Latest news with #GazaTruce
The National
5 days ago
- Business
- The National
Hamas seeks guarantees on Israeli withdrawal in response to Gaza ceasefire plan
Hamas has given a conditional nod to the Gaza truce plan presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff, with the group's reservations focused on assurances it seeks on Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian territory and the distribution of aid, sources told The National on Saturday. They said Hamas's response to the plan was handed to Qatar and Egypt, whose mediators in turn fine-tuned it in co-operation with Hamas's leaders. Hamas's response, reached after extensive consultations with its allies in Gaza, seeks firm assurances that negotiations with Israel during the proposed 60-day truce will bring about an Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war, according to the sources. Israel has long maintained it would not end the war until all hostages are released and Hamas's governing and military capabilities are dismantled. Hamas is also seeking clarifications on the quantity, nature and distribution of the humanitarian aid that will enter Gaza if a deal is reached. It also wants to stagger the release of 10 living hostages cited by the plan over the course of the 60-day truce, not in batches as previously. "Hamas believes that releasing the 10 hostages one by one or two by two throughout the truce will help ensure Israel's continuous commitment to the deal," said one of the sources. Hamas is believed to be holding about 58 hostages, of whom about 20 are alive, according to the military in Israel, which has already accepted the plan. Under the plan, it is expected to hand over the remains of 18 hostages. In a vaguely-phrased statement, Hamas said on Saturday its response to the plan included a demand for an end to the war. "This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip." Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas must agree to the ceasefire proposal or be destroyed. "The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the 'Witkoff Deal' for the release of the hostages - or be annihilated," he said. The latest proposal to pause the war in Gaza comes after repeated attempts by mediators failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming military operations on March 18 after the end of a two-month truce brokered by mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar. Sources told The National on Friday that Hamas was dissatisfied with the plan's lack of 'genuine guarantees' that the proposed negotiations with Israel would lead to an end to the war and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. They said Hamas believed the plan left the prospect of an Israeli withdrawal and a long-term truce dependent on the progress of the negotiations, rather than the fruition of the process, the sources said. Hamas also believes the plan ignores its suggestions on the timeline and dynamics of the handover of hostages and fails to treat the delivery of aid into Gaza as a human right, leaving the process closely linked to the proposed plan and, subsequently, subject to Israel's use of food as a weapon. Under the plan, the resumption of humanitarian aid would involve 1,000 lorries a day to quickly address the widespread hunger and acute shortages of medicine and other essentials among Gaza's 2.3 million population, the sources said. A distribution plan drafted by UN experts for its personnel and members of affiliated agencies has been handed to Israeli authorities, the sources said. Besides a long-term ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the proposed negotiations during the truce will, according to the plan, tackle sensitive issues including the governing of postwar Gaza, the fate of Hamas's weapons and the exile abroad of its senior officials, the sources said. Hamas has already suggested it would keep away from governing Gaza and any reconstruction effort and has said it is open to laying down and storing its weapons under international supervision, but not surrendering them. It has also indicated that it will agree to some of its senior officials, as well as some from allied groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, leaving Gaza to live in exile – provided they are not attacked later by Israel. The Gaza war was caused by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people. Hamas fighters also took about 250 hostage. Israel responded with a relentless military campaign that has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians and injured more than twice that number, Gaza's Health Ministry has said. The war also laid to waste most of the enclave's built-up areas.
The National
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
US-led Gaza truce negotiations on cusp of reaching agreement
US-led Gaza truce negotiations are close to reaching a deal, with officials from Hamas and Washington finalising details in direct negotiations in Qatar on Monday, sources told The National. They said the agreement will provide for a 21-day truce and the initial release by Hamas of up to six hostages, in return for a number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. It also provides for the resumption of aid relief into the enclave, two months after Israel halted the flow of life-saving supplies. An Israeli delegation made up of officials from the Mossad spy agency, domestic intelligence service Shin Bet and the military was due in Cairo on Monday. They will discuss logistics for the resumption of aid and the arrival in Egypt of Palestinian detainees travelling on to live in exile in other countries, the sources said. Hamas, in a goodwill gesture towards the US, was due to release dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander later on Monday, a move the sources described as indicative of the progress made in the Hamas-US talks. The reported progress comes a day before US President Donald Trump travels to the Middle East on a three-nation tour that would take him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. The sources said US mediators in Doha were considering demands by Hamas that the truce last for 70 days and that the Trump administration provide a written guarantee that negotiations for the end to the Gaza war and an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave would begin at a later stage. "There has been considerable progress towards an agreement in direct negotiations between Hamas officials and US mediators led by Adam Boehler," said one source, referring to the US envoy for hostage affairs. "A deal may be announced within a day or a matter of hours," the source said. Mr Boehler, who led the first known direct negotiations between the US and Hamas in March, is leading American mediators in the current talks with Hamas in Doha, the sources said. Their first meeting was on Sunday, when they held talks that lasted for more than three hours at a suburban hotel in Doha, they said. Hamas wanted seriously wounded Palestinian civilians taken out of Gaza to receive treatment, as well as medical supplies for the group's wounded fighters and the remaining living hostages it is holding, the sources said. The Israeli military says Hamas is holding 59 hostages, of whom about 24 are believed to be still alive. The Gaza war began in October 2023 after an attack by Hamas on southern Israel that killed 1,200. More than 52,800 Palestinians have been killed since and more than twice that number wounded, health authorities in Gaza have said. Much of the enclave's built-up areas has been reduced to rubble in Israel's ground and aerial operations. A 45-day truce brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar ended on March 1, but Gaza remained relatively quiet until March 18 when Israel resumed military operations.
The National
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
US-led Gaza truce negotiations on the cusp of reaching an agreement
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza US-led Gaza truce negotiations are close to reaching a deal in Gaza, with officials from Hamas and Washington finalising details in direct negotiations in Qatar on Monday, sources briefed on the process told The National. They said the agreement will provide for a 21-day truce and the initial release by Hamas of up to six hostages in return for a yet to be decided number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. It also provides for the resumption of aid relief to Gaza, two months after Israel halted their flow. An Israeli delegation made up of officials from Israel's spy Mossad agency, its domestic counterpart Shin Bet and the military was due in Cairo on Monday. They will discuss logistics for the resumption of aid and the arrival in Egypt of Palestinian prisoners travelling on to exile in other countries, said the sources. Hamas, in a goodwill gesture towards the Americans, was due to release dual US-Israeli national Edan Alexander later on Monday, a move the sources described as indicative of the progress made in the Hamas-US talks. The reported progress in the talks comes a day before US President Donald Trump heads to the Middle East on a three-nation tour that would take him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The sources said US mediators in Doha were considering demands by Hamas that the truce last for 70 days and that the Trump administration provide with a written guarantee of negotiations for the end to the Gaza war and an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave would begin at a later stage. "There has been considerable progress toward an agreement in direct negotiations between Hamas officials and US mediators led by Adam Boehler," said one source, referring to the US envoy for hostage affairs. "A deal may be announced within a day or a matter of hours," said the source. Mr Boehler, who led the first known direct negotiations between the US and Hamas in March, is leading US mediators in the current talks with Hamas in Doha, according to the sources. Their first meeting was on Sunday, when they held talks that lasted more than three hours at a suburban hotel in the Qatari capital of Doha, they said. Hamas, said the sources, wanted seriously wounded Palestinian civilians taken out of Gaza to receive treatment as well as medical supplies for its own wounded fighters and the remaining living hostages it's holding. The Israeli military says Hamas is holding 59 hostages, of whom about 24 are believed to be still alive. The Gaza war began in October 2023 following a deadly attack by Hamas on southern Israel that killed 1,200. More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since and more than twice that number wounded, according to authorities in Gaza. Much of the territory's built-up areas has been reduced to rubble in Israel's ground and aerial operations. A 45-day truce brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar ended on March 1 but Gaza remained relatively quiet until March 18 when Israel resumed military operations. 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Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth. 'Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,' said Mr AbuShaban. Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients' money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients. 'We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client's) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,' he added. Mercer Wealth's clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others. From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth. Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year's global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation. BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent. Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG. Another general trend in the region is clients' looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban. 'Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,' said Mr AbuShaban. Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure. 'What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,' he said. 'In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.' The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority's private equity department focused on structured equities owing to 'their defensive characteristics.' 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LBCI
09-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Hamas met Gaza mediators this week, but 'no progress:' Sources tell AFP
A Hamas delegation held two meetings with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Doha this week, but they produced no breakthrough in the search for a Gaza truce, sources close to the group said Friday. "Egyptian officials met twice with a high-level Hamas delegation led by (chief negotiator) Khalil al-Hayya (and) Qatari officials on Wednesday and Thursday in Doha," one source told AFP. A second source said the talks were "serious" but made "no concrete progress." AFP
