Latest news with #GazaTruce
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump says Hamas will be ‘hunted down' as Gaza ceasefire talks wane
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has suggested that Hamas is refusing to agree to a Gaza truce because it fears what comes after all the Israeli captives are released. Trump's comments at the White House on Friday appear to suggest that the US and Israel are not ready to guarantee a lasting end to the war but rather a short-term truce to get Israeli captives out of Gaza. 'We're down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages,' the US president told reporters. 'And basically because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal.' Trump blamed the Palestinian group solely for the apparent collapse of the ceasefire talks, saying the group is going to be 'hunted down'. 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it's very, very bad,' he said. On Thursday, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington was cutting short its involvement in the negotiations, accusing Hamas of showing 'a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Israel also said it withdrew its negotiators from Qatar, where the ceasefire talks were taking place. Hamas expressed bewilderment at the US position, saying it had made 'a sincere commitment to the success of the mediators' efforts' to reach a deal. The group also said the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — welcomed its 'constructive and positive' position. Talks have been ongoing for months to secure a 60-day truce that would see the release of 10 Israeli captives and a pause in the Israeli bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas has insisted that it is seeking a permanent ceasefire. Witkoff previously said the truce 'will lead to a lasting peace in Gaza'. However, Israeli officials repeatedly described plans to return to the fighting and remove all Palestinians from Gaza after the captives are released. In fact, Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz has said that the country would use the truce to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to an internment camp in southern Gaza, in preparation for their removal from the territory altogether. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Washington, DC, earlier this month that Israel 'still has to finish the job in Gaza' despite the ceasefire talks. In February, Trump called for depopulating Gaza and turning the territory into a 'Riviera of the Middle East' — a proposal that legal experts say would amount to ethnic cleansing, a crime against humanity. Israel has systematically flattened large parts of Gaza, using bombardment, explosives and bulldozers in what advocates say is an effort to make the territory unliveable. Netanyahu has argued, however, that the departure of Palestinians would be 'voluntary'. But human rights experts warned that people do not actually have a choice when they are under the threat of bombardment and starvation. On Thursday, Trump suggested that Gaza is set to experience more violence, saying Israel is 'going to have to fight'. 'They're going to have to clean it up. You're going to have to get rid of it,' he said. Trump dismisses French recognition of Palestine The US president's comments come as deadly hunger continues to spread in Gaza due to an Israeli blockade impeding the flow of aid and other essential supplies into the territory. The Israeli-imposed starvation in Gaza has garnered international condemnation, even from close allies of the US and Israel. On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slammed the denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza as a 'violation of international law'. French President Emmanuel Macron also said his country will recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Before leaving for the United Kingdom on Friday, Trump dismissed his French counterpart's statement, saying it 'doesn't carry any weight'. 'Here's the good news: What he says doesn't matter,' Trump said. 'It's not going to change anything.'
France 24
15-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
France's PM wants to scrap two public holidays to help fix public finances
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France 24
15-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
'The moment of truth': French PM Bayrou lays out budget cuts
04:34 15/07/2025 What's at stake in Syria's Sweida clashes? 15/07/2025 Gaza truce still out of reach after Doha talks as deadly strikes continue 15/07/2025 French prisoner who escaped in inmate's bag recaptured 15/07/2025 In Iraq, drought threatens water supply and ancient heritage 15/07/2025 Syria declares ceasefire after deadly clashes in Sweida 15/07/2025 Mexico: Femicide filmed by a surveillance camera Americas 15/07/2025 French PM Bayrou stakes political survival on budget squeeze 15/07/2025 Ukraine skeptical as US sets 50-Day deadline for Russian ceasefire 15/07/2025 Extreme runners conquer North Pole Summer Marathon
France 24
11-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
What's at stake as Yemen's Huthis renew Red Sea shipping attacks?
The Iran-backed rebels allege that the two vessels they attacked earlier this week -- the Magic Seas and the Eternity C -- were linked to trade with Israel. But their renewed campaign comes at a pivotal moment when Washington and Tehran are weighing talks following a devastating 12-day Iran-Israel war, while Hamas and Israel are holding truce negotiations in Qatar. What's at stake for the rebels and why have they decided to resume attacks after a gap of more than six months? Why now? The rebels, who have also mounted direct attacks on Israel, have launched more than 100 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023, according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre run by Western navies. They paused their attacks during a short-lived Gaza truce earlier this year before renewing them last weekend. The rebels say their aim is to support Palestinians in Gaza. Their political leader, Mahdi al-Mashat, told Hamas negotiators in Doha to "negotiate with your heads held high, for we are with you and all the resources of our people will support you" until the war ends. But analysts say their resumption of attacks goes beyond support for Gaza. It comes shortly after Iran fought a devastating war with Israel without support from its allies in the so-called "axis of resistance", which also includes Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah. "This is a reminder from the Revolutionary Guard, through its most important ally (the Huthis), that what was withheld in the previous round (of fighting), if repeated, can be activated," said the chairperson of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, Maged al-Madhaji. Noam Raydan, who tracks maritime attacks for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the Huthis had continued to monitor ship movements throughout the pause in attacks. "They've ensured that their presence is always felt", she said. What are they hoping to achieve? Although Iran is their main backer, the Huthis are not just a Tehran proxy: they have ambitions of their own and dreams of a broader regional role. Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at British think tank Chatham House, described the attacks as a "power move" that enabled the Huthis to "project more power regionally and internationally". Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon have severely weakened both Hamas and Hezbollah, leaving the Huthis as the only member of the "axis of resistance" to emerge relatively unscathed. The rebels have endured repeated air strikes by Israel in response to their drone and missile attacks. Washington too carried out an intensive bombing campaign earlier this year before agreeing to cease fire in May in return for an end to Huthi attacks on international shipping. "While the US campaign badly hit the Huthis' communication and some military capabilities, they still have huge stock and rebuilt their communications quickly," said Muslimi, adding that their maritime power "has been booming". He said that in comparison with their attacks on Israel, which had had only limited success, the Huthis' attacks on shipping had proved "a very efficient way to make the entire West, and most of the east, bleed." What are the risks? The Huthis' campaign has caused major disruption to the vital shipping lane through the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade. With insurance premiums skyrocketing, many shipping firms have opted to make the time-consuming detour around the southern tip of Africa instead. "Transit via the Bab al-Mandeb strait remains low compared to 2023 – a drop by over 50 percent," Raydan told AFP. She said the rebels had taken advantage of a decreased naval presence in the area to mount their attacks. "The Huthis appear to have more freedom now to assault freedom of navigation," she said. The future of a fragile ceasefire with the United States meant to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea is now uncertain. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called for action to stop further Huthi attacks.
The National
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israeli attacks kill at least 36 in Gaza
Gaza truce will not come in a day, Israeli official says Israeli army says it struck Hezbollah command centre in southern Lebanon Netanyahu must ignore political pressure during efforts to release hostages, says Saar Four more rescued from ship attacked by Houthis off Yemen At least 57,680 Palestinians killed and 137,409 wounded since Gaza war began
