Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel weighs ceasefire plan – DW – 07/05/2025

15 hours ago

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Israeli Negotiators Due In Qatar For Gaza Truce Talks

Int'l Business Times

30 minutes ago

Int'l Business Times

Israeli Negotiators Due In Qatar For Gaza Truce Talks

An Israeli delegation was expected in Doha on Sunday for talks on a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. Netanyahu had earlier announced he was sending a team to Qatar, a key mediator in the conflict, though he said that Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire deal included some "unacceptable" demands. Faced with mounting calls to end the war that is nearing its 22nd month, Netanyahu is due to meet on Monday with US President Donald Trump, who has been making a renewed push to end the fighting. On Saturday, protesters gathered in Israel's coastal hub of Tel Aviv for a weekly rally demanding the return of hostages still in the Gaza Strip since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war. Macabit Mayer, the aunt of captives Gali and Ziv Berman, called for a deal "that saves everyone". Hamas said Friday it was ready "to engage immediately and seriously" in negotiations. A statement from Netanyahu's office said that "the changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal... are unacceptable to Israel", while also sending negotiators to discuss "the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to". On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said 14 people were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday. 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. Hamas has not publicly detailed its responses to the US-sponsored proposal, which was transmitted by mediators from Qatar and Egypt. Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP 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. Since the Hamas attack sparked a massive Israeli offensive with the aim of destroying the group, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in fighting, during which hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. 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. 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 a lasting ceasefire. The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. Karima al-Ras, from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, said "we hope that a truce will be announced" to allow in more aid. "People are dying for flour," she said. 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. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. 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. The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 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. Israeli demonstrators calling for action to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, in Tel Aviv AFP Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday AFP People walk past makesfift shelters as smoke billows east of Gaza City, following Israeli bombardment AFP

Israel Army Bulldozers Plough Through Homes At West Bank Camps

Int'l Business Times

5 hours ago

Int'l Business Times

Israel Army Bulldozers Plough Through Homes At West Bank Camps

In the West Bank city of Tulkarem, the landscape has been transformed after Israeli army bulldozers ploughed through its two refugee camps in what the military called a hunt for Palestinian militants. The army gave thousands of displaced residents just a few hours to retrieve belongings from their homes before demolishing buildings and clearing wide avenues through the rubble. Now residents fear the clearances will erase not just buildings, but their own status as refugees from lands inhabited by generations of their ancestors in what is now Israel. The "right of return" to those lands, claimed by Palestinian refugees ever since the creation of Israel in 1948, remains one of the thorniest issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The army said it would demolish 104 more buildings in the Tulkarem camp this week in the latest stage of an operation that it launched in January during a truce in the Gaza war, billing it as an intensive crackdown on several camps that are strongholds of Palestinian armed groups fighting against Israel. "We came back to the camp and found our house demolished. No one informed us, no one told us anything," said Abd al-Rahman Ajaj, 62, who had been hoping to collect his belongings on Wednesday. Born in Tulkarem camp after his parents fled what is now the Israeli city of Netanya, about 12 kilometres (seven miles) to the west, Ajaj said he had not foreseen the scale of the Israeli operation. It began with a raid on the northern West Bank city of Jenin, a longtime stronghold of Palestinian militants, and quickly spread to other cities, including Tulkarem, displacing at least 40,000 people, according to UN figures. Vacating the camp after a warning of a raid, "we would usually come back two or three days later", Ajaj told AFP. Now left without a house, he echoed the sentiments of Palestinians of his parents' generation, who thought their own displacement in 1948 would also be temporary. "The last time, we left and never returned," he said. In Tulkarem, the Israeli army's bulldozers ploughed through the dense patchwork of narrow alleyways that had grown as Palestinian refugees settled in the area over the years. Three wide arteries of concrete now streak the side of Tulkarem camp, allowing easy access for the army. Piles of cinder blocks and concrete line the roadside like snowbanks after a plough's passage. Ajaj said the destruction had been gradual, drawn out over the course of the operation, which the army has dubbed "Iron Wall". Beyond the military value of wide access roads, many residents believe Israel is seeking to destroy the idea of the camps themselves, turning them into regular neighbourhoods of the cities they flank. Residents fear this would threaten their refugee status and their "right of return" to the land they or their forebears fled or were expelled from in 1948. The current Israeli government -- and particularly some of its far-right ministers, who demand the outright annexation of the West Bank -- are firmly opposed to this demand, which they see as a demographic threat to Israel's survival as a Jewish state. "The aim is clearly to erase the national symbolism of the refugee camp, to eliminate the refugee issue and the right of return," said Suleiman al-Zuheiri, an advocate for residents of nearby Nur Shams, Tulkarem's other refugee camp, where he also lives. Zuheiri's brother's house was destroyed last week by the bulldozers. "The scene was painful and tragic because a house is not just walls and a roof. It holds memories, dreams, hopes and very important belongings that we couldn't retrieve," he said. Each demolished building housed at least six families on three floors, he added. The land allocated to the camps was limited, so residents have had little choice but to build upwards to gain space, adding an extra storey with each new generation. Back at Tulkarem camp, 66-year-old Omar Owfi said he had managed to make two trips into the camp now occupied by Israeli soldiers to retrieve belongings on Wednesday. He feared becoming homeless if his home was demolished. "They don't care what the house is worth. All they care about is demolishing. We're the ones losing. We've lost everything," he told AFP. "They want to erase the camp -- to remove as many buildings as possible and leave just streets." He said he feared for his children and grandchildren, as they dispersed to live with various relatives. The Israeli supreme court froze the military order for mass demolitions in Tulkarem camp on Thursday, giving the state two months to answer a petition against them, said the Palestinian human rights group Adalah, which filed it. But the physical damage has already been done as the army's manhunt for militants continues. As residents retrieved mattresses, wardrobes and air conditioning units from the camp on Wednesday under the surveillance of Israeli troops, gunshots rang out through the streets. A loud explosion echoed across the city, followed by a column of dust rising as another building was apparently blown up, sending the smell of gunpowder wafting in the wind. Residents feared being left homeless after the clearances AFP Bulldozers rolled in to demolish homes AFP Homes were knocked down and wide avenues cleared AFP

Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel weighs ceasefire plan – DW – 07/06/2025

8 hours ago

Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel weighs ceasefire plan – DW – 07/06/2025

Dozens have been killed in Gaza as Israel presses its offensive. Reports say many died while waiting for food near aid sites and others were killed in airstrikes at different locations. DW has the latest. Officials in the Gaza Strip say dozens have been killed in attacks on Saturday, as Israel prepares to respond to a ceasefire plan that Hamas has agreed to in principle. The Palestinian news agency WAFA said at least 50 people had been killed in airstrikes and other incidents, with many casualties reported among those desperately queuing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was sending a delegation to Qatar Sunday for ceasefire talks, but rejected Hamas' proposals for changes to a draft ceasefire deal. "The changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel," said Netanyahu's office in a statement. But a negotiation team will still fly to Qatar to "continue the efforts to secure the return of our hostages based on the Qatari proposal that Israel agreed to." Hamas has not publicly detailed its responses to the US-sponsored proposal, which was transmitted by mediators from Qatar and Egypt, but said on Friday it responded in a "positive spirit." US President Donald Trump has renewed efforts to bring an end to nearly 21 months of war in Gaza. He will host Netanyahu in Washington on Monday. DW Director General Peter Limbourg on Saturday condemned an attack on two DW reporters in the Palestinian-administered part of the occupied West Bank. "DW condemns this attack on our colleagues who had traveled to Sinjil to cover a planned protest against settler violence," said Limbourg in a statement. A correspondent and a cameraman were pelted with large stones and chased by Israeli settlers on Friday. "We are relieved that they were not physically injured in the attack and were able to get to safety. There is no justification for this attack," said Limbourg "We strongly demand that the Israeli government guarantee the safety of all journalists in the West Bank. Freedom of the press — and therefore the safety of journalists — is an indispensable pillar of any democracy," he added. Germany's ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, also expressed his concern in a post on X. "The freedom of press and the safety of journalists must be guaranteed," he wrote. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attended a mourning ceremony on Saturday, according to a video carried by state media. This is the first time Khamenei has been seen in public since the 12-day war with Israel, which started on June 13. His absence suggested a heavy security status for Iran's current leader, who has the final say on all matters. Police have arrested protesters in London for supporting Palestine Action, which was banned under UK anti-terror laws on Friday. Officers moved in at Parliament Square, saying the group is now proscribed and showing support is a criminal offence. Campaign group Defend Our Juries said 27 people, including a priest and several health workers, were arrested under the Terrorism Act while holding signs reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." The ban makes chanting, wearing clothing or displaying items linked to the group an offence, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison. The government pushed through the proscription after Palestine Action activists broke into an air force base in southern England, spraying two aircraft with red paint and causing damage worth about 7 million pounds ($9.55 million, €8.11 million). Four activists have been remanded in custody over the incident. Palestine Action says the ban is an attack on free speech. A court challenge to block the proscription failed on Friday. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) says two American aid workers have been injured in a grenade attack at a food distribution site in Gaza. The US- and Israeli-backed group said both workers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are now stable and receiving treatment. According to GHF, two attackers threw grenades at the Americans as a food handout for thousands of Gazans was wrapping up. The group, which started aid operations in Gaza in May, uses private US military contractors for security at its sites. It remains unclear who carried out the attack. The Israeli military later accused "terrorist organizations" of trying to sabotage aid distribution in Gaza. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoThe GHF began handing out food packages in Gaza at the end of May. The United Nations and various international aid organizations have criticized the foundation, saying its delivery model is neither impartial nor neutral. Israel is considering how to respond to Hamas's positive reaction to the latest US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal. Israeli media reported on Saturday that the Israeli government had received the Palestinian group's response on the Gaza ceasefire proposal with details currently being examined. The Security Cabinet is set to meet later on Saturday after the end of the Jewish sabbath at sundown, according to Israeli media reports. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Sources in the Gaza Strip say that dozens of people have been killed since early on Saturday morning as Israel prosecutes its offensive in the territory. The Palestinian news agency WAFA said at least 50 people had been killed in airstrikes and other incidents, with many casualties reported among those desperately queuing for food. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Figures varied, with the AP news agency placing the number killed at 24 — 14 in airstrikes and 10 while seeking food aid. The AFP news agency put the total number killed at 32, including 8 who had been killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution hub in southern Gaza. Gazan authorities reported at least 70 people have been killed in the territory by the Israeli military in the last 24 hours. These were said to include 23 people near aid distribution sites. Israel's offensive in Gaza since the October 7 terror attacks has killed more than X Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but the UN and multiple humanitarian organizations consider the casualty numbers broadly reliable. Welcome to our latest updates from Gaza, Israel and the wider Middle East. As Israel is studying a US-led plan for a ceasefire, the civilian death toll in Gaza was climbing again on Saturday. A proportion of the casualties were among those seeking food in the enclave. Meawhile, two US workers were injured in an attack on the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in what the group said was a targeted attack. We'll be providing updates on these stories and others from the region right here.