
Israel-Hamas talks deadlocked as Trump envoy turns to Ukraine
During the initial phase of the truce, Israel and Hamas were meant to negotiate a second phase that envisioned an end to the war, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of all of the surviving hostages still held in the territory.
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But the two sides remain far apart on how to move ahead. Israel is still vowing to destroy Hamas and is insisting on the demilitarization of Gaza. Hamas has largely refused to disband its armed battalions or surrender its Gaza leaders.
The 42-day first phase elapsed in early March without a deal on the second phase, although the fragile truce has held up so far without it, at least for now.
Critics in Israel have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet on an agreement for fear it would loosen his grip on power. His far-right allies in the governing coalition are pressing to go on with the war against Hamas despite concerns from the families of the remaining hostages that their loved ones may not survive.
Up to 24 living hostages are still being held in Gaza along with the remains of more than 30 others who were taken captive, according to the Israeli government. Hamas seized about 250 people in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and ignited the devastating 15-month-war in Gaza.
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This month, Israel imposed harsh restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, barring the entry of food and other much-needed goods. Israeli authorities later cut off electricity to a waste water treatment center in Gaza.
That has prompted fears of a resurgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The widespread wartime deprivation had eased somewhat since the cease-fire, and trucks of aid had begun to enter freely.
Qatar, which has been brokering the truce alongside Egypt and the United States, has criticized the Israeli decision to close crossings to aid as a violation of the cease-fire agreement.
Also on Thursday, a United Nations commission accused Israel of targeting hospitals and other health facilities in the Gaza Strip that provide reproductive services, including an in vitro fertilization clinic where thousands of embryos were destroyed, in what it called an effort to prevent Palestinian births.
The report by the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, called that and other actions that cause harm to women and girls 'genocidal acts' and accused Israel of punishing Palestinians collectively for the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Israel's mission to the United Nations in Geneva immediately rejected the report, saying in a statement that the commission was engaged in 'a shameless attempt to incriminate' the Israeli military 'to advance its predetermined and biased political agenda.' Netanyahu accused the UN Human Rights Council of attacking the country with 'false accusations.'
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The commission said its report drew on earlier investigations it had carried out since the Hamas attack on southern Israel and on some 25 interviews conducted over recent months with medical experts, as well as victims and witnesses of the violence in Gaza. Some of the testimony was aired over two days of hearings in Geneva this week.
The report marked the first time a UN committee has found that Israel has committed genocidal acts under the Rome Statute, which created the International Criminal Court, and under the international treaty that criminalizes genocide.
The Israeli military's bombardment and invasion decimated Gaza's health care system in a way that aid groups and international bodies have called 'systematic.' The report said this included damage to clinics and other facilities that provide maternity services affecting more than 500,000 women and girls of reproductive age in Gaza.
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Newsweek
9 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Daily Limited Military Pause Begins in Gaza Amid Starvation Concerns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Israeli military began limited 10-hour pauses in fighting across three areas of Gaza on Sunday to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. "Let me be clear: Israel supports aid for civilians, not for Hamas. The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will continue to support the flow of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," IDF spokesperson BG Effie Defrin told Newsweek in an email Sunday. Why It Matters Mounting international pressure on Israel to allow aid into Gaza follows a surge in reports and images showing widespread starvation among Palestinians. Humanitarian aid groups have warned for months that Gaza is nearing famine. Israel, which controls the entry of aid into the enclave, has severely restricted access—tightening constraints even further since the collapse of the last ceasefire in March. From March to mid-May, no aid was allowed into Gaza. The limited pauses come just days after Israeli forces killed around 100 Palestinians in multiple incidents near the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza as they sought food aid. Israel's military has said it fired warning shots to distance a crowd "in response to an immediate threat." What To Know The Israeli military announced a "tactical pause" in three regions of Gaza "where the IDF is not operating": Deir al-Balah, Gaza City, and Muwasi. The cessation of fighting between 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. is to allow humanitarian aid to reach the three areas. The Israeli military says there will be "designated secure routes" in place permanently from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. to "enable the safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organization convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine to the population across Gaza." In accordance with directives from the political echelon, and as part of the IDF's ongoing effort, led by COGAT, to increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, a local tactical pause in military activity will take place for humanitarian purposes from 10:00 to 20:00,... — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 27, 2025 Food airdrops commenced Saturday night, with nearly 25 tons of food and supplies dropped. The IDF said in a Saturday update that aerial airdrops resumed with "7 pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food." Defrin said on Sunday: "We are facilitating its [food aid] entry every single day. Over 250 trucks were transferred this week alone, coordinated and approved by Israel." The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said in a Sunday statement that it "welcomes" the development and "has enough food in- or on its way to - the region to feed the entire population of 2.1 million people for almost three months." Since May, the U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) has been responsible for aid delivery, with the distribution sites turning into deadly encounters. The United Nations estimates that Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food since May. "Severe acute malnutrition is surging and almost a third of families miss meals for days at a time," the WFP warned. One in five children in Gaza City is malnourished, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), noted. Israel has repeatedly rejected claims of forced starvation in Gaza. In May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied people are starving in Gaza, saying that Israel takes "thousands of prisoners" from Gaza and photograph them, and you "don't see one, not one, emaciated." The IDF said in a Saturday X post that "there is no starvation in Gaza; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas." Fighting in Gaza continues as Israel and Hamas have been unable to come to a ceasefire agreement. The Trump administration cut short ceasefire negotiations on Thursday, stating Hamas "shows a lack of desire" to reach a truce with Israel. Hamas is believed to have around 50 hostages from its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over Gaza City, Gaza Strip on July 27. Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over Gaza City, Gaza Strip on July 27. AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi What People Are Saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, per the Associated Press: "Whichever path we choose, we will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies." The WFP said in an X post on Sunday: "Food aid is the only real way for most people inside Gaza to eat. A third of the population is not eating for days. Some 470,000 people are enduring famine-like conditions. 90,000 women and children need urgent nutrition treatment. People are dying due to a lack of humanitarian assistance." David Lammy, secretary of state for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, said in a Sunday statement: "The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached new depths. The Prime Minister has already announced plans to work with Jordan to get aid into Gaza and to evacuate children who need critical medical assistance to the UK for treatment. Today's announcement of a temporary pause by the IDF to allow humanitarian corridors to open and aid drops to resume is essential but long overdue." Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's regional policy lead, said in a Sunday statement: "Deadly airdrops and a trickle of trucks won't undo months of engineered starvation in Gaza. What's needed is the immediate opening of all crossings for full, unhindered, safe aid delivery across all of Gaza and a permanent ceasefire. Anything less risks being little more than a tactical gesture." Save the Children International said in an X post: "Israel's "tactical pause" may help children in #Gaza, but a day or two of food is not enough. 133 people, 87 of them children, have already died of malnutrition and starvation. We need a ceasefire and safe, sustained aid. Our supplies are ready." What Happens Next? The military said the pause is in effect until further notice. Peace talks between Hamas and Israel remain stalled.


Fox News
9 minutes ago
- Fox News
Tammy Bruce: Hamas is 'weaponizing' food aid amid Gaza's growing hunger crisis
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce joins 'Fox News Live' to react to the U.S. and Israel limiting ceasefire talks with Hamas amid the deepening food shortage in Gaza.


Bloomberg
9 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
France Maintains Tough Stand on Israel Despite Pause in Gaza War
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the European Union is having 'tough discussions' with Israel to help speed humanitarian and financial aid to Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza. The Israeli government has made 'first commitments that have not been fulfilled yet,' Barrot said on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday. 'We expect the Israeli government to stop the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that has caused a bloodbath in humanitarian help distribution lines in Gaza.'