Hamas says discussing proposals after Trump pushes for 60-day-ceasefire deal
Nearly 21 months of Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 57,012 Palestinians, with more than half being women and children. Israel has also targeted and killed hundreds of journalists, health care workers and aid workers.
At least 33 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Wednesday.
Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday it was "conducting national consultations to discuss what we received from the proposals of the... mediators."
It said it aimed "to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israel from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip."
Trump had on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept the temporary ceasefire, saying Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal. The Israeli government has not commented on that claim.
Without directly mentioning Trump's remarks, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that "a large majority within the government and the population is in favour" of a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
"If the opportunity arises, it must not be missed!" Saar wrote on X.
Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
On the ground in southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
32 minutes ago
- NDTV
$1,000,000,000: This Is How Much Harvard Will Lose If Trump Okays Fund Cuts
New Delhi: Harvard University may lose up to $1 billion annually if US President Donald Trump goes ahead with his plans to cut research funding, tax policy and student enrollment, according to a new report in a leading American daily. An analysis of the worst-case scenario losses shows that America's oldest institution may have a budget deficit of over a billion dollars annually, should the impasse in the Harvard-Trump tussle prevail. According to The Wall Street Journal, a loss of $240 million in Endowment Fund, $700 million in research funding and $110 million in college, graduate school revenue puts the total number at over a million. Even though Harvard has a massive $53 billion endowment, which is still wealthier and more powerful than its peers, the university doesn't have much flexibility with that money. Much of the endowment is designed for specific purposes, such as some funds are allocated only for medical research, others for scholarships and some are locked in long-term investments. In addition to this, Harvard is a tax-exempt university. But with Trump's intention to take away the tax-exempt status and impose an 8 per cent tax on endowment, it could lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The US General Services Administration (GSA) on Tuesday asked all federal agencies to rethink their contracts with Harvard University and instead look for alternative businesses/companies for future endeavours. Harvard University has a higher percentage of international students, more than 7,000, who pay full tuition fees. With the Trump administration threatening to block the university from enrolling these students, it could reduce tuition fees. Since April, the US administration has taken away over $2 billion in research and education funding. With cuts to this, Harvard University might have to slash programs or departments, lay off professors or researchers, and reduce student scholarships. One of its major schools, the Kennedy School of Government, has started laying off employees and cutting down some of its departments or programs. The university has also started selling investments at a loss. They sold $1 billion worth of private equity investments at a 7 per cent discount. Katharine Meyer, an education policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that losing $100 million contract may seem small by itself, but if this keeps happening, the university won't be able to cover all the lost money from federal contracts, grants, and other income sources. She said, "This $100 million dollar contract pullback is certainly the smallest effort that we've seen, but I think the cumulative impact is hurtling toward a point where eventually Harvard does not have infinite funds to be able to fill in where they've lost federal contracts and grants and any other sources of their revenue." Over the last few months, the Trump administration has been at loggerheads with Harvard, particularly after anti-Israel protests over Benjamin Netanyahu's brutal war on Gaza and American support for what demonstrators called a genocide of Palestinians. The administration has also accused to varsity of giving safe space to people with antisemitic views. Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, told reporters that Harvard had broken US civil rights laws. She said that if any organisation breaks federal law, like these civil rights laws, they should not be given federal funding, such as grants for research or education. The Trump administration has also removed Harvard University from its electronic student immigration registry. This is used to track international students studying in the US, so if a university is removed, then international students can't legally study there. The US has asked embassies to reject student visa applications of those looking to study at Harvard.
NDTV
33 minutes ago
- NDTV
Trump's Big Bill Cuts Clean Energy Tax, Residential Solar To Get Hit Fast
As Republicans in Congress rushed forward with a massive tax and spending cut bill, a North Carolina renewable energy executive wrote to his 190 employees with a warning: Deep cuts to clean energy tax credits were going to hurt. '(The changes) would almost certainly include the loss of jobs on our team,' wrote Will Etheridge, CEO of Southern Energy Management in Raleigh. 'I'm telling you that because you deserve transparency and the truth — even if that truth is uncomfortable.' The bill now in the House takes an ax to clean energy incentives, including killing a 30% tax credit for rooftop residential solar by the end of the year that the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act had extended into the next decade. Trump has called the clean energy tax credits in the climate law part of a 'green new scam' that improperly shifts taxpayer subsidies to help the 'globalist climate agenda' and energy sources like wind and solar. Businesses and analysts say the GOP-backed bill will likely reverse the sector's growth and eliminate jobs. 'The residential solar industry is going to be absolutely creamed by this,' said Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a business group that advocates for pro-environment policies. President Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' takes aim at renewables broadly, including phasing out tax credits enjoyed by utility-scale solar and wind. But cutting the residential solar credit will happen sooner. Companies have announced more than $20 billion in clean-energy investments in North Carolina in recent years. Etheridge, whose company installs solar panels and helps ensure buildings are energy efficient, was among many in the sector to lobby Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina for changes in the bill. Tillis ultimately was one of three Republicans to vote against the measure, but in a sign of Trump's power over legislators to pass it, Tillis said he wouldn't seek reelection after Trump said he'd likely support a primary challenger. Now, Etheridge says losing the tax credit will likely mean laying off 50 to 55 of his workers. He called the elimination of residential tax credits a 'bait and switch.' 'I made a decision from being an employee to taking out a loan from my grandmother to buy into my business and put my house on the line' in part because of the stability of the tax credits, he said. He said he'll scramble now to figure out ways to diversify his business. 'If you require a money-spigot from Washington to make your business viable, it probably shouldn't have been in business in the first place,' said Adam Michel, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Michel said he doubted many clean energy companies would go out of business, but 'I think that they will be right sized for the market and that the people that are employed with them will find better jobs and more stable jobs in industries that are actually viable and don't require billions of dollars of federal subsidies.' Even ahead of debate over the bill, experts at E2 said in May that $14 billion in clean energy investments across the country had been postponed or cancelled this year. The bill the Senate passed Tuesday removes a tax on some wind and solar projects that was proposed in a previous version and gives utility-scale projects some time to begin construction before phasing out those tax credits. Karl Stupka, president of Raleigh-based NC Solar Now that employs about 100 people, said the Senate's bill eased the impact on commercial projects 'while destroying the residential portion of the tax credits.' Roughly 85% of his business is residential work. 'They took it away from every average American normal person and gave it to the wealthier business owners,' he said. Stupka said if the bill becomes law, companies will rush to finish as many solar jobs as they can before the credit ends. He expected to lay off half his employees, with 'trickle-down' job losses elsewhere. 'It would cause a pretty severe shock wave,' he said.
Mint
35 minutes ago
- Mint
Top Chinese Official Says War With US Unimaginable in Tone Tweak
A senior Chinese official said he was 'optimistic' about the future of his nation's ties with the US, among the most upbeat comments given by Beijing in recent weeks about a relationship upended by Donald Trump's tariffs. Both the Chinese and the Americans are hoping for a 'friendly, good' relationship between their countries, and politicians are expected to heed the will of the people, Liu Jianchao, head of the Communist Party's International Department, said at the government-backed World Peace Forum on Thursday. Speaking in Beijing, Liu called a war between China and the US 'unimaginable' but highlighted Taiwan and the South China Sea as possible flashpoints. He urged America to respect the One China principle, which dictates that Taiwan is part of China's territory. Liu urged America to respect China's sovereignty and honor its commitments on Taiwan. 'We will decide at what time to take what kind of measures to achieve China's reunification based on the development of the situation, our needs, and movements of Taiwan's separatist forces,' he said. China is adopting a less confrontational tone with the US days after confirming details of a trade framework with Washington, as the world's two largest economies finalized an understanding reached in Geneva. But while the trade truce may be holding for now, Beijing is increasingly wary about US efforts to forge deals that could isolate Chinese firms from global supply chains. 'China is keenly aware of what it's gained from China-US cooperation,' Liu said. 'Our cooperation is mutually beneficial. The act of putting up barriers will hurt the other and ourselves as well.' The Chinese official also struck a critical note, recalling US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's message of 'peace through strength' — delivered a month ago during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore — and calling it 'a rebranding of hegemonism.' 'Such rhetoric is about flexing muscles instead of encouraging dialogue,' Liu said. 'It will only stir up confrontation and conflicts instead of promoting peace and harmony.' The diplomat additionally addressed some of the territorial disputes China has with its neighbors, sketching out an approach to solving its border issues with India and Bhutan that he said will rely on dialogue. 'China is not leveraging its size and national strength to oppress others,' Liu said. 'Instead, we're trying to find solutions to control and address the South China Sea issue through negotiations.' This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
