Netanyahu postpones decision over military action in Gaza to next week, source says
A decision will no longer come this week, the source said.
This comes amid internal disagreements in the Israeli government about its preferred course of action in the enclave.
One idea on the table, if the militant group does not agree to a deal, is to encircle Gaza City and other population centers, while another is to 'conquer' the city, the source said. Different ministers are in favor of different plans, the source added.
On Thursday, a senior Israeli official said that Israel and the United States are forming a new understanding on Gaza, as Hamas reportedly withdrew from ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations.
'At the same time, Israel and the United States will work to increase humanitarian aid, while continuing military operations in Gaza,' the official added.
The shift comes as Hamas has disengaged from ceasefire and hostage negotiations, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Hamas' disengagement follows the US and Israel pulling their delegations from talks in Doha, Qatar, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff at the time accusing Hamas of negotiating in bad faith. Despite that move, a senior Israeli official had told CNN they would be prepared to return to Doha if Hamas changed its position.
On Thursday, Hamas said it was committed to continuing negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, but conditions in the enclave would first have to improve 'significantly.'
The faltering peace talks come amid a catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, where scores of people are starving to death.
All of Gaza's 2.1 million people are now food insecure, without reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious and healthy food, the United Nations said this week. According to the enclave's health ministry, 900,000 children are going hungry, and 70,000 show signs of malnutrition.
'It is essential to improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation significantly and to obtain a written response from the enemy regarding our response,' Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas' political bureau, told CNN. 'This is a condition to go back to negotiations.'
In a separate statement, Hamas said it was ready to 'engage immediately in negotiations again upon the arrival of aid to those in need and to end the humanitarian crisis and famine in Gaza.'
The statement added that continuing negotiations 'under the conditions of starvation loses its substance and effectiveness.'
CNN previously reported that Hamas was considering hardening its position in negotiations. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said Wednesday there was no point in continuing to engage in negotiations as long as Gaza's starvation crisis continues.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
13 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Pentagon Snub Rattles Cybersecurity Conference Circuit
A Pentagon move to pull its officials out of a policy think tank event is sending a chill across the cybersecurity trade-show circuit, where senior military and national security leaders often appear as keynote speakers and panelists. By barring its officials from participating in cybersecurity conferences, the Defense Department would imperil critical threat-intelligence sharing between public and private cybersecurity experts, among other issues, event organizers, vendors and attendees say.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Britain faces a bigger Trump tariff blow than no-deal Canada
Britain is facing a bigger hit from Donald Trump's tariffs than Canada, despite Sir Keir Starmer's trade deal with the US. Goods exported from the UK to the US are charged an average tariff rate of 9.3pc, while the average rate charged on goods from Canada is just 9pc, according to data from Capital Economics. The findings come after the US president singled out Canada as he launched a sweeping tariff blitz last week, imposing a 35pc levy on its North American neighbour. Meanwhile, Britain has secured a rate of 10pc, the lowest levy in a trade deal secured by any nation. However, experts said the reality was less favourable for the UK. David Henig, director of the UK Trade Policy Project, said: '10pc suggests we got the best deal, but actually if you dig underneath it, in some areas that is not the case.' This is because the headline 35pc tariff only applies to Canada's exports that are not compliant with the pre-existing United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). This exempts goods that originate in North America, which make up around 90pc of Canada's goods exports to the US. Stephen Brown, deputy chief North America economist at Capital Economics, said: 'This increase in the tariff rate is not really a big deal for the Canadian economy, even though the optics look bad.' Mr Trump last week said Canada had 'failed to cooperate' on curbing the trade of fentanyl, and criticised the retaliatory tariffs Canada has imposed on the US. Canada had been pushed hard for a deal with 11th-hour lobbying in Washington. However, its prime minister, Mark Carney, angered Mr Trump after he said the country would join the UK in recognising a Palestinian state. Canada's steel, aluminium and car exports to the US are still subject to Mr Trump's respective sectoral tariffs of 50pc and 25pc, but there are exemptions for USMCA-compliant car parts. Under the terms of the UK trade deal, Sir Keir secured a quota of 100,000 cars that would be subject to tariffs of only 10pc, instead of 25pc. But the UK has so far been unable to secure an exemption from Mr Trump's sectoral tariffs on steel and aluminium, though the rate for Britain has been fixed at 25pc instead of 50pc. Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said last week he was optimistic that Britain will be able to get this 25pc tariff lifted. A government spokesman said: 'Thanks to our landmark trade deal with the US, the UK is now the only country in the world to have secured a 10pc tariff for car exports, the only country not paying the 50pc global tariff on steel and aluminium, as well as receiving the lowest reciprocal tariff rate of 10pc. 'We will continue to work with the US to get this deal implemented as soon as possible to give industry the security they need, protect vital jobs, and put more money in people's pockets through the Plan for Change.' The UK's effective tariff rate is lower than the headline 10pc rate because some key goods, such as pharmaceuticals, have so far been exempted from tariffs. Although Canada's effective tariff rate is lower than the UK's, Mr Trump's tariffs are likely to have a bigger impact on Canada because its exports to the US make up a much larger share of its economy. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tehran shuts public bathrooms amid deepening water crisis nationwide
Tehran has closed the city's public toilets, under governmental measures introduced due to an acute water crisis nationwide that is worsening by the day, the Didban Iran and Shargh news outlets reported. Didban Iran slammed the government for denying residents "a basic need" by discontinuing the service. The Tehran city administration has not commented on the reports, but witnesses confirm that many public toilets, including those at metro stations, are already closed. There are about 20,000 public toilets in the greater Tehran area, according to estimates. The energy and water crisis has become the main concern for Iranians. Water has been shut off for up to 48 hours in several districts of Tehran and at least 50 other cities. Power outages lasting hours on end make air conditioning unusable even as temperatures soar to between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius. It is barely possible to live in such conditions, many of the capital's 15 million inhabitants have said in social media posts. President Masoud Pezeshkian's government has urged people to use less water but otherwise appears helpless. Other measures under consideration including a reduction of the working week from five to four days or even order a one-week forced closure of the capital to save electricity and water. But fears about the economic impact of the plans mean they have not yet been introduced. Pezeshkian called the situation as a "natural disaster" that could worsen in the coming weeks, as reservoirs are nearly empty. He has mulled relocating the capital to prevent possible chaos. Solve the daily Crossword
