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First Post
07-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Gaza awaits peace: First round of ceasefire talks end in Qatar; Israel, Hamas stay divided
The first round of Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar ends with no breakthrough as Israel and Hamas remain steadfast on their stances. The world will now look at the Trump-Netanyahu meeting in Washington, DC. read more This picture taken from the grounds of the Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Maamadani (Baptist) Hospital, shows a cloud of smoke erupting following Israeli bombardment on a building in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City on May 31, 2025. (AFP) The latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas resumed and shortly ended without a breakthrough, a Palestinian official familiar with the negotiation confirmed. The official told the BBC that the session lasted for nearly three and a half hours and took place at two separate buildings in Doha. Both the Israeli and Hamas side shared their message and clarifications through Qatari and Egyptian mediators. However, no progress was achieved during the negotiation phase. It is pertinent to note that talks were held at a time when Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Washington, DC to meet US President Donald Trump. The Gaza ceasefire is most likely to be a topic of discussion between the two leaders. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, the Palestinian official noted that the second round of talks is expected to resume on Monday as mediators plan to hold separate meetings with each delegation to overcome obstacles and narrow the gaps between the two sides. The prologue to the talks On Sunday, Israel dispatched a negotiating team to Qatar for indirect talks with Hamas focused on a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Hamas, in turn, proposed three key amendments to the US- and Israel-backed ceasefire framework. This included: Continuation of talks until a permanent ceasefire is reached. Full presumption of humanitarian aid via UN-backed agencies. Israel's withdrawal to the pre-March ceasefire position. In response to this, Israel's Prime Minister's Office declared these Hamas demands 'unacceptable' but proceeded with the delegation's departure. The current US and Israel-backed ceasefire proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire, staged release of hostages (10 live and 18 deceased), and increased humanitarian aid. Israel has been adamant about a phased approach without guarantees of a permanent truce, wary of Hamas maintaining control over Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel's PM is also facing domestic pressure from his far-right allies as he heads to the US. Several Israeli far-right politicians have been opposing the ceasefire, something they did before as well. How the recent talks went down While speaking to Reuters, two other Palestinian officials noted that the Israeli delegation was not 'sufficiently authorised' to reach an agreement with Hamas because it had 'no real powers'. Netanyahu, on the other hand, thinks his meeting with Trump should help progress efforts to reach a deal for the release of more hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. The Qatari and Egyptian officials noted that for now, Hamas still seems to be holding out for essentially the same conditions it has previously insisted on - including a guarantee of an end to all hostilities at the end of any truce and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. However, the Israeli delegation outrightly rejected the amendments during the talks. While speaking to the reporters before heading to the US, Netanyahu made his stance on the matter extremely clear. 'The release and return of all the hostages, the living and the fallen; the destruction of Hamas's capabilities - to kick it out of there, and to ensure that Gaza will no longer constitute a threat to Israel,' the Israeli premier averred. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Things became more complicated as Israel resumed its offensive against Hamas with great intensity. They imposed an eleven-week blockade on aid entering Gaza, which was partially lifted several weeks ago. Just in the past 24 hours, the Israeli military said that it has struck 130 Hamas targets and killed several militants. The Israeli government argued that these measures are aimed at further weakening Hamas and forcing it to negotiate and free the hostages. Overall, the question now is not only whether the talks in Qatar can achieve their goals, but also whether Trump can persuade Netanyahu that the war must come to an end at their meeting on Monday.
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First Post
01-06-2025
- Health
- First Post
At least 22 Palestinians killed after Israeli attack near aid distribution centre
Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told that Israeli fire near one of the centres in the southern city of Rafah on Sunday morning had killed 'at least 22, with more than 120 wounded, including children'. read more This picture taken from the grounds of the Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Maamadani (Baptist) Hospital, shows a cloud of smoke erupting following Israeli bombardment on a building in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City on May 31, 2025. (Source: AFP) Gaza rescuers said Israeli gunfire killed at least 22 Palestinians near a US-backed aid distribution site on Sunday, shortly after Washington rejected Hamas's response to a ceasefire proposal as 'totally unacceptable'. International critics, including some allies, have condemned Israel over the humanitarian crisis in war-ravaged Gaza, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces famine after a more than two-month blockade on aid. Israel recently introduced a revamped aid delivery mechanism in cooperation with a newly formed US-backed organisation, bypassing the longstanding UN-led system. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, says it has distributed hundreds of thousands of meals since operations began last week, but the rollout has been marked by chaotic scenes at the limited number of distribution centres, as well as reports of casualties from Israeli fire nearby. Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Israeli fire near one of the centres in the southern city of Rafah on Sunday morning had killed 'at least 22, with more than 120 wounded, including children'. AFP images from the scene showed some civilians transporting bodies on donkey carts, as others carried away boxes and bags of aid under the low, early-morning sun. The casualties were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Bassal said. 'Chaos broke out' Displaced Beit Lahia resident Sameh Hamuda, 33, told AFP he had walked from Gaza City and spent the night with relatives in a tent near Rafah before heading to the aid centre around 5:00 am to wait among a crowd of people. 'They began distributing aid, but suddenly quadcopter drones opened fire on the people, and tanks started shooting heavily. Several people were killed right in front of me,' he said. 'I ran and survived. Death follows you as long as you're in Gaza.' Abdullah Barbakh, 58, described 'chaos, screaming, and overcrowding' at the scene. 'The army opened fire from drones and tanks. Chaos broke out, and the area was filled with martyrs and wounded. I don't understand why they call people to the aid centres and then open fire on them,' he said. 'What are we supposed to do?' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Asked for comment, the Israeli military said it was 'unaware of injuries caused by IDF (army) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site. The matter is still under review.' Separately, Bassal said one person was killed and many others wounded by Israeli gunfire near another aid point in central Gaza. Only limited amounts of aid have entered Gaza since Israel recently eased a more than two-month total blockade, with a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency recently calling the territory 'the hungriest place on earth'. The United Nations also reported looting of its trucks and warehouses last month. GHF, which employs contracted US security, said it had distributed 2.1 million meals as of Friday. The United Nations and other major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the organisation, saying it contravened basic humanitarian principles and appeared designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported deaths. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Truce talks Nearly 20 months into the war, negotiations for a ceasefire and a deal to free the hostages held by militants have failed to produce a breakthrough since the last brief truce collapsed in March. Israel has since intensified its operations to destroy Hamas. The Palestinian militant group said Saturday that it had responded positively to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, but had emphasised the need for a permanent ceasefire – long a sticking point for Israel. Washington's main negotiator on Gaza, envoy Steve Witkoff, immediately criticised Hamas's reply as 'totally unacceptable', an assessment echoed by Israel, which on Friday had warned Hamas to either accept the deal 'or be annihilated'. Witkoff urged the group to 'accept the framework proposal we put forward'. 'That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have… substantive negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire,' he added in a post on X. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians. Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
First Post
01-06-2025
- First Post
26 killed, over 100 injured in Israel strike near US aid site in Gaza: Hamas media
At least 26 Palestinians were killed and over 100 injured after Israeli troops reportedly opened fire near a US-backed aid distribution site in southern Gaza early Sunday, according to local reports. read more This picture taken from the grounds of the Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Maamadani (Baptist) Hospital, shows a cloud of smoke erupting following Israeli bombardment on a building in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City on May 31, 2025. (AFP) Gaza rescuers said Israeli gunfire killed at least 26 Palestinians and injured over 100 early Sunday as thousands of people gathered near a US-backed aid distribution site, Hamas-affiliated media reported. 'At least 10 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others… were wounded due to gunfire from Israeli vehicles towards thousands of citizens' approaching a US aid site west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There was no immediate comment from Israel on the reported strike. This is a developing story.
First Post
31-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Hamas agrees to release 10 living hostages in response to US truce proposal
The Palestinian group said in a statement that under the deal, it will release ten living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel's release of a number of Palestinian prisoners, comments in line with Witkoff's proposal. read more This picture taken from the grounds of the Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Maamadani (Baptist) Hospital, shows a cloud of smoke erupting following Israeli bombardment on a building in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City on May 31, 2025. (AFP) Hamas on Saturday said it has replied to a ceasefire offer made by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, agreeing to free 10 living hostages held in Gaza as part of the arrangement. 'The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) today submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties,' the group said in a statement as reported by AFP. 'As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The ceasefire plan, which has been approved by Israeli officials, won a cool initial reaction Thursday from the militant group. But President Donald Trump said Friday negotiators were nearing a deal. Israeli media reported earlier this week that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted the deal presented by Witkoff. The prime minister's office declined to comment at the time. Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March. Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all 58 hostages still held in Gaza before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack in its south on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and has left the enclave in ruins. Since the war began, more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children, have been killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 250 hostages. Of those taken captive, 58 remain in Gaza, but Israel believes 35 are dead and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there are 'doubts' about the fate of several others. Some Gaza residents said their hope for a ceasefire is tempered by repeated disappointment over negotiations that failed to deliver a lasting deal. With inputs from agencies
