More than 170 charities call for end to US, Israel-backed Gaza aid group
More than 500 Palestinians have been killed near its aid distribution hubs since it started operating just over a month ago.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to hold talks on Gaza with Donald Trump in Washington next week – as Mr Trump said he hoped a peace deal would be agreed within days.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
18 minutes ago
- Sky News
Israel-Gaza live: Trump says Israel has agreed to 60-day ceasefire in war against Hamas
Analysis: Why Israel wants a 60-day ceasefire and not a permanent one By Mark Stone, US correspondent In the long Gaza war, this is a significant moment. For the people of Gaza, for the Israeli hostages and their families - this could be the moment it ends. But we have been here before, so many times. The key question - will Hamas accept what Israel has agreed to: a 60-day ceasefire? At the weekend, a source at the heart of the negotiations told me: "Both Hamas and Israel are refusing to budge from their position - Hamas wants the ceasefire to last until a permanent agreement is reached. Israel is opposed to this. At this point only President Trump can break this deadlock." The source added: "Unless Trump pushes, we are in a stalemate." The problem is that the announcement made now by Donald Trump - which is his social-media-summarised version of whatever Israel has actually agreed to - may just amount to Israel's already-established position. We don't know the details and conditions attached to Israel's proposals. Would Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza? Totally? Or partially? How many Palestinian prisoners would they agree to release from Israel's jails? And why only 60 days? Why not a total ceasefire? What are they asking of Hamas in return? We just don't know the answers to any of these questions, except one. We do know why Israel wants a 60-day ceasefire, not a permanent one. It's all about domestic politics. If Benjamin Netanyahu were to agree now to a permanent ceasefire, the extreme right-wingers in his coalition would collapse his government. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have both been clear about their desire for the war to continue. They hold the balance of power in Netanyahu's coalition. If Netanyahu instead agrees to just 60 days - which domestically he can sell as just a pause - then that may placate the extreme right-wingers for a few weeks until the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, is adjourned for the summer. It is also no coincidence that the US president has called for Netanyahu's corruption trial to be scrapped. Without the prospect of jail, Netanyahu might be more willing to quit the war, safe in the knowledge that focus will not shift immediately to his own political and legal vulnerability.
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘A billion people backing you': China transfixed as Musk turns against Trump
Few break-ups have as many gossiping observers as the fallout between the once inseparable Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The ill-fated bromance between the US president and the world's richest man, which once raised questions about American oligarchy, is now being pored over by social media users in China, many of whom are Team Musk. The latest drama comes from Musk's pledge to found a new political party, the America party, if Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, which Musk described as 'insane' passed the Senate this week (it did). Musk had already vowed to unseat lawmakers who backed Trump's flagship piece of legislation, which is expected to increase US national debt by $3.3tn. On Wednesday, hours after the bill passed the US Senate, the hashtag #MuskWantsToBuildAnAmericaParty went viral on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to Musk's X, receiving more than 37m views. 'If Elon Musk were to found a political party, his tech-driven mindset could inject fresh energy into politics. The potential for change is significant – and worth watching,' wrote one Weibo user. 'When you've had enough, there's no need to keep putting up with it,' wrote another. One comment summed up the mood on the platform: 'Brother Musk, you've got over a billion people on our side backing you.' Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is widely venerated in China for his business acumen and technological achievements. Tesla's electric vehicles are the only western brand on Chinese roads that can rival domestic firms, and the company's biggest factory by volume is in Shanghai. Musk is known to have a close relationship with China's premier, Li Qiang, while Musk's mother, Maye Musk, is a social media celebrity in her own right in China. Musk's popularity in China follows a well-established trend of Chinese audiences enthusiastically embracing US tech innovators. Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs was a bestseller in China, as was his biography of Musk. Trump, however, is seen by many as being an unpredictable funnyman who has launched the most aggressive trade war on China in recent history. Some internet users commented that Trump and Musk should grow up. 'These two grown men argue nonstop over the smallest things – and the whole world ends up knowing about it,' wrote one user, while another joked: 'Every day, Musk is basically live-streaming 'How Billionaires Argue''. The conversation has been allowed to flourish on China's tightly controlled social media, suggesting that at least some censors are betting that the US political chaos could be no bad thing for China. Additional research by Lillian Yang
Sky News
34 minutes ago
- Sky News
Trump says Israel has agreed conditions for 60-day ceasefire in Gaza - and urges Hamas to accept
Donald Trump has said Israel has agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, and is urging Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The US president announced the development ahead of hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House next week. He has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to work out a ceasefire and hostage agreement to end the war. 1:58 "My representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza," Mr Trump wrote on social media. "Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalise the 60-day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the war." Analysis: Many unanswered questions remain Mark Stone US correspondent @Stone_SkyNews In the long Gaza war, this is a significant moment. For the people of Gaza, for the Israeli hostages and their families - this could be the moment it ends. But we have been here before, so many times. The key question - will Hamas accept what Israel has agreed to: a 60-day ceasefire? At the weekend, a source at the heart of the negotiations told me: "Both Hamas and Israel are refusing to budge from their position - Hamas wants the ceasefire to last until a permanent agreement is reached. Israel is opposed to this. At this point only President Trump can break this deadlock." The source added: "Unless Trump pushes, we are in a stalemate." The problem is that the announcement made now by Donald Trump - which is his social-media-summarised version of whatever Israel has actually agreed to - may just amount to Israel's already-established position. We don't know the details and conditions attached to Israel's proposals. Would Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza? Totally? Or partially? How many Palestinian prisoners would they agree to release from Israel's jails? And why only 60 days? Why not a total ceasefire? What are they asking of Hamas in return? We just don't know the answers to any of these questions, except one. We do know why Israel wants a 60-day ceasefire, not a permanent one. It's all about domestic politics. If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to agree now to a permanent ceasefire, the extreme right-wingers in his coalition would collapse his government. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have both been clear about their desire for the war to continue. They hold the balance of power in Mr Netanyahu's coalition. If Mr Netanyahu instead agrees to just 60 days - which domestically he can sell as just a pause - then that may placate the extreme right-wingers for a few weeks until the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, is adjourned for the summer. It is also no coincidence that the US president has called for Mr Netanyahu's corruption trial to be scrapped. Without the prospect of jail, Mr Netanyahu might be more willing to quit the war safe in the knowledge that focus will not shift immediately to his own political and legal vulnerability. He added that Qatari and Egyptian officials would deliver the final proposal. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better - IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Mr Trump wrote. 2:17 Mr Trump's comments will bring fresh hope of an end to the 20-month war, which has seen Israeli forces lay waste to most of Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and roughly 250 were taken hostage. The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since then has reached 56,500, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden's US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps. Talks of a fresh ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether or not the war should end as part of any deal. 3:55 Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi has accused Mr Netanyahu of stalling progress on a deal, saying the Israeli leader insists on a temporary agreement that would free just 10 of the hostages. Omer Dostri, a spokesperson for Mr Netanyahu, said that "Hamas was the only obstacle to ending the war", without addressing Mr Merdawi's claim. Hamas says it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war in Gaza. Israel rejects that offer, saying it will agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile - something that the group refuses.
