New US ceasefire proposal for Gaza falls short of key demands, Hamas says
Full details of the agreement have not yet been disclosed, but senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the proposal favored the Israeli position and failed to meet any of Hamas' key demands, chiefly a commitment from Israel to end the war, withdraw its forces from Gaza and permit unrestricted aid access to the territory.
It comes after the White House said Israel had accepted the proposal.
"The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine," said Bassem Naim, a top Hamas official.
He added that the proposed deal "does not respond to any of our people's demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine."
Nonetheless, he said the group would study the proposal "with all national responsibility."
Though US Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has not publicly disclosed the contents of the ceasefire proposal, a Hamas official and an Egyptian mediator confirmed key elements of the plan.
The proposal reportedly includes a 60-day pause in fighting, with guarantees of serious negotiations toward a long-term truce and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after hostages are released, as it did following the March ceasefire.
Israeli forces would withdraw to the positions they held before that truce collapsed.
In return, Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies over the course of the pause, in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences for deadly attacks.
The deal would also allow hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza daily. Aid groups warn that the nearly three-month Israeli blockade - only slightly eased in recent days - has brought much of Gaza's population to the brink of famine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the war in Gaza will not end until all hostages are freed and Hamas is either dismantled or forced into exile.
He has also stated that Israel intends to retain indefinite security control over Gaza and support what he calls the "voluntary emigration" of a significant portion of its population.
These plans have been widely condemned by Palestinians and much of the international community, with experts warning that forced displacement would likely violate international law.
Hamas, for its part, has insisted it will only release the remaining hostages -- its key source of leverage -- in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, the release of more Palestinian prisoners, and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The group has also expressed willingness to hand over governance to a committee of politically independent Palestinians tasked with overseeing reconstruction.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued its bombardment of the strip overnight, issuing forced displacement orders for five more areas in northern Gaza on Friday morning.
Israeli airstrikes on the northern Gaza area of Jabaliya killed at least 12 people, including three women, according to Shifa Hospital, where the bodies were taken.
One strike reportedly hit a home, killing six members of the same family, while additional strikes targeted people in the street, the hospital said.
Palestinians are also still struggling to access aid, as chaos erupts at food distribution sites amid reports of Israeli smoke bombs and gunfire.
Aid distribution hubs set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are guarded by private security contractors, with Israeli forces positioned nearby.
However, the UN and other humanitarian groups have rejected the new system, arguing it is inadequate to meet the needs of Gaza's population and allows Israel to use food as a means of control. — Euronews
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Saudi Arabia Could Have Potential Role in Disarming Hezbollah
By: Magdy Sadeq I couldn't help but laugh with the Greek playwright Aristophanes in his biting political play The Frogs , where his hero Dionysus exclaims, 'Oh frogs, oh frogs. Oh many frogs,' as he navigates a strange and difficult journey to the underworld. This came to my mind while watching some scenes from Hezbollah's own theatrical performance of The Frogs, as it maneuvers and evades the issue of 'disarmament' and the 'exclusivity of Hezbollah's weapons,' voiced by the Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem. Hassan Nasrallah repeatedly dismissed calls to disarm, insisting that Hezbollah's weapons are necessary for resisting Israel. He also rejected limiting arms to the state insisting that they are essential to defend the country, threatening to 'cut off the hand' of anyone who attempts to interfere with Hezbollah's weapons!! How similar tonight is to yesterday—voiced now by the current Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, who assumed his position on October 29, 2024, after the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah. In a tone strikingly familiar, Qassem emphasized the same words, sentences and meanings after initially maneuvering and evading the issue. He insisted that everyone who calls for disarmament serve the Israeli agenda, underscoring that Hezbollah's weapons are a major part of Lebanon's strength and considered them a 'resistance' weapon to defend the country against Israeli threats. He said that 'disarmament' serves the interests of Israel and utterly rejected any external pressure to disarm. Catastrophic losses due to 'Hezbollah's weapons' Hezbollah has inflicted catastrophic losses on Lebanon, resulting in thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of injuries, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians from southern Lebanon and other regions. This has triggered a major humanitarian crisis, devastated infrastructure, and led to billions of dollars in reconstruction costs, with the destruction of entire villages in the south. Let us not forget the wave of assassinations _ beginning with former Secretary-General and Iran's strongman in the region Hassan Nasrallah and expanding to several senior party leaders. The threats have now reached to the current Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, whose 'croaking' we hear from time to time when instructions come to him from People's Palace Museum or the Presidential Palace of Protocol, where he is said to communicate with Ali Khamenei, who has assumed the responsibility of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran since 1989. However, the principled stance—or orthopraxy— of President Joseph Aoun, who held his post on January 9, 2025, remains a solid and resolute bulwark against what Sheikh Naim Qassem and his frogs have said! Meanwhile, the term orthopraxy , rooted in Greek, means sound or correct conduct. The main references for the issue of disarmament in Lebanon are represented by United Nations resolutions, the most prominent of which are: Resolution 1559 (2004) that calls for the disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and affirms that the monopoly on the use of force should rest solely with the Lebanese state. Resolution 1701 (2006), adopted in the aftermath of the July 2006 war, calls for cessation of hostilities and an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese government controlling all its territory. It also demands the establishment of a weapons-free buffer zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River. Political epistemology in the face of 'Hezbollah's exclusive weapons' Political epistemology—if we may borrow the term— is more deeply concerned with how we know and what gives us the right to claim that we know. In this context, it can serve as a useful lens for understanding Hezbollah's 'demagoguery' and the 'exclusivity of Hezbollah's weapons,' which receives instructions from the 'Leadership House' (in Persian: Bayt-e Rahbari), the residence and office of Iran's Supreme Leader since June 4, 1989—just one day after Ayatollah Khomeini's death. But what have Hezbollah's weapons done to Lebanon other than destruction, devastation, and economic collapse, along with direct losses estimated at $14 billion and indirect economic losses reaching $7.2 billion? Estimates for the cost of rebuilding Lebanon in the wake of the conflict with Israel range between $11 and $15 billion, with damage to infrastructure and buildings reaching $6.8 billion. Reconstruction funding and efforts to revive Lebanon's economy relies on the 'exclusivity of Hezbollah's weapons' raising demands that all arms be placed under state authority to ensure national sovereignty. 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This came alongside the Kingdom's diplomatic and political mediation to support Lebanon, where bilateral relations are deeply rooted. King Abdulaziz Al Saud enlisted Lebanese expertise at the beginning of the establishment of the Kingdom, and Lebanon was a stop for the flow of Saudi tourists. The visit of newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the Kingdom in January 2024 and his meeting with the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, stood as a testament to these common ties between both countries and the significance of the Kingdom's pivotal role in various regional issues. This underscores the Kingdom's potential role in disarming Hezbollah in Lebanon, as it views the group's arsenal as a threat to the security and stability of the region. The Kingdom has repeatedly called for Hezbollah's disarmament, highlighting that Lebanon cannot achieve lasting stability while the group possesses weapons — undermining the institutions of the Lebanese state and hinders the independence of the Lebanese political decision. The Kingdom also saw Hezbollah's relations with Iran as a tool for Tehran to expand its regional influence. However, the current détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran can introduce a new dynamic for Saudi diplomacy. Related Topics: Lebanon's President Vows to Disarm Hezbollah Amid Rising Tensions US Envoy Warns Hezbollah Against Iran-Israel War Involvement Year-end Review: Hezbollah-Israel Conflict Ends with Ceasefire in 2024 Short link : Post Views: 25
Saudi Gazette
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Canada rejects claims of ongoing arms exports to Israel
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Saudi Gazette
5 hours ago
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Hamas says it will not disarm without fully sovereign Palestinian state
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