Gaza aid site shooting and Iran-US nuclear talks
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The National
an hour ago
- The National
Hamas says 'armed resistance' will go on until Palestinian state is established
Hamas said it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established, denying reported remarks by US special envoy Steve Witkoff saying the group was ready to put down its arms. In a statement on Saturday, the Palestinian group said its "armed resistance ... cannot be relinquished except through the full restoration of our national rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital." Hamas also criticised Mr Witkoff's visit to the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) amid mass starvation in the enclave and reports of hundreds of Palestinian aid seekers being killed near the agency's distribution sites since May. 'The American administration is a full partner in the crime of starvation and genocide,' Hamas said. It described Mr Witkoff's visit as 'nothing more than a pre-arranged theatrical performance' to provide Israel with 'political cover' as it starves Palestinians. Mr Witkoff said he and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee spent more than five hours inside Gaza on Friday "assessing conditions" and speaking to staff from the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The visit by Mr Witkoff and Mr Huckabee came after Mr Trump lamented the dire aid situation in Gaza. He described it as 'terrible', despite Israeli claims that there is 'no starvation policy' in the enclave. Mr Witkoff reportedly told hostage families during a visit to Tel Aviv on Saturday that Arab countries were calling on Hamas to disarm, according to Hebrew media accounts. He also reportedly said the group was ready to give up its arms. Videos online showed him arriving to meet the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, as families chanted "Bring them home!" and "We need your help." Of the 251 hostages taken during the Hamas attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. After the meeting, the forum released a statement saying Mr Witkoff had given them a personal commitment that he and US President Donald Trump would work to return the remaining hostages. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at winning a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and deal for the release of half the hostages ended last week in deadlock. In an attempt to further pressure Israel into a ceasefire, Hamas released a second video in two days of a hostage on Saturday. "The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen. He is being starved purely to serve Hamas's propaganda," the family said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Saturday also denounced the videos as "despicable". "They must be freed, without conditions," he posted on X. "Hamas must be disarmed and excluded from ruling Gaza." The US, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been mediating ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel that would allow the hostages to be released and humanitarian aid to flow.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Latest: Hamas says it won't disarm unless Palestinian state is established
UN video shows guns fired at Gazans waiting for aid Israel's military chief says offensive to continue 'without rest' until hostages freed UAE and Jordan lead 59th aid air drop into Gaza Trump says envoy had 'great meeting' on Gaza famine aid Hamas releases video of frail Israeli hostage At least 60,430 Palestinians killed and 148,722 wounded since Gaza war began
Khaleej Times
12 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Trump envoy meets Israeli hostage families, says he has 'very good plan' to end Gaza war
US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy told families of hostages being held by the Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza. Trump has made ending the conflict a major priority of his administration, though negotiations have faltered. Steve Witkoff is visiting Israel as its government faces mounting pressure over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the enclave. In a recording of the meeting, reviewed by Reuters, Witkoff is heard saying: "We have a very, very good plan that we're working on collectively with the Israeli government, with Prime Minister Netanyahu ... for the reconstruction of Gaza. That effectively means the end of the war." Witkoff also said that Hamas was prepared to disarm in order to end the war, though the group has repeatedly said it will not lay down its weapons. In response to the reported remarks, Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war, said it would not relinquish "armed resistance" unless an "independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital" is established. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and a deal for the release of half the hostages ended last week in deadlock. On Saturday, Hamas released its second video in two days of Israeli hostage Evyatar David. In it, David, skeletally thin, is shown digging a hole, which, he says in the video, is for his own grave. Witkoff met with Netanyahu on Thursday. Afterwards, a senior Israeli official said an understanding between Israel and Washington was emerging that there was a need to move from a plan to release some of the hostages to a plan to release all the hostages, disarm Hamas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip, echoing Israel's key demands for ending the war. Witkoff arrived in Israel with Netanyahu's government facing a global outcry over devastation in Gaza and the starvation growing among its 2.2 million people. The crisis has also prompted a string of Western powers to announce they may recognise a Palestinian state. On Friday, Witkoff visited a US-backed aid operation in southern Gaza, which the United Nations has partly blamed for deadly conditions in the enclave, saying he sought to get food and other aid to people there. Dozens have died of malnutrition in recent weeks after Israel cut off all supplies to the enclave for nearly three months from March to May, according to Gaza's health ministry. It said on Saturday that it had recorded seven more fatalities, including a child, since Friday. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it is taking steps for more aid to reach its population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. UN agencies have said that airdrops of food are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and quickly ease access to it.
