Hamas mentioned on Friday it has accepted a proposal from mediators to release one living American-Israeli hostage and the our bodies of 4 twin nationals who died in captivity in Gaza.
The Palestinian militant group’s provide seems geared toward maintaining momentum on negotiations over the way forward for the Gaza ceasefire and the discharge of all Israeli hostages, residing and lifeless. Talks are persevering with in Qatar, however there are not any indicators of a breakthrough.
The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has been paused for 2 weeks by the fragile ceasefire, though Israel has minimize off all meals, medication and electrical energy for Gaza as a stress tactic towards Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace solid doubt on Hamas’ newest provide, accusing it of attempting to control the negotiations.
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There’s robust opposition to Trump and Netanyahu’s imaginative and prescient for shifting Palestinians to Africa
The thought of a mass switch of Palestinians was as soon as thought-about a fantasy of Israel’s ultranationalist fringe.
Palestinians in Gaza have rejected the proposal and dismiss Israeli claims that the departures can be voluntary. Arab nations have expressed vehement opposition and provided an alternative reconstruction plan that would go away the Palestinians in place.
Rights teams say forcing or pressuring the Palestinians to go away their homeland might be a potential war crime. Human Rights Watch and others have mentioned it might quantity to “ethnic cleaning,” the forcible displacement of the civilian inhabitants of a nationwide group from a geographic space.
The White Home declined to touch upon the African outreach efforts, however has mentioned Trump “stands by his imaginative and prescient” introduced final month at a White Home assembly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has hailed it as a “ bold vision.”
AP Unique: US and Israel look to Africa for resettling Palestinians uprooted from Gaza
The U.S. and Israel have reached out to officers of three East African governments to debate utilizing their territories as potential locations for resettling 2 million Palestinians uprooted from the Gaza Strip beneath President Donald Trump’s postwar plan, American and Israeli officers advised The Related Press.
The contacts with Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway area of Somalia generally known as Somaliland replicate the dedication by the U.S. and Israel to press forward with a plan that has been extensively condemned and raised severe legal and moral issues.
As a result of all three locations are poor, and in some circumstances wracked by violence, the proposal casts doubt on Trump’s acknowledged aim of resettling Gaza’s Palestinians in a “stunning space.”
The U.S. and Israeli officers spoke to the AP on situation of anonymity to debate a secret diplomatic initiative. Officers from Sudan mentioned they’ve rejected overtures from the U.S., whereas officers from Somalia and Somaliland advised the AP that they weren’t conscious of any contacts.
By Josef Federman, Matthew Lee and Samy Magdy
▶ Learn extra about the US and Israel’s efforts to resettle Palestinians
Palestinians make an arduous journey to wish in Jerusalem throughout Ramadan
In Jerusalem, some 80,000 Muslim worshippers prayed Friday on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound for the second week of Ramadan, flanked by the enduring Dome of the Rock.
That estimate comes from the Islamic Belief, which displays the location. Israel is tightly controlling entry for the prayers, permitting solely males over 55 and girls over 50 to enter from the occupied West Financial institution.
“The circumstances are extraordinarily tough,” mentioned Yousef Badeen, a Palestinian who had left the southern West Financial institution metropolis of Hebron at daybreak to make it to Jerusalem, mentioned. “We want they’ll open it for good.”
Hamas accused Israel of escalating a “non secular conflict” towards Palestinians with what it known as the “systematic concentrating on of Muslim non secular practices” by means of its restrictions at Al-Aqsa mosque. Israeli authorities didn’t instantly touch upon the accusation.
Hezbollah hints it will not disarm if Israel nonetheless occupies southern Lebanon
A senior Hezbollah official has hinted that the Lebanese militant group is not going to lay down its weapons so long as Israel is occupying components of the nation.
Mohammed Daamoush made his feedback in Beirut throughout a sermon for Friday prayers including that Israel’s occupation of 5 strategic hilltops and what he mentioned had been every day violations of a ceasefire intention to stress Lebanon to normalize relations with Israel.
Daamoush says the state now controls the border with Israel and Lebanon’s new authorities is backed by the worldwide neighborhood and has weapons, so “what have you ever carried out to face every day Israeli violations and aggression?”
He known as on authorities to persuade the general public about why weapons ought to solely be held by the state, including, “When there may be occupation and a unbroken aggression weapons needs to be within the palms of males and everybody ought to repel this occupation.”
UN’s envoy to Syria urges a ‘credible and inclusive’ interim authorities
The U.N. particular envoy for Syria mentioned now could be the time to create “a genuinely credible and inclusive” interim authorities and legislative physique within the war-torn nation.
Geir Pedersen known as in a press release Friday, marking 14 years because the civil conflict started, for a right away finish to all violence and for cover of civilians in accordance with worldwide legislation.
A lot of Syria’s ethnic and non secular minorities are involved about how they’re going to be handled by the nation’s new Islamist rulers, who overthrew the federal government late final yr.
Pedersen known as for a reputable unbiased investigation into the current sectarian massacres and violence in Syria’s coastal area, and for the total cooperation of Syrian authorities with the United Nations on this regard.
The assertion got here a day after Syria’s interim president signed a brief structure that leaves the nation beneath Islamist rule whereas promising to guard the rights of all Syrians for 5 years throughout a transitional part.
Israel expresses rapid doubt about Hamas’ hostage launch provide
The USA, led by the Trump administration’s hostage envoy Steve Witkoff, has been pushing for a proposal that will prolong the truce and see a restricted variety of hostage for prisoner exchanges.
Following the Hamas assertion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned Israel had “accepted the Witkoff define and confirmed flexibility,” however mentioned that “Hamas is refusing and won’t budge from its positions.”
“On the identical time, it continues to make use of manipulation and psychological warfare — the stories about Hamas’ willingness to launch American hostages are supposed to sabotage the negotiations,” the prime minister’s workplace mentioned.
It added that Netanyahu would convene his ministerial crew on Saturday evening to obtain an in depth report from the negotiation crew and “determine on the subsequent steps for the discharge of hostages.”
Hamas says it accepts a proposal to launch an American-Israeli hostage and 4 hostage our bodies
The Palestinian militant group mentioned in a press release Friday it has accepted a brand new proposal by mediators of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, agreeing to launch one residing American-Israeli hostage and the our bodies of 4 different hostage twin nationals who died in captivity.
There was no rapid affirmation from different mediating nations. Hamas didn’t specify when the discharge would happen.
It mentioned it might launch alive soldier Edan Alexander, a soldier taken from his base on the Gaza border throughout the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
It comes as negotiators have been in Doha, attempting to salvage the delicate ceasefire almost two weeks after the top of the truce’s first part. Israel and america have been pushing for a proposal to increase the truce by means of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Buses carrying Druze from Syria cross into Israeli-controlled space of the Golan Heights
It marked a historic go to by the embattled minority to go to a non secular shrine positioned on the Israeli facet of the border. A bunch of Druze from the Israeli-controlled Golan heights welcomed the Syrian Druze on the crossing level, carrying Druze flags and chanting in Arabic, “It’s written on our doorways, welcome to our beloved ones.”
The go to comes as Israel says it’s supporting the minority in a rustic now dominated by Islamists. However many Druze have rejected its overtures, and critics accuse Israel attempting to weaken and divide Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
“This can be a respectable proper for us as a Druze neighborhood; to go to Syria to go to our households, and so they come right here to go to their households and go to the holy websites,” mentioned Jawlan Abu Zed, a resident of the predominantly-Druze village of Majdal Shams, on the Israeli facet of the border.
The Druze religious sect started as a Tenth-century offshoot of Ismailism, a department of Shiite Islam. Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide stay in Syria. Most different Druze stay in Lebanon and Israel, together with within the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria within the 1967 Mideast Conflict and annexed in 1981.
Netanyahu accuses former head of Israeli safety providers of blackmail
The police grievance escalates a rising feud between the federal government and the intelligence company.
The submitting on Friday comes after the previous head of the Shin Wager safety company, Nadav Argaman, mentioned Thursday on Israel’s Channel 12 that he was sitting on details about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and would make it public whether it is discovered that Netanyahu has damaged the legislation.
Within the police grievance, Netanyahu calls for an investigation into Argaman’s conduct. He additionally lashed out at present Shin Wager chief Ronen Bar on Thursday in a submit to X, accusing him of a “marketing campaign of extortion with threats by way of briefings to the media in the previous couple of days.”
The dispute comes because the Shin Wager has launched an investigation into ties between shut Netanyahu aides and the Qatari authorities.
Netanyahu and the present and former safety chiefs have additionally been locked in a dispute over the place blame falls for the Hamas assault on Oct. 7, 2023. Netanyahu has dismissed requires a state fee of inquiry to research his authorities’s function within the safety failure that day.
UN-backed consultants accuse Israel of sexual and gender-based violence in Gaza
A United Nations-backed group of human rights consultants accused Israel on Thursday of “disproportionate violence towards ladies and kids” throughout the conflict towards Hamas in Gaza, and accused Israeli safety forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.
Israel is committing “genocidal acts” by systematically destroying Gaza’s reproductive well being care amenities, the consultants concluded, though they stopped wanting accusing Israel of genocide. Israel has refused to cooperate with the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council that commissioned the crew of unbiased consultants, accusing it of anti-Israel bias.
The conflict started when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 individuals, principally civilians, and taking 251 hostages. A U.N. envoy final yr mentioned there have been “reasonable grounds” to imagine Hamas dedicated rape and sexual violence within the assault.
Israel’s retaliatory conflict in Gaza has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, principally ladies and kids, in keeping with Gaza’s Well being Ministry, which doesn’t say how lots of the lifeless had been combatants.
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