Egypt says the sovereignty of a famous monastery is assured
Egypt's foreign minister on Wednesday told his Greek counterpart that the spiritual and religious value of the Saint Catherine Monastery and surrounding archaeological sites will be preserved. That's according to a statement.
The Greek Orthodox Church had been concerned after an administrative court said the state owns the land but affirmed the monks' right to use the site.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem last week expressed concern and said 'it is our sacred obligation to ensure that Christian worship continues on this holy ground, as it has done for 17 centuries.' It acknowledged Egypt's assurances there would be no infringement.
Egypt's presidency last week said the ruling consolidates the state's commitment to preserve the monastery's religious status.
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Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Israel weighs Hamas offer of 60-day Gaza truce and hostage release
JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Israel is studying Hamas' response to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and release of half the hostages still held in Gaza, two Israeli officials said on Tuesday, although one source reiterated that all Israeli captives must be freed for the war to end. Efforts to pause the fighting gained new momentum over the past week after Israel announced plans for a new offensive to seize control of Gaza City at the heart of the Palestinian enclave. Mediators Egypt and Qatar have been pushing proposals to restart indirect talks between the sides on a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan. The proposals include the release of 200 Palestinian convicts jailed in Israel and an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors, in return for 10 living and 18 deceased hostages from Gaza, according to a Hamas official. Two Egyptian security sources confirmed the details, and added that Hamas has requested the release of hundreds of Gaza detainees as well. Israel says a total of 50 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of them still alive. "Israel's policy is consistent and has not changed. Israel demands the release of all 50 hostages in accordance with the principles established by the cabinet for ending the war. We are in the final decisive stage of Hamas and will not leave any hostage behind," an Israeli political source said. The comment, while adamant, fell short of an outright rejection of the proposal on the table. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene discussions about the ceasefire proposal soon, the two Israeli officials said. A response was expected in the coming two days, said a Palestinian source close to the talks. Before Hamas responded on Monday to the proposal, Netanyahu had ruled out any deal that excluded the return of all the hostages. Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the 60-day truce deal would include "a pathway to a comprehensive agreement to end the war." The proposal includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, which presently control 75% of Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the enclave, where a population of 2.2 million people is increasingly facing famine. Israel had previously agreed to the outline, advanced by U.S. special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but negotiations faltered over some of its details. The last round of talks ended in deadlock in late July. While Israel's political echelon weighed a response, Defence Minister Israel Katz met commanders late on Tuesday. Public broadcaster Kan's military correspondent Itay Blumental said on X the meeting was to approve plans to capture Gaza City. The post cited four stages to the plans: building humanitarian infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip, evacuation of Gaza City, encirclement of Gaza City and manoeuvring into Gaza City. Thousands of people fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive are estimated to have fled the area in the past few days for points to the west and south in the shattered territory. On the ground, there were no signs of a ceasefire nearing as Israeli gunfire, tank shelling and airstrikes killed at least 20 Palestinians on Tuesday, according to Gaza health officials. At a shelter in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave, displaced people had mixed feelings over whether a deal would be reached this time. "I expect - every time the (Israeli) occupation would be obstinate, reject and receive proposals with negative responses - I expect the same for this proposal as well," said Abdallah Al-Khawaja. Women sat by wood fires cooking meals for their families, while men filled plastic gallons with water; many hoped Israel would approve the proposal. "What I say and expect as a member of the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip, one of the bereaved and displaced, is that I expect a positive response (from Israel)," said Awad Labde. In Israel, the threatened offensive prompted tens of thousands of Israelis on Sunday to hold some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Netanyahu faces domestic political pressure from his far-right government partners who object to a truce with Hamas. Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have demanded to keep the war going until Hamas' defeat, and annex Gaza. Groups representing Israeli families of those held hostage have demanded their return to Israel and an end to the war. Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq said that the truce proposal it has agreed to is an interim accord that would pave the way for negotiations on ending the war. A source close to the talks said that, unlike previous rounds, Hamas accepted the proposal with no further demands. But prospects for agreeing an end to the war appear remote, with gaps remaining on the terms. Israel is demanding the group lay down its arms and its leaders leave Gaza, conditions which Hamas has so far publicly rejected. The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's offensive has since killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants. The Israeli assault has plunged Gaza into a humanitarian crisis and displaced most of its population.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Mediators await Israeli response to new Gaza ceasefire proposal
Arab mediators are awaiting a formal response from Israel after Hamas said it had accepted a new proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release plan was presented by Qatar and Egypt, which are trying to avert a major new Israeli offensive to occupy Gaza said it was "almost identical" to a US proposal for a 60-day truce, during which around half of 50 hostages held in Gaza - 20 of whom are believed to be alive - would be handed over and the two sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the recent days, Israel's government has said it would no longer accept a partial deal - only a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages freed. Local media quoted a senior Israeli official saying: "Israel's position hasn't changed - release of all hostages and fulfilment of other conditions defined for ending the war."Later this week, the Israeli cabinet is expected to approve the military's plan to occupy Gaza City, where intensifying Israeli strikes have already prompted thousands of people to Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to conquer all of Gaza - including the areas where most of its 2.1 million Palestinian residents have sought refuge - after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire deal broke down last month. On Monday night, a Hamas statement announced that the armed group and other Palestinian factions had approved a ceasefire proposal presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to their delegations in Cairo the previous official Taher al-Nunu told Al-Araby TV that they had not sought any amendments to the proposal, which he described as "a partial deal leading to a comprehensive deal".He also emphasised that on the first day of its implementation, negotiations would begin with the aim of agreeing a permanent ceasefire."We hope that the 60 days of ceasefire will be sufficient to conclude a final agreement that will completely end this war," he foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, told reporters in Doha on Tuesday that the proposal was "98%" similar to the one presented by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff."I won't go into the details of the language that is on the table right now. But what I can say is that it is very close, almost identical to what was there on the table," Ansari said."It is within the confines of the Witkoff plan... It's a continuation of that process. Obviously, it's in the details where the devil lies."Witkoff had proposed a 60-day truce that would see Hamas release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in two phases, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli jails. He also said that negotiations on a final agreement to end the war would begin on the first day of the accepted Witkoff's plan, but Hamas rejected it, partly because it did not include a guarantee that the temporary ceasefire would lead to a permanent one. Israeli media reported that Israeli officials were examining the new proposal and Hamas's to public broadcaster Kan, Netanyahu has not ruled out the possibility of a partial deal despite his recent statements that he will only accept a comprehensive Saturday night, his office put out a statement saying that Israel would "agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go, and in accordance with our conditions for ending the war".Those conditions included the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarisation of Gaza, Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter, and the installation of a non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance, it said in a video on Monday that he had discussed with senior Israeli military commanders their "plans regarding Gaza City and the completion of our missions"."Like you, I hear the reports in the media, and from them you can get one impression - Hamas is under immense pressure," he President Donald Trump meanwhile wrote on social media: "We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be."However, the families of hostages fear the new offensive in Gaza City could endanger those being held Sunday night, hundreds of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to demand that their government agree a deal with Hamas to end the war now and bring all the hostages home. Netanyahu accused the demonstrators of hardening Hamas's negotiating Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 62,004 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have warned that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" due to food shortages.
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Reuters
Israel studying Hamas reply to Gaza ceasefire proposal
JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Israel is studying Hamas' response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal, two officials said on Tuesday of a potential deal for a 60-day truce and the release of half the Israeli hostages still held in the battered enclave. Efforts to pause the fighting gained new momentum over the past week after Israel announced plans for a new offensive to seize control of Gaza City, and Egypt and Qatar have been pushing to restart indirect talks between the sides on a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan. The proposal includes the release of 200 Palestinian convicts jailed in Israel and an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors, in return for 10 living and 18 deceased hostages from Gaza, according to a Hamas official. Two Egyptian security sources confirmed the details, and added that Hamas has requested the release of hundreds of Gaza detainees as well. The proposal includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, which presently control 75% of Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the enclave, where a population of 2.2 million people is increasingly facing famine. The last round of indirect talks between the sides ended in deadlock in July, with the sides trading blame for the collapse. Israel had previously agreed to the outline, advanced by U.S. special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but negotiations faltered over some of its details. Israel's plans to seize control of Gaza City in the heart of the Palestinian enclave have since stirred alarm abroad and among the estimated one million people presently living there. On the ground, there were no signs of a ceasefire nearing as Israeli gunfire, tank shelling and airstrikes killed at least 20 Palestinians on Tuesday, according to Gaza health officials. Tanks completed taking control of the Zeitoun suburb, an eastern neighbourhood on Gaza City's outskirts, and continued to pound the nearby area of Sabra, killing two women and a man, medics said. Local health authorities said dozens of people had been trapped in their houses because of the shelling. The Israeli military said it was checking the report. On Friday, it said its forces were operating in nearby Zeitoun to locate weapons, tunnels and gunmen. "It has been one of the worst nights in Sabra and Gaza City as the explosions are heard throughout the city," said Nasra Ali, 54, a mother of five, who lives in Sabra. "I was planning to leave my house when I heard there is a possible ceasefire. I might stay for a day or two, if nothing happens, then I will run away with my kids," she told Reuters via a chat app. Thousands of people are estimated to have fled the area in the past few days. In Israel, the threatened offensive prompted tens of thousands of Israelis on Sunday to hold some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene discussions about the ceasefire proposal soon, the two Israeli officials said. He faces pressure from his far-right government partners who object to a truce with Hamas. Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have called for Israel to keep the war going until Hamas' defeat, and annex Gaza. Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq said that the truce proposal it has agreed to is an interim accord that would pave the way for negotiations on ending the war. A source close to the talks said that, unlike previous rounds, Hamas accepted the proposal with no further demands. But prospects for agreeing an end to the war appear remote, with gaps remaining on the terms. Israel is demanding the group lay down its arms and its leaders leave Gaza, conditions which Hamas has so far publicly rejected. The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's offensive has since killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, plunged Gaza into humanitarian crisis and displaced most its population.
