Israel and Syria agree to ceasefire, US envoy says after days of airstrikes amid mounting tensions
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack revealed on Friday the two countries agreed to a ceasefire supported by Turkey, Jordan and neighbours.
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On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying that Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze - part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.
"We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity," Barrack said in a post on X.
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BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
'The hardest time I have lived through': BBC's Gaza freelance journalists on struggle to feed families
Three trusted freelance Palestinian journalists whom the BBC relies on for its Gaza coverage have shared how they are now struggling to feed their families and often go two days or more without of the men have kept their cameras running, sending us vital footage, even on days when their close relatives have been killed, they have lost their homes, or have been fleeing from Israeli military advances with their was previously badly wounded by shrapnel from an Israeli bombing while on assignment. But he says the current time is "the hardest time I have lived through since I was born. It's a huge crisis of suffering and deprivation."Global food security experts have not yet classified the situation in Gaza as a famine, but UN agencies have warned of man-made, mass starvation taking have blamed Israel, which controls all supplies entering the Palestinian territory, but it has denied responsibility. We have agreed not to identify our colleagues by name out of consideration for their tell us that not being able to provide for the youngest and most vulnerable of their loved ones is most difficult of all."My son who has autism is unaware of what is going on around him. He doesn't know that we are in a war and he doesn't speak," says one of our cameramen in Gaza City, who is a father-of-four."In recent days, he's so hungry that he's started hitting his stomach with his hand to signal to us that he wants food."Our youngest colleague, who is in southern Gaza, is the main breadwinner for his parents and siblings."I am constantly wondering how to get food for my family," he tells us. "My little sister, who's 13, keeps on asking for food and water and we can't get any for her. Any water we find will be contaminated." The BBC has released a joint statement with other media organisations saying it is "desperately concerned" about the wellbeing of local freelance journalists that it works with in Gaza."For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering," says the statement by the BBC and AFP, AP and Reuters news current conditions make telling the story of what is happening even more challenging. "I feel tired and exhausted all the time, to the point of dizziness and falling to the ground," says a veteran journalist who now works with us in Gaza City and is looking after his mother, sisters and five children aged two to says he has lost 30kg (4st 7lbs) in 21 months of war."I used to complete most news reports with great speed, but now I am slow in finishing them due to my poor health and psychological state," he tells us. "Delirium and fatigue accompanies me.""I can't describe the feeling," says our southern Gaza cameraman. "My stomach twists in knots, and I have a headache, add to that being emaciated and weak. I used to work from 07:00 until 22:00 but now I can barely do one story. I just feel dizzy."Recently, he collapsed during filming but later resumed his work. While food shortages have been a constant issue during the war, previously those receiving salaries from outside could still buy basic supplies albeit at exorbitant prices on local markets. Now even those markets are largely empty."I've reached the point of taking food from the charity kitchen. In recent days, this has meant my kids have been eating one meal a day - just limited foodstuffs like lentils, rice and pasta," says the Gaza City journalist with four small of the men say they have taken to drinking water with a little salt to try to suppress their hunger. One says he can sometimes buy a 50g biscuit for his daily meal but this costs 30 shekels ($9; £6.60).Getting hold of money is an ordeal in itself. It now involves using money merchants."If I need cash, it's mostly not available, but when it is, it's accompanied by a withdrawal fee of 45%," explains one Gaza City cameraman. "That means that if I go to withdraw $1,000, I will get only $550. The whole process is exhausting and any vendors nowadays demand cash.""The difficulty is because of the closure of the banks. These money transfers are another form of suffering after our hunger," our colleague in southern Gaza adds. In the past, Israeli-accredited BBC journalists like myself were able to travel regularly to Gaza to report, even during since the start of the war on 7 October 2023, Israel along with Egypt - when its Rafah crossing was still open - has prevented foreign journalists from accessing the territory except on limited embeds with the Israeli army."We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza," the BBC and other news organisations said in their week, 28 countries including the UK released a joint statement saying: "The war in Gaza must end now." They called for Israel to comply with its obligations under international law and stop the "drip feeding" of Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies and rights groups stated that "with supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes."The news organisations noted that: "Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them."They added: "It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people [in Gaza]."For now, our own colleagues are battling to get through each day, balancing their responsibilities to their families with their desire to tell the world about the extraordinary difficulties their people are living through."It's currently catastrophic. Hunger has reached every home," one told us. "This is like a suspended death sentence."
Telegraph
23 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Israel-Hamas negotiations collapse
Talks to end the war in Gaza have collapsed, bringing to an end the longest round of negotiations since the war started in October 2023. On Thursday afternoon, Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it had decided to withdraw its team from Qatar after studying Hamas's latest response to its proposals. The fresh negotiations were instigated in part due to significant pressure from Donald Trump, the US president, to reach a deal, following the perceived success of the Iran offensive in June. In recent days, leaks have suggested that the two sides were at loggerheads over the extent to which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from Gaza once a ceasefire began, and also how aid would be distributed. It comes as the humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating, with aid agencies warning of starvation and people 'collapsing' in the street. Both sides are facing huge pressure at home and abroad to reach a deal. Sources said Hamas still wants guarantees – despite guarantees from the White House – that Israel would not start fighting again after a 60-day initial ceasefire elapsed. The breakdown comes ahead of a huge protest in Tel Aviv calling on the Israeli government to end the war and secure the release of the remaining hostages. Around 20 are believed to be alive. An official in Mr Netanyahu's office said: 'In light of the response that Hamas gave this morning, it has been decided to return the negotiating team to continue consultations in Israel. We appreciate the efforts of the mediators Qatar and Egypt and the efforts of envoy Witkoff to bring about a breakthrough in the talks.' Another senior official said: 'Negotiations will continue, but there are serious differences and we face difficult decisions.' The statement came as Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump's Middle East envoy, held talks with Ron Dermer, Mr Netanyahu's right-hand man, and the Qatari prime minister in Sardinia. It prompted hope in Israel that a way forward could still be found, despite the lack of progress in Doha. Mr Trump is known to be impatient for the war to end. One Israeli source told Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster, that the momentum of negotiations remained 'positive' and that the withdrawal of the negotiators did not signify a total collapse of dialogue. However, another source said the talks were at an impasse. Axios reported sources as saying that Hamas was insisting on the release of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 200 serving life sentences, in return for the hostages. Earlier in the week, it had been reported that the sides had agreed on a lower number. Israeli sources said officials had told Mr Witkoff that Hamas's demands were 'unacceptable', but that they are not necessarily final. Dependent in his coalition on ultra-nationalist ministers who want to take over Gaza with Jewish settlements, Mr Netanyahu has been accused of continuing the war despite reported warnings from his generals that the military rationale is wearing thin.
The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Far-right Israeli politicians and settlers discuss luxury ‘Gaza riviera' plan
A group of far-right Israeli politicians and settlers met in parliament this week to discuss a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza, annex the territory and turn it into a hi-tech, luxury resort city for Israelis. The scheme, titled 'The master plan for settlement in the Gaza Strip', envisions the construction of 850,000 housing units, construction of hi-tech 'smart cities' that trade cryptocurrency and a metro system that runs across the territory. It took its inspiration from an idea shared by the US president, Donald Trump, in February, where he pledged to turn Gaza into the 'Riviera of the Middle East'. 'The right of the people of Israel to settle, develop and preserve this land is not just a historical right – it is a national and security obligation,' the text of the plan said, boasting of economic benefits that it would bring to Israel. The plan, seen by the Guardian, would require Gaza's existing population of about 2 million to be emptied out. Legal experts warn that forcible displacement on such a grand scale would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing. 'This is a plan for ethnic cleansing. Under international law, this would amount to a crime against humanity because deportation is a war crime when committed on a small scale and a crime against humanity when it is committed on a massive scale,' said Michael Sfard, one of Israel's leading human rights lawyers. The plan was discussed on Tuesday in the Knesset during a conference called 'The Riviera in Gaza: From Vision to Reality'. Among the speakers was the minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, and the settler activist Daniella Weiss. The conference drew criticism from other politicians, including Gilad Kariv from the Democrats party, who accused Smotrich of calling for war crimes to be committed. Weiss told the Guardian over the phone: 'Gazans will not remain there. They will go to other countries. Supporters of Hamas we will fight. But those who want to live a normal life, they will have to leave Gaza because of the 7 October attack.' Palestinians would be relocated to Egypt and other unspecified 'African countries', she added. Weiss said that she had a list of 1,000 Israeli families who had signed up already to live on land in Gaza, once Palestinian residents were pushed away. 'My plan is to make [Gaza] paradise, to make it Singapore,' she said. Weiss represents a small, but increasingly influential group of radical settlers within Israel who seek to illegally occupy the Gaza Strip. Their calls to create Israeli settlements have grown stronger after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack which killed about 1,200 people and the Israeli war in Gaza which has killed more than 60,000 so far. The war in Gaza has levelled much of the strip and destroyed basic civilian infrastructure and most cities. The Gaza riviera plan would build luxury resorts on the ruins of Gaza, once Israel stopped bombing it. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has denied any plans to resettle residents of Gaza, though his defence minister, Israel Katz, has suggested transferring residents into a so-called 'humanitarian city' in southern Gaza. Legal experts have called the plan a blueprint for crimes against humanity and the Israeli military itself pushed back on the idea, which it said would be a security nightmare. Trump has also floated the idea of expelling the population of Gaza, suggesting at one point that neighbouring Jordan take in those displaced. Trump suggested that the US could assume control over Gaza to 'develop' the strip – which drew the ire of rights organisations across the world. As the conference was held, Gaza's starvation crisis continued to worsen. At least 113 people have died of hunger in Gaza, 45 of whom died over the last four days, health authorities said. Aid organisations have blamed Israel's virtual blockade of aid into the strip for the growing levels of extreme hunger. Human rights experts said the suggestion of displacing Gaza's residents inside and outside the territory should not be viewed in isolation. Rather, this is part and parcel of a displacement policy. 'When an occupying power creates a coercive environment by, for instance, withholding food, and that coercive environment leaves no choice to the civilian population but to move, then this can amount to the war crime of forced displacement,' said Janina Dill, the co-director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict.
