Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza
Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire deal and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began.
Efforts for a Gaza truce have gathered steam after the U.S. secured a ceasefire to end a 12-day aerial conflict between Israel and Iran, but on the ground in Gaza intensified Israeli strikes continued unabated, killing at least 59 people on Thursday, according to health authorities in the territory.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war.
Hamas is seeking clear guarantees that the ceasefire will eventually lead to the war's end, the source close to the group said. Two Israeli officials said that those details were still being worked out.
Ending the war has been the main sticking point in repeated rounds of failed negotiations.
Egyptian security sources said Egyptian and Qatari mediators were working to secure U.S. and international guarantees that talks on ending the war would continue as a way of convincing Hamas to accept the two-month truce proposal.
A separate source familiar with the matter said that Israel was expecting Hamas' response by Friday and that if it was positive, an Israeli delegation would join indirect talks to cement the deal.
The proposal includes the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, sources say. Of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.
A senior Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said preparations were in place to approve a ceasefire deal even as the premier heads to Washington to meet Trump on Monday.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who sits on Netanyahu's security cabinet, told news website Ynet that there was "definitely readiness to advance a deal."
In Gaza, however, there was little sign of relief. At least 17 people were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a school in Gaza City where displaced families were sheltering, according to medics.
"Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning. We don't know what happened," one witness, Wafaa Al-Arqan, told Reuters. "What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?"
According to medics at Nasser hospital farther south, at least 20 people were killed by Israeli fire en route to an aid distribution site.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports and that its forces were taking precautions to mitigate harm to civilians as it battled Palestinian militants throughout Gaza.
The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, while displacing most of the population of more than 2 million, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins.
Israel says it won't end the war while Hamas is still armed and ruling Gaza. Hamas, severely weakened, says it won't lay down its weapons but is willing to release all the hostages still in Gaza if Israel ends the war.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economist
24 minutes ago
- Economist
The GOP's tax and policy bill
Congress dutifully passed Donald Trump's $4 trillion tax and policy bill, despite many members' reservations about its cost. Congressional leaders crammed all of Trump's priorities into it, but the bill will cause millions of people in lower-income brackets to lose their health insurance and damage the foundations of America's economy. John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.
South Wales Guardian
31 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Branding Palestine Action terrorists ‘completely ludicrous', say supporters
Hundreds gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday where Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, is asking the High Court to temporarily block the Government from proscribing the group as a terrorist organisation. Among the fluttering flags of green, black, white and red were demonstrators holding signs saying 'Free Palestine' and 'We are all Palestine Action'. Others masked themselves in sunglasses and a keffiyeh while speakers took turns to address the crowd through a PA system. Sara, who was standing on the edge of the crowd, said many of the supporters present were carrying 'a lot of rage and anger' about the violence in Gaza. She said: 'We think that the British Government needs to stop funding the genocidal regime in Palestine against Palestinians. 'They need to listen to protest groups instead of this massive overreach which is trying to stifle legitimate resistance and protest against one of the most horrific instances of violence against humanity in our time.' One woman, who preferred not to be named, stood in the shade next to a pile of pink boxes containing cupcakes decorated with Palestinian flags. She said she was raising money to send to a friend in Gaza because the price of basic food there has become so high. Speaking outside court, she said: 'I think it's completely ludicrous that the Government is, rather than stopping supporting a genocide that is happening, they would rather criminalise people who are trying to stop it on the Government's behalf, seeing as though they are not doing anything. 'They have a legal obligation under the Genocide Convention to do all they can to prevent genocide. And they are choosing to, rather than follow their obligations, remain an active participant in this genocide. 'So civilians of conscience have decided to take up the mantle instead and do what they can.' David Cannon, chairman of the Jewish Network for Palestine, stood wearing a sunhat and bore on his shoulder a white banner adorned with a Palestine flag and the name of his organisation. His Jewish upbringing made him proud of Israel, he said, until he realised that the conflict in Gaza has been a 'slow-burn genocide for the last 80 years'. He said: 'Israel is founded on stolen land and stolen lives. It has not only stolen Palestinian land and lives, it has also stolen the identity of Jewish religion. 'So it's vital that there is a Jewish voice saying there is nothing Jewish about apartheid, nothing Jewish about ethnic cleansing, nothing Jewish about genocide. 'The (UK) Government are desperate to stifle free speech which is trying to point out the truth. It's a desperate action and it may well backfire.' Not every protester outside the court building was there in support of Palestine Action. A small group stood across the street, next to several police officers, holding up a blue and white banner that said 'there is no genocide in Gaza'. Mark Birbeck, from the pro-Israel group, called Our Fight, said they do not support the aims of Palestine Action but neither do they support them becoming a proscribed terrorist organisation. Speaking on the street, he said: 'We don't actually support proscribing Palestine Action. 'We don't think they are a terrorist organisation, and in fact our argument is that it makes a mockery of what terrorism is. 'It's bizarre that (the Government) is presenting this as some kind of aggressive step. 'My suspicion is that Palestine Action are going to run rings around them. 'These people know what they are doing. 'I don't agree with them, I don't agree with their politics, but they've been doing this for years. 'Our argument against Palestine Action though is not that they are terrorists, but what we do believe they are doing is trying to claim the moral high ground and effectively they are doing that to isolate Israel.'
South Wales Guardian
33 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
What is a proscribed organisation?
On Thursday the House of Lords backed proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000 without a vote. But what is proscription and what does it mean for an organisation to be proscribed? – What is a proscribed organisation? According to the Government website, under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary may proscribe an organisation if they believe it is concerned in terrorism, and it is proportionate to do so. Under the law this means the organisation commits or takes part in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes or encourages terrorism (including the unlawful glorification of terrorism), or is otherwise concerned in terrorism. Once an organisation is proscribed it is illegal to join or show support for it. – What does terrorism mean when talking about proscription? As defined in the Act, terrorism means the use or threat of action which involves serious violence against a person, involves serious damage to property, endangers a person's life (other than that of the person committing the act), creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or section of the public or is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system. The definition also sets out that the use or threat of such action must be designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public or a section of the public. Additionally, it must be undertaken for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause. – What factors are taken into consideration when determining whether proscription is proportionate? According to the Government website, the Home Secretary will take into account the nature and scale of an organisation's activities, the specific threat that it poses to the country, and the specific threat that it poses to British nationals overseas. The Home Secretary will also consider the extent of the organisation's presence in the UK, and the need to support other members of the international community in the global fight against terrorism. – Which other groups have been designated as proscribed organisations? There are currently 81 international terrorist groups proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 and 14 organisations in Northern Ireland proscribed under previous legislation. The most recent proscription orders concerned Hamas, the Wagner Group, Hizb ut Tahrir and Terrorgram. Other organisations on the list include Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), and various aliases, and al Qaida. – Once an organisation is proscribed, what becomes illegal? It becomes a criminal offence to belong, or profess to belong, to a proscribed organisation in the UK or overseas, or invite support for a proscribed organisation. It is also illegal to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support a proscribed organisation, express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support a proscribed organisation. Other offences include arranging, managing or assisting in arranging or managing a meeting in the knowledge that the meeting is to support or further the activities of a proscribed organisation. It is also an offence to wear clothing or carry or display articles in public in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that the individual is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation, or publish an image of an item of clothing or other article, such as a flag or logo, in the same circumstances. – Once proscribed, will an organisation remain banned forever? No. The Home Secretary will consider deproscription on application only. The law allows any organisation or any person affected by a proscription to submit a signed, written application to the Home Secretary requesting that they consider whether a specified organisation should be removed from the list of proscribed organisations.
