Latest news with #GazaTruce
France 24
15-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
France's PM wants to scrap two public holidays to help fix public finances
07:40 15/07/2025 US-NATO deal: How will US arms reach Ukraine? 15/07/2025 'The moment of truth': French PM Bayrou lays out budget cuts 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
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
The National
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Truce talks make headway but divisions remain between Israel and Hamas
Indirect negotiations in Qatar between Hamas and Israel to reach a Gaza truce and hostage deal have made progress but the two still remain at odds over several issues as talks continue for a second day, sources told The National on Monday. The resumption of talks, mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar, come before a meeting between US President Donald Trump - who has renewed a push for a ceasefire - and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Israel and Hamas appear to be in agreement on the core provisions of the proposed deal, including a 60-day truce, the release of 10 hostages held by Hamas along with the remains of another 18 who died in captivity. Negotiations on the complete end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from the enclave will begin as soon as the proposed truce goes into effect, said the sources. The two sides also agreed on the inclusion of a plan for the armed wing of Hamas to lay down and store its arms under international supervision when a permanent ceasefire is reached, they added. Another point of agreement is the departure of senior Hamas officials and their families from Gaza to live in exile abroad, with Israel and the US providing guarantees they would not be targeted elsewhere. They may return to Gaza after a period of time yet to determined, said the sources. A mandate is to be set up for a council of independent technocrats to run Gaza after a truce takes effect and the flow of humanitarian assistance into the strip is to resume, where hundreds of thousands are facing hunger and shortage of basic items, said the sources. Whether a deal will be reached still remains to be seen but the sources close to the negotiation process warn that it may not be enough to prevent the war from reigniting once again. "It is likely to be a very fragile agreement with Israel ready to resume its military operations under any pretext," said one source. "There is also Trump's vision for Gaza's Palestinians to be resettled outside the territory. That has not been shelved." Mr Trump's Gaza proposals to resettle Gaza's Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan and turning the coastal enclave into a beach resort have been strongly rejected by Cairo and Amman as well as the UN. The plan was announced when Mr Netanyahu first visited the White House during Mr Trump's second term in office. Monday's meeting is expected to be dominated by the Gaza war and the aftermath of Israel's 12-day war with Iran. Mr Trump has made clear that following the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, he would like to see the Gaza war end soon. His meeting with Mr Netanyahu could give new urgency to the talks in Qatar. If Hamas and Israel iron out their remaining differences, Mr Trump will announce a ceasefire later on Monday, according to the sources. However, they cautioned that it was unlikely a deal would immediately go into effect. The Doha talks, they said, were likely to continue past Monday. Asked on Friday how confident he was a Gaza ceasefire deal would come together, Mr Trump told reporters: 'I'm very optimistic — but you know, look, it changes from day to day.' On Sunday evening, he seemed to narrow his expectation, telling reporters he thought an agreement related to the remaining hostages would be reached in the coming week. The sources, moreover, said differences between Israel and Hamas remained. These include Israel's opposition to the inclusion of high-profile Palestinians serving long prison terms among the estimated 1,000 Palestinians it is expected to free in return for the hostages released by Hamas. Those Palestinian detainees include Marwan Barghouti, a senior leader of the mainstream Fatah group who has been touted as a possible replacement for President Mahmoud Abbas. The sources also said the two sides were at odds over Israel's insistence on retaining a security role in Gaza after the end of the war, including at the so-called Salah Al Din corridor that runs the length of Gaza's border with Egypt on the Palestinian side. Hamas is also opposed to Israeli plans to create inside Gaza a safe zone that is one kilometre deep and runs alongside the border with Israel, said the sources. The Gaza war was caused by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel communities on October 7, 2023 that killed about 1,200 people. The assailants also took hostage of another 250 people. Israel's response to the attack has been a devastating military campaign that has to date killed more than 56,000 Palestinians and wounded more twice that many, according to Gaza health authorities. The war also displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents and laid to waste large built-up areas.
