US official says Mideast mediators are preparing for implementation of ceasefire deal in advance

US official says Mideast mediators are preparing for implementation of ceasefire deal in advance
The minaret of a mosque is silhouetted in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza. (AFP)
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Updated 17 August 2024
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US official says Mideast mediators are preparing for implementation of ceasefire deal in advance

US official says Mideast mediators are preparing for implementation of ceasefire deal in advance
  • The comments came hours after mediators expressed hope that a ceasefire deal was within reach
  • They said two days of talks had wrapped up in Qatar and they plan to reconvene in Cairo next week

JERUSALEM: In a sign that mediators believe a Gaza ceasefire deal is imminent, a US official said Friday that Mideast negotiators are working out logistics for the potential release of hostages and distribution of aid as part of any agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war.
The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity in keeping with rules set by the White House, said the proposal currently on the table basically bridges every gap between Israel and Hamas and mediators were making preparations before a final deal is approved.
It was unclear what measures were being taken, but the official said a new “implementation cell” was being established in Cairo in advance. The cell would focus on logistics, including freeing hostages, providing humanitarian aid for Gaza and ensuring that the terms of the pact are met, the official said.
The comments came hours after mediators expressed hope that a deal was within reach. They said two days of talks had wrapped up in Qatar and that they plan to reconvene in Cairo next week to seal an agreement to stop the fighting.
Israel issued a vague statement saying it appreciated the mediators’ efforts, and a statement from Hamas did not sound enthusiastic about the latest proposal to end the devastating 10-month war and free Israeli hostages held in Gaza. A ceasefire is seen as the best hope for heading off an even larger regional conflict.
US President Joe Biden seemed optimistic, saying, “We are closer than we’ve ever been” to an agreement. Biden has expressed optimism for a deal before, only for talks to break down.
“As of an hour ago, it’s still in play,” he said, as he was traveling to spend the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat. “It’s far from over. Just a couple more issues, I think we got a shot.”
Both sides agreed in principle to the plan Biden announced on May 31. But Hamas has proposed amendments, and Israel has suggested clarifications, leading each side to accuse the other of trying to tank a deal.
The US official said the latest proposal is the same as Biden’s with some clarifications based on ongoing talks. The way it’s structured poses no risk to Israel’s security but enhances it, the official added.
Hamas has rejected Israel’s demands, which include a lasting military presence along the border with Egypt and a line bisecting Gaza where it would search Palestinians returning to their homes to root out militants.
Hamas quickly cast doubt on whether an agreement was near.
In a statement, the militant group said the latest proposal diverged significantly from the previous iteration they had agreed to in principle, implying they were not disposed to accept it.
The Israeli prime minister’s office issued a statement saying it “appreciates the efforts of the US and the mediators to dissuade Hamas from its refusal to a hostage release deal.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken planned to travel to Israel over the weekend to “continue intensive diplomatic efforts” toward a ceasefire and to underscore the need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.
Blinken was expected to meet with Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the new deal, said an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with official requirements.
The new push for an end to the Israel-Hamas war came as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbed past 40,000, according to Gaza health authorities, whose counts do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Fears were still high that Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon would attack Israel in retaliation for the killings of top militant leaders.
International mediators believe the best hope for calming tensions would be a deal between Israel and Hamas to halt the fighting and secure the release of Israeli hostages.
International diplomacy to prevent the war from spreading intensified Friday, with the British and French foreign ministers making a joint trip to Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that he told his British and French counterparts that if Iran attacks Israel, Israel expects its allies not just to help it defend itself, but to join in attacking Iran.
He also warned Iran — which backs Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen, all of whom have attacked Israel since the Gaza war started — to stop the attacks.
“Iran is the head of the axis of evil, and the free world must stop it now before it’s too late,” Katz said on X.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the heavily guarded border on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 250 to Gaza. More than 100 were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November, and around 110 are believed to still be inside Gaza, though Israeli authorities believe around a third of them are dead.
Israel’s military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Thursday that Israel had killed more than 17,000 Hamas militants in Gaza in the war, without providing evidence.
Diplomats hoped a ceasefire deal would persuade Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to hold off on retaliating for the killing of a top Hezbollah commander in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut and of Hamas’ top political leader in an explosion in Tehran that was widely blamed on Israel.
The mediators have spent months trying to hammer out a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release the hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
While talks were ongoing, Israel continued its offensive in Gaza.
On Friday it dropped leaflets asking civilians to evacuate from areas in northern Khan Younis and eastern Deir Al-Balah, saying forces plan to respond to rocket fire that targeted Israel. After the orders were given, airstrikes hit some areas of Khan Younis, sending people fleeing. A video showed plumes of black smoke rising into the air after loud booms.
Also Friday, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi spoke to Biden and agreed to intensify joint efforts in the coming days to reach an agreement, said a spokesman for the presidency. El-Sisi also urged regional self-restraint.
In a clear message to Israel, Hezbollah released a video, with Hebrew and English subtitles, showing underground tunnels where trucks were transporting long-range missiles.
A Hezbollah official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was speaking about military affairs, said the missiles in the video have a range of about 140 kilometers (86 miles), capable of reaching deep inside Israel.
Hezbollah has tens of thousands of rockets, missiles and drones that the group says give it the ability to hit anywhere in Israel. Hezbollah started attacking Israel on Oct. 8 and says it will stop only when the Gaza war ends.


Syria interim president pledges ‘national dialogue conference’

Syria interim president pledges ‘national dialogue conference’
Updated 4 sec ago
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Syria interim president pledges ‘national dialogue conference’

Syria interim president pledges ‘national dialogue conference’
DAMASCUS: Syria’s interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, promised Thursday to hold a “national dialogue conference” during his first speech to the nation since the fall of ousted leader Bashar Assad.
“We will announce in the coming days a committee charged with preparing the national dialogue conference, a direct platform for discussions, to listen to different points of view on our future political program,” Sharaa said during the prerecorded televised address. He also promised a “constitutional declaration” to serve as a “legal reference” during the country’s transition period after the old constitution was suspended.

Sudanese teenager raps of loss and hope amid war

Sudanese teenager raps of loss and hope amid war
Updated 8 min 28 sec ago
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Sudanese teenager raps of loss and hope amid war

Sudanese teenager raps of loss and hope amid war

PORT SUDAN: In a makeshift shelter carved out of a schoolyard in eastern Sudan, 14-year-old Hanim Mohammed uses her rap music to comfort families displaced by the country’s ongoing war.

For a few fleeting moments, the scars of 21 months of war seem to fade when families huddle together to hear Mohammed’s nostalgic rap lyrics about life before the war.

“When I play rap songs, everyone sings with me,” said Mohammed.

“This makes me so happy,” she said, lighting up with a radiant and captivating smile.

At a UN-sponsored space in the shelter, the young rapper, Nana, commanded the stage with electrifying energy.

Laughter and claps echoed through the air as women and children swayed and twirled to the beat — defying a war that has gripped the country since April 2023.

The conflict in Sudan has claimed the lives of tens of thousands, uprooted over 12 million people, and pushed Sudanese to the brink of famine.

The war, which has pitted army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan against his erstwhile ally Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, triggered the “biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded,” according to the International Rescue Committee.

Nana’s fans say her songs resonate deeply.

“The joy she brings is indescribable,” said Najwa Abdel Rahim, who attends Mohammed’s performances.

“I feel comfort and excitement when I listen to her music,” said Deir Fathi, another jubilant fan.

When the war erupted, Mohammed fled her hometown of Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, with her family.

Now residing in a secondary school in Port Sudan, she uses rap to articulate her grief and preserve cherished memories of home, she said.

Her recollections of a once-vibrant city now fuel her creative expression, particularly in her poignant track “The Omdurman Tragedy.”

“You sit silently, and a fire breaks out. What do you do? Your brain itself is confused,” goes the song.

Mohammed’s love for rap took root for years, but the outbreak of war brought it home, pushing her to start writing her lyrics, she said. 

She has so far written nine songs.

“Most of the songs I composed were for the place I love the most and where I grew up — Omdurman,” she said.

“When the war erupted, this gave an even greater drive,” she added.

The teen rapper and her family share cramped quarters with dozens of displaced families at the shelter. Basic necessities are a daily struggle.

“The most difficult thing I faced was the water,” she said.

“Sometimes I found it salty, and other times it was bitter,” she added.

Conflict-ravaged Sudan, despite its many water sources, including the mighty Nile River, has long been parched and grappling with a water crisis.

Even before the war, a quarter of the population had to walk over 50 minutes to fetch water, according to the United Nations.

Now, from the arid western deserts of Darfur, through the lush Nile Valley, and to the shores of the Red Sea, a water crisis has hit 48 million war-weary Sudanese.

Yet Mohammed refuses to let such hardships keep her down.

Her music has become a lifeline for herself and the people who gather to watch her perform.

And Mohammed is not stopping there. In a small room at the shelter, she sat bent over her books — hoping to fulfill her dreams of becoming both a surgeon and a celebrated rapper.

But above all, she has one overriding wish: “The biggest wish I hope for is for the war to stop.”


EU to hold talks with Israel, Palestinians

EU to hold talks with Israel, Palestinians
Updated 16 min 17 sec ago
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EU to hold talks with Israel, Palestinians

EU to hold talks with Israel, Palestinians

BRUSSELS: The EU will hold separate talks with Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the coming weeks, the European Commission said on Thursday, as a ceasefire in Gaza continued to hold.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is expected to meet with his counterparts from the EU’s 27 nations and the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, in Brussels on Feb. 24, the commission said.

“We will discuss the full range of issues with Israel, including the war in Gaza, regional issues, global issues, and bilateral EU-Israel relations,” said commission spokesman Anouar El-Anouni.

The gathering will take place on the sidelines of the EU’s foreign affairs council.

Similarly, Kallas will co-chair with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa “the first ever EU Palestinian high-level dialogue” on the margins of the following foreign affairs council — a meeting of EU top diplomats — on March 17.

“This will be an opportunity to discuss the EU support for the Palestinians and the full range of regional and bilateral issues,” El-Anouni said.

Mustafa represents the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.

The announcement came as Israel and the Palestinians took part in the third prisoner-hostage exchange under the Gaza ceasefire.

EU countries, which include staunch allies of Israel as well as firm supporters of the Palestinians, have struggled for a unified position in the Gaza war.

“The EU is fully committed to a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side in peace and security,” the commission said.


Rebuilding Gaza could take 10-15 years, Trump envoy tells Axios

Rebuilding Gaza could take 10-15 years, Trump envoy tells Axios
Updated 46 min 59 sec ago
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Rebuilding Gaza could take 10-15 years, Trump envoy tells Axios

Rebuilding Gaza could take 10-15 years, Trump envoy tells Axios
  • “It is stunning just how much damage occurred there,” Witkoff told the news website after visiting Gaza
  • The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos

WASHINGTON: There is “almost nothing left” of Gaza and rebuilding the war-ravaged enclave could take 10 to 15 years, US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios in an interview at the end of his trip to the region on Thursday.
“People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave ... there is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there,” Witkoff told the news website after visiting Gaza.
Witkoff, a real estate investor and Trump campaign donor with business ties to Qatar and other states, was in the region to oversee implementation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
His assessment comes days after Trump floated the idea that some of Arab nations should get involved with and build “housing at a different location where they (Gazans) can maybe live in peace for a change.”
Any suggestion that Palestinians leave Gaza, territory they want to form part of an independent state, has been anathema to the Palestinian leadership for generations and repeatedly rejected by neighboring Arab states since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
Witkoff told Axios he had not discussed with Trump the idea of moving Palestinians from Gaza.
A UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion.
The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps struck during the war known to have been built with the material. The rubble also likely holds human remains. The Palestinian Ministry of Health estimates that 10,000 bodies are missing under the debris.
“There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years. But it’s impossible. This is a 10 to 15 year rebuilding plan,” Witkoff told Axios.
“There is nothing left standing. Many unexploded ordnances. It is not safe to walk there. It is very dangerous. I wouldn’t have known this without going there and inspecting,” he said.


UN says UNRWA aid agency will continue work in all Palestinian territories

UN says UNRWA aid agency will continue work in all Palestinian territories
Updated 30 January 2025
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UN says UNRWA aid agency will continue work in all Palestinian territories

UN says UNRWA aid agency will continue work in all Palestinian territories
  • Israel decided to ban UNRWA following accusations some of its staff belong to Hamas
  • UNRWA has long been the lead agency in coordinating aid to Gaza

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations said Thursday its humanitarian relief agency UNRWA would continue working in all Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, despite Israeli legislation coming into force that cuts ties with the organization.
Israel decided to ban the UN agency for Palestinian refugees following accusations some of its staff belong to Hamas.
“UNRWA clinics across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are open. Meanwhile, the humanitarian operations in Gaza continues, including with UNRWA work there,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres.
UNRWA has long been the lead agency in coordinating aid to Gaza.
A series of investigations found some “neutrality related issues” at UNRWA — but stressed Israel had not provided evidence that a significant number of its staff belonged to “terrorist” organizations.
“UNRWA will continue to deliver on its mandate... until they’re no longer able to do so,” Dujarric said.
However he clarified that no staff were present at the agency’s headquarters in East Jerusalem, which mainly deals with administration. Palestinian employees are however working from other locations, while foreign employees had to leave Israel.
“We had taken precautions,” Dujarric said. “All the equipment inside, files, computers, everything had been removed, our vehicles as well.”