Israel Claims Destruction Of Two Iranian F-14; Tehran Counters With 'F-35 Downed' Claim
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News18
an hour ago
- News18
Is Gaza Ceasefire Within Reach? Trump ‘Optimistic' But Here's Where Things Stand
Last Updated: Hamas agrees to a 60-day truce with Israel, raising hopes for a Gaza ceasefire. Trump is optimistic about a deal next week amid international and internal pressure in Israel. After Hamas announced that it had 'submitted a positive response" to a proposal for a 60-day truce with Israel, US President Donald Trump said he's 'optimistic" that a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be agreed next week. 'We have to get it over with," Trump said Friday. 'We have to do something about Gaza." After months of deadlock, an agreement between Israel and Hamas now appears possible, as both sides have agreed to a revised proposal, bridging their long-standing conflicting demands. A truce between Iran and Israel, US pressure, and a change in Israel's war objectives have all contributed to renewed momentum Following the Israel-Iran ceasefire on June 24, mediators Qatar and Egypt, as well as the United States, have redoubled their calls for a new Gaza truce. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesman told CNN the Israel-Iran agreement had created 'momentum" for the latest talks between Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu's government faces growing global criticism for the Palestinian suffering in Gaza amid the ongoing war. Israel imposed a full blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza in March, easing it slightly in May after international warnings of potential starvation for hundreds of thousands of people. In recent days, hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli strikes. And aid distribution has been marred by violence, with hundreds killed on their way to try to obtain food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the controversial US-backed aid initiative that began operating at the end of May. Netanyahu's government, supported by far-right allies pushing for more aggression in Gaza, faces opposition from leader Yair Lapid, who has offered to join a coalition to facilitate a hostage deal. Notably, polls indicate that a majority of the country wants a deal to bring the hostages home, even if it means an end to the war. Israel's Demands Netanyahu remains committed to his broader objectives, including disarming Gaza and destruction of Hamas' military capabilities and governance abilities, alongside securing the release of hostages. His stance on these maximalist aims hasn't wavered, despite the ongoing conflict. The Prime Minister, last week, shifted his stance, prioritising the safe return of hostages over defeating Hamas, a goal he previously called the 'supreme objective" 'Many opportunities have opened up", Netanyahu said following Israel's military operations in Iran, including the possibility of bringing home everyone still held captive by Hamas. 'Firstly, to rescue the hostages," he said. 'Of course, we will also need to solve the Gaza issue, defeat Hamas, but I believe we will accomplish both missions." What About Hamas? Hamas on Friday announced that it 'submitted a positive response to the mediators, and the movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework." Hamas has outlined three core demands for a ceasefire agreement. Firstly, they insist on a permanent end to the fighting, ensuring a lasting halt to military operations. Secondly, they want humanitarian assistance to be facilitated without restrictions, potentially involving the United Nations in the process. Lastly, Hamas demands that Israel withdraw its forces to the positions held before March 2, 2025. Proposed Deal Although the fine detail of the proposal is yet to be released, it is clear that the revised plan is an attempt to bridge some of the differences between Israel and Hamas. According to a CNN source, familiar with the negotiations, the timeline of the latest proposal calls for the release of 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased hostages spread out over the full 60-day period. The Israeli Government said that out of the 50 hostages still in Gaza, at least 20 of them are believed to be alive. Under the proposed ceasefire deal, Hamas would release eight living hostages on the first day of the 60-day truce. In exchange, Israel would release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and withdraw its forces from pre-agreed locations in northern Gaza. The sources said that Israel and Hamas would also immediately enter into negotiations for a permanent ceasefire once the initial truce goes into effect. According to the proposed deal, Hamas will release hostages discreetly, without public ceremonies or fanfare, as requested by Israel. This approach differs from the previous truce, where Hamas staged public propaganda events around hostage transfers, sparking outrage in Israel. Similar to the previous ceasefire, which began on January 19, humanitarian aid will immediately begin to flow into Gaza at the start of the ceasefire, including from the United Nations and from other aid organisations. This leaves the fate of the US-backed GHF and its role in Gaza unclear. An Israeli official told CNN that the US and the mediators have provided stronger assurances about reaching a settlement to end the war in Gaza as part of the updated proposal, something that, in principle, should address one of Hamas' key concerns. The official did not provide the specific language in the document, but said the wording is stronger than previous assurances. Previous Ceasefires During the 21-month Israel-Hamas conflict, brief ceasefires have cumulatively lasted only about nine weeks. According to the Palestinian health ministry, more than 57,000 people, of whom more than 17,000 are children, have been killed in Gaza during the fighting. The first ceasefire came into effect in November 2023, but lasted only a week. A temporary ceasefire was reached in January 2025, just before Trump's return to the White House, which lasted over 8 weeks. During this period, Hamas released 33 hostages, while Israel freed approximately 50 Palestinian prisoners for each Israeli hostage released. The ceasefire was supposed to transition into a permanent agreement, but Israel broke the truce on March 18, restarting its military campaign to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : donald trump gaza hamas israel Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: July 05, 2025, 20:15 IST News world Is Gaza Ceasefire Within Reach? Trump 'Optimistic' But Here's Where Things Stand
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
A newlywed was shackled by ICE officers after her US honeymoon: ‘Moved like cattle, no food or water'
A newlywed Palestinian woman from Texas says she was shackled, denied food and water, and 'moved around like cattle' during nearly five months in US immigration custody, all for being stateless. Ward Sakeik, 22, who has lived in the United States since she was eight years old, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February while returning from her honeymoon in the US Virgin Islands. Despite a court order barring her deportation, she remained in detention for 140 days until her release earlier this week. 'I did lose five months of my life because I was criminalised for being stateless, something that I absolutely have no control over,' Sakeik said during a press conference in Texas on Thursday, according to an ABC News report. 'Humanity was stripped away from me.' After her detention, the US government attempted to deport her twice. During the first attempt, she was told she would be taken to the Israeli border, at the very moment Israel was launching airstrikes on Iran. The second time, authorities again moved to deport her, despite a judge's order explicitly prohibiting her removal from Texas. 'I was moved around like cattle and the US government attempted to dump me in part of the world where I don't know where I'm going and what I'm doing or anything,' Sakeik said. As per a report in The Guardian, Sakeik was born in Saudi Arabia to a family originally from Gaza, but because the kingdom does not grant citizenship to children of foreign nationals, she entered the US with her family in 2011 on a tourist visa. The family later applied for asylum. Though she was issued a deportation order as a child, she was allowed to remain in the country under an 'order of supervision,' a designation that allowed her to work and regularly check in with immigration authorities. Over the years, Sakeik graduated from high school, earned a degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, and built, what she called 'a successful wedding photography business'. Earlier this year, she married 28-year-old Taahir Shaikh, a US citizen, and filed for a green card. The initial phase of her application was approved while she remained in detention. A post shared by @justiceforwardsakeik ICE tried to deport her again, in violation of the court order and existing protections under the Biden administration's Deferred and Forced Departure (DED) policy for Palestinians, according to her attorneys. 'She had the right to travel to a US territory, which is what she did,' said attorney Maria Kari. 'This young couple researched their options, they went to the US Virgin Islands, a domestic flight, yet here we are with Ward having spent nearly five months in detention as a result.' The Department of Homeland Security was quote in The Guardian as claiming that Sakeik was flagged because she 'chose to fly over international waters and outside the US customs zone' and was stopped by Customs and Border Protection while attempting to re-enter the continental US. However, the US Virgin Islands are a US territory, and no passport is required for travel there. 'The facts are: she is in our country illegally. She overstayed her visa and has had a final order by an immigration judge for over a decade,' said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. Sakeik described the conditions at the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas, from where she was released on Tuesday, as 'inhumane,' citing dirty bathrooms, rusted beds, and insect infestations. 'The restrooms are also very, very, very much unhygienic. The beds have rust everywhere, are not properly maintained — ants, cockroaches, grasshoppers, spiders all over the facility. Girls will get bit. Girls will wake up with giant bruises,' she said. A DHS official told ABC News that Sakeik was released after she filed the proper applications to adjust her status based on her marriage. Her attorneys rejected that explanation, saying ICE continued to pursue her deportation even after learning her green card petition had been approved. 'We thought the US government didn't recognise Palestine as a country,' said attorney Eric Lee. 'Apparently, that wasn't a problem when they tried to deport her there…to a place that's experiencing a genocide.' Sakeik's family remains stateless, and she is still navigating the legal process to gain permanent residency. In the meantime, she says she plans to advocate for others in ICE custody. 'Women come here seeking a better life, but they're criminalised for that. They are dehumanised, and they're stripped away from their rights. We have been treated as a 'less-than' just simply for wanting a better life,' she said. 'I want to speak up for those who are still inside.'
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
A fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Iran war tests the harmony of Los Angeles' huge Iranian community
LOS ANGELES: " Tehrangeles " in West Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran . This cultural enclave, also known as Little Persia , is where Iranian Muslims , Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and Bahai have peacefully coexisted for decades. But the recent war between Israel and Iran - a bloody, 12-day conflict paused by a fragile ceasefire - has brought up religious tensions and political debates that rarely surface in this culturally harmonious environment. To complicate matters, the U.S. - an ally of Israel - bombed Iran during the war. Many Iranian Jews in the diaspora have viewed the onset of the war with "anxious glee," said Daniel Bral, a West Los Angeles resident whose grandfather, Moossa Bral, was the sole Jewish member of parliament in prerevolutionary Iran. He sees family members and others in the community rejoicing at the possibility of their "tormentor" being vanquished. But Bral feels differently. Live Events "I'm just nervous and am completely rattled by everything that is happening," he said. "I understand and sympathize with people's hope for regime change. But I worry about the safety of civilians and the efficacy of the operation removing Iran as a nuclear threat." But Bral doesn't see the war itself as a divisive issue in the diaspora because antagonism for the current regime is common across religious groups. "This hatred for the regime actually unifies Muslims and Jews," he said. Cultural enclave offers a sense of grounding Kamran Afary, a professor of communication at California State University, Los Angeles, who emigrated from Iran in the 1970s and cowrote a book about identities in Iranian diaspora, said the community, for the most part, has nursed a spirit of tolerance and respect, much like his interfaith family. While Afary is spiritual but not religious, other members of his family practice Judaism, Islam and the Bahai faith. "Interfaith marriage used to be fraught, but even that is common now," he said. Afary says for him, Tehrangeles, with its row of grocery stores, ice cream and kebab shops, restaurants, bakeries and bookstores, offers solace and a sense of grounding in his culture and roots. There are about half a million Iranian Americans in the Greater Los Angeles region. The largest wave of Iranians migrated to the area after Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown in 1979 and Ayatollah Khomeini assumed control, establishing the Islamic Republic of Iran. West Los Angeles, in particular, has the largest concentration of Iranian Jews outside Iran. A test for long-held bonds Diane Winston, professor of media and religion at the University of Southern California, said Israel's recent fight against the regime in Iran could test relationships between Iranian Jews and Muslims. "Muslims, who otherwise would be happy to see regime change, might have felt a little differently about it because their antipathy for Zionism is strong," she said. Winston also observed that in the diaspora, which is concentrated in wealthy cities like Beverly Hills and Westwood, it is not just religion or culture that brings people together, but also their elevated social status. "They go to the same schools, parties and cultural events," she said. "In general, Iranian Muslims and Jews are not quite as religious as their counterparts back home. Los Angeles is a city where there is room to be orthodox, but also being less religious is not a problem. The less religious Jews and Muslims are, the less antipathy they may have toward each other." A time of fear and uncertainty Tanaz Golshan was 2 when her family left Iran in 1986. She serves as the senior vice president of Caring for Jews in Need, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles' service arm. She is also the organization's liaison to the Iranian Jewish community. Judaism for Iranians is "more cultural and familial," Golshan said. Getting together Friday for Shabbat means having Persian Jewish dishes like "gondi," which are dumplings served in soup. "In my family, we didn't grow up too religious," she said. "We don't think about religion when we go to a restaurant or market. You'll find people in both communities that are extreme and don't want anything to do with the other. But in general, we have a lot of love and respect for each other." And yet this is proving to be a tense and scary time for Iranian Jews in the diaspora, she said. "What happens globally can affect security locally," Golshan said, adding the federation's helpline has received calls asking if there are any threats to local Jewish institutions, she said. "There is real fear that temples and community centers could become targets." On Monday, Golshan's organization and others hosted more than 350 community members for a virtual event titled, L.A. United: Iranian and Israeli Communities in Solidarity. A call for regime change in Iran Reactions to the war have been nuanced, regardless of religious affiliations. Arezo Rashidian, whose family is Muslim, is a Southern California political activist who favors regime change in Iran. She supports the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the shah, who has declared he is ready to lead the country's transition to a democratic government. Rashidian said she has never been able to visit Iran because of her activism. The only hope for her return would be for the current regime to fall. This is why the ceasefire has stirred mixed feelings for her and many others in the community, she said. "It's been an emotional roller coaster. No one wants a war, but we were on the brink of seeing this regime collapse. We were so close," she said. Lior Sternfeld, professor of history and Jewish studies at Penn State University, said Iranian Jews in the diaspora identify with Iran, Israel and the U.S., and that these identities are "often not in harmony." "They don't see the Islamic Republic as Iran any more, but an entity to be demolished," he said. "They see Israel more as a religious homeland." President Donald Trump enjoyed strong support in the diaspora and has now upset his backers in the community because he has stated he is not interested in regime change, Sternfeld said. Desire for unity and common ground There is a push, particularly in the younger generation, for peace and understanding among religious groups in the diaspora. Bral says he is engaged in peacebuilding work through his writing and advocacy. "We are cousins at the end of the day, as cliched and corny as that sounds," he said. Bral's friend Rachel Sumekh, whose parents emigrated from Iran, grew up Jewish in the San Fernando Valley. Sumekh hosts dinner parties with her diverse group of friends as a way of widening her circle across religious lines. In December, she hosted a gathering for Yalda, an ancient Persian festival with Zoroastrian roots, which is observed on the winter solstice as celebrants look forward to brighter days. Last year, Yalda, which also marks the victory of light over darkness, coincided with Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. "We created a new tradition bringing people of both traditions together to emphasize how much we have in common," Sumekh said. "This war is just a reminder that as much as our day-to-day lives may be separate, there is still a lot we share in terms of culture and as a people."
