Trump says there's a good chance for Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal this week
Trump told reporters before departing for Washington that such a deal meant 'quite a few hostages' could be released.
Trump is due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House.
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Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
US-backed aid group GHF proposed ‘Humanitarian Transit Areas' for Palestinians in Gaza
A controversial US-backed aid group proposed building camps called 'Humanitarian Transit Areas' inside - and possibly outside - Gaza to house the Palestinian population, according to a proposal reviewed by Reuters, outlining its vision of 'replacing Hamas' control over the population in Gaza.' The $2 billion plan, created sometime after February 11 for the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, was submitted to the Trump administration and recently discussed in the White House, according to a source familiar with the matter. The plan, reviewed by Reuters, describes the camps as 'large-scale' and 'voluntary' places where the Gazan population could 'temporarily reside, deradicalize, re-integrate and prepare to relocate if they wish to do so.' The Washington Post made a reference to GHF plans to build housing compounds for Palestinian non-combatants in May. A slide deck seen by Reuters goes into granular detail on the 'Humanitarian Transit Zones,' including how they would be implemented and what they would cost. It calls for using the sprawling facilities to 'gain trust with the local population' and to facilitate US President Donald Trump's 'vision for Gaza.' Reuters could not independently determine the status of the plan, who submitted it, or whether it is still under consideration. The aid group, responding to questions from Reuters, denied that it had submitted a proposal and said the slides 'are not a GHF document.' GHF said it had studied 'a range of theoretical options to safely deliver aid in Gaza,' but that it 'is not planning for or implementing Humanitarian Transit Areas (HTAs).' Rather, the organization said it is solely focused on food distribution in Gaza. A spokesperson for SRS, a for-profit contracting company that works with GHF, told Reuters 'we have had no discussions with GHF about HTAs, and our 'next phase' is feeding more people. Any suggestion otherwise is entirely false and misrepresents the scope of our operations.' The document included the GHF name on the cover and SRS on several slides. Relocation fears On February 4 Trump first publicly said that the US should 'take over' the war-battered enclave and rebuild it as 'the Riviera of the Middle East' after resettling the population of 2.3 million Palestinians elsewhere. Trump's comments angered many Palestinians and humanitarian groups about the possible forced relocation from Gaza. Even if the GHF proposal is no longer under consideration, the idea of moving a large portion of the population into camps will only deepen such worries, several humanitarian experts told Reuters. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The proposal was laid out in a slide presentation that a source said was submitted to the US embassy in Jerusalem earlier this year. The US State Department declined to comment. A senior administration official said, 'nothing of the like is under consideration. Also, no resources are being directed to that end in any way.' The source working on the project said that it had not moved forward due to a lack of funds. Reuters previously reported that GHF had attempted to set up a Swiss bank account from which to solicit donations, but UBS and Goldman Sachs declined to work with the organization. The Israeli Embassy in the US did not respond to a request for comment. Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza government media office, to told Reuters it 'categorically' rejects the GHF, calling it 'not a relief organization but rather an intelligence and security tool affiliated with the Israeli occupation, operating under a false humanitarian guise.' 'Large-scale' camps The undated slide presentation, which includes photos dated February 11, said that the GHF is 'working to secure' over $2 billion for the project, to 'build, secure and oversee large-scale Humanitarian Transit Areas (HTAs) inside and potentially outside Gaza strip for the population to reside while Gaza is demilitarized and rebuilt.' The Humanitarian Transit Areas described in the slides would be the next phase in an operation that began with GHF opening food distribution sites in the enclave in late May, according to two sources involved in the project. GHF coordinates with the Israeli military and uses private US security and logistics companies to get food aid into Gaza. It is favored by the Trump Administration and Israel to carry out humanitarian efforts in Gaza as opposed to the UN-led system which it says let militants divert aid. Hamas denies this and says Israel is using hunger as a weapon. In June US State Department approved $30 million in funding for the GHF and called on other countries to also support the group. The United Nations has called GHF's operation 'inherently unsafe' and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. The UN human rights office says it has recorded at least 613 killings at GHF aid points and near humanitarian convoys run by other relief groups including the UN. One slide outlining a timeline said a camp would be operational within 90 days of the launch of the project and that it would house 2,160 people, along with a laundry, restrooms, showers and a school. A source working on the project said that the slide deck is part of a planning process that began last year and envisions a total of eight camps, each one capable of sheltering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The proposal did not specify how the Palestinians would be relocated into the camps, or where the camps could be built outside Gaza, but a map shows arrows pointing to Egypt and Cyprus as well as other points labeled 'Additional Destination?' GHF would 'oversee and regulate all civil activities required for construction, deradicalization and temporary voluntary relocation,' the proposal said. Responding to questions from Reuters, three humanitarian experts expressed alarm over details of the plan to build camps. 'There is no such thing as voluntary displacement amongst a population that has been under constant bombardment for nearly two years and has been cut off from essential aid,' said Jeremy Konyndyk, president of the Refugees International advocacy group and a former senior US Agency for International Development official who reviewed the plan. The source who worked on planning for the camps told Reuters that the intent 'is to take the fear factor away,' enabling Palestinians to 'escape control of Hamas' and providing them 'a safe area to house their families.' The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's retaliatory military assault on the enclave has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, caused a hunger crisis, and displaced nearly Gaza's entire population internally.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Pakistan army chief rejects Indian allegation of Chinese help in May conflict
Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday rejected New Delhi's allegation that his military received active support from longtime ally China in its conflict with India in May. Indian army's deputy chief Lieutenant General Rahul Singh said last week that China gave Islamabad 'live inputs' on key Indian positions. The 'insinuations regarding external support' are 'irresponsible and factually incorrect,' Munir said in an address to graduating officers of the national security and war course in Islamabad, according to an army statement. Pakistani officials have previously dismissed allegations of receiving active support from China in the conflict. Beijing and Islamabad have longstanding close relations, with billions of dollars of Chinese investment in the South Asian nation's energy and infrastructure. India's relationship with China meanwhile was strained after a 2020 border clash that sparked a four-year military standoff, but tensions began to ease after the countries reached a pact to step back in October. India and Pakistan used missiles, drones and artillery fire during the four days of fighting in May - their worst in decades - triggered by an attack in April on tourists in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, before agreeing to a ceasefire. Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack in April.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Netanyahu hosted by the guarantor-in-chief
When visiting the president's office, it helps to come bearing warmth. A firm embrace, a grateful smile, a public thank you — all gestures of loyalty that set the tone. It is best to arrive eager for wisdom and ready to express not only personal admiration but also that of your people. In these corridors of power, both elders and juniors are expected to display reverence. Some go further. They declare themselves lucky to have been born during his era, lucky to sail on the same ship. For he, they say, is a seasoned captain, unfazed by tempests. Success clings to him and landmark deals bear his signature. He is, in their eyes, unlike any predecessor — a singular force, a steadfast ally in turbulent times. Flattery often extends to his choice of necktie or dance steps — and, of course, his tweets. Such an encounter may begin with congratulations: victories abroad echo those at home. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew toward his US meeting this week, he was both relaxed and cautious. He credits himself with having slipped inside Donald Trump's mind — perhaps even his heart. But Trump is a complex man: hard-edged, addicted to winning, a master of deals and disruption. He recoils at failure, bristles at disappointment and never backs down. He plays both sides — extending a hand one moment, throwing punches the next. He views the world through his own lens, dismissing the vision of experts. His talent for veering off course is matched only by his flair for unsettling both allies and foes. Each new battle deepens his conviction that destiny has chosen him to save not only America, but the world. Trump extends a hand one moment, throws punches the next. He views the world through his own lens. Ghassan Charbel Netanyahu might open the meeting with a tale. He could say the president's backing allowed him to carry out major surgery on the Middle East — painful, delicate, expensive surgery that has redrawn the region's face. Just two years ago, he might say, a missile could travel from Tehran to Beirut via Iraq and Syria, bypassing state permission. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps adviser could accompany it, arming proxies and cementing their place in the so-called axis of resistance. Back then, a visitor to Syria could meet President Bashar Assad in Damascus, then travel by road to Beirut's southern suburbs to sit with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. They could even meet leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad living in Lebanon without state consent. American support secured Israel's military and technological edge and facilitated the operation. Today, the missile no longer reaches its target. Nor does the adviser. Syria, once the corridor and incubator, speaks a different language now — reportedly seeking only to revive the disengagement accord in exchange for stepping out of the military side of the conflict with Israel. Lebanon, once the base of the 'support front,' has paid a steep price. Though Israel paused its shelling, it continues lethal strikes. Without Syrian depth, Hezbollah cannot launch a war. Yet its insistence on holding onto its weapons robs Lebanon of stability and reconstruction prospects and could trigger something worse. The old balance is broken. Israeli jets control the skies over much of the neighborhood and operate across borders. Syria wants US guarantees. So does Hamas. Lebanon, too. Even Iran is said to be seeking American assurances. Trump, it seems, is the region's guarantor-in-chief. Netanyahu closes his eyes. He feels genuine gratitude toward the president. The picture has changed. The fall of Assad's regime, in his eyes, shifted the game. The current phase is about forcing factions back into their native maps, stripped of regional extensions. That return coincides with extracting borders from the battlefield, at least for now. Removing the rubble from Gaza will take years. So will reconstruction. In the meantime, Hamas will likely be sidelined, unable to contemplate another war. Lebanon, too, may not pose a threat in the coming years. At best, it hopes for implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Israeli withdrawal from its territory and for weapons to be placed solely in the state's hands. The biggest file remains Iran. Trump's vow to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon is unwavering. The latest round of conflict drew Tehran directly into the war, stripping it of the luxury of fighting by proxy. Israeli strikes on Iranian soil pierced what Tehran once considered untouchable. Even as Iran's missiles struck Tel Aviv, the strategic loss across its regional network was deeper. Now the question: Will Iran opt to ride out Trump's term, coexisting until the clock runs out? Can it rebuild new lines of regional defense resembling Hezbollah's former role? Netanyahu knows Trump needs a win in Gaza after failing to deliver one in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to crush Ukraine before agreeing to a truce and he wants no partner in claiming victory. But Netanyahu will not challenge the guarantor-in-chief. The man of war can also be the man of peace. A ceasefire in Gaza might be accepted — then navigated around. Some flexibility may be necessary, given the devastation. There is little left in Gaza that could pose a danger. Israel's adversaries now wait for guarantees from the US. Netanyahu, meanwhile, hopes for a fresh endorsement from the White House to fuel his reelection bid. Some in the region are even hoping Trump concludes that the most meaningful guarantee he can offer is to keep the two-state solution alive — even if on pause. For now, the guarantor also remains the dealer of surprises. This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.
