US says Israel accepts Gaza ceasefire plan; Hamas studying deal
WASHINGTON: Israel has agreed to a US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, the White House said on Thursday (May 29), and Hamas said it was reviewing the plan, although its terms did not meet the group's demands.
As a US-backed system for distributing food aid in the shattered enclave expanded, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted a deal presented by US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Netanyahu's office did not confirm the reports, but White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington that Israel had signed off on the proposal. She did not detail its contents.
But the New York Times quoted an Israeli official familiar with the proposal as saying the initial phase would include a 60-day ceasefire and humanitarian aid flowing through UN-run operations.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it was studying the proposal, and senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group was still discussing it.
But Abu Zuhri said its terms echoed Israel's position and do not contain commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or admit aid as Hamas has demanded.
Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March after only two months.
Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely and be dismantled as a military and governing force and that all 58 hostages still held in Gaza must be returned 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.
AID EFFORT EXPANDS
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private group backed by the United States and endorsed by Israel, expanded its aid distribution to a third site on Thursday.
Heavily criticised by the United Nations and other aid groups as inadequate and flawed, the group's operation began this week in Gaza, where the UN has said 2 million people are at risk of famine after Israel's 11-week blockade on aid entering the enclave.
The aid launch was marred by tumultuous scenes on Tuesday when thousands of Palestinians rushed distribution points and forced private security contractors to retreat.
The chaotic start to the operation has raised international pressure on Israel to get more food in and halt the fighting in Gaza. GHF has so far supplied about 1.8 million meals and plans to open more sites in the coming weeks.
Witkoff told reporters on Wednesday that Washington was close to "sending out a new term sheet" about a ceasefire to the two sides in the conflict that has raged since October 2023.
"I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict," Witkoff said then.
Israel has come under increasing international pressure, with many European countries that have normally been reluctant to criticise it openly demanding an end to the war and a major relief effort.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the devastating Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Faishal Ibrahim 'agrees with' ex-Israeli PM that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza
SINGAPORE: Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim said on Saturday (May 31) that he agreed with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert's view that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. Mr Olmert was Israel's prime minister between 2006 and 2009, and was succeeded by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the country's current leader. He had penned an opinion piece for Israeli news outlet Haaretz titled "Enough Is Enough. Israel Is Committing War Crimes". Associate Professor Faishal said: "I have often shared my views about the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert himself has said Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. "It pains me to say this, considering Israel's contributions to Singapore in our early years. But I think we need to be frank. I fear an increasing number of people worldwide will agree with Mr Olmert, including myself." "DEEPLY PAINFUL" SITUATION "In recent years, the focus in the Middle East has been Palestine," Assoc Prof Faishal said, adding: "The situation there, especially in Gaza, is deeply painful. The suffering of the Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, including children, is unbearable." Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday that Israel may be breaching international law by restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza. In a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Wong said that Israel's response to the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, had "gone too far" and that its actions had caused a "terrible humanitarian disaster". "In our opinion, it may even be a likely breach of international humanitarian law. So it cannot be justified," he said. Assoc Prof Faishal said: "(Mr Wong) said plainly that Israel has gone too far in its actions. "In particular, the restrictions it has imposed on the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza are completely unacceptable. In the opinion of the Singapore government, Israel's actions are likely to be in breach of international humanitarian law." Assoc Prof Faishal also noted that the government had joined other countries in strongly urging an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilian lives, the return of hostages and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid. He added that he was "thankful that leaders like Madam Halimah Yacob have spoken about the crisis in Gaza and have helped all Singaporeans think of the tragedy with compassion and grace".
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israel threatens Hamas with 'annihilation' as Trump says Gaza ceasefire close
Palestinians seeking aid gather near an aid distribution site in Rafah on May 27. PHOTO: REUTERS Israel threatens Hamas with 'annihilation' as Trump says Gaza ceasefire close Gaza City - Israel on May 30 said Hamas must accept a hostage deal in Gaza or 'be annihilated', as US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire agreement was 'very close'. It came amid dire conditions on the ground, with the United Nations warning that Gaza's entire population was at risk of famine. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas must agree to a ceasefire proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff or be destroyed, after the Palestinian militant group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands. 'The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the 'Witkoff Deal' for the release of the hostages – or be annihilated.' Israel has repeatedly said that the destruction of Hamas was a key aim of the war. Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war in Gaza have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in March following a short-lived truce. In the United States, Mr Trump told reporters 'they're very close to an agreement on Gaza', adding: 'We'll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow.' Food shortages in Gaza persist, with aid only trickling in after the partial lifting by Israel of a more than two-month blockade. Mr Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, called Gaza 'the hungriest place on Earth'. 'It's the only defined area – a country or defined territory within a country – where you have the entire population at risk of famine,' he said. Later, the UN condemned the 'looting of large quantities of medical equipment' and other supplies 'intended for malnourished children' from one of its Gaza warehouses by armed individuals. Aid groups have warned that desperation for food and medicine among Gazans was causing security to deteriorate. 'Crusade' against Israel Israel has doubled down on its settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, while defying calls from French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders for a two-state solution. This week Israel announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the Palestinian territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967. London said the move was a 'deliberate obstacle' to Palestinian statehood while Egypt called it 'a provocative and blatant new violation of international law and Palestinian rights'. The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which includes Egypt, also condemned Israel's decision. On May 30, Mr Katz vowed to build a 'Jewish Israeli state' in the West Bank. Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory are considered illegal under international law and seen as a major obstacle to a lasting peace in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr Katz framed the move as a direct rebuke to Mr Macron and others pushing for recognition of a Palestinian state. Mr Macron on May 30 said that recognition of a Palestinian state, with some conditions, was 'not only a moral duty, but a political necessity'. Israel's foreign ministry accused the French president of undertaking a 'crusade against the Jewish state'. Separately, a diplomatic source told AFP that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan would make the first visit of its kind to the West Bank on June 1. 'Children in pieces' The White House announced on May 29 that Israel had 'signed off' on a new ceasefire proposal submitted to Hamas. The Palestinian group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands, but stopped short of rejecting it outright, saying it was 'holding consultations' on the proposal. Palestinians check the site of an overnight Israeli strike, in Jabalia in the central Gaza Strip, on May 30. PHOTO: AFP Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP that at least 45 people had been killed in Israeli attacks on May 30, including seven in a strike targeting a family home in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinians sobbed over the bodies of their loved ones at Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital following the strike, AFPTV footage showed. 'These were civilians and were sleeping at their homes,' said neighbour Mahmud al-Ghaf, describing 'children in pieces'. Palestinians carry the bodies of members of the Azzam family who were killed in Jabalia on May 29. PHOTO: AFP The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but said separately that the air force had hit 'dozens of targets' across Gaza over the past day. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on May 30 that at least 4,058 people had been killed since Israel resumed operations on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,321, mostly civilians. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
12 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Conditions in Gaza are catastrophic despite renewed aid, UN says, World News
UNITED NATIONS -The situation in Gaza is the worst since the war between Israel and Hamas militants began 19-months ago, the United Nations said on Friday (May 30), despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave where famine looms. Under growing global pressure, Israel ended an 11-week long blockade on Gaza 12 days ago, allowing limited UN-led operations to resume. Then on Monday, a controversial new avenue for aid distribution was also launched - the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the United States and Israel. "Any aid that gets into the hands of people who need it is good," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. But, he added, the aid deliveries so far overall have had "very, very little impact." "The catastrophic situation in Gaza is the worst since the war began," he said. The UN and international aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians. Israel ultimately wants the UN to work through the GHF, which is using private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution by civilian teams at so-called secure distribution sites. However, Israel will allow aid deliveries "for the immediate future" via both the UN and the GHF operations, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said this week. GHF said on Friday that it has so far managed to distribute more than 2.1 million meals. Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies. The war in Gaza has raged since 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Looting, access The UN says that in the past 12 days it has only managed to transport some 200 truckloads of aid into Gaza, hindered by insecurity and Israeli access restrictions. It was not immediately clear how much of that aid reached those in need. It said some trucks and a World Food Programme warehouse have also been looted by desperate, hungry people. UN officials have also criticised Israeli limitations on what kind of aid they can provide. "Israeli authorities have not allowed us to bring in a single ready-to-eat meal. The only food permitted has been flour for bakeries. Even if allowed in unlimited quantities, which it hasn't been, it wouldn't amount to a complete diet for anyone," said Eri Kaneko, UN humanitarian affairs spokesperson. Some of recipients of GHF aid said the packages include some rice, flour, canned beans, pasta, olive oil, biscuits and sugar. Under a complex process, Israel inspects and clears aid shipments, which are then transported to the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. There the aid is offloaded and then reloaded on to other trucks for transport to warehouses in Gaza. Several hundred more truckloads of aid currently await UN collection from the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom. [[nid:694190]] "More aid would actually get to the people if you would collect the aid waiting for you by the crossings," COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, said to the UN in a posting on X on Friday. However, the UN said that on Tuesday the Israeli military denied all its requests to access Kerem Shalom to pick up the aid. And on Thursday, when 65 trucks of aid managed to leave the crossing, all but five turned back due to intense fighting. Five trucks of medical aid managed to reach the warehouses of a field hospital, but "a group of armed individuals stormed the warehouses... looting large quantities of medical equipment, supplies, medicines and nutritional supplements that was intended for malnourished children," Dujarric said. Ceasefire proposal Israel says it has been facilitating all aid deliveries. COGAT said this week that since the war 1.8 million tonnes of aid, including 1.3 million tonnes of food, had reached Gaza. A US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the conflict - accepted by Israel and currently being considered by Hamas - would see humanitarian aid delivered by the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other agreed channels. During a two-month ceasefire, which ended when Israel resumed its military operation in March, the UN said it got 600-700 trucks of aid a day into Gaza. It has stressed then when people know there is a steady flow of aid, the looting subsides. "To prevent chaos, aid must flow in steadily," Corinne Fleischer, the UN World Food Programme's Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe director, posted on X on Thursday. "When people know food is coming, desperation turns to calm."
