Latest news with #Hamas'
Axios
an hour ago
- Politics
- Axios
Gaza ceasefire talks in limbo as Israel recalls negotiators
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he's recalling Israel's negotiators from Doha after Hamas made new demands in response to the latest Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal proposal. Why it matters: The breakdown came as White House envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Italy for talks on Gaza with Qatari and Israeli officials. Witkoff hoped to then travel to Doha to seal the deal for a 60-day ceasefire this week. An Israeli official said the decision to recall the negotiators was made to try and "shake up" the negotiations and put additional pressure on Hamas to agree to the proposal, which also calls for the release of 10 live hostages and 18 deceased hostages. The Israeli official stressed that the talks "did not collapse." But it's not yet clear whether this will lead to a significant pause in the negotiations. Behind the scenes: Hamas demanded that the number of Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for the hostages be increased, according to a senior Israeli official and a source familiar with the details. Qatari mediators had asked Hamas not to reopen that issue. When they did, Israeli officials reacted angrily. What they're saying:"In light of Hamas' response to the proposal" it's been decided to recall the negotiating team for further consultations in Israel, Netanyahu's office said in a statement. "We appreciate the efforts of the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, and the efforts of White House envoy Steve Witkoff to achieve a breakthrough in the talks." Breaking it down: The Qatari and Egyptian mediators gave an updated proposal to both Israel and Hamas one week ago. Israel accepted the proposal. After an initial delay, Hamas gave a response on Tuesday, but the Egyptian and Qatari mediators said it was not good enough and refused to deliver it to the Israelis, three sources with direct knowledge say. On Thursday morning, Hamas delivered a new and more detailed response. Israeli officials say it was better than the previous one, but still created significant gaps between the parties, particularly on the prisoners issue. Zoom in: Hamas demanded that Israel release 200 Palestinians serving life sentences for killing Israelis, rather than the 125 included in the proposal, and 2,000 Palestinians detained in Gaza after October 7, rather than the proposed 1,200, the sources say.
NDTV
5 hours ago
- Health
- NDTV
Rights Groups Warn Of Starvation In Gaza Amid Israeli Strikes That Killed 29
More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation, as Israeli strikes killed another 29 people overnight, according to local health officials. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks, a sign that lower-level negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthrough. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and the offensive launched in response to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. The head of the World Health Organisation said Gaza is 'witnessing a deadly surge' in malnutrition and related diseases, and that a 'large proportion' of its roughly 2 million people are starving. Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by UN agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of security. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds, around 20 of them believed to be alive, in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed. In an open letter, 115 organisations, including major international aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps and Save the Children, said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, 'waste away.' The letter blamed Israeli restrictions and 'massacres' at aid-distribution points. Witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds seeking aid, killing more than 1,000 people. Israel says its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death count is exaggerated. The Israeli government's 'restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,' the letter said. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed that criticism, telling reporters that acute malnutrition centers in Gaza are full of patients and lack adequate supplies. He said rates of acute malnutrition exceed 10% and that among pregnant and breastfeeding women, more than 20% are malnourished, often severely. The UN health agency's representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, said there were more than 30,000 children under 5 with acute malnutrition in Gaza and that the WHO had reports that at least 21 children under 5 have died so far this year. The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism in the open letter and accused the groups of 'echoing Hamas' propaganda.' It said it has allowed around 4,500 aid trucks into Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May, and that more than 700 trucks are waiting to be picked up and distributed by the UN That's an average of around 70 trucks a day, the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the UN says are needed, and which entered during a six-week ceasefire earlier this year. The UN says it has struggled to deliver aid inside Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions, ongoing fighting and a breakdown of law and order. An alternative system established by Israel and an American contractor has been marred by violence and controversy. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff was headed to Europe to meet with key leaders from the Middle East to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal and release of hostages. 'We want this ceasefire to happen as soon as possible, and we want these hostages to be released,' Leavitt said. An official familiar with the negotiations said Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was traveling to Rome to meet Witkoff on Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations. The evolving deal is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up, and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. Israel has continued to carry out waves of daily airstrikes against what it says are militant targets but which often kill women and children. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. One of the overnight strikes hit a house in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The dead included six children and two women, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it struck an Islamic Jihad militant, and that the incident was under review because of reports of civilian casualties. Shifa said another strike late Tuesday in Gaza City killed three children. A strike on an apartment in northern Gaza killed at least six people. Among the dead were three children and two women, including one who was pregnant, the ministry said. The military said it struck a Hamas operative. In central Gaza, a strike in a densely populated part of the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp killed eight people and wounded 57, according to Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press Writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.
5 hours ago
- Politics
Israel reviewing Hamas response to ceasefire proposal
TEL AVIV, Israel -- Hamas' latest response to a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal is "currently being reviewed" by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday. Hamas announced Wednesday night it had submitted to mediators a response to the ceasefire deal currently on the table. The details of Hamas' response were not immediately made public. Sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News that a trilateral meeting in Italy between top Israeli, Qatari and American officials is slated to discuss Hamas's response as early as today. The U.S. State Department said Wednesday President Trump's Mideast Envoy was traveling to Italy to meet with top officials regarding a Gaza ceasefire. Representatives from Israel and the militant group have been in Doha, Qatar, for more than two weeks working on a ceasefire proposal for the 21-month-old conflict in Gaza. Those negotiations continue as more than 100 aid groups warned Wednesday that the enclave was on the verge of "mass starvation."
7NEWS
6 hours ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
Palestinians in Gaza suffering from man-made ‘mass starvation', WHO says
Twenty-one months into Israel's war in Gaza, the enclave is gripped by escalating scenes of death and hunger, with some killed while trying to reach aid, others dying of starvation and growing condemnation of Israel's conduct even among many of its closest allies. Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from man-made 'mass starvation' due to the aid blockade on the enclave, the chief of the World Health Organization warned reporters at a briefing on Wednesday. 'Parents tell us their children cry themselves to sleep from hunger,' Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. 'Food distribution sites have become places of violence.' The United Nations says more than a thousand people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking food since late May, when a controversial new Israel- and US-backed aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, began operating. Of those, hundreds have died near GHF sites, according to the UN. The GHF was created to replace the UN's aid role in Gaza and has been widely criticised for failing to improve conditions. All 2.1 million people in Gaza are now food insecure. On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 900,000 children are going hungry, and 70,000 already show signs of malnutrition. But how did it come to this? A complete siege after Hamas' October 7 attack Before the war, Gaza was already one of the most isolated and densely populated places on earth, with around two million people packed into an area of 140 square miles. Israel has maintained tight control over the territory through a years-long land, air and sea blockade, with severe restrictions on the movement of goods and people. More than half of its residents were food insecure and under the poverty line, according to the UN. Between 500 and 600 truckloads of aid entered Gaza daily before the conflict. That number has since plummeted to an average of just 28 trucks per day, a group of humanitarian organisations said Wednesday. It's unclear if the figure includes trucks used in GHF's operations. Following Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which left 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken hostage, Israel ordered a 'complete siege' of Gaza, halting the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel. A humanitarian crisis swiftly unfolded, as trapped residents faced both hunger and a devastating Israeli military campaign in response. Human rights groups have repeatedly criticised Israel's use of food as a 'weapon of war' and accused it of imposing 'collective punishment'. Brief respite and a short-lived ceasefire Following international pressure, the first trucks carrying aid entered Gaza in late October. A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on November 24, 2023, slightly increasing aid flow. But the truce collapsed a week later. Aid deliveries subsequently dwindled again, and stringent Israeli inspections further delayed shipments. Israeli authorities said screening was necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies, but humanitarian officials accused Israel of deliberately throttling aid. Further compounding the crisis was the Israeli campaign against the UN and its aid delivery system, which Israel said was ineffective and allowed aid to fall Hamas' hands. The UN denies this. Among the agencies targeted was the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which Israel accused of having staff involved in the October 7 attack. A UN investigation found that nine of UNWRA's 13,000 Gaza-based employees 'may have' participated, and no longer worked at the agency. In January this year, Israel banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza, cutting off viral services like food, health care and education to hundreds of thousands of people. The breakdown of social order As Israel's campaign levelled much of Gaza, displacing most of its residents and weakening Hamas' grip on the territory, lawlessness began to spread. Looting became a new hurdle for UN trucks, and casualties mounted at aid delivery points. Israel has repeatedly blamed Hamas and armed gangs for the chaos. The UN warned just weeks into the war that civil order was beginning to collapse, with desperate Palestinians taking flour and hygiene supplies from warehouses. By November 2024, the UN again raised the alarm, saying the capacity to deliver aid was 'completely gone.' In 'one of the worst' looting incident, over 100 trucks were lost, it said. Drivers were forced to unload trucks at gunpoint, aid workers were injured, and vehicles were damaged extensively. As Hamas' grip on Gaza waned and the territory's police force was hollowed out, gangs emerged to steal aid and resell it. Israel has also armed local militias to counter Hamas — a controversial move that opposition politicians have warned will endanger Israeli national security. The arming of militias appears to be the closest that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come to empowering any form of alternate rule in the strip. Since the start of the war, the Israeli leader has refused to lay out a plan for Gaza's governance once the conflict ends. Another ceasefire collapse and a new aid system On January 19, another temporary ceasefire was reached. Aid resumed, but remained well short of what was needed. Israel reinstated a total blockade of Gaza on March 2 after the truce expired. Two weeks later, it resumed fighting, with officials saying the goal was to force Hamas to accept new ceasefire terms and release hostages. By July, the World Food Programme (WFP) assessed that a quarter of Gaza's population was facing famine-like conditions. At least 80 children have died of malnutrition since the conflict began, the Palestinian health ministry says. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most of these occurred after the March blockade. In May, GHF, the controversial new Israeli- and American-backed organisation, announced it would begin delivering with Israel's approval. Just days before GHF began operating, its director Jake Wood resigned, saying it was impossible to do his work 'while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence'. The foundation was created to replace the UN's role in Gaza, while complying with Israeli demands that the aid not reach Hamas. The GHF said it would coordinate with the Israeli military, but that security would be provided by private military contractors. The UN has refused to participate, saying the GHF model violates some basic humanitarian principles. Critics have noted that there are only a small number of GHF distribution sites, in southern and central Gaza — far fewer than hundreds under the UN's previous model. This has forced massive crowds to gather at limited locations. The GHF has defended its system, saying it is a 'secure model (that) blocks the looting'. But soon after it began operating on May 27, the plan turned deadly as those seeking aid increasingly came under fire near GHF aid sites. Palestinian officials and witnesses have said Israeli troops are responsible for most of the deaths. The Israeli military acknowledged firing warning shots toward crowds in some instances, but denied responsibility for other incidents. And the deaths aren't limited to the vicinity of GHF aid sites. On Sunday, Israeli forces killed dozens waiting for aid in northern Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israel said troops fired warning shots after sensing an 'immediate threat' The ministry of health recorded 10 deaths due to famine and malnutrition in 24 hours from Tuesday, bringing the total of Palestinians who died of starvation to 111. On Wednesday, 111 international humanitarian organisations called on Israel to end its blockade and agree to a ceasefire, warning that supplies in the enclave are now 'totally depleted' and that humanitarian groups are 'witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes'. An Israeli official said at a press briefing on Wednesday that they expect more aid to enter the enclave in the future. 'We would like to see more and more trucks entering Gaza and distributing the aid as long as Hamas is not involved,' the official said. 'As we see for now, Hamas has an interest: First, to put pressure on the State of Israel through the international community in order to (have) an effect in the (ceasefire) negotiation process; and second, to collapse the new mechanism that we have established that is making sure that they are not involved in the aid delivery inside Gaza.' International pressure continues to mount on Israel, including from the United States. And on Monday, the foreign ministers of 25 Western nations slammed Israel for 'drip feeding' aid into the Gaza Strip. Israel's foreign ministry said it 'rejects' the statement, calling it 'disconnected from reality'.
Hamilton Spectator
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
The Latest: Israeli official says Hamas ceasefire offer ‘workable' as US envoy to meet key leaders
Israel said it received Hamas' latest ceasefire proposal, with an Israeli official calling it 'workable,' although no details were provided. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on record. Hamas confirmed in a statement early Thursday that it sent the proposal to mediators. The Hamas response came as top U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff was set for travel to Europe, where he is supposed to meet with key leaders from the Middle East to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal and the release of hostages. It also comes a day after more than 100 charity and human rights groups said that Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and the offensive launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Israel's war in Gaza , launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. Here is the latest: The deal on the table Top U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to head to Italy Thursday to meet top Israeli negotiator Ron Dermer and discuss the ceasefire deal on the table, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. Hamas earlier Thursday submitted a response to the latest ceasefire proposal which an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, billed as 'workable.' American Jewish groups demand an investigation into Israeli settler violence Prominent religious Jewish leaders in the United States are calling on Israel to investigate a surge of settler violence against Palestinians and the recent killing of an American citizen by Israeli settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. In a statement released Wednesday, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union for Reform Judaism and the American Conference of Cantors said Israel must undertake a 'full investigation' into the death of Sayfollah Musallet, a Palestinian-American from Tampa, Florida, who Palestinian authorities say was beaten to death by Israeli settlers while visiting family in the West Bank. Violence has spiraled in the occupied West Bank since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, with at least 955 Palestinians killed there by Israeli fire, according to the United Nations. The rabbis said Israel must also investigate the 'growing phenomenon' of settler violence overall. They wrote that the far-right government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'seems to tolerate and even encourage violence against Palestinians.' Israeli official says Hamas' latest proposal is workable An Israeli official familiar with ceasefire talks said a Hamas proposal was 'workable' and that Israel was studying it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on record. Hamas confirmed sending a response to mediators in an statement early Thursday. Israel said that it was reviewing Hamas' response to the latest ceasefire proposal to potentially wind down the war. A statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed receipt of the Hamas response Thursday but did not specify what it entailed. — By Julia Frankel in Jerusalem Israeli fire kills two teens in the occupied West Bank Palestinian health officials said Thursday that two Palestinian teenage boys were killed by Israeli fire Wednesday night in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel's military said its forces had fired at Palestinians throwing Molotov cocktails toward a highway, killing two near the West Bank town of Al-Khader. Palestinian health officials named the teens killed as Ahmed Al-Salah, 15, and Mohammed Khaled Alian Issa, 17. Violence has spiraled in the occupied West Bank since the war that began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Over 955 Palestinians have been killed there by Israeli fire during that time, according to the United Nations, many during raids Israel says are to stamp out militancy. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
