Israel puts pressure on Hamas with massive offensive on Deir al-Balah
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Nahar Net
an hour ago
- Nahar Net
Georges Abdallah says 'struggle' helped him endure French prison
by Naharnet Newsdesk 24 July 2025, 13:09 Sitting near a poster of Che Guevara inside his French prison cell before his release this week, pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah said the "struggle" kept him going during his four decades behind bars. A court last week ordered the 74-year-old -- who was jailed over the 1982 killings of two foreign diplomats in Paris -- be released from the Lannemezan prison in southern France on Friday. Abdallah is one of the longest-serving prisoners in France, where most convicts with life sentences are freed after less than 30 years. Between his bed, desk and microwave corner, Abdallah had decorated the yellow walls of his 11-square-meter cell with the flag of the Argentine Marxist revolutionary, but also a map of the world and postcards. An office chair near his bed was piled high with newspapers. "If I'm alive in front of you today, it's because I've kept up the fight -- otherwise 40 years (in jail) would turn your brain to mush," said the prisoner, whose hair and beard have turned gray. AFP visited his cell on July 17, along with a hard-left member of parliament, Andree Taurinya, who used her right as a lawmaker to visit detention centers to see him on the day the court ordered his release. Dressed in a red sleeveless t-shirt and beige shorts, he greeted her warmly and they posed together for a selfie. Abdallah said that for more than 40 years he had continued to be a "militant with a struggle" -- even if it was in very "particular" conditions behind bars. He said he did not foresee a "radical change in (his) struggle outlook" after leaving France and flying home to Lebanon -- the condition for his release. - Birthday calendar - Next to his computer, he had pinned up images of flowers, including poppies and cherry blossom, as well as Palestinian flags and a picture of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. "Forty years is a lot but you don't feel them go by when you keep up the struggle," he said. Many of his fellow militants have died over the years however, he said. "On my computer I have a calendar to keep track of every day: dead comrades, that's in brown, orange is for visits, and green is for birthdays," he explained. But these days, "the color brown is taking up more and more space." Abdallah was detained in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his alleged involvement, which he denies, in the murders of U.S. military attache Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris. After his arrest, French police discovered submachine guns and transceiver stations in one of his Paris apartments. - 'Pampered' - Lebanese of Maronite Christian heritage, Abdallah has always insisted he is a "fighter" who battled for the rights of Palestinians, and not a "criminal." Before the decision to release him, he had been eligible for release for 25 years. But the United States -- a civil party to the case -- had consistently opposed him leaving prison. The Israeli embassy in Paris objected to the decision to release Abdallah, saying "such terrorists, enemies of the free world, should spend their life in prison." Abdallah, who considers himself to be a "political prisoner", said he had been "pampered" compared to "what is going on in Gaza and the West Bank, especially for comrades in prison." His release comes as Israel wages war against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip for a 22nd month, with aid and rights groups warning of mass starvation for civilians trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory. Deadly Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have also become commonplace. Abdallah, who founded a now dissolved Marxist anti-Israel militant group in his youth, endorsed recent protests in the West calling for a Gaza ceasefire. "Palestine remains the historical lever of the revolution throughout the Arab world," he said.
Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Hamas says responded to latest Gaza ceasefire proposal
by Naharnet Newsdesk 24 July 2025, 13:02 Hamas said it has responded to an Israeli proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, as pressure mounted for a breakthrough to end almost two years of devastating conflict that has triggered a humanitarian crisis for civilians. Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas negotiators in the Qatari capital Doha for more than two weeks but the indirect talks have so far failed to yield an elusive truce. International criticism is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where more than 100 aid and rights groups have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading. Palestinian militant group Hamas said in a statement on Telegram that it has "just submitted its response and that of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal to the mediators". A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed it had received the response. "It is currently being evaluated," it added. Hamas's response included proposed amendments to clauses on the entry of aid, maps of areas from which the Israeli army should withdraw, and guarantees on securing a permanent end to the war, according to a Palestinian source familiar with the ongoing talks. Through 21 months of fighting, both sides have clung to long-held positions, preventing two short-lived truces from being converted into a lasting ceasefire. The indirect talks in Doha began on July 6 to try to reach an agreement on a truce deal that would also see the release of Israeli hostages. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. But the talks have dragged on without a breakthrough, with each side blaming the other for refusing to budge on their key demands. For Israel, dismantling Hamas's military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable, while Hamas demands firm guarantees on a lasting truce, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the free flow of aid into Gaza. With pressure for a breakthrough mounting, Washington said top envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Europe this week for talks on a ceasefire and aid corridor. - 'Risk of famine' - The World Health Organization's chief warned on Wednesday of widespread starvation in Gaza, saying food deliveries into the territory were "far below what is needed for the survival of the population". "A large proportion of the population of Gaza is starving. I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation -- and it's man-made," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. France warned of a growing "risk of famine" caused by "the blockade imposed by Israel". Israel has rejected accusations that it is responsible for Gaza's deepening hunger crisis, instead accusing Hamas of preventing supplies from being distributed and looting aid for themselves or to sell at inflated prices. Israel has also maintained that it is allowing aid into the Palestinian territory but that international agencies were failing to pick it up for distribution. COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said on Thursday that around 70 food trucks had been unloaded at aid crossings the previous day. "Over 150 were collected by the UN and international organizations from the Gazan side, but over 800 still await pick up," it said in a post on X. Aid agencies have said permissions from Israel are still limited, and coordination to safely move trucks to where they are needed is a major challenge in an active war zone. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that, in coordination with the UN children's agency UNICEF, trucks carrying medicines and medical supplies were scheduled to enter hospitals on Thursday. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,219 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
LBCI
14 hours ago
- LBCI
Negotiations continue: Israel to join Azerbaijan talks on Syria despite tensions with US envoy
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Despite its frustration with the U.S. envoy's stance on Syria, Israel is set to take part in security talks in Azerbaijan on Thursday. The negotiations, attended by U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack and representatives from Syria, aim to reach understandings that could prevent further escalation along the volatile Israeli-Syrian front. The discussions will primarily focus on security arrangements in southern Syria and on strengthening coordination and communication between the two sides to prevent potential flare-ups. The talks come amid growing discontent in Israel over Barrcak's perceived support for the Syrian government and his criticism of Israel, which he has accused of working to fragment and divide Syria. His position has drawn comparisons to Turkey's stance, which has threatened intervention to block any moves toward partitioning Syrian territory. Meanwhile, Israeli security agencies have decided to maintain maximum alert levels along the border, with ongoing military drills simulating possible infiltration attempts by hostile groups operating from Syrian territory. The Israeli army says it is continuing operations to prevent what it calls the establishment of terrorist infrastructure in southern Syria. It is also actively monitoring and targeting individuals it describes as arms dealers affiliated with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.
