Trump to meet Qatar's PM to discuss Gaza ceasefire deal, Axios reports
Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been taking part in the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha since July 6, discussing a US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire that envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the conflict.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday he was 'hopeful' about the ceasefire negotiations under way in Qatar, a key mediator between the two sides.
US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been working to secure an agreement. However, Israel and Hamas are divided over the extent of an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel. Israel said Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
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The Herald
4 hours ago
- The Herald
Israeli strikes kill 22 in Gaza, church late pope often called is damaged
The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was looking into the matter. 'The IDF is aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review,' it said. 'The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them.' Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave. Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza and another in the north killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks. Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said. Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the US, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce. As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned, with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear.

TimesLIVE
5 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Israeli strikes kill 22 in Gaza, church late pope often called is damaged
Israeli forces killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday and several were hurt in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly, medics and church officials said. Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out as mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha. A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters they had made no progress on key issues and had stalled. Several people were wounded in a morning 'raid' on the Holy Family Church, including parish priest Gabriel Romanelli, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said about the incident at the only catholic church in Gaza. Father Romanelli, an Argentinian, used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg. 'The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude,' Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.

The Herald
5 hours ago
- The Herald
G20 finance chiefs meet in Durban under tariff cloud
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