Latest news with #KhalilAlHayya
CNA
06-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Netanyahu says Trump meeting could 'advance' Gaza deal ahead of Doha talks
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday (Jul 6) that he hoped an upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump could "help advance" a Gaza ceasefire deal, after sending negotiators to Doha for indirect talks with Hamas. Under mounting pressure to end the war, now approaching its 22nd month, the Israeli premier is scheduled to sit down on Monday with Trump, who has recently made a renewed push to end the fighting. Speaking before boarding Israel's state jet bound for Washington, Netanyahu said: "We are working to achieve this deal that we have discussed, under the conditions that we have agreed to." He added he had dispatched the team to Doha "with clear instructions", and thought the meeting with Trump "can definitely help advance this (deal), which we are all hoping for". Netanyahu had previously said Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal contained "unacceptable" demands. A Palestinian official familiar with the talks and close to Hamas said international mediators had informed the group that "a new round of indirect negotiations... will begin in Doha today". The talks would focus on conditions for a possible ceasefire, including hostage and prisoner releases, and Hamas would also seek the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing to evacuate the wounded, the official told AFP. Hamas's delegation, led by its top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, was in Doha, the official told AFP. Israel's public broadcaster said the country's delegation had left for the Qatari capital in the early afternoon. Qatar's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the indirect negotiations had begun. 'Enough blood' Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency reported 26 people were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday. It said 10 were killed in a pre-dawn strike on Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, where AFP images showed Palestinians searching through the debris for survivors with their bare hands. "The rest of the family is still under the rubble," Sheikh Radwan resident Osama al-Hanawi told AFP. "We are losing young people, families and children every day, and this must stop now. Enough blood has been shed." Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. Since Hamas's October 2023 attack sparked the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in the fighting during which hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire. 'Dying for flour' The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. Karima al-Ras, from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, said "we hope that a truce will be announced" to allow in more aid. "People are dying for flour," she said. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The UN human rights office said last week that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. The Gaza health ministry on Sunday placed the toll even higher, at 751 killed. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,418 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senior Hamas leaders in Doha told to lay down weapons after Trump ceasefire proposal
The move to lay down weapons can be viewed as symbolic because Israel has demanded Hamas disarmament as a condition for ending the war. Doha-based senior Hamas leaders have been told to lay down their arms as part of the efforts to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel, according to a Thursday morning report from The Times newspaper. The report comes after US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Israel had agreed to the US-proposed ceasefire conditions. The Hamas terror group said it has been "holding discussions to reach an agreement that will ensure the end of aggressions, the withdrawal of forces, and grantaid to the people of Gaza," The Times report added. The Times stated that those told to lay down their weapons were "the most senior Hamas leaders outside Gaza, including the lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and other key figures." One of the key figures reportedly included Hamas political bureau member Zaher Jabareen, "a founder of the group's military wing in the West Bank." An additional bureau member told to lay down weapons was Muhammad Ismail Darwish, who had "met the leaders of Iran and Turkey this year while shuttling between Cairo and Doha for indirect negotiations with Israel," the report said. The move is seen as a symbolic reflection of Hamas's interest in the ceasefire proposal, as Israel has demanded the total disarmament of Hamas as a condition to end the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the elimination of Hamas in his first public remarks on Wednesday since Trump announced his "final proposal" for the 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. "There will not be a Hamas. There will not be a Hamastan. We're not going back to that. It's over. We will free all our hostages," Netanyahu stated. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday night that he hopes Hamas agrees to take the deal "for the good of the Middle East."
Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Hamas leaders in Doha ‘told to give up personal weapons'
Senior Hamas leaders in Doha have been told to lay down their weapons as part of a US-led effort to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel and bring an end to the war in the Gaza Strip. Hamas said on Wednesday that the group was studying a new ceasefire offer after President Trump said Israel had already agreed to a 60-day cessation of hostilities and the possible release of hostages while the two sides discuss a potential permanent truce. 'We are holding discussions to reach an agreement that will ensure the end of aggressions, the withdrawal of forces and granting aid to the people of Gaza,' a statement by the group read. The most senior Hamas leaders outside Gaza, including the lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and other key figures, have been instructed by Qatari mediators to turn in their personal weapons, The Times has learnt. Among those told to hand over their guns are the Hamas political bureau members Zaher Jabareen, a founder of the group's military wing in the West Bank, and Muhammad Ismail Darwish, who met the leaders of Iran and Turkey this year while shuttling between Cairo and Doha for indirect negotiations with Israel. The move is seen as symbolic as Israel has demanded the total disarmament of Hamas and that its remaining leaders in Gaza leave the territory as a condition to ending the war. As Israel's army advanced further towards taking full control of Gaza, Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, reiterated that Hamas must be fully destroyed to complete the war, saying 'Hamas will be no more'. 'We shall completely destroy them,' he said at a visit to an Israeli oil pipeline. 'We will release all the hostages, together with the destruction of Hamas. Contrary to what is said, these are not conflicting objectives.' Trump said on Tuesday that he hoped at least a temporary ceasefire could be declared as early as next week, when he is due to meet Netanyahu at the White House. Ron Dermer, an Israeli minister, had met Steve Witkoff, the US president's Middle East envoy, earlier in the day. In response Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, said Israel was 'serious' about bringing home the 50 hostages, both alive and dead, who are still held by Hamas, and about reaching a deal to end the war. 'We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire. We said yes to US special envoy Witkoff's proposals. There are some positive signs. I don't want to say more than that right now. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible,' Sa'ar said. Citing an Israeli defence official and a Palestinian close to Hamas, the New York Times reported that the deal would involve the release of ten of the remaining living hostages and the return of 18 bodies still held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The release of the hostages and the return of the bodies would be staggered, with five groups over the 60-day period, the report added. However, Israeli negotiators have not yet been dispatched to Doha or Cairo, the usual sign that talks are under way. Although Hamas figures have been informally asked to leave Doha on two occasions, the country has hosted the group's political bureau since 2012. While Qatar is applying pressure to the negotiators in Doha, the final decision to sign off any deal lies with Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas leader in Gaza. An Egyptian plan endorsed by Arab states last year stopped short of calling for Hamas to put down their weapons, but proposed alternatives to Islamist rule in the territory. The group, which is designated a terror group by the US and the UK, started the present war by invading Israel on October 7, 2023, and massacring some 1,200 civilians and soldiers alike and taking more than 200 hostages. It is under pressure to accept a truce, with much of Gaza's civilian population homeless and starving. The majority of the strip is under Israeli control or subject to broad evacuation and displacement orders, as is the case in Gaza City where Israel's present operations are focused. The war has displaced almost all of Gaza's population as the humanitarian crisis deepens and the death toll climbs to more than 57,000 Palestinians killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. On Wednesday Israeli strikes killed a total of 40 people across the strip, including Dr Marwan al-Sultan, a hospital director, and members of his family.
News24
06-06-2025
- Politics
- News24
Israel's army issues evacuation warning for parts of Gaza City
Israel ordered evacuations in Gaza City ahead of a new strike during the Eid al-Adha holiday. Hamas says it's ready to resume talks for a permanent ceasefire amid growing international pressure. Gaza's death toll surpasses 54 000 as criticism mounts over aid access and deadly incidents near relief centres. The Israeli military issued an evacuation order for residents of parts of Gaza City on Friday ahead of an attack, as it presses an intensified campaign in the battered Palestinian territory. 'This is a final and urgent warning ahead of an impending strike,' army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said. The army 'will strike all areas from which rockets are launched.' The evacuation order comes at the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the main religious festivals of the Muslim calendar. The Israeli military has recently stepped up its campaign in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war. READ | US slaps sanctions on ICC judges in 'clear attempt to undermine' actions against Netanyahu, Israel International calls for a negotiated ceasefire have grown in recent weeks. Hamas's lead negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya said on Thursday that the Palestinian Islamist group was ready to enter a new round of talks aimed at sealing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Talks aimed at brokering a new ceasefire have failed to yield a breakthrough since the last brief truce fell apart in March with the resumption of Israeli operations in Gaza. Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement late last month, but a deal proved elusive, with each side accusing the other of scuppering a US-backed proposal. Israel has faced mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, after it imposed a more than two-month blockade that led to widespread shortages of food and other essentials. READ | Gaza doctors give their own blood to patients after scores gunned down seeking aid It recently eased the blockade and has worked with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to implement a new aid distribution mechanism via a handful of centres in south and central Gaza. But since its inception, the GHF has been a magnet for criticism from the UN and other members of the aid world - which only intensified following a recent string of deadly incidents near its facilities. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1 218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4 402 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March, taking the war's overall toll to 54 677, mostly civilians.
Arab News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel army issues evacuation warning for parts of Gaza City
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: The Israeli military issued an evacuation order for residents of parts of Gaza City on Friday ahead of an attack, as it presses an intensified campaign in the battered Palestinian territory. 'This is a final and urgent warning ahead of an impending strike,' army spokesman Avichay Adraee said. The army 'will strike all areas from which rockets are launched.' The evacuation order comes at the beginning of the Eid Al-Adha holiday, one of the main religious festivals of the Muslim calendar. The Israeli military has recently stepped up its campaign in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war. International calls for a negotiated ceasefire have grown in recent weeks. Hamas's lead negotiator, Khalil Al-Hayya said on Thursday that the Palestinian Islamist group was ready to enter a new round of talks aimed at sealing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Talks aimed at brokering a new ceasefire have failed to yield a breakthrough since the last brief truce fell apart in March with the resumption of Israeli operations in Gaza. Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement late last month, but a deal proved elusive, with each side accusing the other of scuppering a US-backed proposal. Israel has faced mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, after it imposed a more than two-month blockade that led to widespread shortages of food and other essentials. It recently eased the blockade and has worked with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to implement a new aid distribution mechanism via a handful of centers in south and central Gaza. But since its inception, the GHF has been a magnet for criticism from the UN and other members of the aid world — which only intensified following a recent string of deadly incidents near its facilities. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4,402 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,677, mostly civilians.
