Latest news with #Ansari
The Sun
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Qatar pushes Israel-Hamas truce talks amid Gaza ceasefire momentum
DOHA: Gaza mediators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week's ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Palestinian territory, Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said. Israel and Iran on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Qatar just hours after the Islamic republic launched a salvo of missiles towards the wealthy Gulf state, targeting the American military base hosted there. The unprecedented attack on Qatari soil followed Washington's intervention into a days-long war between Israel and Iran which saw US warplanes strike Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting promises of retaliation from Tehran. In an interview with AFP on Friday, Ansari said Doha -- with fellow Gaza mediators in Washington and Cairo -- was now 'trying to use the momentum that was created by the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to restart the talks over Gaza'. 'If we don't utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it's an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past. We don't want to see that again,' the spokesman, who is also an adviser to Qatar's prime minister, said. US President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Friday about a new ceasefire in Gaza saying an agreement involving Israel and Hamas could come as early as next week. Mediators have been engaged in months of back-and-forth negotiations with the warring parties aimed at ending 20 months of war in Gaza, with Ansari explaining there were no current talks between the sides but that Qatar was 'heavily involved in talking to every side separately'. - 'The right pressure' - A two-month truce, which was agreed as Trump came into office in January, collapsed in March with Israel intensifying military operations in Gaza afterwards. 'We have seen US pressure and what it can accomplish,' Ansari said referring to the January truce which saw dozens of hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The Qatari official said particularly in the context of US enforcement of the Israel-Iran truce, it was 'not a far-fetched idea' that pressure from Washington would achieve a fresh truce in Gaza. 'We are working with them very, very closely to make sure that the right pressure is applied from the international community as a whole, especially from the US, to see both parties at the negotiating table,' Ansari said. There were no casualties on Monday when Iran targeted Al Udeid, the Middle East's biggest US base and headquarters of its regional command. Ansari said that as leaders were weighing their response to the attack, a call came from the US president to Qatar's emir, saying 'there is a possibility for regional stability... and that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire'. 'Qatar could have taken the decision to escalate,' Ansari said. 'But because there was a chance for peace... we opted for that,' he said.
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Qatar urges Israel, Hamas to seize truce 'opportunity'
Gaza mediators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week's ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Palestinian territory, Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said. Israel and Iran on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Qatar just hours after the Islamic republic launched a salvo of missiles towards the wealthy Gulf state, targeting the American military base hosted there. The unprecedented attack on Qatari soil followed Washington's intervention into a days-long war between Israel and Iran which saw US warplanes strike Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting promises of retaliation from Tehran. In an interview with AFP yesterday, Mr Ansari said Doha - with fellow Gaza mediators in Washington and Cairo - was now "trying to use the momentum that was created by the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to restart the talks over Gaza". "If we don't utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it's an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past. We don't want to see that again," the spokesman, who is also an adviser to Qatar's prime minister, said. US President Donald Trump voiced optimism about a new ceasefire in Gaza saying an agreement involving Israel and Hamas could come as early as next week. Mediators have been engaged in months of back-and-forth negotiations with the warring parties aimed at ending 20 months of war in Gaza, with Mr Ansari explaining there were no current talks between the sides but that Qatar was "heavily involved in talking to every side separately". 'The right pressure' A two-month truce, which was agreed as Mr Trump came into office in January, collapsed in March with Israel intensifying military operations in Gaza afterwards. "We have seen US pressure and what it can accomplish," Mr Ansari said referring to the January truce which saw dozens of hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The Qatari official said particularly in the context of US enforcement of the Israel-Iran truce, it was "not a far-fetched idea" that pressure from Washington would achieve a fresh truce in Gaza. "We are working with them very, very closely to make sure that the right pressure is applied from the international community as a whole, especially from the US, to see both parties at the negotiating table," Mr Ansari said. There were no casualties on Monday when Iran targeted Al Udeid, the Middle East's biggest US base and headquarters of its regional command. Mr Ansari said that as leaders were weighing their response to the attack, a call came from the US president to Qatar's emir, saying "there is a possibility for regional stability... and that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire". "Qatar could have taken the decision to escalate," Mr Ansari said. "But because there was a chance for peace... we opted for that," he said.
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
After Israel-Iran ceasefire, mediators try to grab ‘opportunity' for a Gaza truce
Gaza mediators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week's ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Palestinian territory, Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said. A two-month truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, with Jerusalem intensifying military operations in Gaza afterwards.(AFP) Israel and Iran on Tuesday agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Qatar just hours after the Islamic republic launched a salvo of missiles towards the wealthy Gulf state, targeting the American military base hosted there. The unprecedented attack on Qatari soil followed Washington's intervention into a days-long war between Israel and Iran which saw US warplanes strike Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting promises of retaliation from Tehran. In an interview with AFP on Friday, Ansari said Doha -- with fellow Gaza mediators in Washington and Cairo -- was now "trying to use the momentum that was created by the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to restart the talks over Gaza". "If we don't utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it's an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past. We don't want to see that again," the spokesman, who is also an adviser to Qatar's prime minister, said. US President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Friday about a new ceasefire in Gaza saying an agreement involving Israel and Hamas could come as early as next week. Mediators have been engaged in months of back-and-forth negotiations with the warring parties aimed at ending 20 months of war in Gaza, with Ansari explaining there were no current talks between the sides but that Qatar was "heavily involved in talking to every side separately". 'The right pressure' A two-month truce, which was agreed as Trump came into office in January, collapsed in March with Israel intensifying military operations in Gaza afterwards. "We have seen US pressure and what it can accomplish," Ansari said referring to the January truce which saw dozens of hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The Qatari official said particularly in the context of US enforcement of the Israel-Iran truce, it was "not a far-fetched idea" that pressure from Washington would achieve a fresh truce in Gaza. "We are working with them very, very closely to make sure that the right pressure is applied from the international community as a whole, especially from the US, to see both parties at the negotiating table," Ansari said. There were no casualties on Monday when Iran targeted Al Udeid, the Middle East's biggest US base and headquarters of its regional command. Ansari said that as leaders were weighing their response to the attack, a call came from the US president to Qatar's emir, saying "there is a possibility for regional stability... and that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire". "Qatar could have taken the decision to escalate," Ansari said. "But because there was a chance for peace... we opted for that," he said.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Saquib Nachan on ventilator support after suffering brain stroke
MUMBAI: Alleged Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operative Saquib Abdul Hamid Nachan, who was convicted earlier for his role in the 2002-03 blasts in Mumbai, suffered a brain stroke in the early hours on Monday and is currently on ventilator support, sources in the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) told Hindustan Times. After Nachan was released from jail in 2017 following the completion of his 10-year prison term, he returned to Padgha, his native village in rural Thane (Praful Gangurde/ HT Photo) 'After he suffered a stroke on Monday, Tihar jail authorities admitted him at the Deendayal Upadhyay Hospital in Delhi and his family members were informed,' an NIA officer told HT. Nachan, 67, was lodged in Tihar jail after he was arrested on December 9, 2023 by the NIA along with 15 other alleged ISIS operatives in Maharashtra. His lawyer Samsher Ansari, who rushed to Delhi on Monday along with Nachan's son Aquit, confirmed that his client had suffered a brain stroke and his condition was critical. After his health deteriorated on Wednesday morning, he was shifted to the multispeciality Safdarjung Hospital, Ansari said. The lawyer confirmed that Nachan had suffered two brain strokes in the past – in 2021 and in 2023, shortly before he was arrested by the NIA. 'After we reached Delhi on Monday, we filed an application before the Patiala House court, praying that my client be shifted from Deendayal Upadhyay Hospital to a bigger, multispeciality hospital for better treatment,' Ansari told HT. Nachan, an alleged former office-bearer of the proscribed Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), was convicted in 2016 for his role in a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai in 2002-03. After he was released from jail in 2017 following the completion of his 10-year prison term, he returned to Padgha, his native village in rural Thane. He was arrested by the NIA on December 9, 2023, along with 15 other alleged ISIS operatives in Maharashtra, following searches conducted jointly by the NIA and the ATS at 44 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The searches had led to the recovery of unaccounted cash worth ₹ 68.03 lakh, firearms and sharp-edged weapons, 38 mobile phones, two laptops, six hard disks, three compact discs, 51 Hamas flags, and various documents. According to the NIA, Nachan and the other accused had been operating as per directions of their foreign handlers and were involved in various terrorist activities including fabrication of improvised explosive devices aimed at furthering ISIS' destructive agenda. They used to operate out of Padgha, which they had declared as a 'liberated zone' and they would motivate impressionable Muslim youth to relocate to the village, the NIA had found. Nachan, the NIA had said, was the main accused and the self-declared leader of the arrested group and he had assumed the rights of administering 'bayath' (oath of allegiance to the Khalifa of ISIS) to people joining the proscribed organisation. Nachan's shadow over Padgha On June 3, 2025, the Maharashtra ATS subjected over 20 people linked with suspected terrorist activities to detailed questioning after conducting searches at 22 places in Mumbai and Thane districts. Those detained for questioning and released later included seven close relatives of Saquib Nachan. The searches were initiated based on specific information that people indoctrinated by Nachan had become active, ATS sources had told HT. Apart from Nachan, searches were conducted at the premises of his close relatives Aaquib Saquib Nachan, Abdul Latif Kaskar, Kaif Nachan and Shajil Nachan. ATS officers had also searched the residence of Hasib Mulla, who had been arrested by the NIA along with Nachan in December 2023. The ATS registered two separate cases under the Arms Act against unknown persons following the recovery of swords, choppers and knives from two places during the search operation. Nineteen mobile phones seized during the searches were sent to Kalina for forensic analysis and retrieval of data, which could unearth vital clues about the activities of terror suspects, ATS officers had said. According to sources in the ATS, those radicalised by Nachan in Padgha communicated among themselves via imo, an instant messaging and video-calling app which was banned by the central government in May 2023 based on suspicions regarding its use in terrorist activities, especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Serial chain-snatcher held in Vadodara
Vadodara: The crime branch has arrested a 32-year-old man involved in a string of chain-snatching incidents across Vadodara and Ahmedabad in recent days. The accused, Mohseen Ansari, a resident of Ahmedabad, was caught with stolen gold and an unregistered motorbike. Acting on a tip-off, police traced Ansari to the Panigate area, where he was reportedly seen carrying gold chains. When officers arrived, they found him riding a motorbike without a license plate. Upon frisking him, cops recovered two pieces of gold chains. Ansari was unable to provide a valid explanation for the jewellery. During questioning, he confessed to snatching gold chains from two women in Khodiyarnagar and Sama areas of Vadodara in May and June. He also admitted to two similar crimes in the Vejalpur locality of Ahmedabad. Police have seized the stolen jewellery and the motorcycle, with a combined value of Rs 4.25 lakh. Ansari is a notorious history-sheeter with a criminal record that includes nearly 15 cases — ranging from loot and theft to assault and attempt to murder — registered across Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Bharuch. Authorities confirmed that he has been detained three times under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) Act.
