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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Hamas responds to US ceasefire proposal, to free 10 living hostages from Gaza
Hamas on Saturday said it had responded to a ceasefire proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying 10 living hostages would be freed from Gaza as part of the deal. The Palestinian militant group did not explicitly say it had accepted the version of the proposal it received on Thursday, which reportedly included a provision for the release of 10 living hostages. Hamas noted that its response had been made out of a "sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering". The White House previously said the proposal had been approved in advance by Israel, which on Friday warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages "or be annihilated". Hamas said in a statement on Friday that it had "submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties". "As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners," it added. A breakthrough in negotiations had been elusive since a previous ceasefire fell apart on March 18 with the resumption of Israeli operations. US President Donald Trump had said Friday that the parties were "very close to an agreement". Two sources close to the negotiations have said the deal involves a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days. It would see the release of five living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners during the first week, followed by a second exchange the following week, the sources said. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed major operations on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians. Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hamas agrees to release 10 living hostages in response to US Gaza ceasefire proposal
Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in its response to the US's Gaza ceasefire proposals The group said under the deal Israel would release a number of Palestinian prisoners - Israel is yet to respond Earlier this week, the White House said Israel had "signed off" on Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff's plan Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza and resumed its military offensive against Hamas on 18 March, collapsing a two-month ceasefire brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage At least 54,249 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry Hamas agrees to release 10 living hostages in response to US Gaza ceasefire proposal
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Health
- Indian Express
North Gaza's only operating hospital evacuated after Israeli order
The last hospital providing health services in the North Gaza governorate has ceased operations following an immediate evacuation order from the Israeli military, according to the facility's director. Dr. Mohammed Salha told the BBC that patients were evacuated from al-Awda hospital in Jabalia on Thursday evening after enduring 'two weeks of siege,' leaving the region without any functioning health facilities. There is now 'no health facility working in the north,' he said. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have not responded to requests for comment. Dr. Salha described the evacuation as a difficult decision, prompted by threats from Israeli forces to either enter and kill those inside or bomb the hospital. 'We were thinking of the lives of patients and our staff,' he said. The hospital endured intense shelling from tanks starting around noon local time. Despite initial resistance to evacuate due to the presence of critical patients, after seven hours of negotiations, the evacuation began. Patients were carried over 300 meters to ambulances, as surrounding roads were heavily damaged. Videos from hospital staff showed ambulances and vehicles departing the facility at sunset and travelling through Jabalia after dark. Patients were transferred to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Dr. Salha noted plans to provide some services through a primary health centre in Gaza City and possibly establish another in a shelter. Israel continues its military operations in Gaza, with at least 72 people reported killed in strikes over the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The hospital had been under siege multiple times and hit by strikes damaging vital facilities and supplies. UN agencies report that most primary healthcare centres in Gaza are partially or fully non-functional. Only 61 out of 158 primary healthcare centres and nine out of 27 UN Palestinian refugee agency health centres remain operational. The UN has condemned looting of medical aid at a field hospital in central Gaza. UN Secretary-General António Guterres's spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said armed individuals looted warehouses intended for malnourished children. UN humanitarian agencies warn that Gaza's 2.1 million residents face a 'critical risk' of famine due to the blockade restricting aid. Jens Laerke from the UN's OCHA agency described Gaza as 'the hungriest place on earth.' France's President Emmanuel Macron called for a tougher international stance if Israel does not increase aid flow soon. Israel rejected accusations of a humanitarian blockade, countering Macron's remarks on social media. (With inputs from from BBC)
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Hungriest place on earth': UN declares Gaza the only region where 100% of population faces famine risk
The has declared that Gaza is now the only place on Earth where every single person is at risk of famine Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said on Friday, "Gaza is the hungriest place on earth." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "It's the only defined area, a country or defined territory within a country, where you have the entire population at risk of famine. 100 percent of the population at risk of famine." His statement comes as scenes of desperation and lawlessness grip the enclave. In Gaza City, seven police officers were reportedly killed by an Israeli air strike while trying to control looting in a marketplace. According to the Hamas-run interior ministry, the officers had been deployed to restore order but were targeted while confronting looters. Israel has yet to comment directly on the incident. However, it said on Thursday that it had carried out strikes on "dozens of terror targets" across Gaza. Local medics said at least 44 people were killed that day, including 23 in the central Bureij refugee camp. As Israel continues its offensive and aid remains limited, the chaos is growing. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Wednesday that its warehouse in Deir al-Balah was broken into by "hordes of hungry people." Two people were reportedly shot dead during the incident. In Rafah, where a new distribution centre operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been set up with US and Israeli support, thousands of desperate people rushed the gates earlier this week. Nearly 50 people were reportedly shot and wounded as crowds overwhelmed the site. A senior UN official said the Israeli military had fired warning shots into the air but not directly at civilians. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Will take dirt for my children to eat' Footage from Thursday showed long queues and people carrying sacks of flour on their backs, reports news agency Reuters. One woman could be seen struggling to walk among the masses, while others described going home empty-handed. "The young men are the ones who have received aid first… But the old people and women cannot enter due to the crowding," said 60-year-old Abu Fawzi Faroukh. "I will take dirt for my children to eat," said Hani Abed, who was unable to secure aid for his family of ten. Umm Mohammed Abu Hajar said she left without receiving anything: "Some people eat and some people don't." The GHF said it distributed 17,280 food boxes on Thursday, equating to nearly a million meals. It plans to open more sites in the coming weeks, including in northern Gaza. However, the UN has refused to work with the GHF system, describing it as unethical and inadequate. Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN humanitarian office in Gaza, said GHF's model was 'essentially engineering scarcity' and couldn't meet the needs of the 2.1 million people living there. Meanwhile, the US and Israeli governments claim the system is preventing aid from being seized by Hamas. Full blockade by Israel Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza on March 2 and resumed military operations two weeks later, reports BBC. On May 19, it launched a wider offensive to take control of all areas of Gaza, and only recently began allowing limited aid back in. The military campaign began after Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken. Since then, Gaza's health ministry says over 54,000 people have been killed, including nearly 4,000 since fighting resumed in March. Talks for a new ceasefire are ongoing. On Thursday, the White House said Israel had supported a new proposal presented to Hamas, but the group later rejected it. According to Israeli sources, the deal included a 60-day ceasefire and a phased release of hostages. Hamas, however, said the proposal lacked assurances of a permanent ceasefire and full troop withdrawal.
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Israel Accepts Gaza Deal Restoring UN Aid as Hamas Remains Wary
Israel has accepted a US ceasefire proposal for Gaza that Israeli officials familiar with the matter said would involve a 60-day pause in the fighting and restore UN-led aid distribution to the enclave. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Israel signed off on the proposal before it was submitted to Hamas but didn't say what was in it. Two Israeli officials confirmed that decision. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and many other countries, criticized the proposal as one-sided on Thursday but hasn't officially responded to the latest offer. The Israeli officials familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing the issue, said other terms of the truce, proposed by Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, include Hamas releasing 10 live hostages and returning the remains of 18 who died in captivity. Israel has restarted some aid deliveries to Gaza after an 11-week blockade, while seeking to isolate Hamas from the population by cutting it out of the process. Restoring UN-led distribution would reverse a decision by the Israeli government to sideline the organization and install a privately run system. Operations by a new nonprofit known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation have been dogged by reports of chaotic distribution efforts. GHF began distributing limited amounts of aid earlier this week and says it's increasing deliveries. The US proposal also includes engaging in negotiations during the truce toward a permanent end to the fighting, which started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting about 250. More than 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry, which doesn't distinguish between between combatants and civilians. Israel has lost more than 400 soldiers in the fighting. It's unlikely that the proposal would meet the ultimate demands of either side. Hamas, which is committed to destroying Israel, has insisted on a full Israeli withdrawal and permanent end to the war. The Israeli government wants the group to disarm and disband. Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas's leadership, said in a Facebook post on Thursday that the plan is essentially an Israeli proposal that perpetuates the occupation of Gaza. With assistance from Alisa Odenheimer. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
