Latest news with #Walla
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dermer holds first phone call with Qatari PM on hostage deal efforts
US envoy Steve Witkoff attempted to arrange a meeting between Dermer and Al-Thani, but it never came to fruition. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who leads Israel's negotiating team in hostage talks, spoke with Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on the phone over the weekend, a source familiar with the matter told Walla on Tuesday. Sources confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that this was the first direct contact between the two. Al-Thani is considered a key mediator between Israel and Hamas in the ongoing negotiations. Dermer's office declined to comment on the matter. The Post previously reported that US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, attempted to arrange a meeting between Dermer and Al-Thani after Dermer took office, but it never came to fruition. A source familiar with the details said the conversation aimed to eliminate any 'broken telephone' issues between the parties and ensure that Al-Thani fully understood Israel's position before his scheduled meetings with senior Hamas officials in Doha. Following the conversation with Dermer, Al-Thani met with Hamas leaders to discuss the negotiations. Over the weekend, Hamas announced its readiness to begin 'proximity talks' with Israel to address the remaining disputes regarding the hostage deal and the ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli officials, however, noted that despite Hamas's declaration, the group has so far refused to negotiate on the basis of Witkoff's proposal and continues to maintain its previous position rejecting the plan. Earlier on Tuesday, Israel said it would not send a delegation to Qatar after Hamas requested changes to the deal outlined by Witkoff. However, an Israeli official said that "negotiations have not stopped, efforts of the mediators will continue."
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hamas looks to incite Gazan population to storm Israeli border, Israeli military officials fear
The military has allocated intelligence resources and reserve forces, and clarified open-fire orders for senior IDF commanders on the ground. Senior IDF officials held a security assessment to discuss an extreme scenario in which Hamas could incite the population in central and southern Gaza to storm the Israeli border during a military assessment, Walla reported on Wednesday. In response, the military has allocated intelligence resources and reserve forces, and clarified open-fire orders for senior commanders on the ground. The military assessment also discussed Hamas's efforts to prevent the distribution of food packages by an American company at three locations in Rafah. During the discussion, officials noted that tens of thousands of food packages have already been distributed to representatives of families of 50 people each. Each package is designed to last five days. Hamas has reportedly deployed armed operatives along pedestrian routes to intimidate civilians and prevent them from approaching the distribution centers. In some cases, according to the IDF spokesperson, Hamas terrorists fired live rounds at civilians to deter them. Despite this, residents have found ways to bypass the blockades—from the shelter areas to the distribution centers—in order to receive the food packages. At the same time, Hamas has been waging a psychological warfare campaign, spreading false information to discourage the public from accepting the aid. 'Hamas understands it is no longer the sole authority in Gaza,' a security official said. 'As time goes on, we'll refine the distribution sites to serve more people and establish additional sites.' The official declined to specify who is funding the packages brought into Israel. According to Southern Command estimates, more Palestinians are expected to head south to obtain food aid. The assessment also raised several extreme scenarios, including the possibility that Hamas would attempt to attack distribution centers using operatives without clear organizational ties. To mitigate such threats, the IDF has deployed reserve forces in the area. In addition, Walla has learned that UN officials in the Gaza Strip have refused for over a week to transfer 390 trucks from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the central Gaza Strip. A security source involved in the process said that Hamas is pressuring the UN not to cooperate, hoping to collapse the American company's distribution initiative in the south. Initially, UN officials cited legal difficulties in collecting and transporting the humanitarian aid, but according to the security source, the defense establishment believes these are merely excuses. At this stage, the American company has not set up distribution centers in the north or center of the Gaza Strip, in order to encourage residents to move to shelter areas in the south.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US nuclear deal proposal would allow Iran to enrich uranium in limited capacity
This follows earlier reports from Monday that Iran is poised to reject a US proposal to end a decades-long nuclear dispute. The US nuclear deal proposal that was allegedly given to Iran would allow limited and low-level uranium enrichment, Walla reported on Monday. Limited uranium enrichment would be for a "to-be-determined" period of time, Walla said. This proposal contradicts statements from top officials. This follows earlier reports from Monday that Iran is poised to reject a US proposal to end a decades-long nuclear dispute, an Iranian diplomat said, slamming it as a "non-starter" that fails to address Tehran's interests and leaves Washington's stance on uranium enrichment unchanged. "Iran is drafting a negative response to the US proposal, which could be interpreted as a rejection of the US offer," the senior diplomat, who is close to Iran's negotiating team, told Reuters. The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who was on a short visit to Tehran and has been mediating nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Iran carried out secret nuclear activities with material not declared to the UN nuclear watchdog at three locations that have long been under investigation, the watchdog said in a wide-ranging, confidential report to member states seen by Reuters last week. The findings in the "comprehensive" International Atomic Energy Agency report requested by the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors in November pave the way for a push by the United States, Britain, France, and Germany for the board to declare Iran in violation of its non-proliferation obligations. A resolution would infuriate Iran and could further complicate nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Coming days 'critical' for Gaza deal progress, Qatar, Egypt hold significant weight
Security sources stressed that the coming days are critical for the prospects of progress in a deal, and that mediators have a crucial role. Increased involvement by Qatar and Egypt amid a deadlock in hostage deal negotiations could help narrow gaps between the sides, with the coming days considered critical for progress, senior Israeli officials told Walla Monday. This was previously achieved during proximity talks and negotiations for the previous hostage deal held in Doha. A security source emphasized that a distinction should be made between the 'Qatargate' affair and the suspicions against Israeli citizens, and separating this from Qatar's role as a hostage deal mediator. 'This is an internal Israeli matter that must be separated from Qatar's role as a mediator, alongside the Egyptian mediator,' the source said. He stressed that the coming days are critical for the prospects of progress and that the mediators have an important role to play. Against this backdrop, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir visited the Gaza Strip on Sunday for a series of meetings with commanders in regular service and reservists. The visit took place while the US continues efforts to advance negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a hostage deal. A US announcement of a deadlock would prompt the government to instruct the IDF to move to an advanced stage of ground operations toward significant areas where the IDF has not operated so far, and such a move could increase pressure on Hamas leadership. Sources in the security establishment estimate that in the coming days, a decision will be made regarding the negotiations for a hostage deal. At that point, it will be determined whether the IDF will expand its operations in the Gaza Strip significantly. At the end of his tour, the chief of staff promised to review the numerous comments and questions raised by reservists. Some of the reservists present at the meeting have been mobilized for the sixth time since the start of the war. They urged the army commanders to 'defeat Hamas this time.' If that is not the intention, they requested clarity as soon as possible regarding the duration of their upcoming reserve duty.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bat Yam man stabs partner to death, barricades himself on roof
A negotiation team from the Israel Police is on-site and working to bring the situation to a resolution, the forces confirmed. Israel Police have launched an investigation into a murder that occurred in Bat Yam following a report received regarding a 48-year-old woman who was stabbed in her home, the forces announced on Monday. The suspect, believed to be her husband, has barricaded himself on the rooftop of the building and refused to come down. A negotiation team from the Israel Police is on-site and working to bring the situation to a resolution, police confirmed. The woman sustained penetrating injuries, Maariv reported. According to initial investigations, the background to the incident is a domestic dispute between partners, the police stated. The incident was first reported by the couple's 17-year-old daughter, who was in the apartment with the family dog at the time—no other family members were present, according to Walla. One of the neighbors told Walla, "This is the first time I've heard any fighting from their apartment. There has never been shouting or disturbances before." Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Golan said in a Monday post on X/Twitter: "Another day and a half in Israel—six more murders. No governance, no security. From every sector and every community, no citizen is safe. This is what neglect looks like." "This is the reality in a country where the security minister [Ben Gvir] is a convicted felon, an avowed racist, and a Kahanist, acting entirely at the prime minister's command. We must send this negligent government home," he concluded. MDA paramedic Inbar Adani and senior MDA medic Doron Salimi shared that initially they "joined the police officers, who led us to the apartment. Inside, we found a woman who was unconscious, pulseless, and not breathing, with penetrating injuries to her body," Maariv noted. "We carried out medical assessments, but her injuries were critical, and sadly, we had to pronounce her dead at the scene," confirmed the MDA personnel, Maariv wrote.
