Qatar, Egypt say will intensify efforts to resume Gaza truce talks
Israel's renewed offensive has killed 4,149 in Gaza since March 18, raising the war's total death toll to 54,418. (AP pic)
DOHA : Qatar and Egypt announced on Sunday plans to step up efforts for Gaza truce negotiations, as the Palestinian fighter group Hamas said it was prepared to 'immediately' hold a fresh round of talks.
'Qatar and Egypt, in coordination with the United States of America, affirm their intention to intensify efforts to overcome the obstacles facing the negotiations,' the two mediators said in a joint statement.
'The two countries are also striving to swiftly reach a 60-day temporary truce, which would pave the way for a permanent ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip,' the statement added.
Doha, Cairo and Washington have been engaged in months of back-and-forth mediation with Israel and Hamas but another round of negotiations aimed at ending 20 months of war in Gaza this week appeared to conclude once more without a breakthrough.
A two-month truce, in which dozens of hostages held by Hamas were released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, collapsed in March, with Israel intensifying military operations in Gaza afterwards.
Following the statement by the Arab mediators, Hamas said it was ready 'to immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention'.
Hamas previously said it had responded positively – albeit with requested amendments – to the latest US-backed truce proposal on Saturday which would see 10 living hostages released form Gaza.
Militants took 251 hostages during the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel which triggered the war, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.
The US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, wrote on X that Hamas's response was 'totally unacceptable and only takes us backward'.
'Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week,' the envoy said.
'That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days,' he added.
Netanyahu vowed on Monday to bring back all captives in Gaza, 'living and dead' amid uncertainty in the hostage negotiations.
Israel has in recent weeks expanded its offensive in the Gaza Strip, drawing international condemnation as aid trickles in following a months-long blockade that has caused severe food and medical shortages.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 4,149 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,418, mostly civilians.
Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
6 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
White House says Trump, Xi will ‘likely' talk this week
Donald Trump said in April that Xi Jinping had called him, but China denied the presidents had spoken recently. (EPA Images pic) WASHINGTON : US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping will likely hold a long-awaited call later this week, the White House said today, as trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies ratchet back up. Trump reignited strains with China last week when he accused the world's second-biggest economy of violating a deal that had led both countries to temporarily reduce huge tit-for-tat tariffs. 'The two leaders will likely talk this week,' press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the West Wing when asked whether Trump and Xi would speak. Asked about the statement today, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry said Beijing had 'no information to provide'. Trump and Xi have yet to have any confirmed contact more than five months since the Republican returned to power, despite frequent claims by the US president that a call is imminent. Trump even said in a Time Magazine interview in April that Xi had called him – but Beijing insisted that there had been no call recently. The US leader introduced in April sweeping worldwide tariffs that targeted China most heavily of all, accusing other countries of 'ripping off' the US and running trade imbalances. Beijing and Washington last month agreed to slash staggeringly high tariffs on each other for 90 days after talks between top officials in Geneva. But Trump and other top Washington officials last week accused China of violating the deal, with commerce secretary Howard Lutnick saying Beijing was 'slow-rolling' the agreement in comments to Fox News Sunday. Beijing rejected those 'bogus' US claims yesterday, and accused Washington of introducing 'a number of discriminatory restrictive measures'. Trump has separately ramped up tensions with other trade partners, including the European Union, by vowing to double global tariffs on steel and aluminium to 50% from tomorrow.
Free Malaysia Today
6 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site
There have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies. (AP pic) CAIRO : At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip today, local health authorities said, in the latest bout of chaos and bloodshed to plague the aid operation. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas rebels that has laid waste to much of the enclave. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. The foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early today and that the aid operation was 'conducted safely and without incident within the site'. However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies. On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. Yesterday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday's distribution 'fabrications' by Hamas. Yesterday, it said IDF forces had identified 'a number of suspects' moving towards them while deviating from the access routes. 'The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces,' it said. Mass evacuations ordered UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said yesterday he was 'appalled' by reports of Palestinians killed and wounded while seeking aid and called for an independent investigation. The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to residents of several districts in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip late yesterday, warning that the army would act forcefully against rebels operating in those areas. The military told residents to head west towards the Mawasi humanitarian area. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave, and that most of its 2.3 million population has become internally displaced. The territory's health ministry said today that the new evacuation orders could halt work at the Nasser Hospital, the largest, still-functioning medical facility in the south, endangering the lives of those being treated there. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Oct 7, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say.
Free Malaysia Today
6 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
US stock futures dip as investors await trade negotiations
Most megacap and growth stocks were down in premarket trade. (AP pic) NEW YORK : US stock index futures slipped today as investors awaited possible negotiations between the US and its trading partners for more clarity on the tariff war that has roiled financial markets for months. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to speak this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday, days after Trump accused China of violating an agreement to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions. Meanwhile, the Trump administration wants countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations by tomorrow as officials seek to accelerate talks with multiple partners ahead of a self-imposed deadline in just five weeks, according to a draft letter to negotiating partners seen by Reuters. Trump said last week he planned to double tariffs on imported steel and aluminium to 50% starting tomorrow, fuelling fresh concerns among investors and impeding global stocks' march to record highs. In May, however, a softening of Trump's harsh trade stance allowed a recovery in risky assets, with the benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq posting their biggest monthly percentage gain since November 2023. The S&P 500 remains less than 4% away from its record highs touched in February. 'Market sentiment cannot find an anchor since trade policies remain fluid,' said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development revised its global growth forecast down to 2.9% for 2025, from 3.1% expected earlier, citing the effects of Trump's trade war on the US economy. Deutsche Bank, however, raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 6,550 from 6,150, citing lower tariff-related pressure on earnings and a resilient economy. At 7.22am, Dow E-minis were down 132 points, or 0.31%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 14.5 points, or 0.24%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 26.75 points, or 0.12%. Most megacap and growth stocks were down in premarket trade. April factory orders and JOLTS job openings data are scheduled for release at 10am. US central bank officials including Fed Board Governor Lisa Cook, Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee and Dallas president Lorie Logan are due to speak through the day. Later in the week, monthly jobs data may offer more signs on how trade uncertainty is affecting the world's biggest economy. In stocks, Pinterest rose 3.8% after JP Morgan raised its rating to 'overweight' from 'neutral'. Constellation Energy rose 13.9% after Meta Platforms said it had struck a power agreement with the utility's nuclear plant. Dollar General rose 10.8% as the discount retailer raised its annual sales forecast after surpassing quarterly sales expectations.
