Mediators to present new proposal to Israel and Hamas for Gaza ceasefire
Israel
and
Hamas
this weekend on a
Gaza
ceasefire and hostage release deal, in a bid to break the deadlock between the two sides.
The new proposal, drafted by Egypt in co-ordination with Qatar and the United States, calls for a long-term ceasefire of at least five to seven years, backed by international guarantees. Mediators say the proposal aims to strike a balance between the demands of both parties.
The Saudi magazine Al-Majalla reports that on the third day of the ceasefire, negotiations would begin on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the remaining hostages, as well as
Israel Defense Forces
redeployment, demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, arrangements for postwar governance and the official declaration of a permanent ceasefire.
David Barnea, director of the intelligence agency Mossad, is meeting Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, after reports that Qatar is now pressing Hamas to disarm.
READ MORE
Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza more than a month ago, with the stated objective of increasing pressure on Hamas to release the 59 hostages it is still holding, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, who were taken in the militant group's attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023.
Israel also has also blocked all deliveries of humanitarian aid and other supplies to Gaza for seven weeks, an action criticised by the United Nations as 'further depriving people of the means for survival and undermining every aspect of civilian life'.
Meanwhile, the IDF is continuing its daily attacks and has issued new evacuation orders to residents of northern Gaza. Some 420,000 Palestinians – 20 per cent of Gaza's population – are estimated to have been displaced again over the last five weeks, after a ceasefire in place since mid-January broke down.
Underlining the worsening humanitarian crisis across Gaza, the World Food Programme said on Friday it had depleted all its food stocks for families in the enclave, warning that its hot meal kitchens would run out of food in the coming days.
Basic commodities are scarce, pushing up prices to levels far beyond the reach of the vast majority of Gaza's impoverished population. Canned meat, which used to cost the equivalent of 50 cent, now costs more than €3. A litre of oil has rocketed to €12 and a kilo of sugar has risen from €1.70 to more than €12. In some places a single cigarette sells for more than €20.
Israel is reluctant to end the blockade, believing Hamas will once again seize much of the aid. The IDF has voiced opposition to taking responsibility for distributing the aid, believing this endanger soldiers' lives.
During a visit to southern Gaza on Thursday, the IDF's top general, Lieut Gen Eyal Zamir, told troops: 'We continue our operational pressure and to tighten our hold on Hamas as needed, and if we do not see progress in the return of the hostages, we will expand our activities into a more intense and significant operation until we reach a decisive outcome.
'Hamas is responsible for starting this war, Hamas is still cruelly holding the hostages, and is responsible for the dire situation of the population in Gaza.'
However, escalating the military operation would require calling up tens of thousands of reservists, many of whom have already served hundreds of days since the war began with the surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel a year and half ago.
More than 51,350 people have been killed in the Gaza war according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Some 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage in the Hamas attack, according to Israel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
Irish immigration officials refuse 265 Palestinian visa applications since 7 October attacks
IRISH IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS have refused visas for 265 Palestinians since October 2023, when Israel began its war in Gaza in response to attacks on its civilians by Hamas. Figures from the Department of Justice show that 1,249 visa applications by Palestinians were made between 1 October 2023 and 30 June of this year. They include 851 applications for short-stay C visas , which allow people to stay in Ireland for up to three months, and 398 applications for longer-term D visas , which allow people to work or settle permanently in Ireland and to apply for a residence permit. According to the figures, 445 Palestinians have been granted C visas since October 2023 while 208 Palestinians have been refused; and a further 288 Palestinians have been granted D visas during the same time-frame, while 57 Palestinians have been refused. The issue of visas for Palestinians has made headlines in recent weeks after The Journal reported that visas were refused for dozens of Palestinians from the West Bank who were due to travel to Ireland for a GAA tour this month. Advertisement GAA Palestine had plans in place for 47 Palestinians to travel here, including 33 children aged between 9 and 16 years of age. A total of 152 families in Ireland had signed up to host the group as they were to travel around Ireland. The figures provided by the Department do not include those for the GAA Palestine group, as they only cover successful applications and refusals up to the end up June. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan this week rejected criticism from GAA Palestine regarding his department's handling of their visa applications, insisting that their applications had been assessed 'fairly and accurately'. 'No matter who you are, you have to comply with the immigration rules,' he said. 'I'm not going to change those rules simply because there is media pressure put on me.' Citizens of Palestine are required to have a valid Irish entry visa before they seek to enter the State. However, a number of Palestinians have also claimed asylum in Ireland in recent years. This week, Cabinet heard that there were 957 international protection applications by Palestinians in 2024, though the figure dropped to just 65 applications in the first six months of 2025. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
6 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Israeli evacuation order in central Gaza 'devastating' to aid efforts, warns UN
An Israeli military order for residents and displaced people in Gaza's Deir el-Balah area to move south dealt "another devastating blow" to humanitarian efforts in the war-ravaged territory, the UN's OCHA aid agency has said. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs yesterday warned that the "mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military has dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip." The Israeli military ordered those in the central Gaza area to leave due to imminent operations, with whole families seen lugging their few belongings and heading south. OCHA said UN staff were "remaining" in the territory and their coordinates had been shared with "relevant parties." "These locations - as with all civilian sites - must be protected, regardless of displacement orders," OCHA said, warning that any damage to health clinics, water infrastructure, and aid warehouses in the area "will have life-threatening consequences." Between 50,000 and 80,000 people were in the area when the evacuation order was issued, according to OCHA's initial estimates. Yesterday, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on crowds of Palestinians trying to collect humanitarian aid in the war-torn Palestinian territory, killing 93 people and wounding dozens more. Since the start of the war, nearly all of Gaza's population, which is also facing severe food shortages, has been displaced at least once by repeated Israeli evacuation orders. According to OCHA, the latest order means that 87.8% of Gaza's area is now under displacement orders or within Israeli militarized zones. That leaves "2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the Strip, where essential services have collapsed," said the UN agency. The order "will limit the ability of the UN and our partners to move safely and effectively within Gaza, choking humanitarian access when it is needed most." Israel yesterday withdrew the residency permit of the head of the OCHA office in the country, Jonathan Whittall, who has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 58,895 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN finds these figures credible. The war was sparked by Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel in which 1,219 people, most of them civilians, were killed, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Pope condemns ‘barbarity' of Gaza war as 85 more people are killed queueing for food
At least 85 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach food at locations across Gaza, the Health Ministry said, on the deadliest day yet for aid-seekers in 21 months of war. 'I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,' Pope Leo XIV said during an address at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome. 'I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations.' Meanwhile, there was new alarm among Palestinians as Israel's military issued immediate evacuation orders for parts of central Gaza, one of the few areas it has rarely operated with ground troops and where many international organisations trying to distribute aid are located. The largest death toll in yesterday's attacks on aid queues was in devastated northern Gaza, where living conditions are especially dire. At least 79 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel, said Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Health Ministry's records department. The UN World Food Programme said 25 trucks with aid had entered for 'starving communities' when it encountered massive crowds. A UN official said Israeli forces opened fire toward crowds who tried to take food from the convoy. Footage taken by the UN showed Palestinian men running as automatic gunfire was heard. 'Suddenly, tanks surrounded us and trapped us as gunshots and strikes rained down. We were trapped for around two hours,' said Ehab Al-Zei, who had been waiting for flour and said he hadn't eaten bread in 15 days. He spoke over the din of people carrying the dead and wounded. 'I will never go back again. Let us die of hunger, it's better.' Nafiz Al-Najjar, who was injured, said tanks and drones targeted people 'randomly' and he saw his cousin and others shot dead. Israel's military said soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties. But it said the numbers reported by officials in Gaza were far higher than its initial investigation found. It accused Hamas militants of creating chaos. More than 150 people were wounded, some in critical condition, hospitals said. Mr Al-Waheidi said another six Palestinians were killed in the Shakoush area, hundreds of metres north of a hub of the recently created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US- and Israel-backed group, in the southern city of Rafah. Witnesses and health workers say several hundred people have been killed by Israeli fire while trying to access the group's aid-distribution sites. Separately, seven Palestinians were killed while sheltering in tents in Khan Younis in the south, including a five-year-old boy, according to the Kuwait Specialised Field Hospital, which received the casualties. The new evacuation orders cut access between the central city of Deir al-Balah and Rafah and Khan Younis in the narrow territory. The military also reiterated evacuation orders for northern Gaza. Palestinians were startled to see the orders for parts of Deir al-Balah, a relative haven. 'All of Rafah is under evacuation, and now you have decided that half of Deir al-Balah is under evacuation. Where will we move to?' asked resident Hassan Abu Azab, as others piled everything from bedding to live ducks onto carts and other vehicles. Smoke rose in the distance, with blasts and the sound of a siren. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee called for people to head to Muwasi, a desolate tent camp with little infrastructure on Gaza's southern coast that Tel Aviv has designated a humanitarian zone. The announcement came as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted that expanding Israel's military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas in negotiations. Earlier this month, Israel's military said it controlled more than 65pc of Gaza. Gaza's population of more than two million Palestinians is in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, now relying largely on the limited aid allowed into the territory. Many people have been displaced multiple times. Ambulances in front of three major hospitals in Gaza sounded their alarms simultaneously yesterday in an urgent appeal as hunger grows. The Health Ministry posted pictures on social media of doctors holding signs about malnourished children and the lack of medication.
