Hamas 'proceeding with responsibility and rationality' in negotiations
"While we recognise the extent of the blackmail practised by the occupation through committing massacres against our people - in a desperate attempt to extract concessions it has failed to impose at the negotiating table - we affirm that we are proceeding with responsibility and rationality, and with the utmost speed possible, in completing our consultations and communications with Palestinian forces and factions, in order to reach an honourable agreement that leads to stopping the aggression, ending the genocide, and achieving our people's goals of reconstruction," the group said.
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The National
2 hours ago
- The National
UN conference will test global resolve for Palestinian statehood
Saudi Arabia and France are set to spearhead a high-stakes conference at the UN this week, launching a bold push to forge a path towards an independent Palestinian state − a move that has already ignited a fierce backlash from Israel and the Trump administration. This ambitious initiative aims to resurrect long-stalled peace efforts, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown over the region's future. The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is both more threatened and more necessary than at any time since the Oslo Accords, a French diplomatic source said ahead of the conference. The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel deepened Israeli scepticism towards Palestinian statehood, while the subsequent war in Gaza has devastated the enclave and weakened prospects for stability, the source told reporters in New York. Despite these challenges, the French official argued that the two-state solution remains the only viable path forward. It is 'even more necessary because there is no alternative', the source said. 'We cannot just discuss the situation in Gaza and the day after … we need to see beyond.' French President Emmanuel Macron last week announced that France would recognise Palestine as a state. 'The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops, and the civilian population is saved,' he said. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told CBS News on Sunday that Paris's diplomatic efforts are 'very complementary' to Washington's. 'In fact, we will welcome any further efforts led by the US to implement the Abraham Accord logics. And what we're doing now with this very significant conference that will take place in New York will pave the way for such accords,' he said. 'But in the meantime, until the US administration provides, through the Abraham Accord logics, a political horizon for this crisis, we need to act in order to facilitate the or create an off ramp for the catastrophe ongoing in Gaza' The French diplomatic source indicated that no new normalisation agreements are expected to be announced during the meeting. This week's ministerial-level conference, which was postponed in June amid the 12-day air war between Israel and Iran, will focus on Gaza's reconstruction, its governance and security, disarmament of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and normalising relations between Israel and Arab states that have not yet done so. Volker Türk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said the international community "will judge this conference on what it delivers." "We stand ready to support the Palestinians in state-building, with human rights and rule of law at its centre. When that time comes, programmes to support victims and survivors will be an important avenue for opening a pathway to accountability and redress," he said. China expressed its support for the UN conference on Friday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun saying 'the two-state solution remains the only viable path to resolve the Palestinian issue'. Max Rodenbeck, Israel-Palestine project director at the International Crisis Group think tank, said that while reviving international focus on the two-state solution is 'laudable', practical steps are needed. 'Rhetorical support needs to be matched by practical steps, as the practical possibility for creating a Palestinian state on the ground has been ebbing for years, and under the current Israeli government faces stubborn hostility,' Mr Rodenbeck said. France in September will become the third permanent member of the UN Security Council to recognise Palestine, along with Russia and China. Currently, 147 out of 193 UN member states officially recognise the state of Palestine. Mr Rodenbeck noted that Mr Macron's pledge to recognise a Palestinian state, even if symbolic for now, offers Palestinians 'a horizon for hope'. Pressure is intensifying on Israel to end its war in Gaza. Israel's strikes and ground offensive have killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the population and laid waste to most of the enclave. This followed the Hamas-led attacks on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 240. The conference takes place as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas appear to have collapsed, and as more than 100 aid agencies warned of mass starvation in Gaza. US President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should intensify military action against Hamas to eliminate the group. 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal, I think they want to die,' Mr Trump told journalists at the White House before a trip to Scotland, adding that it's time to 'finish the job' and 'get rid' of Hamas. Mr Rodenbeck said: 'It is tragic that ceasefire talks have broken down, but the more immediate tragedy – and a more solvable one – is the looming famine about to engulf Gaza.' 'Israel's use of food as a weapon is not only disgraceful, it has clearly proved ineffective as a negotiating tactic,' he said. The event will test international resolve to push for Palestinian statehood despite Israeli and US resistance, with Riyadh and Paris framing it as a critical step towards long-term stability.
Middle East Eye
7 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Negotiations with Israel pointless while Gaza faces famine and genocide, says Hamas
Hamas's top official in Gaza said on Sunday there is no longer any justification to continue negotiations with Israel while the genocide against Gaza continues and civilians are deprived of basic needs, accusing Israel of withdrawing from talks to stall and intensify the war. Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza, delivered the remarks in a video statement days after Israel pulled its negotiating team out of Doha for what it called 'further consultations', despite Hamas issuing what it described as a constructive response to the latest ceasefire framework. 'There is no point in continuing negotiations under the siege, genocide, and starvation of our children and women in the Gaza Strip,' al Hayya said. He added that 'the immediate and dignified entry of food and medicine to our people is a serious expression of the feasibility of continuing the negotiations.' Al Hayya said Hamas had shown 'all possible flexibility that did not conflict with the principles of our people' throughout the indirect talks. He said that 'clear progress' had been made during the last round of negotiations and that Hamas had accepted key elements proposed by mediators. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'In the last round of negotiations, we agreed with what the mediators offered us regarding the withdrawal, prisoners, and aid,' he said. But he expressed shock at Israel's sudden departure from the talks, 'we were surprised by the occupation's withdrawal from the negotiations and its alignment with US envoy Steve Witkoff,' he added. 'The occupation's withdrawal from the negotiations round is a transparent step aimed at wasting time and causing more genocide,' al-Hayya added. Over 100,000 children in Gaza at risk of death due to Israeli blockade Read More » He said Hamas had responded to the mediators at every stage and reiterated that the Palestinian resistance had 'used all its tools and relationships over the course of 22 months to stop the aggression against the people of Gaza.' His remarks come amid growing international outrage over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where aid agencies say famine-like conditions have taken hold in several areas. More than 100 humanitarian organisations warned on Wednesday that "mass famine" has been spreading across the Gaza Strip since Israel blocked humanitarian aid from entering in early March and began providing inadequate aid through the controversial GHF at the end of May. The Israeli and US-backed initiative has allowed an insufficient amount of relief supplies, while carrying out attacks against civilians seeking aid at the GHF sites. At least 127 Palestinians, including more than 85 children, have died of starvation since Israel's blockade resumed in March, according to the Palestinian health ministry. More than 1,121 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid at distribution sites operated by the GHF, manned by Israeli soldiers and US security contractors.
Gulf Today
9 hours ago
- Gulf Today
UAE to resume Gaza aid airdrops immediately, says Sheikh Abdullah
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter The United Arab Emirates will resume aid drops over Gaza at once, its foreign minister said on Saturday, citing the "critical" humanitarian situation in the blockaded territory, where aid groups have warned of mass starvation. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, 'The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level. In a post today on his account on the social media platform "X," Sheikh Abdullah said: "We will continue delivering relief support to those most in need - by land, air, and sea," reaffirming the immediate resumption of airdrop operations for humanitarian aid. Sheikh Abdullah stressed that the UAE's commitment to alleviating suffering and supporting the Palestinian people is resolute and unwavering. The United Arab Emirates remains at the forefront of efforts to deliver life-saving assistance to the Palestinian people. We will ensure essential aid reaches those most in need, whether through land, air or sea. These remarks come as the UAE continues, through various humanitarian initiatives, to send urgent relief and medical aid to the Gaza Strip in an effort to alleviate the humanitarian crisis faced by its residents. The UAE is among the leading nations that responded quickly at the outset of the crisis by establishing both air and sea bridges to aid those affected. This includes the launch of the "Birds of Goodness" operation, during which dozens of airdrops of food and relief supplies have been conducted over the Strip.
