US envoy Witkoff ‘hopeful' on Gaza talks, set to huddle with Qataris
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Leaders
19 minutes ago
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Trump Renews Hope for Gaza Deal as Israel Strikes Children Collecting Water
The US President, Donald Trump, has again expressed hope that a ceasefire deal in Gaza would be finalized over the next week, although the latest talks in Doha has reached a stalemate. Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike killed ten people, including six children, at a water distribution point in central Gaza, one of many deadly incidents during the past few days. Trump Reviving Hope On Sunday, Trump expressed hope that ceasefire talks could achieve progress over the next week, even as the recent negotiations at Doha stalled, with both Hamas and Israel trading accusations over blocking the deal. 'Gaza — we are talking and hopefully we're going to get that straightened out over the next week,' the US President told reporters, according to AFP. Trump's remarks echoed similar comments he made earlier this month. During a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, last week in the White House, Trump said that negotiations were 'going along very well.' Earlier, he expressed optimism regarding the ceasefire deal. 'I'm very optimistic — but you know, look, it changes from day to day,' he said. Moreover, he expected a deal that would end the war in Gaza in similar comments on July 4. 'There could be a Gaza deal next week,' Trump told reporters back then. Stalled Talks The recent talks between Hamas and Israel in Qatar has faltered as both sides disagree on a number of issues, most notably the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The proposed deal involves a 60-day truce, during which Israeli troops would withdraw from parts of northern Gaza on the first day and parts of southern Gaza on the seventh day. However, Hamas and Israel should negotiate over the detailed maps, which is the main cause for the dispute, according to CNN. According to Palestinian sources, Israel wants to keep its troops in 40% of the Strip, forcing Palestinians into a small area near the southern city of Rafah. On the other hand, Hamas insists on a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel accused Hamas of deliberately obstructing the deal. In a video address on Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel accepted the deal but the Palestinian movement rejected it. 'We accepted the deal, the Witkoff Deal, and even later the version that the mediators proposed to us — we accepted that too. Hamas rejected it,' he said. The Israeli Prime Minister reiterated his determination on returning the hostage and defeating Hamas. 'What we need to do is the right thing: insist on the release of the hostages and insist on the second objective of the war in Gaza — the elimination of Hamas and ensuring that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel,' he noted. As a result, the Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators urged both sides to delay talks until the US Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrives in Doha. Palestinian Children Killed Despite the ongoing ceasefire talks in Doha, Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza, amid mounting civilian death toll. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the enclave's hospitals received the bodies of 139 Palestinians on Sunday, the highest number reported since July 2. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike killed 10 people, including six children, and injuring others at a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital. The Israeli military acknowledged the incident, blaming it on a 'technical error.' In a statement, it said the airstrike was targeting an 'Islamic Jihad terrorist' but due to a malfunction, 'the munition fell dozens of meters from the target.' It added that the incident was under review. Mounting Death Toll Israeli strikes also killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 40 on Sunday, after hitting a crowded junction at Gaza City, according to the Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex. These deadly incidents followed similar ones on Saturday, as the Gaza Health Ministry said that Israeli troops killed 27 people and injured others by opening fire at an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) near Rafah. The US-backed organization and the Israeli military denied the claim. However, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its field hospital near the area had received 132 cases having weapon-related injuries, 25 of them died upon arrival while 6 more died after admission. The ICRC noted that this marked the largest number of fatalities since the hospital started operations in May 2024. 'This situation is unacceptable. The alarming frequency and scale of these mass casualty incidents underscore the horrific conditions civilians in Gaza are enduring,' the ICRC said. Israel's war on Gaza has claimed the lives of 58,026 Palestinians and injured more than 138,500 others since October 7, 2023. Meanwhile, over 830 people were killed near aid distribution sites, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Sunday. Short link : Post Views: 65
Al Arabiya
39 minutes ago
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Israeli, Palestinian foreign ministers to attend EU meeting
Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers were due at a meeting in Brussels between the EU and its southern neighbors on Monday, but the Palestinian Authority denied the two would meet. It would be the first time since the Gaza war began in October 2023 that Israeli and Palestinian ministers attended a high-level meeting in the same room. The office for Israel's foreign minister said that alongside the ministerial meeting, Gideon Saar would hold talks with the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and the bloc's Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica. Saar is also expected to meet with foreign ministers on the sidelines of the event, the statement added. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) confirmed the attendance of foreign minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin but denied media reports that any meeting with Saar was on the agenda. A statement said that Shahin would give a speech 'focusing on the suffering of the Palestinian people under the ongoing war of extermination and displacement in the Gaza Strip, the systematic starvation policy practiced by the occupying state, and the financial blockade imposed on the Palestinian government.' It said she would also address the situation in the occupied West Bank, where violence is surging and Israel is waging a months-long military operation in the north that has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians. The foreign ministry said Shahin was scheduled to hold meetings with Kallas and a number of European foreign ministers. 'The minister will demand an immediate halt to the crimes of genocide, displacement and annexation, and to compel the Israeli government to comply with the international will for peace and open a political negotiation process to end the occupation and enable our people to exercise their right to self-determination,' the statement said.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
‘No specific date' for US nuclear talks: Iran
Iran said Monday it had 'no specific date' for a meeting with the United States on Tehran's nuclear program, following a war with Israel that had derailed negotiations. 'For now, no specific date, time or location has been determined regarding this matter,' said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei of plans for a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff. Iran had been negotiating with the United States before Israel began strikes on its nuclear facilities last month, which Washington later joined. Araghchi and Witkoff met five times, starting in April, without concluding a deal, before Israel launched surprise strikes on June 13, starting a 12-day war. 'We have been serious in diplomacy and the negotiation process, we entered with good faith, but as everyone witnessed, before the sixth round the Zionist regime, in coordination with the United States, committed military aggression against Iran,' said Baqaei. The United States launched its own set of strikes against Iran's nuclear program on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordow, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz. The extent of the damage from the strikes remains unknown. With its own strikes, numbering in the hundreds, Israel killed nuclear scientists and top-ranking military officers as well as hitting military, nuclear and other sites. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel, while it attacked a US base in Qatar in retaliation for Washington's strikes. Israel and Western nations accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has consistently denied. While it is the only non-nuclear power to enrich uranium to 60-percent purity, close to the level needed for a warhead, the UN's atomic energy watchdog has said it had no indication that Iran was working to weaponize its stockpiles.
