'Israel must end the war in Gaza to bring the hostages back,' mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen says
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Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
Netanyahu says Gaza ceasefire talks now focus on hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that ceasefire efforts in Gaza are now focused on a comprehensive deal that would release the remaining hostages all at once, rather than in phases. In an interview with Israel's i24 News network broadcast Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal. 'I think it's behind us,' Netanyahu replied. 'We tried, we made all kinds of attempts, we went through a lot, but it turned out that they were just misleading us.' 'I want all of them,' he said of the hostages. 'The release of all the hostages, both alive and dead — that's the stage we're at.' Arab officials told The Associated Press last week that mediators Egypt and Qatar were preparing a new framework for a deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages in one go in return for a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The long-running indirect talks appeared to break down last month, but a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for ceasefire talks on Tuesday, Egypt's state-run Qahera news channel reported, a sign that efforts have not been abandoned after 22 months of war. Israel has threatened to widen its military offensive against Hamas to the areas of Gaza that it does not yet control and where most of the territory's 2 million residents have sought refuge. Those plans have sparked international condemnation and criticism within Israel and could be intended to raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire. The militants still hold 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 2023, attack that sparked the war. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive. 'I want all of them.' Netanyahu in the interview on Tuesday reiterated that Israel's demands haven't changed and that the war will end only when all hostages are returned and Hamas has surrendered. He has said that even then, Israel will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal but says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The militant group has refused to lay down its arms, as Israel has demanded. UN warns about starvation, malnutrition Meanwhile, the United Nations on Tuesday warned that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric reported the warning from the World Food Program and said Gaza's Health Ministry told U.N. staff in Gaza that five people died over the last 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation. According to the UN ministry, around 121 adults and 101 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war. 'Against this backdrop, humanitarian supplies entering Gaza remain far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs,' Dujarric said.
Euronews
15 hours ago
- Euronews
Israel in talks to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan
Israel is reportedly in discussions with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians from Gaza to the war-torn East African country, part of a wider effort by Israel to facilitate mass emigration from the territory largely left in ruins by the 22-month offensive against Hamas. Six people familiar with the matter confirmed to the AP news agency that talks have taken place, although it is unclear how far they have advanced. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to realise US President Donald Trump's vision of relocating much of Gaza's population through what Netanyahu refers to as "voluntary migration." Israel has floated similarly resettlement proposals with other African nations, including Sudan and Somalia. Palestinians, rights groups, and much of the international community have rejected the proposals as a blueprint for forcible expulsion in violation of international law. Israel's Foreign Ministry declined to comment and South Sudan's foreign minister did not respond to questions about the talks. A US State Department spokesperson said it doesn't comment on private diplomatic conversations. Opposition to resettlement Joe Szlavik, the founder of a US lobbying firm working with South Sudan, said he was briefed by South Sudanese officials on the talks. He said an Israeli delegation plans to visit the country to look into the possibility of setting up camps for Palestinians there. No known date has been set for the visit and Israel did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the visit. Szlavik said Israel would likely pay for makeshift camps. Edmund Yakani, who heads a South Sudanese civil society group, said he had also spoken to South Sudanese officials about the talks. Four additional officials with knowledge of the discussions confirmed talks were taking place on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss them publicly. Two of the officials, both from Egypt, told AP they've known for months about Israel's efforts to find a country to accept Palestinians, including its contact with South Sudan. They said they've been lobbying South Sudan against taking the Palestinians. Egypt is deeply opposed to plans to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza, with which it shares a border, fearing an influx of refugees into its own territory. From one conflict zone to another Many Palestinians may want to temporarily leave Gaza to escape the war and a hunger crisis bordering on famine. But they have roundly rejected any permanent resettlement from what they see as an integral part of their national homeland. They fear that Israel will never allow them to return and that a mass departure would allow it to annex Gaza and re-establish Jewish settlements there, as called for by far-right ministers in the Israeli government. Still, even those Palestinians who want to leave are unlikely to want to go to South Sudan, among the world's most unstable and conflict-ridden countries. South Sudan has struggled to recover from a civil war that broke out after independence, and which killed nearly 400,000 people and plunged pockets of the country into famine. The oil-rich country is plagued by corruption and relies on international aid to help feed its 11 million people, a challenge that has only grown since the Trump administration made sweeping cuts to foreign assistance. A peace deal reached seven years ago has been fragile and incomplete and the threat of war returned when the main opposition leader Riek Machar was placed under house arrest earlier this year. Palestinians in particular could find themselves unwelcome. The long war for independence from Sudan pitted the mostly Christian and animist south against the predominantly Arab and Muslim north. Yakani, of the civil society group, said South Sudanese would need to know who is coming and how long they plan to stay, or there could be hostilities due to the "historical issues with Muslims and Arabs." "South Sudan should not become a dumping ground for people," he said. "And it should not accept to take people as negotiating chips to improve relations."
LeMonde
17 hours ago
- LeMonde
Gaza: Egypt announces joint effort with Qatar and US to broker 60-day ceasefire
Egypt said it was working with fellow Gaza mediators Qatar and the United States to broker a 60-day ceasefire, on Tuesday, August 12, as part of a renewed push to end the Israel-Hamas war. Egypt, Qatar and the US have played key roles in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7, 2023 attack triggered the ongoing war. "We are working very hard now in full cooperation with the Qataris and Americans," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters at a press conference in Cairo. "The main objective is to go back to the original proposal – to have a ceasefire for 60 days, with the release of some hostages and some Palestinian detainees, and the flow of humanitarian and medical assistance to Gaza without restrictions, without conditions." "We are talking with Hamas, with the Israelis and pushing for a deal" based on a recent US plan, Abdelatty said. Talks broke down in July Last month, more than two weeks of negotiations in Doha failed to secure a breakthrough in talks for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Hamas negotiators eventually withdrew days after the United States and Israel pulled their own delegations. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff blamed Hamas for the failure, saying Washington would "consider alternative options" after no agreement was reached. A previous short-lived truce earlier this year collapsed and did not lead to a lasting agreement.
