
Hamas seeks amendments to Gaza ceasefire proposal
The Hamas official said proposed amendments focus on 'the US guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces'. There were no details.
A separate Hamas statement said the proposal aims for a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an ensured flow of aid.
It said 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others would be released 'in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners'.
Fifty-eight hostages remain and Israel believes 35 are dead.
Mr Witkoff described a 60-day ceasefire deal that would free half the living hostages in Gaza and return half of those who have died.
He urged Hamas to accept the framework proposal as the basis for talks that he said could begin next week.
Israeli officials have approved the US proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the nearly 20-month war.
US President Donald Trump has said negotiators were nearing a deal.

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BreakingNews.ie
13 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Boylan accuses Government of 'cop out' on Occupied Territories and Israeli bonds bills
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So over a year ago, and now we're only seeing action on that, and it's not even being suspended. It's pending the review. We need to stop the killing. We need to stop the slaughter. "We need to stop the killing. We need to stop the slaughter. And that means using whatever leverage each member State has. You're not going to get a consensus at an EU level. That's very, very clear after 19 months. It's not going to happen. So take the unilateral measures. You're covered under international law to do that. And and that's where Israel will sit up and listen." Advertisement Sinn Féin's bill would have given the Finance Minister the power to stop the Irish Central Bank from facilitating the sale of Israeli government bonds across the EU. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe described it as "unworkable". Ms Boylan accused the Government of hiding behind the EU, and compared it to the State going against the EU in the Applex tax case. 'Cynical' "I also find it really cynical of the government to hide behind that as an excuse because we're regularly taken to court by the EU for not being compliant and there's no issue. We were taken to court over the Apple tax, we vigorously defended that. Advertisement "If the genocide happening was important enough for the Irish Government, I think the general public are saying 'well then take on the EU and wait and see if the EU will take this to court,' I don't believe they would because I don't believe the EU has a leg to stand on legally." The Occupied Territories Bill will ban imports originating from the Palestinian Territories that are illegaly occupied by Israel under international law, according to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, the bill the Government are considering differs from the initial bill put forward by Senator Frances Black, as it will not ban trade in services with the Occupied Territories. "The ICJ Occupied Territories ruling has decided those territories are occupied illegally. Advertisement "On the ICJ ruling, every state should take measures to prevent the genocide from happening. That means not providing financial assistance in any way, including economic trade. So I would say to them put it up to the EU, use it as an excuse to take them on and go 'OK, well, we're not going to be the ones on the wrong side of history'. "I think the the watering down of the Occupied Territories Bill is to make sure that it is more or less a symbolic bill which is deeply disappointing. Seventy per cent of trade is in services. "The ICJ ruling was clear. It's economic trade, they made no distinction between trade and goods and trade and services so it is a cop out on the part of the Government. Not only have they delayed and stalled this bill, they've now made sure it's as ineffective as they possibly can. It has been described as symbolic." In a recent speech in the European Parliament, Ms Boylan made an apology to the people of Gaza for EU "inaction". Advertisement It went viral, and Ms Boylan said she was surprised by the huge response to her words. Lynn Boylan's recent 'apology' speech to Gaza went viral. "I've had messages from across the world and I've never had that on the back of speeches. But I don't mean just messages on social media, people actually taking the time to send you an e-mail or people who know me saying they passed it on to work colleagues. "The thing is that they wanted somebody to say that they're sorry because they're marching, they're doing everything and none of it seems to be having any impact. I think it's sort of tapped into the emotions that people are feeling, that feeling of comple helplessness and despair at what's happening. "It's not having the impact on our politicians. That is why I felt that frustration that I just may want to make an apology because the role I have as chair of of the European Parliament Delegation to Palestine, I'm meeting with Palestinian solidarity groups, I'm meeting with groups that are in Gaza on the ground and I've literally nothing positive to say to them anymore because everything we have tried has just been stonewalled. I was just overwhelmed by the reaction to it, to be honest. "It's just soul destroying, because what is the red line anymore? "The control or the influence that Israel has over the Western world, that they're just allowing international law to be shredded in front of our eyes and war crimes to be committed and to do nothing. You have to question the long-term impacts of this, both for the European Union, for democracy, for people, humanity, it is all being called into question because of what we're seeing."


The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
China accuses US of ‘seriously violating' trade truce
China has accused the US of 'seriously violating' the fragile US-China detente that has been in place for less than a month since the two countries agreed to pause the trade war that risked upending the global economy. China and the US agreed on 12 May to pause for 90 days the skyrocketing 'reciprocal' tariffs that both countries had placed on the others goods in a frenzied trade war that started a few weeks earlier. Tariffs had reached 125% on each side, which officials feared amounted to virtual embargo on trade between the world's two biggest economies. Donald Trump had hailed the pause as a 'total reset' of US-China relations. But since then, trade negotiations have faltered, with the US complaining that China has not delivered on promises to roll back restrictions on the export of key critical minerals to the US. The US president said on Friday that China had 'totally violated' the agreement. The US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said on Sunday: 'What China is doing is they are holding back products that are essential for the industrial supply chains of India, of Europe. And that is not what a reliable partner does.' During the period of aggressive retaliatory trade measures between the US and China in April, China had restricted the export of certain rare earth minerals and magnets, which are critical for US manufacturing. The restrictions were expected to be relaxed after the 12 May agreement but the process appears to have been patchy at best. Now, US companies, particularly car manufacturers, are reportedly running out of magnets. China hit back on Monday, accusing the US of violating and undermining the agreements reached in Geneva in May, and the consensus between Trump and Xi Jinping, China's president, on their 17 January phone call. China's commerce ministry said on Monday: 'The US has successively introduced a number of discriminatory restrictive measures against China, including issuing export control guidelines for AI chips, stopping the sale of chip design software to China, and announcing the revocation of Chinese student visas.' The ministry said China 'is determined to safeguard its rights and interests' and denied the accusation from the US that it had undermined the 12 May agreement. The US has indicated that another Xi-Trump call is expected soon. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion But outside the trade talks, US-China relations have soured in a number of areas. Last week, China condemned the announcement from the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, that the US would 'aggressively' revoke the visas of Chinese students in his country. And over the weekend, China and the US traded barbs over comments made by the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, at a conference in Singapore. Hegseth said that China was potentially an 'imminent' threat, while China's foreign ministry said that his comments were 'filled with provocations and intended to sow division'.


Sky News
23 minutes ago
- Sky News
Eight injured in petrol bomb and 'flamethrower' attack at rally for Hamas-held hostages in Colorado
Why you can trust Sky News Eight people have been injured at a US rally for Israeli hostages after they were attacked by a man with a makeshift flamethrower and petrol bombs. A group of people in Boulder, Colorado, were holding a regular demonstration to raise awareness of Hamas-held hostages in Gaza when they were allegedly targeted by a man who shouted "Free Palestine" on Sunday. The suspect was arrested at the scene. Four women and four men aged between 52 and 88 were injured and transported to hospitals, Boulder police said. Some of them were airlifted to hospital. Authorities had earlier put the count of the injured at six and said at least one of them was in a critical condition. The FBI says the attack was a targeted "act of terrorism" and named the suspect as 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman from El Paso County, Colorado. He was also taken to hospital after the alleged attack. Two senior law enforcement officials told Sky News' US partner network that Soliman is an Egyptian national who seemingly acted alone. They said he has no previous significant contact with law enforcement. The White House described the suspect as an "illegal alien" who had received a work permit under the Biden administration despite overstaying a tourist visa. A large part of downtown Boulder was cordoned off as sniffer dogs and the bomb squad searched for potential devices. However, police currently believe no one else was involved Police chief Steve Redfearn said the attack happened around 1.26pm on Sunday and that initial reports were that "people were being set on fire". He said injuries ranged from "very serious" to "more minor". "When we arrived we encountered multiple victims that were injured, with injuries consistent with burns," Mr Redfearn told the media. The police chief also said he did not believe anyone else was involved. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said. Boulder's police chief said the attack happened as a "group of pro- Israel people" were peacefully demonstrating. The walk is held regularly by a volunteer group called Run For Their Lives, which aims to raise awareness of the hostages who remain in Gaza. Video from the scene showed a bare-chested man shouting and clutching two bottles after the attack. Other footage showed him being held down and arrested by police as people doused one of the victims with water. Nearby there appears to be a large black burn mark on the ground. Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old student, described seeing four women on the ground with burns on their legs. She said one appeared badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag. She described seeing a man whom she presumed to be the attacker standing in the courtyard shirtless, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting. "Everybody is yelling, 'get water, get water,'" Ms Coffman said. Lady on fire 'from head to toe' Another eyewitness, who did not give his name, said he saw the suspect throw Molotov cocktails - an improvised bomb made from a bottle filled with petrol and stuffed with a piece of cloth to use as a fuse. He said: "It was very strange to just hear a crash on the ground of a bottle breaking and then it sounded like a boom and then people started yelling and screaming. "But I saw fire, I saw people screaming and crying and tripping and I saw the attacker - he had three Molotov cocktails. "One of them he threw inside a group and one lady lit on fire from head to toe and then the other four people were also injured in the fire, but not as bad as the first one." The eyewitness continued: "The attacker came out from the bushes and the trees... he threw another cocktail, and on the second one he lit himself on fire - I imagine accidentally. "He seemed to have a bullet proof vest on, or some kind of vest, and then a shirt underneath it. "And after he lit himself on fire he took off the vest and the shirt and he was shirtless. "But he still had his Molotov cocktails in his hands ready to use them... ready to throw them and explode them on people." Lynn Segal, another eyewitness, said: "These shoots of fire, linear, about 20 feet long, spears of fire, two of them at least, came across right into the group, about 15 feet from me." The 72-year-old said two neighbours of hers, a husband and wife in their 80s, were at the demonstration. She added that the wife was one of the victims and appeared to be the most seriously injured. "They're both elders in their 80s, and you can't take something like this assault to your body as easily as someone younger." Ms Segal, who was wearing a "Free Palestine" T-shirt, said she watches the demonstrations to "try and listen" to what the volunteers are "talking about" because she is concerned about the hostages. She added that she is concerned the attack will "divide this community". Another eyewitness told MSNBC that he saw the suspect "lighting people on fire while spraying gasoline on them". Brian, who is himself Jewish and asked that his last name not be made public, added that he saw victims "having their skin melt off their bodies". A statement from Boulder's Jewish community said "an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Their Lives walk on Pearl Street as they were raising awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said in a statement this morning: "This attack was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews. "I trust the United States authorities to prosecute the cold blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law and do everything possible to prevent future attacks against innocent civilians. "The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped." US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat , said it was an antisemitic attack. "This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism," he said on X. Boulder is a university city of about 105,000 people on the northwest edge of Denver, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The attack follows the arrest of a Chicago-born man in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington DC two weeks ago. Tensions are simmering in the US over Israel's war in Gaza. There has been an increase in antisemitic hate crime, as well as moves by some supporters of Israel to brand pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. President Trump's administration has detained protesters without charge and pulled funding from elite universities that have permitted such demonstrations.