Trump Renews Hope for Gaza Deal as Israel Strikes Children Collecting Water
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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
35 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Sweden will contribute to new Ukraine arms shipment plans, defense minister says
Sweden will contribute to efforts to boost arms supplies to Ukraine following US President Donald Trump's decision to supply billions of dollars of weapons, including Patriot missile systems, via NATO. 'We welcome the American decision to make possible increased sanctions against Russia and to pave the way for the delivery of Patriots and other weapon systems to Ukraine,' Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said in an emailed comment to Reuters. Jonson did not provide further details about the support.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Divided EU weighs action against Israel over Gaza war
BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers on Tuesday discussed options for action against Israel over the war in Gaza — but looked unlikely to agree on any. The bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has put forward 10 potential steps after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds. The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel. Despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over how to tackle Israel and diplomats say there appears to be no critical mass for any move. 'I can't predict how the discussion will go,' Kallas said, ahead of the foreign ministers' talks in Brussels. She said the main focus would likely be on how the EU could leverage improvements to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. That comes after Kallas on Thursday announced a deal with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, to open more entry points and allow in more food. Gaza's two million residents face dire humanitarian conditions as Israel has severely limited aid during its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas. 'We see some positive signs when it comes to border crossings open, we see some positive signs of them reconstructing the electricity lines, providing water, also more trucks of humanitarian aid coming in,' Kallas said Monday. But she said the situation in Gaza remained 'catastrophic.' 'Of course, we need to see more in order to see real improvement for the people on the ground,' she said. Saar, speaking at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, was confident Israel would avoid further EU action. 'I'm sure not any of them will be adopted by the EU member states,' said the foreign minister. 'There's no justification whatsoever.' While the EU appears unable to take further moves against Israel, just getting to this stage has been a considerable step. The bloc only agreed to review the cooperation deal after Israel relaunched military operations in Gaza following the collapse of a ceasefire in March. Until then deep divisions between countries backing Israel and those more favorable to the Palestinians had hamstrung any move. In a sign of that, Hungary looked likely to maintain a block on more sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank despite French minister Jean-Noel Barrot making a fresh plea for action. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which led to 1,219 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of 251 people taken hostage by Hamas, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says that at least 58,386 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's retaliatory campaign. The UN considers those figures reliable.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
US inflation accelerated last month to highest level since February
Inflation rose last month to its highest level in four months as the cost of gas, food, and groceries rose, reversing several months of cooling price pressures. Consumer prices rose 2.7 percent in June from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, up from an annual increase of 2.4 percent in May. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3 percent from May to June after rising just 0.1 percent the previous month. Worsening inflation poses a political challenge for President Donald Trump, who promised during last year's presidential campaign to immediately lower costs. The sharp inflation spike of 2022-2023 was the worst in four decades and soured most Americans on former president Joe Biden's handling of the economy. Higher inflation will also likely heighten the Federal Reserve's reluctance to cut its short-term interest rate as Trump is loudly demanding. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core inflation increased 2.9 percent in June from a year earlier, up from 2.8 percent in May. On a monthly basis, it picked up 0.2 percent from May to June. Economists closely watch core prices because they typically provide a better sense of where inflation is headed. Inflation likely accelerated in June as sweeping tariffs on nearly all imports may have pushed up prices for electronics, appliances, and other goods, economists forecast. Consumer prices probably rose 2.6 percent last month from a year ago, up from an annual increase of 2.4 percent in May, according to data provider FactSet. The Labor Department will issue its inflation report at 8:30 a.m. eastern. On a monthly basis, prices likely rose 0.3 percent from May to June, the largest increase since January, economists project. Worsening inflation could pose a political challenge for President Donald Trump, who promised during last year's presidential campaign to immediately lower costs. The sharp inflation spike of 2022-2023 was the worst in four decades and soured most Americans on former president Joe Biden's handling of the economy. Faster price increases would also likely underscore the Federal Reserve's reluctance to cut its short-term interest rate as Trump is loudly demanding. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, inflation is forecast to have risen 3 percent in June from a year earlier, up from a 2.8 percent rise in May. On a monthly basis, it is also expected to have picked up 0.3 percent from May to June, according to FactSet. Economists closely watch core prices because they typically provide a better sense of where inflation is headed. Trump has imposed sweeping duties of 10 percent on all imports, plus 50 percent levies on steel and aluminum, 30 percent on goods from China, and 25 percent on imported cars. Just last week, the president threatened to hit the European Union with a new 30 percent tariff starting Aug. 1. So far, the tariffs haven't noticeably pushed up inflation, which has been mild for the past four months. Core inflation has fallen from 3.3 percent in January to 2.8 percent in May, though that is still above the Fed's 2 percent target. If inflation in June is much weaker than economists forecast, Trump will likely renew his demands that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell immediately reduce borrowing costs. Powell and other Fed officials have emphasized that they want to see how the economy evolves as the tariffs take effect before cutting their key short-term rate. The Fed chair has said that the duties could both push up prices and slow the economy–a tricky combination for the central bank since higher costs would typically lead the Fed to hike rates while a weaker economy often spurs it to reduce them. Trump on Monday said that Powell has been terrible and doesn't know what the hell he's doing. The president added that the economy was doing well despite Powell's refusal to reduce rates, but it would be nice if there were rate cuts because people would be able to buy housing a lot easier. Last week, White House officials also attacked Powell for cost overruns on the years-long renovation of two Fed buildings, which are now slated to cost 2.5 billion, roughly one-third more than originally budgeted. While Trump legally can't fire Powell just because he disagrees with his interest rate decisions, the Supreme Court has signaled he may be able to do so for cause, such as misconduct or mismanagement. While inflation was mild in May, there were already signs in last month's report that tariffs were starting to have some impact. The cost of furniture, appliances, toys, and tools rose, though those increases were offset by falling prices for airfares, hotels, and muted rises in rental costs. Some companies have said they have or plan to raise prices as a result of the tariffs, including Walmart, the world's largest retailer. Automaker Mitsubishi said last month that it was lifting prices by an average of 2.1 percent in response to the duties, and Nike has said it would implement surgical price hikes to offset tariff costs. But many companies have been able to postpone or avoid price increases after building up their stockpiles of goods this spring to get ahead of the duties. Other companies may have refrained from lifting prices while they wait to see whether the US is able to reach trade deals with other countries that lower the duties.
