Israel yet to agree to ceasefire proposal as strikes on Gaza continue
Spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry Majid al-Ansari confirmed Tuesday that a "positive response" was received from Hamas.
He declined to go into details of the deal, but noted that it is "almost identical" to a proposal earlier offered by US Envoy Steve Witkoff that Israel had earlier accepted.
'If this (ceasefire) proposal fails, the crisis will exacerbate,' al-Ansari told journalists, adding they have yet to hear from Israel on it.
The deal would include a 60-day truce, the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a flood of humanitarian aid into Gaza and talks on a lasting ceasefire.
But Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages held in Gaza are returned and Hamas is disarmed.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that fear of Israel plans to occupy Gaza city is bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table. 'Only their fear that we seriously intend to occupy Gaza, facing this alternative they are willing to discuss,' he commented.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu announced plans to occupy Gaza City and other densely populated areas, which would likely result in even more casualties and further waves of mass displacement.
UN says trickle of aid insufficient to avert starvation
Hospitals in Gaza continue to be overwhelmed with bodies and injured people due to continued Israeli strikes.
Across the territory, hospitals said they had received the bodies of 34 Palestinians killed Tuesday, including women and children. Nasser Hospital said an airstrike killed a mother, father and three children in their tent overnight in Muwasi, a camp for hundreds of thousands of civilians.
It added that nine people were killed while seeking aid in areas where UN convoys have been overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds, and where people have been shot and killed while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, an Israeli-backed American contractor.
Another two people were killed near a GHF site in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital.
Witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people seeking aid from GHF sites and UN convoys since Israel eased a 2 1/2 month blockade on Gaza in May.
Members of the United Nations human rights and humanitarian affairs agencies warned on Tuesday that the trickle of aid entering Gaza is insufficient to avert widespread starvation.
"The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza. This is a direct result of the Israeli government's policy of blocking humanitarian aid,' Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson at the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva.
The UN said on Monday that hunger-related deaths continue to be reported in the Strip, including among children.
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Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Israel yet to respond to ceasefire proposal as strikes on Gaza persist
As strikes on Gaza continue, Israel says it is studying Hamas' response to a ceasefire proposal but has so far not yet weighed in with a response of its own. Spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry Majid al-Ansari confirmed Tuesday that a "positive response" was received from Hamas. He declined to go into details of the deal, but noted that it is "almost identical" to a proposal earlier offered by US Envoy Steve Witkoff that Israel had earlier accepted. 'If this (ceasefire) proposal fails, the crisis will exacerbate,' al-Ansari told journalists, adding they have yet to hear from Israel on it. The deal would include a 60-day truce, the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a flood of humanitarian aid into Gaza and talks on a lasting ceasefire. But Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages held in Gaza are returned and Hamas is disarmed. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that fear of Israel plans to occupy Gaza city is bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table. 'Only their fear that we seriously intend to occupy Gaza, facing this alternative they are willing to discuss,' he commented. Earlier this month, Netanyahu announced plans to occupy Gaza City and other densely populated areas, which would likely result in even more casualties and further waves of mass displacement. UN says trickle of aid insufficient to avert starvation Hospitals in Gaza continue to be overwhelmed with bodies and injured people due to continued Israeli strikes. Across the territory, hospitals said they had received the bodies of 34 Palestinians killed Tuesday, including women and children. Nasser Hospital said an airstrike killed a mother, father and three children in their tent overnight in Muwasi, a camp for hundreds of thousands of civilians. It added that nine people were killed while seeking aid in areas where UN convoys have been overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds, and where people have been shot and killed while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, an Israeli-backed American contractor. Another two people were killed near a GHF site in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital. Witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people seeking aid from GHF sites and UN convoys since Israel eased a 2 1/2 month blockade on Gaza in May. Members of the United Nations human rights and humanitarian affairs agencies warned on Tuesday that the trickle of aid entering Gaza is insufficient to avert widespread starvation. "The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza. This is a direct result of the Israeli government's policy of blocking humanitarian aid,' Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson at the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva. The UN said on Monday that hunger-related deaths continue to be reported in the Strip, including among children.
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Israel yet to agree to ceasefire proposal as strikes on Gaza continue
As strikes on Gaza continue, Israel says it is studying Hamas' response to a ceasefire proposal but has so far not yet weighed in with a response of its own. Spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry Majid al-Ansari confirmed Tuesday that a "positive response" was received from Hamas. He declined to go into details of the deal, but noted that it is "almost identical" to a proposal earlier offered by US Envoy Steve Witkoff that Israel had earlier accepted. 'If this (ceasefire) proposal fails, the crisis will exacerbate,' al-Ansari told journalists, adding they have yet to hear from Israel on it. The deal would include a 60-day truce, the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a flood of humanitarian aid into Gaza and talks on a lasting ceasefire. But Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages held in Gaza are returned and Hamas is disarmed. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that fear of Israel plans to occupy Gaza city is bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table. 'Only their fear that we seriously intend to occupy Gaza, facing this alternative they are willing to discuss,' he commented. Earlier this month, Netanyahu announced plans to occupy Gaza City and other densely populated areas, which would likely result in even more casualties and further waves of mass displacement. UN says trickle of aid insufficient to avert starvation Hospitals in Gaza continue to be overwhelmed with bodies and injured people due to continued Israeli strikes. Across the territory, hospitals said they had received the bodies of 34 Palestinians killed Tuesday, including women and children. Nasser Hospital said an airstrike killed a mother, father and three children in their tent overnight in Muwasi, a camp for hundreds of thousands of civilians. It added that nine people were killed while seeking aid in areas where UN convoys have been overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds, and where people have been shot and killed while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, an Israeli-backed American contractor. Another two people were killed near a GHF site in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital. Witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people seeking aid from GHF sites and UN convoys since Israel eased a 2 1/2 month blockade on Gaza in May. Members of the United Nations human rights and humanitarian affairs agencies warned on Tuesday that the trickle of aid entering Gaza is insufficient to avert widespread starvation. "The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza. This is a direct result of the Israeli government's policy of blocking humanitarian aid,' Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson at the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva. The UN said on Monday that hunger-related deaths continue to be reported in the Strip, including among children.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
UN says record 383 aid workers killed in 2024
The 2024 figure was up 31 percent on the year before, the UN said on World Humanitarian Day, "driven by the relentless conflicts in Gaza, where 181 humanitarian workers were killed, and in Sudan, where 60 lost their lives". It said state actors were the most common perpetrators of the killings in 2024. The UN said most of those killed were local staff, and were either attacked in the line of duty or in their homes. Besides those killed, 308 aid workers were wounded, 125 kidnapped and 45 detained last year. "Even one attack against a humanitarian colleague is an attack on all of us and on the people we serve," said UN aid chief Tom Fletcher. "Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy. "As the humanitarian community, we demand -- again -- that those with power and influence act for humanity, protect civilians and aid workers and hold perpetrators to account." Provisional figures from the Aid Worker Security Database show that 265 aid workers have been killed this year, as of August 14. The UN reiterated that attacks on aid workers and operations violate international humanitarian law and damage the lifelines sustaining millions of people trapped in war and disaster zones. "Violence against aid workers is not inevitable. It must end," said Fletcher, the UN emergency relief coordinator and under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. Meanwhile the UN's World Health Organization said it had verified more than 800 attacks on health care in 16 territories so far this year, with more than 1,110 health workers and patients killed and hundreds injured. "Each attack inflicts lasting harm, deprives entire communities of life-saving care when they need it the most, endangers health care providers, and weakens already strained health systems," the WHO said. World Humanitarian Day marks the day in 2003 when UN rights chief Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other humanitarians were killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.
