Hamas confirms delivery of Gaza peace deal proposal
In a press statement, Shadid said the movement had presented a proposal on April 17 calling for a comprehensive agreement that includes a permanent cessation of Israeli "aggression," the complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Gaza, the lifting of the Israeli blockade, the entry of aid and relief into Gaza, and the reconstruction of the enclave.
The proposal includes a deal that leads to the release of all hostages in Gaza in one go in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners, along with a ceasefire that extends for five years, with regional and international guarantees, and the formation of an independent committee to manage Gaza, Shadid said.
He said the proposed committee to govern post-war Gaza would consist of independent technocrats with full powers and duties, in accordance with the Egyptian proposal for a community support committee, to manage Gaza affairs without direct political interference and to ensure security and services for Palestinians during the critical period.
However, Shadid said the Israeli government "rejected the movement's vision, insisted on dividing the issues, and refused to commit to ending the war, adhering to policies of killing, starvation, and destruction, even at the expense of the lives of its army prisoners held in Gaza."
On Monday, Israel's state-owned broadcaster Kan reported that Israel had "officially rejected" a proposal for a five-year truce with Hamas, under which all Israeli hostages being held in Gaza would have been released.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said defeating Hamas is Israel's main goal and takes precedence over securing the release of the hostages.
Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2 following the expiration of the first phase of a January ceasefire agreement with Hamas. The second phase has yet to be implemented due to a lack of consensus between the parties.
On March 18, Israel resumed its military operations in the enclave. At least 2,326 Palestinians had been killed and 6,050 others injured since Israel renewed its intensive strikes, Gaza-based health authorities said on Thursday.
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Gaza receives emergency food drops from Jordan, UAE, and Israel as UN warns of mass starvation
Jordanian and Emirati planes dropped food into Gaza on Sunday as Israel launched a limited 'tactical pause' in military operations to address a worsening hunger crisis. The UN has warned of famine-like conditions affecting hundreds of thousands. read more Jordanian and Emirati planes dropped food into Gaza on Sunday, as Israel began a limited 'tactical pause' in military operations to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. The Israeli military said it had also begun airdropping food into the Palestinian territory – making one drop of seven palettes – while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected what he characterised as UN 'lies' that his government was to blame for the dire humanitarian situation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The army also dismissed allegations that it had been using starvation as a weapon, saying it had coordinated with the UN and international agencies to 'increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip'. UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher welcomed the tactical pauses, saying he was in 'contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window'. But the UN's World Food Programme said a third of the population of Gaza had not eaten for days, and 470,000 people were 'enduring famine-like conditions' that were already leading to deaths. The Israeli decision came as international pressure mounted on Netanyahu's government to head off the risk of mass starvation in the territory. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined the chorus of concern on Sunday, urging Netanyahu 'to provide the starving civilian population in Gaza with urgently needed humanitarian aid now.' Accusing the UN of fabricating 'pretexts and lies about Israel' blocking aid, Netanyahu said in remarks at an airbase that 'there are secure routes' for aid. 'There have always been, but today it's official. There will be no more excuses,' he added. Since Israel imposed a total blockade on aid entering Gaza on March 2, the situation inside the territory has deteriorated sharply. More than 100 NGOs warned this week of 'mass starvation'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Though aid has trickled back in since late May, the UN and humanitarian agencies say Israeli restrictions remain excessive and road access inside Gaza is tightly controlled. 'Life's wish' The Jordanian military said its planes, working with the United Arab Emirates, had delivered 25 tonnes of aid in three parachute drops over Gaza on Sunday. Truckloads of flour were also seen arriving in northern Gaza through the Zikim area crossing from Israel, according to AFP journalists. The charity Oxfam's regional policy chief Bushra Khalidi called Israel's latest moves a 'welcome first step' but warned they could prove insufficient. 'Starvation won't be solved by a few trucks or airdrops,' she said. 'What's needed is a real humanitarian response: ceasefire, full access, all crossings open, and a steady, large-scale flow of aid into Gaza. 'We need a permanent ceasefire, a complete lifting of the siege.' In general, humanitarian officials are deeply sceptical airdrops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa district, 30-year-old Suad Ishtaywi said her 'life's wish' was to simply feed her children. She spoke of her husband returning empty-handed from aid points daily. Chaotic scenes broke out at the site where Israel conducted its first food drop, witnesses told AFP. Samih Humeid, a 23-year-old from the Al-Karama neighbourhood of Gaza City, said dozens of people had gathered to rush towards the palettes of supplies parachuted onto the area. 'It felt like a war, everyone trying to grab whatever they could. Hunger is merciless. The quantities were extremely limited, not enough even for a few people, because hunger is everywhere. I only managed to get three cans of fava beans,' he said. In a social media post, the Israeli military announced it had 'carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip'. AFP journalists saw Egyptian trucks crossing from Rafah, with cargo routed through Israel's Kerem Shalom checkpoint for inspection before entering Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Israeli army's daily pause from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm will be limited to areas where its troops are not currently operating – Al-Mawasi in the south, central Deir el-Balah and Gaza City in the north. Israel said 'designated secure routes' would also open across Gaza for aid convoys carrying food and medicine. The military said the measures should disprove 'the false claim of deliberate starvation'. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, citing 'reasonable grounds' to suspect war crimes including starvation – charges Israel vehemently denies. Activists intercepted On Sunday, according to the Gaza civil defence agency, Israeli army fire killed 27 Palestinians, 12 of them near aid distribution areas. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Separately, the Israeli navy brought an activist boat, the Handala operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, into the part of Ashdod, after intercepting and boarding it late Saturday to prevent it attempting to breach a maritime blockade of Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The legal rights centre Adalah told AFP its lawyers were in Ashdod and had met with 19 of the 21 detained activists and journalists from 10 countries. The other two detainees, dual US-Israeli nationals, had been transferred to Israeli police custody, the group said. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
The Wire
an hour ago
- The Wire
J&K: Army Official Allegedly Beats Up Nomadic Tribals Accused of Aiding Militants
Srinagar: The army allegedly beat up a group of nomadic tribals on Saturday (July 26) in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's capital Srinagar on charges of shielding suspected militants, The Wire has learnt. At least four victims, identified as Mohammad Liyakat, Mohammad Azam, Showkat Ahmad and Abdul Qadir, all residents of Rajouri district, suffered injuries of various degrees in the thrashing, which was allegedly led by an army official of the 50 Rashtriya Rifles. The official is in charge of a new base camp that has come up in the Dhagwan area in the higher reaches of Srinagar in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Terming the incident a 'grave violation of human rights', ruling National Conference lawmaker from Rajouri's Budhal constituency and tribal leader Javed Choudhary, who is in contact with the victims, demanded action against the guilty. 'The administration should immediately register an FIR and rein in the forces responsible for these recurring atrocities against innocent tribal people. This pattern of intimidation and violence against tribal communities must stop,' Choudhary told The Wire, adding that the community will launch a mass agitation if the perpetrators are not punished. The Wire could not immediately verify the name of the army official who, according to the description provided by the victims, sported long hair and used a heavy wooden cane to beat up the tribal people. The army's Srinagar-based spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel M.K. Sahu could not be reached for comment. Srinagar's senior superintendent of police G.V. Sundeep Chakravarthy said that the police were trying to get in touch with the alleged victims, who are reportedly on the way to the capital city. 'It is a very far-off area. Once our team gets in touch with them, we will have clarity on the matter,' he said. Dhagwan is a high-altitude geographical barrier where Srinagar's Zabarwan range of mountains and the Lidder valley of Anantnag district meet. It has dense vegetation comprising pine and cedar forests, glacial water streams, deep ravines and steep mountains spread over thousands of hectares of land. The area serves as a summer home for nearly 200 families of the nomadic Gujjar and Bakkerwal communities, the poorest of the poor in Jammu and Kashmir, who graze their herds of sheep, goats and other livestock in the mountain pasturelands circling Kashmir during the summer and migrate to Jammu before the onset of winter. Three victims who spoke with The Wire over phone alleged that they were segregated into two groups, of which one group comprising 10-15 men were 'beaten up like animals', while others received minor thrashing. The victims claimed that two army soldiers held the victims by their arms while the superior official thrashed them 'without showing any mercy'. Recalling the ordeal, Liyakat said that a group of soldiers came to his seasonal home on Saturday morning, saying that 'sahab' was looking for him. He said that when he reached the camp at around 1 pm, around 40 other male residents had gathered outside it. The army official accused the tribal men of having information about militants and providing them food. He also issued an ultimatum to the residents to vacate their homes within two days. Speaking with The Wire over phone, Liyakat said that the officer accused him of sheltering militants who have turned the higher reaches of Kashmir into a dangerous battleground by inflicting heavy casualties on security forces in the years after the reading down of Article 370. Security agencies have been carrying out massive searches in the girdle of mountains surrounding Kashmir amid fears of infiltration by militants after the four-day-long Indo-Pakistani conflict in May this year. 'When I rejected his allegations, he said 'Go to Pakistan and get them [militants] from there'. Why will I go to Pakistan? He said 'our people have died in Pahalgam', but what have we got to do with it?' Liyakat said in a weak voice over the phone. Muhammad Yusuf, who received a minor beating, claimed that he pleaded with the army official to let go of Liyakat as he was going to be surgically operated on next week. He said that the officer didn't listen and thrashed him anyway. 'Now my second leg is also broken,' a distraught Liyakat said. 'I can't even stand up and go to the bathroom. They should have shot me there instead of putting me through this ordeal.' Dhagwan is also a haven for trekking enthusiasts and mountaineers as it connects Srinagar with the Dachigam national park, the Wasturwan meadow, the Overa wildlife sanctuary and Pahalgam. According to security agencies, the area has been used as a transit route by militants in recent years to move from south Kashmir into Srinagar. Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the victims said that the army set up a new base camp in the area. 'We carried the wooden logs and other materials on our backs for the base camp. We do their work and serve them tea whenever they like. This is how we have been paid back,' said Yusuf. This is not the first incident where the army has faced accusations of using violence against the tribal people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have come under an intensifying political and security spotlight following the reading down of Article 370 in 2019. In December 2023, three members of the Gujjar community were allegedly tortured to death, while many others suffered grave injuries when the army launched an operation in the Poonch district of Jammu division, which has emerged as a militancy hotspot since 2019. The army had set up a court of inquiry with regard to the torture allegations. A brigadier and three other officers were removed from the command of the army camp where the tribal civilians were tortured. On November 20 last year, four civilians were detained for questioning in connection with a militant attack in the Kishtwar district of the Chenab valley in the Jammu region; they were allegedly tortured in custody. The army had ordered a probe into this matter also, but it wasn't immediately known whether any action was taken against the alleged culprits. Zafar Choudhary, a Jammu-based senior political analyst, said that the Gujjar community was having a 'strong feeling of either being specifically targeted or not being factored in as worthy of consideration as a human stock'. 'If the authorities think the exclusion of this community with a strong feeling of alienation and injustice was their political objective, then they have almost achieved it. If there is a case of rogue elements colluding with political interests at isolated smaller levels, then an all encompassing legal, administrative and political process must take place towards confidence-building, keeping in view overall strategic and security interests as specific to Jammu and Kashmir,' he said in a post on X.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Israel's daily pauses fall short of easing Gaza suffering, says UK's foreign minister
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Israel's plan to pause its military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza is not enough to meet the urgent needs of civilians caught in the conflict, Reuters reported. In a statement on Sunday, Lammy said the announcement was 'essential but long overdue' and called for faster delivery of aid and a broader political solution. 'This announcement alone cannot alleviate the needs of those desperately suffering in Gaza,' Lammy said, according to Reuters. 'We need a ceasefire that can end the war, for hostages to be released and aid to enter Gaza by land unhindered.' Israel said the daily pauses would allow more humanitarian aid to enter through designated corridors. But aid groups say conditions on the ground remain dire, with food, water, and medical supplies running low. As per reports more than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began last October, after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel. The war has displaced hundreds of thousands and caused a deep humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The United Nations and international agencies have warned that many people in Gaza are at risk of starvation. Access to aid remains limited, with repeated calls for Israel to fully open land crossings and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers. Lammy said the UK would continue to push for increased access and support efforts for a lasting ceasefire. (With inputs from agencies)
