Gaza buffer zone plan outlined ahead of key Netanyahu-Trump meeting
The proposal stops short of guaranteeing a permanent end to the war – a condition demanded by Hamas – but says negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place during the 60 days.
During that time, 'President [Donald] Trump guarantees Israel's adherence' to halting military operations, the document says, adding that Trump 'will personally announce the ceasefire agreement'.
The personal guarantee by Trump appeared to be an attempt to reassure Hamas that Israel would not unilaterally resume fighting as it did in March during a previous ceasefire, when talks to extend it appeared to stall.
Trump said last week that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire, but it was unclear if the terms were those in the document reviewed by AP.
Hamas has requested some changes, but has not specified them.
Separately, an Israeli official said the security cabinet late on Saturday approved sending aid into northern Gaza, where civilians suffer from acute food shortages.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the decision with media, declined to give more details.
Northern Gaza has seen just a trickle of aid enter since Israel ended the latest ceasefire in March. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's closest distribution site is near the Netzarim corridor, south of Gaza City, that separates the territory's north and south.
Israel hits 130 targets across Gaza
In Gaza, hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 38 Palestinians on Sunday.
Israeli strikes hit two houses in Gaza City, killing 20 Palestinians and wounding 25 others, said Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Shifa Hospital, which serves the area.
Israel's military said it had struck several Hamas fighters in two locations in the area of Gaza City.
In southern Gaza, Israeli strikes killed 18 Palestinians in Mawasi, on the Mediterranean coast, where thousands of displaced people live in tents, said officials at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis. It said two families were among the dead.
'My brother, his wife, his four children, my cousin's son and his daughter ... Eight people are gone,' said Saqer Abu Al-Kheir as people gathered on the sand for prayers and burials.
Israel's military had no immediate comment on those strikes but said it had struck 130 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours, including Hamas command and control structures, storage facilities, weapons and launchers, and that they had killed a number of militants.
Separately, Israel attacked Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports and a power plant, the Israeli military said on Monday, marking the first Israeli attack on Yemen in almost a month.
Residents told Reuters the Israeli strikes on the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah put the main power station out of service, leaving the city in darkness.
The Houthi military spokesperson said air defences confronted the Israeli attack 'by using a large number of domestically produced surface-to-air missiles'.
Rift over ending the war
Ahead of the indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, Netanyahu's office asserted that the militant group was seeking 'unacceptable' changes to the ceasefire proposal. Hamas gave a 'positive' response late on Friday to the latest proposal.
The militant group has sought guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas' demands for guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war's end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the group's destruction.
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The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Most have been released in earlier ceasefires.
Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, over half of them women and children, says Gaza's Health Ministry.
The ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas government, does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The UN and other international organisations consider their figures to be the most reliable statistics on war casualties.
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Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Call to axe 'nuisance' levies as US tariffs wreak havoc
Australia has been urged to push for free markets, avoid a trade war and reduce its own "nuisance" levies as the world braces for the resumption of US tariffs. While President Donald Trump's tariffs are unlikely to have a significant direct impact on Australia when he lifts a pause on reciprocal levies on August 1, the uncertainty they create could wreak havoc on living standards across the globe. Were it not for that, modelling from the Productivity Commission has found Australia could receive some benefits from US tariffs. But the federal government's independent research and advisory body has recommended Australia mitigate impacts by committing to free trade agreements, reducing some of its own tariffs and working towards open markets - offering much-needed certainty for exporters. Any retaliatory tariffs could escalate into a broader trade war, potentially exacerbating uncertainty, which the commission warned would bring "serious consequences". In 2025, economic uncertainty in Australia and across the world reached its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic. The speed, frequency and varying scope of Mr Trump's tariffs created an environment where world trade could be transformed at any time and without warning, creating uncertainty that could slow economic activity, household consumption and investment. Of the scenarios modelled by the commission, Australia would do better under a "Liberation Day" situation where - much like the real event - Australia's exports face only the baseline tariff of 10 per cent while other countries' goods are hit with higher rates. Since Australian items are impacted by a lower rate, they would be comparatively cheaper, meaning American consumers would shift demand to Australia. Lower US demand for other countries' imports would decrease their price, reducing the cost of import inputs used in Australian production. The US tariffs would also likely lead capital to flow out of America and high-tariffed countries, benefiting other economies like Australia. This means Liberation Day tariffs, alongside Mr Trump's levies on steel and aluminium, could lead to a 0.37 per cent increase in Australia's real gross domestic product and a 30.9 per cent increase in US demand for Australian exports. While it is unclear whether Australia could negotiate a tariff exemption, the government could take things into its own hands by removing more of its own "nuisance" levies. It has already abolished almost 500 of these tariffs, which impose high costs on businesses and generate little revenue, but the commission identified another 315 that could be urgently removed. "Australia is best served by continuing to advocate for free and fair trade - and that's exactly what we've done," Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in response to the report.


The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Wall Street falls as tariff uncertainty weighs
Wall Street's major indexes have slipped as heightened tariff tensions dampened risk sentiment, while Tesla shares slid after boss Elon Musk announced plans to launch a political party. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US will make several trade announcements in the next 48 hours, ahead of a deadline on Wednesday to finalise trade pacts. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the country was closer to inking several trade pacts and would notify other countries of higher tariff rates by July 9. He added that those duties are set to take effect on August 1. In April, Trump unveiled a base tariff rate of 10 per cent on most countries and additional duties ranging up to 50 per cent, subsequently pushing the Nasdaq into a bear market. Although he later delayed the effective date for all but 10 per cent until July 9. The new date offers countries a three-week window for further negotiations. 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President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the country was closer to inking several trade pacts and would notify other countries of higher tariff rates by July 9. He added that those duties are set to take effect on August 1. In April, Trump unveiled a base tariff rate of 10 per cent on most countries and additional duties ranging up to 50 per cent, subsequently pushing the Nasdaq into a bear market. Although he later delayed the effective date for all but 10 per cent until July 9. The new date offers countries a three-week window for further negotiations. Trump also threatened an extra 10 per cent tariff on countries aligning themselves with the "Anti-American policies" of the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In early trading on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 207.65 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 44,620.88, the S&P 500 lost 27.38 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 6,251.97 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 115.56 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 20,485.13. Nine of the eleven major S&P sectors were trading in the red, with consumer discretionary falling the most by 1.0 per cent. Electric vehicle maker Tesla dropped 6.8 per cent, on track for its worst day in over a month, after Musk announced the formation of a political party named the American Party, marking a new escalation in his feud with Trump. "Tesla investors are starting to vote their displeasure with him getting back into politics. The potential for him to start his own American party is just the exact opposite of what Tesla investors want," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth. Shares of WNS jumped 14.2 per cent after the French IT services firm Capgemini agreed to buy the outsourcing firm for $US3.3 billion ($A5.1 billion) in cash. Monday's pullback also comes after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record highs on Thursday following a surprisingly strong jobs report that pointed to resilience in the labour market. The Dow was about 1.0 per cent away from an all-time high. Solid jobs data also backed the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on future interest rate cuts. Traders have fully priced out a July rate cut, with September odds at 64.4 per cent, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool. Trump's inflation-causing tariff policies have further complicated the Fed's path to lower rates. As a result, minutes of its June meeting, scheduled for release on Wednesday, should offer more clues on the monetary policy outlook. Attention is also on a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, passed by House Republicans after markets closed on Thursday, that is set to swell the national deficit by over $US3 ($A4.6) trillion in the next decade. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 2.1-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and by a 1.86-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 21 new 52-week highs and three new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 69 new highs and 32 new lows. Wall Street's major indexes have slipped as heightened tariff tensions dampened risk sentiment, while Tesla shares slid after boss Elon Musk announced plans to launch a political party. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US will make several trade announcements in the next 48 hours, ahead of a deadline on Wednesday to finalise trade pacts. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the country was closer to inking several trade pacts and would notify other countries of higher tariff rates by July 9. He added that those duties are set to take effect on August 1. In April, Trump unveiled a base tariff rate of 10 per cent on most countries and additional duties ranging up to 50 per cent, subsequently pushing the Nasdaq into a bear market. Although he later delayed the effective date for all but 10 per cent until July 9. The new date offers countries a three-week window for further negotiations. Trump also threatened an extra 10 per cent tariff on countries aligning themselves with the "Anti-American policies" of the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In early trading on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 207.65 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 44,620.88, the S&P 500 lost 27.38 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 6,251.97 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 115.56 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 20,485.13. Nine of the eleven major S&P sectors were trading in the red, with consumer discretionary falling the most by 1.0 per cent. Electric vehicle maker Tesla dropped 6.8 per cent, on track for its worst day in over a month, after Musk announced the formation of a political party named the American Party, marking a new escalation in his feud with Trump. "Tesla investors are starting to vote their displeasure with him getting back into politics. The potential for him to start his own American party is just the exact opposite of what Tesla investors want," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth. Shares of WNS jumped 14.2 per cent after the French IT services firm Capgemini agreed to buy the outsourcing firm for $US3.3 billion ($A5.1 billion) in cash. Monday's pullback also comes after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record highs on Thursday following a surprisingly strong jobs report that pointed to resilience in the labour market. The Dow was about 1.0 per cent away from an all-time high. Solid jobs data also backed the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on future interest rate cuts. Traders have fully priced out a July rate cut, with September odds at 64.4 per cent, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool. Trump's inflation-causing tariff policies have further complicated the Fed's path to lower rates. As a result, minutes of its June meeting, scheduled for release on Wednesday, should offer more clues on the monetary policy outlook. Attention is also on a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, passed by House Republicans after markets closed on Thursday, that is set to swell the national deficit by over $US3 ($A4.6) trillion in the next decade. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 2.1-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and by a 1.86-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 21 new 52-week highs and three new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 69 new highs and 32 new lows. Wall Street's major indexes have slipped as heightened tariff tensions dampened risk sentiment, while Tesla shares slid after boss Elon Musk announced plans to launch a political party. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US will make several trade announcements in the next 48 hours, ahead of a deadline on Wednesday to finalise trade pacts. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the country was closer to inking several trade pacts and would notify other countries of higher tariff rates by July 9. He added that those duties are set to take effect on August 1. In April, Trump unveiled a base tariff rate of 10 per cent on most countries and additional duties ranging up to 50 per cent, subsequently pushing the Nasdaq into a bear market. Although he later delayed the effective date for all but 10 per cent until July 9. The new date offers countries a three-week window for further negotiations. Trump also threatened an extra 10 per cent tariff on countries aligning themselves with the "Anti-American policies" of the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In early trading on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 207.65 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 44,620.88, the S&P 500 lost 27.38 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 6,251.97 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 115.56 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 20,485.13. Nine of the eleven major S&P sectors were trading in the red, with consumer discretionary falling the most by 1.0 per cent. Electric vehicle maker Tesla dropped 6.8 per cent, on track for its worst day in over a month, after Musk announced the formation of a political party named the American Party, marking a new escalation in his feud with Trump. "Tesla investors are starting to vote their displeasure with him getting back into politics. The potential for him to start his own American party is just the exact opposite of what Tesla investors want," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth. Shares of WNS jumped 14.2 per cent after the French IT services firm Capgemini agreed to buy the outsourcing firm for $US3.3 billion ($A5.1 billion) in cash. Monday's pullback also comes after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record highs on Thursday following a surprisingly strong jobs report that pointed to resilience in the labour market. The Dow was about 1.0 per cent away from an all-time high. Solid jobs data also backed the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on future interest rate cuts. Traders have fully priced out a July rate cut, with September odds at 64.4 per cent, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool. Trump's inflation-causing tariff policies have further complicated the Fed's path to lower rates. As a result, minutes of its June meeting, scheduled for release on Wednesday, should offer more clues on the monetary policy outlook. Attention is also on a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, passed by House Republicans after markets closed on Thursday, that is set to swell the national deficit by over $US3 ($A4.6) trillion in the next decade. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 2.1-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and by a 1.86-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 21 new 52-week highs and three new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 69 new highs and 32 new lows.


The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Rubio to make first visit to Indo-Pacific region
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Malaysia later this week to attend a meeting of Southeast Asian Nations in his first visit to the Indo-Pacific region as America's top diplomat. Rubio will travel July 8-12 and will take part in meetings in Kuala Lumpur with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose foreign ministers are gathering there, the State Department said. Rubio will seek to firm up US relationships with partners and allies in the region, who have been unnerved by President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive. The trip is part of a renewed US focus on the Indo-Pacific and represents an effort by the Trump administration to look beyond the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have so far consumed much of its attention. Last week, Rubio hosted Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and counterparts from India and Japan. They announced a joint initiative to ensure the supply of critical minerals, a vital sector for high-tech applications dominated by Washington's main strategic rival, China. Trump also announced that he reached a trade agreement with an important Southeast Asian partner and ASEAN member Vietnam and could reach one with India, but cast doubt on a possible deal with Japan, Washington's main Indo-Pacific ally and a major importer and investor in the United States. Rubio has yet to visit Japan or neighbouring South Korea, the other major US ally in north-east Asia, since taking office in January, even though Washington sees the Indo-Pacific as its main strategic priority given the perceived threat posed by China. ASEAN countries have been nervous about Trump's tariff offensive and have questioned the willingness of his "America First" administration to fully engage diplomatically and economically with the region. "There is a hunger to be reassured that the US actually views the Indo-Pacific as the primary theatre of US interests, key to US national security," said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Other ASEAN countries may be encouraged by Vietnam's deal with Trump. "This should smooth the way for continued pragmatic security engagement between the US and Vietnam, and hopefully provide a pathway for others in Southeast Asia to get similar deals without having to give up much," Poling said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Malaysia later this week to attend a meeting of Southeast Asian Nations in his first visit to the Indo-Pacific region as America's top diplomat. Rubio will travel July 8-12 and will take part in meetings in Kuala Lumpur with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose foreign ministers are gathering there, the State Department said. Rubio will seek to firm up US relationships with partners and allies in the region, who have been unnerved by President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive. The trip is part of a renewed US focus on the Indo-Pacific and represents an effort by the Trump administration to look beyond the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have so far consumed much of its attention. Last week, Rubio hosted Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and counterparts from India and Japan. They announced a joint initiative to ensure the supply of critical minerals, a vital sector for high-tech applications dominated by Washington's main strategic rival, China. Trump also announced that he reached a trade agreement with an important Southeast Asian partner and ASEAN member Vietnam and could reach one with India, but cast doubt on a possible deal with Japan, Washington's main Indo-Pacific ally and a major importer and investor in the United States. Rubio has yet to visit Japan or neighbouring South Korea, the other major US ally in north-east Asia, since taking office in January, even though Washington sees the Indo-Pacific as its main strategic priority given the perceived threat posed by China. ASEAN countries have been nervous about Trump's tariff offensive and have questioned the willingness of his "America First" administration to fully engage diplomatically and economically with the region. "There is a hunger to be reassured that the US actually views the Indo-Pacific as the primary theatre of US interests, key to US national security," said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Other ASEAN countries may be encouraged by Vietnam's deal with Trump. "This should smooth the way for continued pragmatic security engagement between the US and Vietnam, and hopefully provide a pathway for others in Southeast Asia to get similar deals without having to give up much," Poling said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Malaysia later this week to attend a meeting of Southeast Asian Nations in his first visit to the Indo-Pacific region as America's top diplomat. Rubio will travel July 8-12 and will take part in meetings in Kuala Lumpur with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose foreign ministers are gathering there, the State Department said. Rubio will seek to firm up US relationships with partners and allies in the region, who have been unnerved by President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive. The trip is part of a renewed US focus on the Indo-Pacific and represents an effort by the Trump administration to look beyond the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have so far consumed much of its attention. Last week, Rubio hosted Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and counterparts from India and Japan. They announced a joint initiative to ensure the supply of critical minerals, a vital sector for high-tech applications dominated by Washington's main strategic rival, China. Trump also announced that he reached a trade agreement with an important Southeast Asian partner and ASEAN member Vietnam and could reach one with India, but cast doubt on a possible deal with Japan, Washington's main Indo-Pacific ally and a major importer and investor in the United States. Rubio has yet to visit Japan or neighbouring South Korea, the other major US ally in north-east Asia, since taking office in January, even though Washington sees the Indo-Pacific as its main strategic priority given the perceived threat posed by China. ASEAN countries have been nervous about Trump's tariff offensive and have questioned the willingness of his "America First" administration to fully engage diplomatically and economically with the region. "There is a hunger to be reassured that the US actually views the Indo-Pacific as the primary theatre of US interests, key to US national security," said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Other ASEAN countries may be encouraged by Vietnam's deal with Trump. "This should smooth the way for continued pragmatic security engagement between the US and Vietnam, and hopefully provide a pathway for others in Southeast Asia to get similar deals without having to give up much," Poling said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Malaysia later this week to attend a meeting of Southeast Asian Nations in his first visit to the Indo-Pacific region as America's top diplomat. Rubio will travel July 8-12 and will take part in meetings in Kuala Lumpur with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose foreign ministers are gathering there, the State Department said. Rubio will seek to firm up US relationships with partners and allies in the region, who have been unnerved by President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive. The trip is part of a renewed US focus on the Indo-Pacific and represents an effort by the Trump administration to look beyond the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have so far consumed much of its attention. Last week, Rubio hosted Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and counterparts from India and Japan. They announced a joint initiative to ensure the supply of critical minerals, a vital sector for high-tech applications dominated by Washington's main strategic rival, China. Trump also announced that he reached a trade agreement with an important Southeast Asian partner and ASEAN member Vietnam and could reach one with India, but cast doubt on a possible deal with Japan, Washington's main Indo-Pacific ally and a major importer and investor in the United States. Rubio has yet to visit Japan or neighbouring South Korea, the other major US ally in north-east Asia, since taking office in January, even though Washington sees the Indo-Pacific as its main strategic priority given the perceived threat posed by China. ASEAN countries have been nervous about Trump's tariff offensive and have questioned the willingness of his "America First" administration to fully engage diplomatically and economically with the region. "There is a hunger to be reassured that the US actually views the Indo-Pacific as the primary theatre of US interests, key to US national security," said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Other ASEAN countries may be encouraged by Vietnam's deal with Trump. "This should smooth the way for continued pragmatic security engagement between the US and Vietnam, and hopefully provide a pathway for others in Southeast Asia to get similar deals without having to give up much," Poling said.