Latest news with #PalestinianFactions
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- 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.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Hamas says it is still reviewing a US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire
Hamas said Friday it was still reviewing a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where 27 people were killed in new Israeli airstrikes, according to hospital officials. The ceasefire plan, which has been approved by Israeli officials, won a cool initial reaction Thursday from the militant group. U.S. negotiators have not publicized the terms of the proposal. But a Hamas official and an Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said Thursday that it called for a 60-day pause in fighting, guarantees of serious negotiations leading to a long-term truce and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of hostages, as it did in March. In a terse statement issued Friday, Hamas said it is holding consultations with Palestinian factions over the proposal it had received from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. While changes may have been made to the proposal, the version confirmed earlier called for Israeli forces to pull back to the positions they held before it ended the last ceasefire. Hamas would release 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during the 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks. Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population to the brink of famine. 'Negotiations are ongoing on the current proposal,' Qatar's ambassador to the United Nations, Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani said Friday, referring to talks between her country, the United States and Egypt. On Thursday, a top Hamas official, Bassem Naim, said the U.S. proposal 'does not respond to any of our people's demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.' The uncertainty over the new proposal came as hospital officials said that 27 people had been killed Friday in separate airstrikes. A strike that hit a tent in the southern city of Khan Younis killed 13, including eight children, hospital officials said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Meanwhile, the bodies of 12 people, including three women, were brought to Shifa Hospital on Friday from the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the bodies of two others were brought to a hospital in Gaza City. Hospital officials also said Friday that at least 72 had been killed in Gaza during the previous day. That figure does not include some hospitals in the north, which are largely cut off due to the fighting. Since the war began, more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children, have been killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left around 1,200 dead. Some Gaza residents said their hope for a ceasefire is tempered by repeated disappointment over negotiations that failed to deliver a lasting deal. "This is the war of starvation, death, siege and long lines for food and toilets,' Mohammed Abed told The Associated Press in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah. 'This war is the 2025 nightmare, 2024 nightmare and 2023 nightmare.' Abed said he and his family struggle to find food, waiting three hours to get a small amount of rice and eating only one meal daily. 'It's heartbreaking that people are being starved because of politics. Food and water should not be used for political purposes,' he said. Another Gaza resident, Mohammed Mreil, said about the possibility of a truce that: 'We want to live and we want them (Israelis) to live. God did not create us to die.'
LBCI
3 days ago
- General
- LBCI
Armed factions in Ain al-Hilweh complicate disarmament efforts amid deep-rooted militant presence
Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Looking at the map of Ain al-Hilweh camp's neighborhoods and the distribution of Palestinian factions' influence illustrates the complexity any disarmament plan will face. The largest of the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and considered the symbolic capital of the Palestinian diaspora in the country, Ain al-Hilweh sits in the heart of the city of Sidon. Control over its neighborhoods is divided among several armed groups, including Fatah, Osbat al-Ansar, Hamas, various hardline factions, and others. Influence overlaps within individual neighborhoods and even among the camp's narrow alleyways. The camp contains a range of medium and heavy weapons. One of the most complex issues is the presence of extremist groups affiliated with the Islamic State group, Al-Nusra Front, and Fatah al-Islam — including the Bilal Badr group. These groups include Lebanese, Palestinians, and individuals of other nationalities. Hamas may play a key role in potential negotiations. However, due to internal Palestinian divisions, it remains too early to determine how this dilemma might be resolved. These groups have contributed to the destruction of parts of the camp. However, past experience suggests Lebanese security forces are capable of dealing with them — especially with Palestinian cooperation. Following the assassination of the Palestinian National Security chief in Sidon, Maj. Gen. Abu Ashraf al-Armoushi, in July 2023 and the fighting that ensued, Lebanese army intelligence — using surveillance cameras, engineering maps, and the testimony of a wounded individual — identified and arrested members of Bilal Badr's group of 14, which was responsible for the killing. The situation in the camp presents a serious obstacle to any disarmament plan. More importantly, it has become a humanitarian disaster for both the Palestinians and the residents of Sidon. Between July 29 and September 14, 2023, the fighting killed 28 people and wounded 233 others while destroying large swaths of public and private property in both the camp and the city. Thousands were displaced, adding to the hardship faced by Ain al-Hilweh's residents. In the end, Palestinian weapons in Lebanon's largest camp have been used primarily to kill Palestinians and Lebanese and to destroy the camp itself. All of this underscores the urgent need to end the dominance of armed groups in Ain al-Hilweh and to ensure the safety and stability of its residents, both socially and in terms of security.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Corrections: May 28, 2025
A picture caption with an article on Saturday about Lebanon's plan to disarm Palestinian factions in refugee camps on its territory reversed the identifications of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, and Nawaf Salam, the Lebanese prime minister. Mr. Abbas was on the left, and Mr. Salam on the right. A picture caption with an article on Friday about the Senate's vote to block California's plan to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles misstated the name of an observatory in Los Angeles. It is the Griffith Observatory, not Griffin. An article on Monday about the path Democrats are searching for after their losses in the 2024 election misstated the gender of a Democrat in Georgia who had spoken this year with Anat Shenker-Osorio, a Democratic researcher. The person was a man, not a woman. Because of an editing error, an article on Monday analyzing the off-season moves of the 12 teams in the 2024 College Football Playoff reversed the surnames of two former Penn State players. They are Tyler Warren and Abdul Carter, not Tyler Carter and Abdul Warren. A video game review on May 16 about Doom: The Dark Ages misidentified the composer of the soundtrack for the game. It was composed by the team known as Finishing Move, not Mick Gordon. Because of an editing error, an article on Saturday about new comedy specials available to stream misidentified the woman who told Sarah Silverman her hair was dry. It was her mother, not her stepmother. An article on Tuesday about the near completion of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles referred incorrectly to the museum's acquisition of Judith Baca's monumental mural 'The History of California.' The museum acquired the archive for the mural, but not the mural itself. An article on Tuesday about the methods that archaeologists are using to map some of the dozens of sunken vessels in Lake Ontario misidentified the prevailing flow of the St. Lawrence River. A ship would have sailed up the river en route to Oswego, not down. Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.
LBCI
4 days ago
- General
- LBCI
Lebanon's struggle to disarm Palestinian camps: Obstacles surface before first phase
Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi The process of disarming Palestinian factions in Lebanon is shaping up to be far from straightforward, as significant obstacles begin to surface even before the first phases are fully underway. According to sources closely following the developments, deep-rooted internal disagreements within the Palestinian leadership could delay or derail the disarmament roadmap. A key point of contention lies within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) itself, where two factions disagree on whether disarmament is a realistic or even achievable goal. One of these factions reportedly rejects the idea altogether, casting early doubts on the plan's feasibility. Beyond the PLO and its dominant faction, Fatah, the armed landscape inside Lebanon's 12 Palestinian camps is much more complex. Other powerful groups operate alongside the PLO, including the factions known as the "Alliance," such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine –General Command (PFLP-GC), and Fatah al-Intifada. While the PLO may be the strongest actor in many camps, it does not hold a monopoly on power. In camps where Hamas holds significant sway, especially in shared strongholds, the process becomes even more complicated. The presence of extremist elements, particularly in the Ain al-Hilweh camp, adds another layer of difficulty. Ain al-Hilweh, the largest and most volatile Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, has witnessed multiple rounds of armed clashes between Fatah and extremist groups that control several neighborhoods. The camp is heavily armed, with factions and militants possessing medium and heavy weaponry that have devastated parts of the camp and led to temporary mass displacement of residents. Nearby, the Miyeh w Miyeh camp is divided among the PLO, the Alliance factions, and the group Ansar Allah, further complicating any unified approach to disarmament. In the Tyre region camps, Fatah remains the dominant force. Still, medium and heavy weapons, including rockets used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to strike Israel during the last war, remain present and active. Even in the camps set to be addressed during the initial two phases—Mar Elias, Shatila, and Borj El Brajneh in Beirut, followed by Beddaoui in the north and Al-Jalil in Baalbek—concerns persist. While these camps are believed to house only limited amounts of medium and heavy arms, observers fear that unresolved disputes between Palestinian factions could stall disarmament efforts. Adding to the complexity is the presence of extremist fighters in the Sabra-Shatila corridor, specifically in areas behind the Sports City complex. These elements, although not affiliated with mainstream factions, could pose a significant threat to stability and hinder efforts to control or collect weapons.
