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Israeli military prepares plan to ensure Iran cannot threaten Israel

Israeli military prepares plan to ensure Iran cannot threaten Israel

RNZ News2 days ago
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz.
Photo:
AFP
The Israeli military is preparing an enforcement plan to "ensure that Iran cannot return to threaten Israel", Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz told senior military officials.
He said the military must be prepared, both in intelligence and operations, to ensure Israel has air superiority and to prevent Tehran from re-establishing its previous capabilities.
He made his remarks after a 12-day air war between the longtime enemies in June, during which Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities, saying the aim was to prevent Tehran developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies seeking nuclear arms and insists its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.
Israel and Iran agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire that ended hostilities on 24 June.
- Reuters
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Hamas says ready to start Gaza ceasefire talks 'immediately'
Hamas says ready to start Gaza ceasefire talks 'immediately'

RNZ News

time7 hours ago

  • RNZ News

Hamas says ready to start Gaza ceasefire talks 'immediately'

Photo: JACK GUEZ Israel was considering its response after Hamas said it was ready to start talks "immediately" on a US-sponsored proposal for a Gaza ceasefire . The security Cabinet was expected to meet after the end of the Jewish sabbath at sundown to discuss Israel's next steps, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to head to Washington for talks on Monday with US President Donald Trump. Trump has been making a renewed push to end nearly 21 months of war in Gaza, where the civil defence agency said 35 people were killed in Israeli military operations on Saturday. "No decision has been made yet on that issue," an Israeli government official told AFP when asked about Hamas's positive response to the latest ceasefire proposal. Hamas made its announcement late Friday after holding consultations with other Palestinian factions. "The movement is ready to engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations on the mechanism to put in place" the US-backed truce proposal, the militant group said in a statement. Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP that the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said it supported ceasefire talks, but demanded guarantees that Israel "will not resume its aggression" once hostages held in Gaza are freed. Trump, when asked about Hamas's response aboard Air Force One, said: "That's good. They haven't briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza." The war in Gaza began with Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked a massive Israeli offensive in the territory that aimed to destroy Hamas and bring home all the hostages seized by Palestinian militants. Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States secured temporary halts in fighting and the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The Egyptian foreign ministry said Saturday that top diplomat Badr Abdelatty held a phone call with Washington's main representative in the truce talks, Steve Witkoff, to discuss recent developments "and preparations for holding indirect meetings between the two parties concerned to reach an agreement". Meanwhile, ahead of its weekly protest demanding the return of the hostages, the main group representing their families renewed its call for a negotiated agreement to bring them home. "This is the hour to bring about a comprehensive deal that will guarantee the return of the last hostage," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. But recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for guarantees of a lasting ceasefire. 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. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. The group said two of its US staff members were wounded "in a targeted terrorist attack" at one of its aid centres in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis on Saturday, adding that reports indicated a pair of assailants "threw two grenades at the Americans". The Israeli military said it had evacuated the injured. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. Its operations have been marred by near-daily reports of Israeli fire on people waiting to collect rations. UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said Friday that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. But GHF chairman Johnnie Moore, a Christian evangelical leader allied to Trump, on Wednesday rejected calls for the lead role in Gaza aid distributions to revert to UN agencies, saying: "We will not be shut down." Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said Israeli military operations killed 35 people across Gaza on Saturday. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,338 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable. - AFP

Hamas submits ‘positive response' to ceasefire proposal in major step toward a deal
Hamas submits ‘positive response' to ceasefire proposal in major step toward a deal

RNZ News

timea day ago

  • RNZ News

Hamas submits ‘positive response' to ceasefire proposal in major step toward a deal

By Oren Liebermann , Jeremy Diamond and Ibrahim Dahman , CNN Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, 4 July. Photo: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters via CNN Newsource Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, 4 July. Hamas has announced that it had "submitted a positive response" to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, opening the path toward a deal to halt the conflict after months of failed efforts. Hamas has "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," the group said in a statement. Israel had previously accepted the US-sponsored framework, which means the two sides are now expected to enter final, detailed negotiations before a ceasefire agreement is officially reached. Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American interlocutor who has been in direct discussions with Hamas, praised the group's response on Facebook, saying, "We are now much closer to ending this cursed war." He said Hamas had introduced "amendments it deemed necessary." "In my view, these amendments will not prevent reaching a ceasefire agreement within the coming week, God willing," he said. An Israeli source familiar with the matter said earlier Friday (local time) that Israel had expected a positive response from Hamas, with the rewording of a few points in the proposal language. The source said these changes were not expected to derail the ceasefire efforts. Of the 50 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, the proposal calls for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased during the ceasefire. On the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas would release eight living hostages in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Following the release, Israel would withdraw from parts of northern Gaza, and the two sides would begin negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire. The release of the hostages is to take place without any Hamas ceremonies or fanfare. The remaining hostages would be released on four more dates specific in the proposal. Efforts to secure a ceasefire intensified following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran last month. Qatar, a key negotiator, immediately launched a new round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to find a "middle ground" based on previous proposals. Palestinians gather to receive food on 3 July, in Khan Younis, Gaza. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu/Getty Images via CNN Newsource The new proposal includes stronger assurances about the US's commitment to keeping Israel at the negotiating table to reach a permanent ceasefire deal, during or potentially after the 60-day truce, according to an Israeli official and source familiar with the negotiations. It also commits Israel to allowing a surge of aid into Gaza through traditional humanitarian channels, rather than through the controversial Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. US President Donald Trump has pushed hard for a ceasefire, saying on Tuesday that Israel had "agreed to the necessary conditions" to finalize a deal for a 60-day cessation of hostilities. In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned Hamas to accept the proposal as well. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better - IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," he said, thanking Qatar and Egypt for their role in advancing the proposal. Israel accepted the new proposal on Tuesday while Ron Dermer, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was in Washington, DC, meeting with top Trump administration officials, including US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The next day, Hamas said it was discussing the proposal as part of "national consultations" and that it aimed to reach an agreement that would guarantee "an end to the aggression, the withdrawal (of Israeli forces), and urgent relief for our people in the Gaza Strip." According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Israel and Hamas are now expected to enter quickly into proximity talks, during which officials from both sides are in the same building, with negotiators passing messages between them expeditiously to reach a deal. Such talks can take days, or they can be concluded faster. One of the key issues to resolve will be the timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza during the ceasefire, the source said. Injured Palestinians are brought to al-Ahli Baptist Hospital to receive medical treatment after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on 4 July. Photo: Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Injured Palestinians are brought to al-Ahli Baptist Hospital to receive medical treatment after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on 4 July. Qatar submitted the new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, backed by the Trump administration, to both Hamas and Israel this week, following months of behind-the-scenes efforts led by Witkoff. After a two-month ceasefire collapsed in March - and Israel renewed its bombardment of Gaza - the Trump administration put forward a ceasefire proposal that was rejected by Hamas because it failed to include guarantees about a permanent end to the war. The new version attempted to account for that key Hamas demand, offering stronger US assurances that the ceasefire would continue beyond 60 days even if a comprehensive agreement had not yet been reached. Israel has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. As negotiators worked to advance the latest ceasefire proposal, Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza, killing scores across the besieged enclave. Until now, Israel has refused to agree to a ceasefire deal that includes a comprehensive end to the war, as Netanyahu said the country's goals included destroying Hamas' military capability and ability to govern. But after the conflict with Iran, he has signaled a new willingness to compromise. On Sunday, Netanyahu said that "many opportunities have opened up" following Israel's military operations in Iran, including the possibility of bringing home the remaining hostages held in Gaza. It marked the first time in months that the long-time Israeli leader has clearly prioritized the return of the hostages over the defeat of Hamas. Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Washington this weekend and meet Trump at the White House on Monday. Before he leaves for the trip, he will convene his full cabinet on Saturday night to discuss the proposal. Even though far-right members of Israel's government have said they will try to torpedo the deal, other political parties have made clear they will throw their support behind a ceasefire. - CNN

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