Hostage families call for a ceasefire deal pushed by Biden, while Israel says conditions must be met

Hostage families call for a ceasefire deal pushed by Biden, while Israel says conditions must be met
Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas called for all parties to immediately accept a proposal detailed by US President Joe Biden to end the nearly 8-month-long war and bring their relatives home. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 01 June 2024
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Hostage families call for a ceasefire deal pushed by Biden, while Israel says conditions must be met

Hostage families call for a ceasefire deal pushed by Biden, while Israel says conditions must be met
  • Following Biden’s speech, hostage families said Saturday time was running out with the onus on both Israel and Hamas to accept the deal
  • “We want to see people coming back from Gaza alive and soon,” Gili Roman told AP

TEL AVIV: Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas called for all parties to immediately accept a proposal detailed by US President Joe Biden to end the nearly 8-month-long war and bring their relatives home, but Israel’s government said conditions for a ceasefire still must be met.
Biden outlined a three-phase deal Friday proposed by Israel to Hamas, saying the militant group is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel. He urged the Israelis and Hamas to come to an agreement to release some 100 remaining hostages, along with the bodies of around 30 more, for an extended ceasefire in Gaza.
Ceasefire talks ground to a halt last month after a major push by the US and other mediators to secure a deal in hopes of averting a full Israeli invasion of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah. Israel says the Rafah operation is vital to uprooting Hamas fighters responsible for the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war.
Israel on Friday confirmed its troops were operating in central parts of the city. The ground assault has led to an exodus of around 1 million Palestinians out of the city and has thrown UN humanitarian operations based in the area into turmoil.
Following Biden’s speech, hostage families said Saturday time was running out with the onus on both Israel and Hamas to accept the deal.
“We want to see people coming back from Gaza alive and soon,” Gili Roman told The Associated Press. His sister, Yarden Roman-Gat, was taken hostage and freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November, but Yarden’s sister-in-law, Carmel, is still being held.
“This might be the last chance to save lives. Therefore, the current state must be changed and we expect all to adhere to Biden’s call for accepting the deal on the table, immediately. There is no other way toward a better situation for all. Our leadership must not disappoint us. But mostly, all eyes should be on Hamas,” he said.
The proposal came after what hostage families said was an aggressive meeting Thursday with Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, who told them that the government wasn’t ready to sign a deal to bring all of the hostages home and that there was no plan B.
Hanegbi said this week he expects the war to drag on for another seven months, in order to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group.
Netanyahu has promised a “total victory” that would remove Hamas from power, dismantle its military structure and return the hostages, and on Saturday, the government said its conditions for ending the war had not changed. Putting a permanent ceasefire in place before the conditions are fulfilled is a “non-starter,” it said.
Many hostage families blame the government’s lack of will to secure a deal for the deaths of many of the hostages in captivity.
“We know that the government of Israel has done an awful lot to delay reaching a deal and that has cost the lives of many people who survived in captivity for weeks and weeks and months and months. Our hearts are broken by the amount of people we will receive that are no longer alive,” Sharone Lifschitz, told AP. Her mother Yocheved was freed in the November ceasefire, and her father Oded is still in captivity.
The first phase of the deal announced by Biden would last for six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from devastation caused by the war.
Biden acknowledged that keeping the Israeli proposal on track would be difficult, saying there were a number of “details to negotiate” to move from the first phase to the second. Biden said that if Hamas fails to fulfil its commitment under the deal, Israel can resume military operations.
Hamas said in a statement Friday it viewed the proposal presented by Biden “positively” and called on the Israelis to declare explicit commitment to an agreement that includes a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a prisoner exchange and other conditions.
While the proposal is similar to previous ones, the main difference is the readiness to stop the war for an undefined period, according to analysts. It still leaves Israel the option the renew the war and diminish Hamas’ ability to govern, but over time, said Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum in Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University.
Still, experts say Biden’s speech was one of the first times in the war that provided hope that it might end and bring the hostages home.
“It was a very good speech ... it seems that Biden is trying to force it on the Israeli government, he was clearly speaking directly to the Israeli people,” said Gershon Baskin, director for the Middle East at the International Communities Organization. Israelis must take to the streets to demand that the government of Israel accept it, he said.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called it an “urgent hope” for lasting peace. She said Saturday it was up to Hamas to show they want to end the conflict.
Meanwhile fighting continued in Gaza.
On Saturday, Israel’s army said it killed a Hamas fighter responsible for directing attacks in Israel and the West Bank and earlier this week, it said its aircraft killed a Hamas fighter in central Gaza who was head of the technology department for its internal security forces.
Also on Saturday, Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News said officials from Egypt, the United States and Israel would meet in Cairo over the weekend for talks about the Rafah crossing, which has been closed since Israel took over the Palestinian side of it in early May. The meeting comes a week after Biden discussed the closure of the crossing in a call with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.
The crossing is one of the main ways for aid to enter Gaza. Egypt has refused to open its side of the border, fearing the Israeli hold will remain permanent. Egypt has demanded that Palestinians be put back in charge of the facility. The White House has been pressing Egypt to resume the flow of trucks.
Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250. More than 36,170 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s campaign of bombardment and offensives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.


‘Dubai Loop’ announced in collaboration with Elon Musk at World Governments Summit

‘Dubai Loop’ announced in collaboration with Elon Musk at World Governments Summit
Updated 7 sec ago
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‘Dubai Loop’ announced in collaboration with Elon Musk at World Governments Summit

‘Dubai Loop’ announced in collaboration with Elon Musk at World Governments Summit

DUBAI: UAE minister of AI Omar AlOlama announced a collaboration with Elon Musk on the city’s new underground project “Dubai Loop” at the World Governments Summit on Thursday.

The Dubai Loop is set to cover Dubai’s most populated areas and will help transport people underground in a seamless manner, said AlOlama.

“It’s going to be like a wormhole, you will wormhole from one part of the city and then - boom - you are out on another part of the city,” said Musk.

Musk’s construction company, the “Boring Company” created underground traffic tunnels in California and Las Vegas which were tested back in 2018.

These tunnels, according to Musk, promise high speed transportation, a reduction in traffic and a better alternative to public transport systems such as subways.

When asked about criticisms regarding safety in the tunnels, Musk said one of the safest places to be during an earthquake for example, would be a tunnel.

“Being in a tunnel is like being in a submarine, even if there is a storm above you the water is still calm around the submarine,” he explained.

Musk said that underground travel was much more efficient and safer in comparison to air transport such as flying taxis and helicopters.

His comments came during a session titled ‘Boring Cities, AI and Doge’, just a year after a model of a flying taxi was featured at the 2024 World Governments Summit.

Asked about his plans for the US government, Musk called for a ‘war on bureaucracy’ and said the US must move towards the rule of the people.

“We have a lot of support from the American public to improve government efficiency. It is something that appeals to voters of all types. 70 percent of voters wanted more efficiency in governance,” he said.

Musk said improving government efficiency in the United States would reduce inflation, alleviate government deficits and lead to less involvement in international affairs, meaning people could potentially spend less through low interest rates and potentially zero-rated inflation.

“The US has been pushy in international affairs, we should leave other countries on their own and America should mind its own business,” he added.

Musk said the goal was to reduce the size of the federal government and reduce regulation. But he warned that the solution to combating overregulation was a war on bureaucracy.

“In the absence of that (war) you get more rules and regulations until everything is eventually illegal. there needs to be a war against bureaucracy in the government,” said Musk.

He explained that a reduction in government spending would lead to the economy growing faster and cited a possible 4 or 5 percent increase.

“Government spending can be reduced by 3 or 4 percent so there is no inflation in 2025 to 2026,” he added.

“If the government reduces deficits from $2 trillion to $1 trillion, inflation will drop and debt payments will be less, benefiting the average American,” explained Musk.

Musk said there were currently 450 federal agencies in the US government, averaging two new agencies a year since the formation of the US which Musk said was ‘too many.’

Lack of efficiency in US governance is also related to poor tech systems in governments.

“The US runs on thousands of computers that don't talk to each other, in order to improve efficiency in government upgrades to this tech is needed,” he said.


Egypt’s president, Jordan’s king reaffirm united Gaza stance, oppose Palestinian displacement

Egypt’s president, Jordan’s king reaffirm united Gaza stance, oppose Palestinian displacement
Updated 48 min 12 sec ago
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Egypt’s president, Jordan’s king reaffirm united Gaza stance, oppose Palestinian displacement

Egypt’s president, Jordan’s king reaffirm united Gaza stance, oppose Palestinian displacement
  • Both countries have expressed willingness to help Trump achieve ‘just and lasting peace’ in the Middle East
  • Egypt says it will present a ‘comprehensive vision’ for Gaza reconstruction at an Arab summit later this month

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II stressed Wednesday the “unity” of their countries’ positions on Gaza, a day after US President Donald Trump held talks with the Jordanian monarch in Washington.
“The two leaders affirmed the unity of the Egyptian and Jordanian positions,” on the reconstruction of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, “without displacing the Palestinian people from their land,” a statement from the Egyptian presidency read.
Another statement from the Jordanian royal court said that the two leaders stressed their “shared position” rejecting the forced displacement of Palestinians.
Both statements also referred to their willingness to “cooperate” with Trump to achieve “just and lasting peace” in the Middle East.
Egypt and Jordan have been at the forefront of a fierce Arab pushback against a Trump plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to the two countries.
Trump’s remarks have been coupled with a suggestion that he could “conceivably” halt aid to both countries if they refuse to take in Palestinians.
After his talks with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, King Abdullah II said that his country remains “steadfast” in its position against the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
“This is the unified Arab position,” Abdullah wrote on social media.
Egypt announced this week that it would host a summit of Arab nations later this month. It also said it would present a “comprehensive vision” for Gaza’s reconstruction in a way that ensures Palestinians remain on their land.
Egypt and Jordan, both key US allies, are heavily reliant on foreign aid and the US is considered one of their top donors.


Syrian minister makes first trip to EU as powers look to aid transition

Syrian minister makes first trip to EU as powers look to aid transition
Updated 13 February 2025
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Syrian minister makes first trip to EU as powers look to aid transition

Syrian minister makes first trip to EU as powers look to aid transition
PARIS: Syria’s foreign minister will attend an international conference in Paris on Thursday as regional and Western powers seek to shield the country during its fragile transition amid ongoing instability across the region.
Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani is leading a delegation for a first trip to the European Union since the overthrow of Bashar Assad and days after President Emmanuel Macron invited Syria’s UN-sanctioned President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to France.
“This Paris meeting in a way is to help create a protective bubble around the Syria crisis to give them time to resolve it by dissuading the bad losers from destabilising the country,” a French official said.
Regional ministers, including from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Lebanon, will be joined with Western partners, although the United States will only have a low level diplomatic presence.
The meeting aims to coordinate efforts to bring a peaceful transition ensuring the country’s sovereignty and security, mobilize Syria’s main neighbors and partners to coordinate aid and economic support, the French foreign ministry said.
It will also discuss transitional justice and the fight against impunity.
The conference does not aim to raise funds, which will be left to an annual pledging conference in Brussels in March, but issues such as the lifting of sanctions would be discussed.
The EU has moved forward in lifting some sanctions, although that still remains blocked amid opposition from Cyprus and Greece amid concerns over maritime delimitation talks between Syria and Turkiye and assurances that sanctions could be restored quickly, two diplomats said.
They said they were hopeful a compromise could be reached this month.
Ahead of the meeting, main international donors will also take stock of the humanitarian situation, notably in northeastern Syria, where the impact of US aid cuts has had a “terrifying” impact, according to a European official.
Officials also said the subject of Western-backed Kurdish Syrian forces, the central government and Turkiye, which deems part of those forces as terrorist groups, would also be discussed.
A Turkish diplomatic source said Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz, who will attend the meeting, would “draw attention to the threats Syria is facing, namely the separatist terrorist organization and emphasize our country’s determination regarding the total clearance of the country from terror elements.”

Baghdad’s first skatepark offers boarders rare respite

Baghdad’s first skatepark offers boarders rare respite
Updated 13 February 2025
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Baghdad’s first skatepark offers boarders rare respite

Baghdad’s first skatepark offers boarders rare respite
  • The new skatepark at the sports ministry in a Baghdad suburb provides a welcome means of escape for young people in a country that has endured decades of conflict and crisis

BAGHDAD: Rukaya Al-Zubaidi placed a cautious foot on a skateboard and then struggled to find her balance as others glided back and forth at Baghdad’s first park dedicated to the sport.
“It’s only my second time skating, but I want to keep going, especially now we have the space for it here in Baghdad,” the 22-year-old said as loud music mixed with laughter from fellow boarders.
After negotiating with authorities for five years, three organizations from Italy, Iraq and Belgium have now opened Baghdad’s first skatepark.
It is not the first in the country, however: that honor went to the northern city of Sulaimaniyah.
The new skatepark at the sports ministry in a Baghdad suburb provides a welcome means of escape for young people in a country that has endured decades of conflict and crisis.
It also offers a rare respite from the gaze of conservative Iraqi society.
Zubaidi, wearing a pink sweater, watched fellow enthusiasts, both professional and amateur, as they rolled on colorful boards in the open-air park.
“When my friends first told me about skateboarding, I was scared,” she said — not just of falling but also because of what people might say and because her parents might not approve.
“But when I tried it, it just filled me with a beautiful energy,” she added.
The skatepark project “is about inclusivity and community, about having a place for everyone,” said Ishtar Obaid of Iraq’s Forsah association.
Forsah, which means “opportunity,” was one of the three organizations that spearheaded the project.

It provides a space “where people from different backgrounds” come together, and “that’s the beauty of sport,” said Obaid, who also advises Iraq’s Olympic committee.
Her organization plans to run skateboarding classes for children and trainers.
“It is a new chapter for sports in Iraq,” Obaid said.
When the authorities approved the project in late 2024, the associations including Make Life Skate Life, a Belgian-US charity that has set up skateparks in northern Iraq, Libya and India, built the new facility in just one month.
Kjell Van Hansewyck of Make Life Skate Life said it was a “real struggle” to find a location for the skatepark.
He described Baghdad as “a crowded city with a lot of pollution and traffic jams,” and lacking “public land and facilities for children.”
The Iraqi capital is bustling with dozens of infrastructure and construction projects. Towering cranes and machinery dominate its streets, as new tunnels and bridges are being built.
“It is like one big work site,” Van Hansewyck said.
When authorities said they could provide space at the sports ministry, the groups could hardly turn down the offer, despite this meaning skaters would have to pass through security checkpoints.
Van Hansewyck said the skatepark is “not visible from the streets,” which makes it difficult for people who want to check it out.
But he is confident that passionate skaters will still promote the park and do everything possible to make it a major attraction.

Mohammad Al-Qadi, 19, bought his first skateboard in 2019, the year he also joined a wave of nationwide anti-government protests.
Baghdad was the vibrant epicenter of the movement. Protesters also organized cultural and sports events before the demonstrations were crushed in a brutal crackdown that saw more than 600 people killed.
Since then, Qadi had only been able to skate on Baghdad’s busy streets.
“When we took to the streets with our skateboards, people would call us bad boys,” he said.
In conservative Iraq, skateboarding is widely viewed as an alternative sport adopted by rebellious youths — leading many to shun it for fear of ruining their reputations.
Qadi said this perception may have slightly improved, but until now local skaters still had nowhere to go.
“When I feel pressured by my studies or in my personal life, I turn to skateboarding, which has never let me down,” he said.
The new skatepark offers an “opportunity” for a break and a rethink, Qadi added.
Hussein Ali, 18, has been skating for five years and said he hoped Iraq will eventually have a national team to compete in championships.
Skateboarding was one of five sports that made an Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 games.
For some in Iraq, skateboarding provides a sense of normality in a country where violence had long been a fact of life.
For Ali, it is also a way to meet new people.
“When you see someone else skating you simply reach out, and just like that, you become friends.”


Why is Gaza truce under threat?

Why is Gaza truce under threat?
Updated 13 February 2025
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Why is Gaza truce under threat?

Why is Gaza truce under threat?
  • The warring parties have already completed five exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, but have in recent days have entered into a blame game over the implementation of the deal
  • US President Trump’s forceful backing of ally Israel has put the ceasefire under strain, and particularly his proposal to take over the Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM: A little over three weeks since it came into effect, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that halted the Gaza war has become increasingly fragile.
Under the truce, the warring parties have already completed five exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, but have in recent days have entered into a blame game over the implementation of the deal.
US President Donald Trump’s forceful backing of ally Israel has put the ceasefire under strain, and particularly his proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and remove its Palestinian inhabitants.
The truce is currently in its first phase. The next ones have not yet been finalized.
Here are the positions of the key actors who could decide the future of the truce:
For days now, Hamas has accused Israel of not respecting the agreement, saying that the amount and type of aid entering Gaza was insufficent.
Israeli authorities have denied the claims.
In several statements, the Palestinian militants have said they had not received machinery requested to clear the rubble in Gaza, and complained about obstacles to evacuating wounded people to Egypt under the terms of the agreement.
On Wednesday, Hamas said that as a result of the Israeli violations it would postpone indefinitely the next hostage release, which was due to take place on February 15.
Hugh Lovatt, a researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP that the announcement from Hamas may be an attempt to force a decision on the next phases of the truce.
“Hamas’s aim is to break the deadlock in the negotiations on the second phase of the agreement,” he said, adding that the Palestinian movement has been trying to obtain guarantees that the ceasefire will hold and the war will come of a permanent end.
It’s a “Hail Mary pass,” said Lovatt, “because they fear that Israel will take advantage of Trump’s support to impose new conditions and delay the implementation of the agreement.”
The ongoing first phase of the ceasefire is for 42 days. During this period, negotiations for the second phase were meant to start but that has not happened yet.
On Wednesday, a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to discuss the disputes over the agreement with Egyptian negotiators.
But a Hamas spokesman warned that the group would not bow down to the “language of threats” from the United States and Israel.
Trump on Monday said “all hell” would break out in Gaza if Hamas did not free all Israeli hostages held in the territory by Saturday noon.
Under the terms of the truce, not all hostages were meant to be freed during the first phase.
The president’s threat came soon after he announced a plan for the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip and move its almost 2.4 million residents to Jordan or Egypt.
The proposal has provoked widespread international condemnation, and experts have said it would violate international law.
Yonatan Freeman, an international relations expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said that Trump’s statements had “underscored the US backing of Israel.”
“Trump and Netanyahu have both emphasized the importance of releasing hostages,” Freeman said.
He said that despite making threats, he did not believe that either Trump of Israel’s leaders wanted the war to resume.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Hamas cannot be allowed to use the ceasefire to “rebuild itself and recover strength.”
Echoing statements from the US president, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel would resume “intense fighting” in Gaza if Hamas did not return hostages by Saturday.
Netanyahu did not specify whether he expected all the hostages to be freed, or a smaller batch due for release under the terms of the deal.
“It’s in his best interest to do it gradually,” said Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.
According to her, Netanyahu was deliberately being ambiguous and was “buying time” to extend the first stage of the truce and delay talks about the post-war future of the Gaza Strip.
But Netanyahu also faces domestic “public pressure” to secure the release of the remaining hostages, including through indirect negotiations with Hamas, said Zonszein.
“It could be a determining factor that when the three hostages came out last Saturday, they looked really, really bad,” she said of the three Israelis freed on Saturday.
They appeared emaciated, spurring concern among Israelis for the fate of those still in captivity.
Despite their disputes, Zonszein said that the sides have not “given up on anything yet.”
“They’re just playing power games.”