New Gaza talks ‘without any preconditions' underway in Doha: Hamas
DOHA: A senior Hamas official said a new round of indirect negotiations with Israel aimed at ending the war in Gaza started in Doha 'without any preconditions' on Saturday.
The announcement came as Israel's military launched a new Gaza offensive, saying it was part of 'the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip' aimed at defeating the Palestinian group.
'This round of negotiations began without any preconditions from either side, and the negotiations are open to discussing all issues,' said senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu.
'Hamas will present its viewpoint on all issues, especially ending the war, (Israel's) withdrawal and prisoner exchange.'
Israeli strikes kill 146 Palestinians in Gaza in 24 hours, local health authorities say
Prior rounds of negotiations have failed to secure a breakthrough on ending the war, and a two-month ceasefire between the sides fell apart when Israel resumed its operations in Gaza on March 18.
The renewed fighting came after Israel imposed a total aid blockade on the territory that UN agencies warn has created critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz credited the intensified campaign with bringing Hamas back to the table.
'With the opening of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots' in Gaza, which is being led by the IDF (Israeli army) command with great force, the Hamas delegation in Doha announced a return to negotiations on a hostage deal – in contrast to the recalcitrant position they had taken up until that moment,' he said.
Negotiations for the release of the captives held in Gaza have been ongoing, with the latest talks taking place in Doha.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week he had instructed a negotiating team to head to the Qatari capital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Israel army confirms shot Palestinian teen in West Bank
RAMALLAH: Israel's military confirmed on Tuesday it had 'neutralised' a Palestinian who threw rocks in the occupied West Bank, where authorities said the slain victim was 14 years old. In a statement on Monday, the Palestinian Authority announced 'the martyrdom of 14-year-old boy Yousef Fouad Faqha, who was shot by Israeli forces in the town of Sinjil' in the central West Bank. A statement from the local municipality also said Faqha died after being shot by Israeli forces. Asked about the incident, the Israeli military told AFP on Tuesday that during an operation around Sinjil a day earlier, its forces had 'identified a terrorist who had hurled rocks toward a transportation route and thrown two bottles containing hazardous material toward the forces'. 'Immediately after identifying the threat, the forces opened fire and neutralised the terrorist,' it added. Israel army says intercepts Yemen missile after air raid sirens sound The military later confirmed to AFP that the target was Faqha. Sources close to the family said that Israeli authorities were still holding onto the body. In a similar incident in April, a teenager who held US citizenship was shot dead in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, with the Israeli military saying it had killed a 'terrorist' who threw rocks at cars. Sinjil and Turmus Ayya are located next to each other on either side of a main road running through the West Bank. The Israeli military has recently surrounded Sinjil with a large metal fence that cuts the town off from the road. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence there has soared since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians, but also some 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under international law. Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 938 Palestinians – many of them but also scores of civilians – in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 35 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Business Recorder
UN sees ‘alarming' surge in Afghan families deported from Iran
KABUL: The UN on Tuesday voiced concern over a surge in Afghan families deported from Iran, recording a more than two-fold increase in May from the previous month, as the rise in returnees squeeze's Afghanistan's resources. Afghanistan's border points with Iran regularly see a steady stream of Afghans returning forcibly or voluntarily after crossing into the neighbouring country, often seeking work. But in May, there was 'sharp rise in the forced return of Afghan nationals' from Iran, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement. 'Particularly alarming is a significant surge in the number of families being deported – a new and concerning trend, as returnees deported in previous months were predominantly single young men,' it added. The IOM said 15,675 Afghan families had crossed the border from Iran in May compared to 6,879 in April. Islamabad says more than 100,000 Afghans left Pakistan in April The number of Afghan families without legal documentation in Iran returning to Afghanistan last month was three times higher than in May last year, it added. According to the IOM, Iranian officials issued a public statement in late May ordering Afghans without documentation to remain in Iran to leave by July 6, 'potentially affecting up to 4 million people'. Already since January this year, more than 450,000 Afghans have returned from Iran, the IOM said. Iran, which shares a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border with Afghanistan, hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the world, including millions of Afghans who arrived over the past 40 years after fleeing conflict. The spike in returns comes as Afghans have also been pressured to leave Pakistan in droves, with a campaign by Islamabad expelling more than 180,000 Afghans since April. The influx across both borders threatens to strain Afghanistan's already 'fragile reception and reintegration systems', according to the IOM, in a country still recovering from decades of conflict. More than one million Afghans have returned from Pakistan since late 2023, when Islamabad launched the first phase of a plan to remove Afghans amid tensions with the Taliban authorities who swept to power in 2021, particularly over security concerns. Many Afghans had lived in Pakistan for decades after fleeing successive wars and crises. The Taliban authorities – still unrecognised by any other country – have consistently called for Afghans to be allowed a 'dignified' return to Afghanistan. The IOM on Tuesday again called for 'all countries to immediately suspend the forced return of Afghans, regardless of their immigration status, until safe, voluntary, and dignified return conditions are in place'.
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Rescuers say Israeli fire kills at least 27 near Gaza aid point
GAZA CITY: Rescuers said the Israeli military killed at least 27 people near a US-backed aid centre in Gaza on Tuesday, with the army reporting it had fired on 'suspects who advanced toward the troops'. The UN human rights chief condemned such attacks as a 'breach of international law and a war crime', after a similar shooting in the same area on Sunday killed and wounded scores of Palestinians seeking aid, according to the civil defence agency. Tuesday's shooting in the southern city of Rafah came as the agency reported 19 people killed in other Israeli attacks in the territory, and as the Israeli army announced three soldiers had been killed in northern Gaza. 'Twenty-seven people were killed and more than 90 injured in the massacre targeting civilians who were waiting for American aid in the Al-Alam area of Rafah,' said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal, who earlier told AFP the deaths occurred 'when Israeli forces opened fire with tanks and drones'. Israel kills more than 30 Palestinians gathering aid, IDF denies the reports The Al-Alam roundabout is about a kilometre (a little over half a mile) from a centre run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a recently formed group that Israel has worked with to implement a new aid distribution mechanism in the territory. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the group, saying it contravenes humanitarian principles and appears designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The military said a crowd was moving towards the aid centre when troops saw them 'deviating from the designated access routes'. 'The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops,' it said, adding it was 'aware of reports regarding casualties' and was looking into the details. Rania al-Astal, 30, said she had gone to the area with her husband to try to get food. 'The shooting began intermittently around 5:00 am. Every time people approached Al-Alam roundabout, they were fired upon,' she told AFP. 'But people didn't care and rushed forward all at once – that's when the army began firing heavily.' 'Unacceptable' Witness Mohammed al-Shaer, 44, said at first 'the Israeli army fired shots into the air, then began shooting directly at the people'. 'A helicopter and quadcopters (drones) started firing at the crowd to prevent them from approaching the tank barrier. There were injuries and deaths,' he told AFP. Gaza aid system under pressure as thousands seek food 'I didn't reach the centre, and we didn't get any food.' The army maintained it was 'not preventing the arrival of Gazan civilians to the humanitarian aid distribution sites'. GHF said the operations at its site went ahead safely on Tuesday, but added it was aware the military was 'investigating whether a number of civilians were injured'. 'This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and operations area,' it added, advising 'all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when travelling to our distribution sites'. Sunday's shooting also took place at the Al-Alam roundabout as people congregated before heading to the aid centre, rescuers and witnesses said. The civil defence agency reported 31 people killed and 176 wounded. A military source later acknowledged 'warning shots were fired towards several suspects' about a kilometre from the aid site. UN chief Antonio Guterres urged an independent investigation into that shooting, calling it 'unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food'. 'Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable,' UN human rights chief Volker Turk said after Tuesday's deaths. 'Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime.' Soldiers killed Israel has come under mounting pressure to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where people are facing severe shortages after Israel imposed a more than two-month blockade on supplies. The blockade was recently eased, but the aid community has urged Israel to allow in more food, faster. The US-backed GHF has opened a handful of aid distribution centres in southern and central Gaza, and says it has distributed more than seven million meals' worth of food. The Israeli army said three of its soldiers had been killed in combat in northern Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed in the territory since the start of the conflict to 424. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 4,240 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,510,mostly civilians.
