Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed
The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for a 60-day truce in its offensive against Hamas in the war-ravaged territory.
But a week ahead of talks scheduled with Trump in Washington, he vowed to "destroy" Hamas "down to their very foundation".
Hamas said it was "conducting national consultations to discuss" the proposals submitted in negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations.
The civil defence agency said that Israeli forces had killed at least 47 people on Wednesday.
Among the dead was Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, a key clinic in the north of Gaza, Palestinian officials said.
Trump on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying that Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal.
Hamas said in a statement that it was studying the latest proposals and aiming "to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israeli forces from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip".
Netanyahu vowed however: "We will free all our hostages, and we will eliminate Hamas. It will be no more," in filmed comments in the city of Ashkelon near Gaza's northern border.
HOSTAGE RELEASE DRIVE
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar earlier said that he saw "some positive signs", amid high pressure to bring home the hostages.
"We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire," he said. "Our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible."
Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
A Palestinian source familiar with the mediated negotiations told AFP that "there are no fundamental changes in the new proposal" under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States.
The source said that the new proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees".
ISRAELI AIR STRIKES
In southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area.
Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.
AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tents blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.
"They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed. What did they do?" said one resident, Maha Abu Rizq, against a backdrop of destruction.
AFP footage from nearby Khan Younis city showed infants covered in blood being rushed into Nasser Hospital. One man carrying a child whose face was smeared with blood screamed: "Children, children!"
Among other fatalities, Bassal later reported five people killed by Israeli army fire near an aid distribution site close to the southern city of Rafah and a further death following Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of the territory.
They were the latest in a string of deadly incidents that have hit people trying to receive food.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.
EVACUATION ORDER
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it "is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" in line with "international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm".
It said in a statement that a 19-year-old sergeant in its forces "fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip".
The military late on Wednesday issued a fresh evacuation warning to residents for three neighbourhoods of Gaza City, urging them to flee south to the Mawasi area.
Israeli forces are "operating with extreme intensity in the area and will attack any location being used to launch missiles towards the State of Israel", Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a message on Telegram.
"The destruction of terrorist organisations will continue and expand into the city centre, encompassing all neighbourhoods of the city," Avichay wrote.
The military earlier said that its air force had intercepted two "projectiles" that crossed from northern Gaza into Israeli territory.
Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's Oct 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says two of its US aid workers injured in Gaza
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Palestinians carry aid supplies from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled/File Photo JERUSALEM - The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said on Saturday that two American aid workers had suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a targeted attack at a food distribution site in Gaza. The U.S.- and Israeli-backed GHF said in a statement that the injured Americans were receiving medical treatment and were in a stable condition. "The attack – which preliminary information indicates was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans – occurred at the conclusion of an otherwise successful distribution in which thousands of Gazans safely received food," the GHF said. In addition to aid workers, the GHF employs private U.S. military contractors tasked with providing security at their sites. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. The Israeli military had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. The Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza on Thursday had warned residents of the coastal enclave not to assist the GHF, saying deadly incidents near its food distribution sites endangered hungry Gazans. The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, bypassing traditional aid channels, including the United Nations which says the U.S.-based organisation is neither impartial nor neutral. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Asean needs 'bolder reforms' to attract investments in more fragmented global economy: PM Wong Singapore CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform Singapore CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee Asia Dalai Lama hopes to live beyond 130 years, much longer than predicted Sport Liverpool will move on after Jota's tragic death, but he will never be forgotten Singapore Tan Cheng Bock, Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership; party launches 'renewal plan' Singapore Rock climbing fan suddenly could not jump, get up from squats Life Japanese food in Singapore under $20: 5 hawker stalls serving restaurant-quality sashimi and donburi The GHF has said it has delivered more than 52 million meals to Palestinians in five weeks, while other humanitarian groups had "nearly all of their aid looted". Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, the U.N. says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid handouts. A senior U.N. official said last week that the majority of people killed were trying to reach aid distribution sites of the GHF. Footage released by GHF has shown at least one aid site to be overrun with no clear distribution process. Palestinians have described the sites as chaotic. REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
California's biggest wildfire of the year spreads to 28,000 hectares
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A firefighter works to tackle the Madre Fire near New Cuyama, California, on July 3. LOS ANGELES - A massive wildfire raging in California for the past three days has ravaged more than 28,330 hectacres, as hundreds of firefighters fought to bring it under control. The 'Madre Fire' broke out on July 2 in San Luis Obispo, a rural county in the heart of the US state. Around 200 people were ordered to evacuate, with dozens of buildings threatened by the flames. The fire has engulfed 28,700 hectares since July 2, and more than 600 personnel and 40 fire engines have been deployed to contain it, Cal Fire, the state's fire service, said in an update on July 4. It is the largest blaze so far this year in California, which was scarred by wildfires that destroyed swaths of Los Angeles at the start of the year. This summer is the first since President Donald Trump announced plans to gut federal agencies tasked with fighting climate disaster. On July 4, California Governor Gavin Newsom said 15 new fires had ignited on federal land in the past 24 hours, and called on the president to prioritize funding for firefighting resources. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Asean needs 'bolder reforms' to attract investments in a more fragmented global economy: PM Wong Singapore CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform Singapore CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee Asia Dalai Lama hopes to live beyond 130 years, much longer than predicted Sport Liverpool will move on after Jota's tragic death, but he will never be forgotten Singapore Tan Cheng Bock, Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership; party launches 'renewal plan' Singapore As her muscles weaken, 26-year-old leans on best friend for strength and support Life Japanese food in Singapore under $20: 5 hawker stalls serving restaurant-quality sashimi and donburi 'Trump needs to WAKE UP and start funding federal firefighters and land-management teams in these rural communities – instead of giving tax cuts to billionaires,' Mr Newsom, a Democrat, wrote on X. 'Trump's incompetence is endangering lives.' A separate statement from the governor's press office said July 4 that the Madre Fire 'remains in a very isolated location – away from homes'. It comes after several other blazes, raising fears of a difficult summer ahead for the state already traumatized by the wildfires that killed 30 people in January. Southern California had an unusually dry winter and spring, and vegetation is already parched, UCLA extreme climate events specialist Daniel Swain has said. Intense and widespread heat this summer, and dry brush 'will heavily factor into burning conditions later this season,' he added. Since returning to the White House in January, Mr Trump has ordered budget and personnel cuts at the Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and FEMA, the federal agency that coordinates disaster response. On July 2, Mr Newsom accused the Republican president of not funding enough wildfire prevention projects. 'We need an equivalent commitment of resources – not rhetoric,' Mr Newsom told reporters, noting that more than half of the land in California is under federal jurisdiction. AFP
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week
United States President Donald Trump said on Friday (Jul 4) he will start talking to China on Monday or Tuesday about a possible TikTok deal. He said the US "pretty much" has a deal on the sale of the TikTok short-video app. "I think we're gonna start Monday or Tuesday ... talking to China, perhaps President Xi or one of his representatives, but we would pretty much have a deal," Trump told reporters on Air Force One. Trump said in a Fox News broadcast last week that he had found a buyer for TikTok, which he described as a group of "very wealthy people" whose identities he will reveal in about two weeks. A deal had been in the works this spring to spin off TikTok's US operations into a new US-based firm, majority-owned and operated by US investors, but it was put on hold after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump's announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump said the US will probably have to get a deal approved by China. When asked how confident he was that China would agree to a deal, he said, "I'm not confident, but I think so. President Xi and I have a great relationship, and I think it's good for them. I think the deal is good for China and it's good for us."
