First session of indirect Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks ended inconclusively, Palestinian sources say
The talks resumed on Sunday, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's third visit to the White House since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to power nearly six months ago.
"After the first session of indirect negotiations in Doha, the Israeli delegation is not sufficiently authorized and is not authorized to reach an agreement with Hamas, as it has no real powers", the sources told Reuters.
Netanyahu said, before his departure to Washington, that Israeli negotiators taking part in the ceasefire talks have clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions that Israel has accepted.
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The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
With sanctions lifted, Syria looks to solar power as more than a patchwork fix to its energy crisis
Abdulrazak al-Jenan swept the dust off his solar panel on his apartment roof overlooking Damascus. Syria's largest city was mostly pitch-black, the few speckles of light coming from the other households able to afford solar panels, batteries, or private generators. Al-Jenan went thousands of dollars in debt to buy his solar panel in 2019. It was an expensive coping mechanism at the time, but without it, he couldn't charge his phone and run the refrigerator. Syria has not had more than four hours of state electricity per day for years, as a result of the nearly 14-year civil war that ended with the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in December. Syria's new leaders are hoping renewable energy will now become more than a patchwork solution. Investment is beginning to return to the country with the lifting of U.S. sanctions, and major energy projects are planned, including an industrial-scale solar farm that would secure about a tenth of the country's energy needs. 'The solution to the problem isn't putting solar panels on roofs,' Syria's interim Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir told The Associated Press. 'It's securing enough power for the families through our networks in Syria. This is what we're trying to do.' Restoring the existing energy infrastructure Some of the efforts focus on simply repairing infrastructure destroyed in the war. The World Bank recently announced a $146 million grant to help Syria repair damaged transmission lines and transformer substations. Al-Bashir said Syria's infrastructure that has been repaired can provide 5,000 megawatts, about half the country's needs, but fuel and gas shortages have hampered generation. With the sanctions lifted, that supply could come in soon. More significantly, Syria recently signed a $7 billion energy deal with a consortium of Qatari, Turkish, and American companies. The program over the next three and a half years would develop four combined-cycle gas turbines with a total generating capacity estimated at approximately 4,000 megawatts and a 1,000-megawatt solar farm. This would 'broadly secure the needs' of Syrians, said Al-Bashir. While Syria is initially focusing on fixing its existing fossil fuel infrastructure to improve quality of life, help make businesses functional again, and entice investors, the U.N. Development Program said in May that a renewable energy plan will be developed in the next year for the country. The plan will look at Syria's projected energy demand and determine how much of it can come from renewable sources. 'Given the critical role of energy in Syria's recovery, we have to rapidly address energy poverty and progressively accelerate the access to renewable energy,' Sudipto Mukerjee, UNDP's resident representative in Syria, said in a statement announcing the plan. Sanctions crippled the power grid While the war caused significant damage to Syria's infrastructure, crippling Washington-led sanctions imposed during the Assad dynasty's decades of draconian rule made it impossible for Syria to secure fuel and spare parts to generate power. 'Many companies over the past period would tell us the sanctions impact matters like imports, implementing projects, transferring funds and so on,' al-Bashir said. During a visit to Turkey in May, the minister said Syria could only secure about 1700 megawatts, a little less than 20%, of its energy needs. A series of executive orders by U.S. President Donald Trump lifted many sanctions on Syria, aiming to end the country's isolation from the global banking system so that it can become viable again and rebuild itself. The United Nations estimates the civil war caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damages and economic losses across the country. Some 90% of Syrians live in poverty. Buying solar panels, private generators or other means of producing their own energy has been out of reach for most of the population. 'Any kind of economic recovery needs a functional energy sector,' said Joseph Daher, Syrian-Swiss economist and researcher, who said that stop-gap measures like solar panels and private generators were luxuries only available to a few who could afford it. 'There is also a need to diminish the cost of electricity in Syria, which is one of the most expensive in the region.' Prices for electricity in recent years surged as the country under its former rulers struggled with currency inflation and rolling back on subsidies. The new officials who inherited the situation say that lifting sanctions will help them rectify the country's financial and economic woes, and provide sufficient and affordable electricity as soon as they can. 'The executive order lifts most of the obstacles for political and economic investment with Syria," said Qutaiba Idlibi, who leads the Americas section of the Foreign Ministry. Syria has been under Washington-led sanctions for decades, but designations intensified during the war that started in 2011. Even with some waivers for humanitarian programs, it was difficult to bring in resources and materials to fix Syria's critical infrastructure — especially electricity — further compounding the woes of the vast majority of Syrians, who live in poverty. The focus is economic recovery The removal of sanctions signals to U.S. businesses that Trump is serious in his support for Syria's recovery, Idlibi said. 'Right now, we have a partnership with the United States as any normal country would do," he said. Meanwhile, Al-Jenan is able to turn on both his fans on a hot summer day while he watches the afternoon news on TV, as the temperature rises to 35 degrees Celsius (95 F). He doesn't want to let go of his solar panel but hopes the lifting of sanctions will eventually bring sustainable state electricity across the country. 'We can at least know what's going on in the country and watch on TV,' he said. 'We really were cut off from the entire world.' ___ Chehayeb reported from Beirut.
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
Israel's campaign to destroy the Houthis has intensified
Last night, Israeli fighter jets struck multiple military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in Yemen, marking one of the most expansive and targeted responses to date. Among the sites hit were the ports of Al Hudaydah, Ras Isa, and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. The IDF confirmed that the Galaxy Leader, a commercial vessel seized by the Houthis in November 2023 and repurposed for terrorist use, was also among the targets struck. The Israeli military described the operation as a direct and forceful response to the repeated missile and drone attacks launched by the Houthis against Israeli territory. The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia operating from northern Yemen, have fired dozens of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and armed drones at Israel since the outbreak of the war with Hamas on 7 October 2023. While many of these threats have been intercepted, several have reached Israeli territory, causing injuries, disruption, and, on at least one occasion, loss of life. This latest operation represents a new phase in Israel's strategy, directly confronting the Houthis' ability to launch long-range attacks and to use civilian infrastructure, including ports and energy facilities, for military purposes. The Israeli Air Force acted on intelligence gathered by the IDF Intelligence Directorate and the Israeli Navy, which revealed that these sites were being exploited for weapons transfers from Iran and for launching attacks against both Israeli territory and international maritime traffic. The campaign follows a sustained pattern of escalation by the Houthis. On 19 July last year, a Houthi drone struck an apartment building in Tel Aviv, killing one civilian and injuring several others. On 4 May this year, a ballistic missile fired from Yemen landed within the perimeter of Ben Gurion Airport, injuring eight and halting operations. A subsequent missile was intercepted over the same area days later, triggering renewed alarm and calls for a robust Israeli response. The Houthis have also conducted a campaign of maritime disruption in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait. More than 100 vessels have been attacked using a mix of drones, missiles, naval mines, and armed assaults. At least two commercial ships have been sunk, four civilian sailors killed, and one vessel, the Galaxy Leader, was hijacked and held for months, then turned into what Israel now identifies as a platform for terror activity. The most recent Houthi maritime assault, on 6 July, targeted the Magic Seas, a Greek-owned cargo vessel. The Houthis launched a coordinated, multi-pronged attack involving drones, missiles, and small arms fire, forcing the crew to abandon ship. Though the vessel had no verifiable Israeli link, the Houthis claimed responsibility, continuing their pattern of indiscriminate aggression under the guise of 'resistance'. Israel's 60 retaliatory strikes last night were as much strategic as symbolic. They targeted not only military infrastructure but also the logistical arteries that enable Iran's proxy war from Yemen. By striking at the Ras Kanatib power station and three key ports used to transfer weapons from Iran to the Houthis, Israel aimed to degrade the group's operational capacity and to send a clear message: use of civilian infrastructure for terrorist activity will not be tolerated. These events unfold against the backdrop of Israel's broader regional campaign against Iranian proxies. Over the past year, Israel has conducted a series of high-impact operations, including most recently its impressive strikes inside Iran, damaging key facilities in its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Before that 12 day war, it also succeeded in undermining Hezbollah's operational capabilities through targeted assassinations, the disruption of supply routes in Lebanon, and the destruction of weapons stockpiles. In Syria, Israeli strikes rolled back Iran's efforts to establish a permanent military presence, dismantling command centres and ensuring the post-Assad regime could not rely on nearly as much capability against Israel. Israel's coordinated and multifront campaign to neutralise the threats posed by Iran's regional network, from Gaza and southern Lebanon to Syria, Iraq, and now Yemen, continues relentlessly. It has restored its military deterrence in the region, and continues to send a clear message to its hostile neighbours. Now it seems it is the turn of the Houthis, once viewed as a distant menace, to discover Israel's determination to eliminate its greatest threats.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Cautious optimism for Gaza ceasefire breakthrough as Netanyahu visits US
After 21 months of war, there are growing hopes of a new Gaza ceasefire announcement as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump in previously told reporters he had been "very firm" with Netanyahu about ending the conflict and that he thought "we'll have a deal" this week."We are working to achieve the deal that has been discussed, under the conditions we have agreed," the veteran Israeli PM said before boarding his plane. "I believe that the conversation with President Trump can definitely help advance this outcome, which we all hope for."Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on a US-sponsored proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and hostage release deal resumed in Qatar on Sunday it is unclear whether key differences that have consistently held up an agreement can be overcome. Only cautious optimism is being expressed by weary Palestinians living in dire conditions amid continuing daily Israeli bombardment, and the distressed families of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas."I don't wish for a truce but a complete stop to all war. Frankly, I'm afraid that after 60 days the war would restart again," says Nabil Abu Dayah, who fled from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza to Gaza City with his children and grandchildren."We got so tired of displacement, we got tired of thirst and hunger, from living in tents. When it comes to life's necessities, we have zero."On Saturday evening, large rallies took place urging Israel's government to seal a deal to return some 50 hostages from Gaza, up to 20 of whom are believed to be relatives questioned why the framework deal would not free all captives immediately."How does one survive under such conditions? I'm waiting for Evyatar to return and tell me himself," said Ilay David, whose younger brother, a musician, was filmed by Hamas in torment as he watched fellow hostages being released earlier this year during the last, two-month-long ceasefire."This is the time to save lives. This is the time to rescue the bodies from the threat of disappearance," Ilay told a crowd in Jerusalem."In the rapidly changing reality of the Middle East, this is the moment to sign a comprehensive agreement that will lead to the release of all the hostages, every single one, without exception." Netanyahu is visiting the White House for the third time since Trump returned to power nearly six months the leaders will be meeting for the first time since the US joined Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and then brokered a ceasefire between Israel and is a strong sense that the recent 12-day war has created more favourable circumstances to end the Gaza months of low popularity ratings, the Israeli PM has been bolstered by broad public support for the Iran offensive and analysts suggest he now has more leverage to agree to a peace deal over the strong objections of his far-right coalition partners, who want Israel to remain in control of is seen to have been further weakened by the strikes on Iran - a key regional patron - meaning it could also be more amenable to making concessions needed to reach an Trump is keen to move on to other priorities in the Middle include brokering border talks between Israel and Syria, returning to efforts to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and completing unfinished business with Iran, involving possible negotiations on a new nuclear deal. For months, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have been deadlocked over one fundamental has been ready to commit to a temporary truce to return hostages but not an end to the war. Hamas has demanded a permanent cessation of hostilities in Gaza and a full pullout of Israeli latest proposal put to Hamas is said to include guarantees of Washington's commitment to the deal and to continued talks to reach a lasting ceasefire and the release of all the has been officially announced, but according to media reports the framework would see Hamas hand over 28 hostages - 10 alive and 18 dead - in five stages over 60 days without the troubling handover ceremonies it staged in the last would be a large surge in humanitarian aid entering the return of the first eight living hostages on the first day of the agreement, Israeli forces would withdraw from parts of the north. After one week, the army would leave parts of the Day 10, Hamas would outline which hostages remain alive and their condition, while Israel would give details about more than 2,000 Gazans arrested during the war who remain in "administrative detention" - a practice which allows the Israeli authorities to hold them without charge or seen before, large numbers of Palestinians would be released from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages. President Trump has described this as the "final" truce proposal and said last week that Israel had accepted "the necessary conditions" to finalise Friday, Hamas said it had responded in a "positive spirit" but expressed some reservations.A Palestinian official said sticking points remained over humanitarian aid - with Hamas demanding an immediate end to operations by the controversial Israeli and American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and a return to the UN and its partners overseeing all relief is also said to be questioning the timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals and operations of the Rafah crossing between southern Gaza and office stated on Saturday that the changes wanted by Hamas were "not acceptable" to prime minister has repeatedly said that Hamas must be disarmed, a demand the Islamist group has so far refused to discuss. In Israel, there is growing opposition to the war in Gaza, with more than 20 soldiers killed in the past month, according to the Israeli military's chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, said last week that it was nearing the completion of its war goals and signalled that the government must decide whether to move ahead with a deal to bring home hostages or prepare for Israeli forces to re-establish military rule in indicate that two-thirds of Israelis support a ceasefire deal to bring home the Gaza, some residents express fears that the current wave of positivity is being manufactured to ease tensions during Netanyahu's US trip - rationalising that this happened in May as Trump prepared to visit Arab Gulf coming days will be critical politically and in humanitarian situation in Gaza has continued to deteriorate, with medical staff reporting acute malnutrition among UN says that with no fuel having entered in over four months, stockpiles are now virtually gone, threatening vital medical care, water supplies and launched its war in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 others being taken attacks have since killed more than 57,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.
