Latest news with #IsraeliCaptives
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump says Hamas will be ‘hunted down' as Gaza ceasefire talks wane
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has suggested that Hamas is refusing to agree to a Gaza truce because it fears what comes after all the Israeli captives are released. Trump's comments at the White House on Friday appear to suggest that the US and Israel are not ready to guarantee a lasting end to the war but rather a short-term truce to get Israeli captives out of Gaza. 'We're down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages,' the US president told reporters. 'And basically because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal.' Trump blamed the Palestinian group solely for the apparent collapse of the ceasefire talks, saying the group is going to be 'hunted down'. 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it's very, very bad,' he said. On Thursday, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington was cutting short its involvement in the negotiations, accusing Hamas of showing 'a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Israel also said it withdrew its negotiators from Qatar, where the ceasefire talks were taking expressed bewilderment at the US position, saying it had made 'a sincere commitment to the success of the mediators' efforts' to reach a deal. The group also said the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — welcomed its 'constructive and positive' position. Talks have been ongoing for months to secure a 60-day truce that would see the release of 10 Israeli captives and a pause in the Israeli bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas has insisted that it is seeking a permanent ceasefire. Witkoff previously said the truce 'will lead to a lasting peace in Gaza'. However, Israeli officials repeatedly described plans to return to the fighting and remove all Palestinians from Gaza after the captives are released. In fact, Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz has said that the country would use the truce to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to an internment camp in southern Gaza, in preparation for their removal from the territory altogether. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Washington, DC, earlier this month that Israel 'still has to finish the job in Gaza' despite the ceasefire talks. In February, Trump called for depopulating Gaza and turning the territory into a 'Riviera of the Middle East' — a proposal that legal experts say would amount to ethnic cleansing, a crime against has systematically flattened large parts of Gaza, using bombardment, explosives and bulldozers in what advocates say is an effort to make the territory unliveable. Netanyahu has argued, however, that the departure of Palestinians would be 'voluntary'. But human rights experts warned that people do not actually have a choice when they are under the threat of bombardment and starvation. On Thursday, Trump suggested that Gaza is set to experience more violence, saying Israel is 'going to have to fight'. 'They're going to have to clean it up. You're going to have to get rid of it,' he said. Trump dismisses French recognition of Palestine The US president's comments come as deadly hunger continues to spread in Gaza due to an Israeli blockade impeding the flow of aid and other essential supplies into the territory. The Israeli-imposed starvation in Gaza has garnered international condemnation, even from close allies of the US and Israel. On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slammed the denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza as a 'violation of international law'. French President Emmanuel Macron also said his country will recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Before leaving for the United Kingdom on Friday, Trump dismissed his French counterpart's statement, saying it 'doesn't carry any weight'. 'Here's the good news: What he says doesn't matter,' Trump said. 'It's not going to change anything.'
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump says Hamas will be ‘hunted down' as Gaza ceasefire talks wane
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has suggested that Hamas is refusing to agree to a Gaza truce because it fears what comes after all the Israeli captives are released. Trump's comments at the White House on Friday appear to suggest that the US and Israel are not ready to guarantee a lasting end to the war but rather a short-term truce to get Israeli captives out of Gaza. 'We're down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages,' the US president told reporters. 'And basically because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal.' Trump blamed the Palestinian group solely for the apparent collapse of the ceasefire talks, saying the group is going to be 'hunted down'. 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it's very, very bad,' he said. On Thursday, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington was cutting short its involvement in the negotiations, accusing Hamas of showing 'a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Israel also said it withdrew its negotiators from Qatar, where the ceasefire talks were taking place. Hamas expressed bewilderment at the US position, saying it had made 'a sincere commitment to the success of the mediators' efforts' to reach a deal. The group also said the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — welcomed its 'constructive and positive' position. Talks have been ongoing for months to secure a 60-day truce that would see the release of 10 Israeli captives and a pause in the Israeli bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas has insisted that it is seeking a permanent ceasefire. Witkoff previously said the truce 'will lead to a lasting peace in Gaza'. However, Israeli officials repeatedly described plans to return to the fighting and remove all Palestinians from Gaza after the captives are released. In fact, Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz has said that the country would use the truce to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to an internment camp in southern Gaza, in preparation for their removal from the territory altogether. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Washington, DC, earlier this month that Israel 'still has to finish the job in Gaza' despite the ceasefire talks. In February, Trump called for depopulating Gaza and turning the territory into a 'Riviera of the Middle East' — a proposal that legal experts say would amount to ethnic cleansing, a crime against humanity. Israel has systematically flattened large parts of Gaza, using bombardment, explosives and bulldozers in what advocates say is an effort to make the territory unliveable. Netanyahu has argued, however, that the departure of Palestinians would be 'voluntary'. But human rights experts warned that people do not actually have a choice when they are under the threat of bombardment and starvation. On Thursday, Trump suggested that Gaza is set to experience more violence, saying Israel is 'going to have to fight'. 'They're going to have to clean it up. You're going to have to get rid of it,' he said. Trump dismisses French recognition of Palestine The US president's comments come as deadly hunger continues to spread in Gaza due to an Israeli blockade impeding the flow of aid and other essential supplies into the territory. The Israeli-imposed starvation in Gaza has garnered international condemnation, even from close allies of the US and Israel. On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slammed the denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza as a 'violation of international law'. French President Emmanuel Macron also said his country will recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Before leaving for the United Kingdom on Friday, Trump dismissed his French counterpart's statement, saying it 'doesn't carry any weight'. 'Here's the good news: What he says doesn't matter,' Trump said. 'It's not going to change anything.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
31-05-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hamas Suggests Releasing 10 Living Hostages, 18 Bodies
Hamas announced on Saturday that it has submitted its response on a ceasefire proposal presented by US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to mediators, saying it is offering the release of ten Israeli captives held by the Palestinian movement. Hamas said in a statement that under the deal, it will release ten living Israeli hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel's release of a number of Palestinian prisoners. The Hamas statement added: "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." Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat earlier Saturday that the movement had submitted its response to the mediators in the morning regarding the proposal on a ceasefire lasting 60 days. According to Hamas sources, the movement engaged in extensive discussions and held meetings with leaders from various Palestinian factions in Qatar and other capitals, including Beirut, in an effort to form a unified Palestinian stance. The Hamas leadership and the factions viewed the response as largely positive, although it included some conditions necessary to ensure a successful implementation, the sources said. All requests for amendments on the proposal were made through factional consensus, and it is expected that they will be accepted if there is genuine US pressure on Israel, they added. One key remark aims to prevent the release of Israeli captives only on two specific days in the first week, as outlined in Witkoff's proposal. Instead, the release will occur in stages, similar to the previous deal, to ensure the agreement is fully implemented over the course of two months, which is the proposed 60-day period. Other Hamas sources stated that the response was neither strictly positive nor negative but included precise comments to ensure that any final agreement meets the bare minimum of Palestinian demands.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv demand an end to war on Gaza
Thousands of Israelis rallied in central Tel Aviv, calling on the government to end the war on Gaza and secure the immediate release of Israeli captives held in the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that in Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group, held its weekly rally Saturday in 'Hostages Square', while another demonstration by families of captives is taking place outside the Israeli military headquarters. A separate antigovernment protest is also occurring at Habima Square in Tel Aviv. The Times of Israel reported that Shai Mozes, whose parents were held captive and released in separate exchange deals, told the crowd at the protest in Habima Square that Israel's 'real enemy is not Hamas, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is destroying Israel as a Jewish and democratic state'. Netanyahu's critics in Israel have accused the prime minister of extending the war for his own personal and political survival. Haaretz also reported that protests are expected in other cities, including Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba, as well as at dozens of other sites and intersections across Israel. After Netanyahu announced an expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip on Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticised the move in a statement, saying the plan is 'sacrificing' those still held in the Palestinian territory. Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing two Israeli captives alive in the Gaza Strip, with one of the two men calling to end the 19-month-long war. Israeli media identified the pair in the undated video as Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana. The three-minute video released by Hamas's Qassam Brigades shows one of the captives, identified by media as 36-year-old Bohbot, visibly weak and lying on the floor wrapped in a blanket. Ohana, 24, speaks in Hebrew in the video, urging the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining captives. Bohbot and Ohana were both abducted by Palestinian fighters from the site of a music festival during Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023.
Al Jazeera
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv demand an end to war on Gaza
Thousands of Israelis rallied in central Tel Aviv, calling on the government to end the war on Gaza and secure the immediate release of Israeli captives held in the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that in Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group, held its weekly rally Saturday in 'Hostages Square', while another demonstration by families of captives is taking place outside the Israeli military headquarters. A separate antigovernment protest is also occurring at Habima Square in Tel Aviv. The Times of Israel reported that Shai Mozes, whose parents were held captive and released in separate exchange deals, told the crowd at the protest in Habima Square that Israel's 'real enemy is not Hamas, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is destroying Israel as a Jewish and democratic state'. Netanyahu's critics in Israel have accused the prime minister of extending the war for his own personal and political survival. Haaretz also reported that protests are expected in other cities, including Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba, as well as at dozens of other sites and intersections across Israel. After Netanyahu announced an expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip on Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticised the move in a statement, saying the plan is 'sacrificing' those still held in the Palestinian territory. Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing two Israeli captives alive in the Gaza Strip, with one of the two men calling to end the 19-month-long war. Israeli media identified the pair in the undated video as Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana. The three-minute video released by Hamas's Qassam Brigades shows one of the captives, identified by media as 36-year-old Bohbot, visibly weak and lying on the floor wrapped in a blanket. Ohana, 24, speaks in Hebrew in the video, urging the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining captives. Bohbot and Ohana were both abducted by Palestinian fighters from the site of a music festival during Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023.
