France and Saudi Arabia Aim to Disarm Hamas in New Peace Push
France and Saudi Arabia are working on a proposal to disarm the Iran-backed militant group Hamas and pave the way for its demobilization, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Saudi officials have been in contact with Hamas as part of its push, according to people briefed on the matter. It's unclear if French officials have also been talking to Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the European Union and US.
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Israel retrieves the body of a Thai hostage as 95 people are reported killed in Gaza
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Israelis demand return of captives; pro-Palestine rallies held in Europe
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Kharkiv hit with attacks as Ukraine, Russia dispute prisoner swap
The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was hit by a Russian glide bomb attack on Saturday, after suffering heavy Russian airstrikes earlier in the day. A 30-year-old woman was killed, Kharkiv's military governor, Oleh Syniehubov, wrote on Telegram. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 40 people were injured in the glide bomb attack. "This makes no military sense. It is pure terrorism," he wrote on Telegram. Russia dropped four glide bombs on the city centre, damaging two buildings belonging to a children's railway, train carriages and two houses, Syniehubov said. He said the area is a popular place for families to spend their free time at the weekend. On Saturday morning, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported three deaths in Russian airstrikes on the city, which also hit residential buildings. He said the strikes injured 21 people, including a baby and a 14-year-old girl. According to Ukrainian sources, 53 drones, four glide bombs and a missile struck various locations in the earlier attack. Terekhov said the attack was the most severe that the city had experienced since the war began more than three years ago. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, is located close to the Russian border and has repeatedly been the target of Russian attacks. A disputed exchange Meanwhile Russia and Ukraine are wrangling over the implementation of the prisoner exchange and return of 6,000 dead soldiers agreed on Monday in Istanbul. Moscow's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said on Telegram on Saturday that the Russian side was waiting at the handover point with 1,212 frozen bodies in refrigerators ready to begin the initiative, but the Ukrainian envoys were absent. In addition, he said a list of 640 detainees had been handed over to Ukraine for the latest planned prisoner exchange. The other remains were also said to be on their way. The Defence Ministry released a video showing white bags, allegedly containing the bodies, being transported in lorries. Medinsky accused Ukraine of not honouring the agreement and delaying the prisoner swap. The Ukrainian coordination staff responded that the timing of the handover had not been agreed upon but was unilaterally set by the Russians. In a statement on Telegram, the staff referred to "dirty games" and called on the Russian side to return to constructive work. The implementation of the agreements could take place "in the coming days," the staff in Kiev said. At the same time, Ukraine rejected Russian accusations that the exchange of prisoners and the handover of the bodies were being delayed. Ukraine criticizes flawed prisoner lists The coordination staff said it had handed over its lists for the prisoner exchange to the Russian side, in line with the agreement. According to Russian reports, the exchange is to involve 1,200 prisoners on each side. However, the staff in Kiev complained that Moscow had provided lists that did not comply with the Istanbul agreement. It is now Russia's turn, it said. The prisoner exchange was expected to take place this Saturday and Sunday. Lorries full of bodies In a video released by the Russian Defence Ministry, Lieutenant General Alexander Sorin, a member of Moscow's negotiating team, stated that the Ukrainian side had not confirmed the prisoner exchange on Saturday and had postponed it indefinitely. Russia is ready to implement all agreements reached in Istanbul, the general emphasized. "We are prepared to hand over all the bodies and also carry out the exchange of prisoners of war according to the agreed formula," Sorin said. The talks in Istanbul were the second direct negotiations since 2022, following a first round in May, which led to the largest prisoner exchange to date in the same month. A total of 1,000 soldiers and civilians were freed on each side.
