, posted on Facebook on Saturday after Trump's announcement. 'However, Thailand would like to see sincere intention from the Cambodian side.' Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa also said Saturday that Cambodia must be the first to suspend hostilities since Thailand accuses Cambodia of initiating the conflict. Sangiampongsa earlier turned down the prospect of third-party mediation, saying that negotiations must be bilateral. In three days of fighting, the clashes have killed at least 33 people. Thirteen Cambodians and 20 Thais have died, according to the Associated Press, and most of those killed have been civilians. The conflict has caused wide disruption in the area, and more than 168,000 people living near the border have been displaced. Cambodian Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said Saturday that 37,635 Cambodians were forced to relocate. About 131,000 people on the Thai side have also fled their homes, and Thailand has declared martial law in eight border districts.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store