Gaza war rages on despite Iran-Israel ceasefire
GAZA - Tensions between Israel and Iran appear to have eased, but the war in Gaza still continues.
Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 72 people since Friday, many of them women and children.
Desperation is growing in Gaza, where food is scarce, aid is limited, and families are still dying under the rubble. Strikes also hit shelters and streets crowded with displaced residents.
US President Donald Trump says a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could be agreed to, within a week. But there's no confirmation and little optimism on the ground.
Past talks have collapsed, and both sides remain firmly divided. Gaza's humanitarian crisis is worsening. Israel has allowed limited aid in but it's not enough.
Despite hopes that the Israeli-Iran ceasefire might ease regional tensions, Gaza remains a battlefield. As diplomatic talks continue behind closed doors, the people of Gaza remain trapped with no real relief in sight.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Trump to host Netanyahu at the White House on July 7, US official says
US President Donald Trump plans to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 7, a US official said, as the US president pressed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the return of the remaining hostages. Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is in Washington this week to meet officials at the White House, Trump's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing on Monday. An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday. The two leaders are expected to discuss Iran, Gaza, Syria and other regional challenges, the official said. The visit was first reported by Axios. Israel ramped up its attacks on northern Gaza on Monday, a day after Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old war, posting on social media: 'Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back.' Israeli strikes killed at least 60 people across Gaza on Monday in some of the heaviest attacks in weeks. Leavitt told reporters the Trump administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government, saying Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning the remaining hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas as a top priority. She said it was heartbreaking to see images coming from Gaza and Israel, but Trump's main priority was securing the release of the remaining hostages. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed in to Israel on October 7 2023, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3-million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Israeli strikes pound Gaza, killing 60, ahead of US talks on ceasefire
Alongside talks on Gaza ceasefire prospects, Dermer also plans to discuss Netanyahu's possible visit to the White House in coming weeks, according to the source familiar with the matter. In Israel, Netanyahu's security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza. On Friday Israel's military chief said the present ground operation was close to having achieved its goals, and on Sunday Netanyahu said new opportunities had opened up for recovering the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Palestinian and Egyptian sources with knowledge of the latest ceasefire efforts said mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two warring sides, but no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks. A Hamas official said progress depends on Israel changing its position and agreeing to end the war and withdraw from Gaza. Israel said it can end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said Israel has agreed to a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage deal, and put the onus on Hamas. He told reporters: "Israel is serious in its will to reach a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza." Austrian foreign minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, speaking in Jerusalem alongside her Israeli counterpart, said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was 'unbearable'. 'The suffering of civilians is increasingly burdening Israel's relations with Europe. A ceasefire must be agreed on,' she said, calling for the unconditional release of hostages by Hamas and for Israel to allow the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel said it continues to allow aid into Gaza and accused Hamas of stealing it. The group denied the accusation and said Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the Gaza population. The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire and the release of half the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians. Hamas would release the remaining hostages as part of a deal that guarantees ending the war. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7 2023, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3-million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis. More than 80% of the territory is an Israeli militarised zone or under displacement orders, according to the UN.
TimesLIVE
3 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
G7 urges talks to resume for deal on Iran nuclear programme
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) nations said on Monday they supported the ceasefire between Israel and Iran and urged for negotiations to resume for a deal to address Iran's nuclear programme, according to a joint statement. Since April, Iran and the US have held talks aimed at finding a new diplomatic solution regarding Iran's nuclear programme. Tehran said its programme is peaceful and Israel and its allies said they want to ensure Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon. "We call for the resumption of negotiations, resulting in a comprehensive, verifiable and durable agreement that addresses Iran's nuclear programme," the G7 foreign ministers said. Last week US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between US ally Israel and its regional rival Iran to halt a war that began on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran. The Israel-Iran conflict had raised alarms in a region on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. Before the ceasefire was announced, Washington struck Iran's nuclear sites and Iran targeted a US base in Qatar in retaliation. The G7 foreign ministers said they urged "all parties to avoid actions that could further destabilise the region". US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has said talks between Washington and Tehran were "promising" and Washington was hopeful for a long-term peace deal. The G7 top diplomats denounced threats against the head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday after a hardline Iranian newspaper said International Atomic Energy Agency boss Rafael Grossi should be tried and executed as an Israeli agent. On June 12, the UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation board of governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country believed to have nuclear weapons and said its war against Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons. Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not. The UN nuclear watchdog, which carries out inspections in Iran, said it has "no credible indication" of an active, coordinated weapons programme in Iran.
