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Gulf Today
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Big Heart and Sharjah Charity send 95-tonne aid to Gaza
As part of ''Operation Chivalrous Knight 3," the Sharjah Charity International (SCI) and The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) have dispatched a humanitarian aid plane carrying 95 tonnes of relief supplies to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. The aid shipment, overseen by Sheikh Saqr Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SCI, includes clothing, food supplies, and essential necessities, to help alleviate the hardships faced by those in need. The organising bodies behind this mission emphasised that the aid reflects the UAE's unwavering commitment to supporting affected communities and promoting humanitarian solidarity both regionally and globally. It is a continuation of the nation's long-standing approach to assisting those in need. Meanwhile, Egypt, one of the mediators in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, has received positive indications from Israel over a new ceasefire proposal that would include a transitional phase, security sources told reporters on Thursday. An Egyptian security delegation was in Doha on Thursday for talks aimed at reviving a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Egyptian state-linked media reported. The delegation aimed to "secure the release of prisoners and hostages as part of a transitional phase" that is hoped to pave the way to a more permanent end to fighting, according to Al Qahera News. They were also due to discuss "the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in preparation for the transition to the second phase of the permanent ceasefire agreement," reported the channel, which is linked to the Egyptian state intelligence service. The proposal suggests Hamas release five Israeli hostages each week, sources said. A security delegation from Egypt has left for Qatar for talks, which will include increasing aid to the enclave and releasing remaining hostages, state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Thursday. Asked about the latest proposal, a Palestinian official close to the mediation efforts said "there are some offers that look better than the previous ones". When asked if he expects an announcement on a breakthrough on Thursday, he replied: "Maybe not yet." Separately, Hamas said an Israeli air strike on Thursday killed one of its spokesmen in Gaza. Hamas said earlier it mourned the loss of Abdul Latif Al Qanou, who was killed in what it called a "direct" strike on a tent he was in, in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza. Another strike near Gaza City killed four children and their parents, according to the emergency service of Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 50,000 people, according to the territory's Health Ministry. Also on Thursday, the UN's World Food Programme warned that it had only two weeks' worth of food left in Gaza, where "hundreds of thousands of people" are at risk of severe hunger and malnutrition. "WFP has approximately 5,700 tons of food stocks left in Gaza - enough to support WFP operations for a maximum of two weeks," the Rome-based agency said in a statement. Israel resumed military operations in the Palestinian territory just over a week ago, shattering weeks of relative calm brought by a fragile ceasefire. The United Nations said on Wednesday that the renewed Israeli operations had displaced 142,000 people in just seven days, and warned of dwindling supplies after Israel resumed a block on humanitarian aid entering Gaza. WFP said on Thursday that it and others in the food security sector had been "unable to bring new food supplies into Gaza for more than three weeks". "Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are again at risk of severe hunger and malnutrition as humanitarian food stocks in the Strip dwindle and borders remain closed to aid," it said. "Meanwhile, the expansion of military activity in Gaza is severely disrupting food assistance operations and putting the lives of aid workers at risk every day," WFP added. Palestinian armed groups have threatened punishment on Thursday for "collaborators" furthering Israeli goals after the first substantial protests against the war in Gaza and Hamas' rule.
The National
12-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Hamas confirms start of new round of Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Hamas said that a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks began on Tuesday in the Qatari capital Doha, as the Palestinian militant group pushes for implementation of the second phase of its truce deal with Israel. 'Our movement is dealing with these negotiations positively and responsibly,' Hazem Qassim, spokesman for Hamas in Gaza, told The National. 'We hope this round will yield tangible progress towards the start of the second phase, paving the way for an end to the aggression, the withdrawal of the occupation [Israel] from the Gaza Strip, and the completion of a prisoner exchange deal.' The six-week first phase of the truce deal ended on March 1 without agreement on subsequent stages meant to secure a lasting end to the war, which began after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. There are differing views on how to proceed, with Hamas seeking immediate negotiations for the second phase, while Israel wants to extend the first phase. Hamas said on Wednesday it was waiting for 'new steps' from the Doha talks towards implementing the second phase of the deal. 'We await new steps from the Doha negotiations to move towards implementing the second phase, resuming aid deliveries, and ensuring an end to the war,' Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Al Qanou said. He accused Israel of reneging on the agreement, 'which contradicts the international will and mediators' efforts to uphold the agreement and end the war'. 'Hamas provided flexibility and dealt positively during the phases of negotiations and it will continue to do so to oblige the occupation to commit to the deal,' Mr Al Qanou said. Israel also sent a team of negotiators to Doha earlier this week but has not commented on the talks. Israeli media reported that US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Doha on Tuesday. Mr Witkoff is credited with pushing Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire after more than a year of fruitless negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US. Ahead of the current round of talks, Israel halted the supply of electricity to Gaza's only desalination plant, a move Hamas condemned as 'cheap and unacceptable blackmail'. Israel has stopped aid deliveries to Gaza since March 2. 'Denying the flow of food, medicines, fuel and basic relief means has led to a spike in food prices and a severe shortage of medical supplies, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,' Hamas said. The truce that began on January 19 ended more than 15 months of relentless fighting that displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.4 million residents. During the ceasefire's first phase, 25 living Israeli hostages and eight bodies were exchanged for about 1,800 Palestinians in Israeli custody. While the fate of the ceasefire remains uncertain, both sides have largely refrained from all-out hostilities. However, in recent days, Israel has conducted daily strikes targeting militants in Gaza. On Tuesday, an Israeli air strike killed four men, including two brothers, south of Gaza city, according to the territory's civil defence agency. The Israeli military said that its air forces had struck 'several terrorists engaged in suspicious activity posing a threat to IDF [Israeli] troops'. Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack led to the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, while Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 48,50 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides. Hamas and other militant groups also took about 250 hostages back to Gaza. According to Israeli officials, 24 of the hostages still in captivity are presumed to be alive, while 35 have been confirmed dead. In recent days, US hostages envoy Adam Boehler held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas and said an agreement for releasing more captives was expected 'in the coming weeks'.
