Israeli PM's Office: Netanyahu 'Successfully Underwent Routine Colonoscopy'
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the 75-year-old premier "successfully underwent a routine colonoscopy" at a hospital in Jerusalem on Friday.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu successfully underwent a routine colonoscopy this morning at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem," a statement from his office said.
It comes after the United States said Thursday Israel had approved a new Gaza ceasefire proposal submitted to Hamas, but the Palestinian militant group said it failed to satisfy its demands.
Netanyahu's government has hit back at growing international pressure over the war in Gaza, the deadliest fighting in decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
The war has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, Palestinian health authorities say, more than in any other of the countless rounds of fighting between the two sides.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
28 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Hamas says it has submitted response on Witkoff's Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators
Hamas said on Saturday it had responded to a ceasefire proposal presented by US President Donald Trump 's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to mediators and included a demand for an end to the war, which had previously been a red line for Israel. The Palestinian group said in a statement that under the deal, it will release ten living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel's release of a number of Palestinian prisoners, comments in line with Witkoff's proposal. The Hamas statement added: 'This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip.' It said its response came 'after conducting a round of national consultations.' The statement did not mention that it was seeking any changes in the proposal, but a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told Reuters that Hamas sought some amendments while its response was positive. The Israeli Prime Minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli media reported earlier this week that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted the deal presented by Witkoff. The prime minister's office declined to comment at the time. Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March. Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all 58 hostages still held in Gaza before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack in its south on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and has left the enclave in ruins.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Hungry Palestinians in Gaza block and offload dozens of UN food trucks
TEL AVIV: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks, the UN World Food Program said Saturday, as desperation mounts following Israel's monthslong blockade and airstrikes while talks of a ceasefire inch forward. The WFP said that 77 trucks carrying aid, mostly flour, were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the trucks were able to reach their destination. A nearly three-month Israeli blockade on Gaza has pushed the population to the brink of famine. While the pressure slightly eased in recent days as Israel allowed some aid to enter, organizations say there still isn't nearly enough food getting in. Hamas on Friday said it was reviewing a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire. US President Donald Trump said that negotiators were nearing a deal. A ceasefire would pause the fighting for 60 days, release some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The WFP said the fear of starvation in Gaza is high despite the food aid that's entering now. 'We need to flood communities with food for the next few days to calm anxieties and rebuild the trust with communities that more food is coming,' said agency said in a statement. A witness in the southern city of Khan Younis told The Associated Press the UN convoy was stopped at a makeshift roadblock and offloaded by desperate civilians in their thousands. Most people carried bags of flour on their backs or heads. He said at one point a forklift was used to offload pallets from the stranded trucks. The witness spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal. The United Nations said earlier this month that Israeli authorities have forced them to use unsecured routes within areas controlled by the Israeli military in the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis, where armed gangs are active and trucks were stopped. Israel's military didn't immediately respond to comment. Attacks, gangs, lack of protection hamper UN distribution An internal document shared with aid groups about security incidents, seen by the AP, said there were four incidents of facilities being looted in three days at the end of May, not including the convoy on Saturday. The UN says it's been unable to get enough aid in because of fighting. On Friday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said it only picked up five truckloads of cargo from the Palestinian side of the Kareem Shalom crossing, and the other 60 trucks had to return due to intense hostilities in the area. An Israeli official said his country has offered the UN logistical and operational support but 'the UN is not doing their job.' Instead, a new U.S- and Israeli-backed foundation started operations in Gaza this week, distributing food at several sites in a chaotic rollout. Israel says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will replace the massive aid operation that the UN and others have carried out throughout the war. It says the new mechanism is necessary, accusing Hamas of siphoning off large amounts of aid. The UN denies that significant diversion takes place. The GHF works with armed contractors, which is says is needed to distribute food safely. Aid groups have accused the foundation of militarizing aid.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syrian Kurdish Commander in Touch with Türkiye, Open to Meeting Erdogan
The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Türkiye and that he would be open to improving ties, including by meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The public comments represented a significant diplomatic overture by Mazloum Abdi, whose Syrian Democratic Forces fought Turkish troops and Ankara-backed Syrian opposition during Syria's 14-year civil war. Türkiye has said the main Kurdish group at the core of the SDF is indistinguishable from the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which decided earlier this month to disband after 40 years of conflict with Türkiye. Abdi told regional broadcaster Shams TV in an interview aired on Friday that his group was in touch with Türkiye, without saying how long the communication channels had been open. "We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Türkiye, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed," Abdi said. There was no immediate comment from Türkiye on Abdi's remarks, according to Reuters. He noted his forces and Turkish fighters "fought long wars against each other" but that a temporary truce had brought a halt to those clashes for the last two months. Abdi said he hoped the truce could become permanent. When asked whether he was planning to meet Erdogan, Abdi said he had no current plans to do so but "I am not opposed... We are not in a state of war with Türkiye and in the future, ties could be developed between us. We're open to this." The Al-Monitor news website reported on Friday that Türkiye had proposed a meeting between Abdi and a top Turkish official, possibly Türkiye's foreign minister or its intelligence chief. A Turkish diplomatic source denied the report, saying "the claims about Türkiye and our country's authorities" in the story were "not true", without elaborating. In December, Türkiye and the SDF agreed on a US-mediated ceasefire after fighting broke out as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Abdi in March signed a deal with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to incorporate the semi-autonomous administration of northeast Syria into the main state institutions based in Damascus. On Thursday, Erdogan accused the SDF of "stalling" implementation of that deal. In the interview, Abdi denied accusations that the SDF was in contact with Israel. "People have accused us of this. In this interview, I am saying publicly that we have no ties with Israel," he said. But he said his group supported good ties with Syria's neighbours. When asked if that included Israel, Abdi responded, "with everyone."
