Gaza ceasefire talks stall over key issue, sources say
Hamas has rejected Israel 's proposed withdrawal maps, which would leave approximately 40 per cent of the territory, including Rafah, under Israeli control.
Other challenges in the negotiations include matters of aid and guarantees for ending the war, with a US envoy expected to join discussions to help resolve the crisis.
The stalled negotiations occur amidst continued Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, which killed at least 28 Palestinians overnight, including four children.
Hamas insists on an end to the war before releasing remaining hostages, while Israel maintains it will only cease fighting once all hostages are freed and Hamas is dismantled.
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The Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Sun
Iran threatens to ramp up enrichment of nuke-grade uranium AGAIN – just 24 days after Trump bombed ‘Mount Doom' facility
IRAN has again threatened to ramp up enrichment of its near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile just days after being bombed by the US. It comes after Israel said some of Iran's nuclear fuel survived US bombings during the 12-Day War last month. 10 10 10 Tehran admitted that Operation Midnight Hammer - which saw American B-2 Spirit bombers drop more than a dozen GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker buster bombs - did cause "excessive and serious" damage. But it said the bombings will not deter the regime from enriching uranium, which they claim is for peaceful civilian use. The uranium in question is enriched to 60 per cent - way above levels for civilian use but slightly below weapons-grade. That material, if further refined to 90 per cent, would theoretically be sufficient to produce more than nine nuclear bombs. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission told Mehr News Agency: "We will never give up our legitimate right to enrich uranium. "Enrichment is a sovereign right that we will continue to pursue based on our national needs. "Bombing cannot erase this knowledge — it will only come back stronger." It comes as the UK, France and Germany have agreed to restore tough UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August if there has been no concrete progress on a nuclear deal. Ali Velayati, an adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA: "If the negotiations [with the US] must be conditioned on stopping enrichment, such negotiations will not take place." Boroujerdi added: "We will in no way succumb to the West's demands for zero enrichment." The UN's top nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned Iran could start enriching uranium again within just months. Doubts remained whether Iran quietly removed 408.6 kgs of uranium from its most sensitive sites before the US strikes - potentially hiding nuclear material elsewhere in the country. Trump rips critics & insists 'bombs went through like butter' at Iran sites An Israeli official told The New York Times some of the uranium stockpile survived the US and Israeli bombings last month - and may be accessible to Iranian nuclear engineers. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not express concern about the remaining stockpile and said any attempt to recover it would be detected by the Israeli intelligence. They also said that Israel would have enough time to attack Iran's nuclear facilities again if the regime tries to recover it. But it was not clear immediately if the strikes - which hit Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment plant, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities - were able to wipe out the entire stockpile of enriched uranium. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi admitted Iran could still have stockpiles of enriched uranium, saying: "We don't know where this material could be. 10 "So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification," he said in an interview with CBS. "We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where it is and what happened," Grossi said. Satellite imagery showed trucks moving out of Fordow in the days leading up to the attack - leading to speculations that Iran moved some of its underground uranium stockpile. US and Israel, as well as independent experts, agree that all of Iran's working centrifuges at Natanz and Fordo — some 18,000 - were either destroyed or damaged beyond repair. DOOM & BOOM Satellite imagery appeared to show construction work at the Fordow Nuclear Enrichment facility in Qom, near Tehran. Heavy earthmoving equipment can be seen working near the impact craters caused by US GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs. Excavators and cranes can also be seen working, while more construction trucks are visible on roads leading to the impact points at the site. A new access road between the site's northern tunnel entrance and one of the impact craters can be seen after Israel said its air force struck Fordow to "disrupt" access to the site. David Albright, a US weapons expert, said in his assessment that Iran may be filling the craters and conducting engineering damage assessments and radiological sampling. 10 10 The 12-Day War began on June 13 when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion - a sophisticated campaign of bombing which targeted Iran's military nuclear sites. The Israelis also brilliantly orchestrated Operation Red Wedding - 30 top Iranian military chiefs killed in near-simultaneous blitz as Israel sought to root out the country's military strength entirely. Iran retaliated by launching daily salvos of ballistic missiles across Israel, but failed to hit any strategic targets. Less than a fortnight later, Trump joined the Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. The US military's flagship B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped more than a dozen 30,000lb GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). The bunker-buster bombs were used to hit Iran's Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Plant. Iran, which vowed to hit US military bases across the Middle East, sought its revenge by launching missiles at Al-Udeid Air Base - America's biggest military station in the region. 10 10
BreakingNews.ie
21 minutes ago
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‘New ceasefire agreed' after clashes in Syria
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BreakingNews.ie
21 minutes ago
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Palestinian children's trip to Ireland from West Bank to play GAA cancelled
GAA Palestine has confirmed that a tour of a group of Palestinians who were to visit Ireland will no longer go ahead. The group, which included 33 Palestinian children and young teenagers, were scheduled to arrive in Dublin on Friday; however, they were denied entry by the Department of Justice. Advertisement In a statement, the GAA Palestine executive said it was with a heavy heart that it announced that the planned trip could no longer go ahead. We are outrageous and disappointed by the Department of Justice's handling of the GAA Palestine Summer Tour. See link for full statement #LetThemPlay — gaa_palestine (@GAA_Palestine) July 14, 2025 'The delay stemming from issues with the Department of Justice has ultimately resulted in this difficult decision, as time has run out to make alternative arrangements,' it added. The touring party was scheduled to depart from the West Bank on Wednesday morning. 'We initially postponed departure for today, as the Department of Justice had informed us they were reviewing the appeal,' the statement said. Advertisement 'However, the embassy in Tel Aviv is now closed – we had a driver pick up the passports to allow us to explore other options for the touring party to travel elsewhere, allowing us to provide these young athletes with the respite and opportunity they deserve. 'Even if visas are issued at this late stage, delays at checkpoints and borders are likely to cause severe disruptions and extended delays. 'Giving the children hope again, only for that hope to be dashed once more, would be too cruel. 'We are deeply disappointed by the narrative that has circulated suggesting that necessary documentation was not provided or that we were late in the submission of our appeal. Advertisement 'We have been working diligently for months with the embassy in Israel. 'Despite numerous appeals over the past week requesting engagement, we have received no response from the Department of Justice. 'Our legal team has also attempted to communicate directly with the department, but we have once again been ignored. 'We are profoundly upset for all our GAA Palestine members, for the clubs that went to great lengths to organise this meaningful trip, and for the families who generously volunteered to host our touring party – transforming their homes with bunk beds and painting walls to welcome these young GAA players from the West Bank to Ireland. Advertisement 'To our sponsors for their generosity, we do hope we can work together again in the future.' It said it will look to other places where the children will be welcomed and celebrated. Earlier on Wednesday, Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said that all visa applications have to be assessed 'fairly and accurately'. 'I reject that criticism. Very many people apply for visas from the Department of Justice. Not all of them get media coverage. All of them have to be assessed fairly and accurately by the department,' the Fianna Fáil minister said. Advertisement 'We have immigration rules in this country for people who want to come here, whether it's on a short-term visa or long-term visa, and no matter who you are, you have to comply with the immigration rules. 'I am not going to change those rules simply because there is media pressure put on me.'
