Hamas says no interim truce possible without work toward permanent ceasefire deal
CAIRO - Hamas' armed wing spokesperson said on Friday that while the group favors reaching an interim truce in the Gaza war, if such an agreement is not reached in current negotiations it could revert to insisting on a full package deal to end the conflict.
Hamas has repeatedly offered to release all the hostages held in Gaza and conclude a permanent ceasefire agreement, and Israel has refused, Abu Ubaida added in a televised speech.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce in the war that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli officials were not immediately available for comment on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on a call he had with Pope Leo on Friday that Israel's efforts to secure a hostage release deal and 60-day ceasefire, "have so far not been reciprocated by Hamas".
As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release a number of detained Palestinians.
"If the enemy remains obstinate and evades this round as it has done every time before, we cannot guarantee a return to partial deals or the proposal of the 10 captives," said Abu Ubaida.
Disputes remain over maps of Israeli army withdrawals, aid delivery mechanisms into Gaza, and guarantees that any eventual truce would lead to ending the war, said two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters on Friday.
The officials said the talks have not reached a breakthrough on the issues under discussion.
Hamas says any agreement must lead to ending the war, while Netanyahu says the war will only end once Hamas is disarmed and its leaders expelled from Gaza.
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Almost 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1,200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies. — Reuters
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GMA Network
11 hours ago
- GMA Network
French plan to recognize Palestinian state draws fire from Israel, US
PARIS/WASHINGTON — France intends to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday in hopes of bringing peace to the region, but the plan drew angry rebukes from Israel and the United States. Macron, who unveiled the decision on X, published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition and work to convincing other partners to follow suit. "True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine," Macron said. "I will make this solemn announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next September." Home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, France will become the first major Western country to recognize a Palestinian state, potentially fueling a movement so far dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel. The news sparked anger in Israel and Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision by one of Israel's closest allies and a G7 member, saying such a move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy." In a post on X, he added, "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. "Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the move as "a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism," adding that Israel would not allow the establishment of a "Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence." In response, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States "strongly rejects (Macron's) plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly." In a post on X, he said, "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th." Earlier, Canada also pressed Israel to seek peace, with Prime Minister Mark Carney condemning its "failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza" and reiterating support for a two-state solution. Carney also accused Israel of violating international law over the blocking of Canadian-funded aid to civilians in the war-torn Palestinian enclave. "Canada calls on all sides to negotiate an immediate ceasefire in good faith," he added. "We reiterate our calls for Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, and for the Israeli government to respect the territorial integrity of the West Bank and Gaza." 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Thanking France, the Palestinian Authority's Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh said on X that Macron's decision reflected "France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state." — Reuters
GMA Network
13 hours ago
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Pepper spray fired at aid site Women going to fetch aid for their families on Thursday said US contractors organizing distribution asked them to come to pick up goods and then fired tear gas and pepper spray at them. "The Americans said 'go, go', and then said no, get back. They sprayed us with pepper spray so we went away. Five minutes later they shot tear gas at us ... is this American humanitarian aid?" said Mervat al-Sakani. Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the aid organization - the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - said a limited amount of pepper spray was used 'to prevent civilian injury due to overcrowding', adding that GHF 'didn't want people to get hurt.' The spokesperson said women-only aid distribution had been "a major success" overall. GHF, a US-and Israeli-backed organization, began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May. The UN has called the GHF's model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, which GHF denies. The UN rights office said on July 15 it had recorded at least 875 killings within the preceding six weeks in the vicinity of aid sites and food convoys in Gaza - the majority of them close to GHF distribution points. Most of those deaths were caused by gunfire that locals have blamed on the Israeli military. The military has acknowledged that civilians were harmed, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions with "lessons learned." Israel, which cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent Hamas diverting it. Israel says it has let in enough food for Gazans, and blames the United Nations for being slow to deliver it; the UN says it is operating as effectively as possible under conditions imposed by Israel. The war began when Hamas killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in its October 7 attacks on Israel, according to Israeli tallies. Israel has since killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza health authorities. — Reuters
GMA Network
a day ago
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No zero tariff for US agri products after Trump-Marcos meet — Go
US President Donald Trump welcomes President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr., at the White House in Washington, D.C., July 22, 2025. REUTERS/ Kent Nishimura Agricultural products, which are considered "sensitive" commodities for the Philippines' agri-fisheries sector, are not included in the zero tariff scheme for American exports entering the country following the recently concluded tariff talks between President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and United States President Donald Trump. "Rice, sugar, corn, fisheries, pork, chicken – hindi po natin tinanggal ang taripa ng mga iyan (we did not remove the tariffs for those)," Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs of the Philippines Frederick Go said at a Palace briefing on Thursday. "[These] are not included in the concessions that we gave out," he said. Early morning on Wednesday (Philippine time), Trump announced a new 19% tariff rate for Philippine goods entering America. This is lower than the 20% announced in a letter earlier this month, but higher than the 17% rate announced last April on what the US president referred to as Liberation Day. The US chief executive initially said the Philippines is going "open market" with the United States with zero tariffs, while the Philippines would pay a 19% tariff. Marcos, however, has since clarified that the zero tariffs on US products would only apply to certain markets such as automobiles. The President also committed to increase imports of soy, wheat, and pharmaceuticals from the US. Go said the Philippine government considered the type of goods, which the country is a "significant market producer," in the concessions it granted to negotiate a reduction on Trump's reciprocal tariff from 20% to 19% slapped on Philippine exports. "Talagang binusisi po namin iyan, ng DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), ano iyong mga produktong kailangan nating protektahan, ano iyong mga farmers natin na kailangan nating protektahan; at prinotektahan natin lahat po iyan," the special assistant to the President said. (Together with the DTI, we really studied carefully which products should be protected… what do our farmers need to protect. We made sure to protect those.) Automobiles, soy, wheat, pharmaceuticals On agreeing for zero tariff for American automobiles entering the country, Go said the Philippines is not a major producer of cars "so, by opening the automotive or car sector to the US, wala po tayong sinaktan dito sa atin (so, by opening the automotive or car sector to the US, we are not hurting the local industry)." With regard to concessions for pharmaceuticals, the investment czar said the main consideration of the government was to lower the price of medicines locally. "Kapag tariff-free po ang gamot, makakababa po iyan ng presyo ng gamot sa ating bansa (If the medicines are tariff-free, it will help in lower its price in our country)," Go said. For soy and wheat, Go said the Philippines only produces the commodities at a "very little quantity." "Iyong mga pinapapasok natin na walang taripa, ang purpose po noon ay ibaba ang presyo ng bilihin sa Pilipinas (Those that enter the country without tariff, the purpose of that is to lower the prices of goods in the Philippines)," he said. Talks not yet over Go also clarified that trade negotiations between the US and the Philippines are not yet over. He echoed Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez's announcement that bilateral talks will take place in Manila "in the next couple of days" to finalize a trade deal between the two nations. "Our technical working groups will continue to work with their counterparts from America to finalize the details of this arrangement," Go said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
