Category: 2. Middle East

Hamas said early Thursday that it submitted its response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal, Anadolu reports.

“A short while ago, Hamas delivered to the mediators its response and the response of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal,” the group said in a statement.

Further details regarding the response were not immediately available.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the negotiation team received the Hamas response from…

Several EU countries are pushing Brussels to move forward with concrete actions against Israel over the war in Gaza for failing to improve the dire humanitarian situation, diplomats said Thursday.

The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas earlier this month announced a deal with Israel to allow more aid into Gaza as warnings mount over mass-starvation in the war-ravaged territory.

The bloc’s diplomatic service on Wednesday gave a first briefing to ambassadors from the EU’s 27 nations on Israel’s…

The Canadian government said on Wednesday that Israeli military actions against civilians and aid workers in Gaza are unacceptable, and called for the immediate resumption of United Nations-led aid delivery in the Strip.

In a post on X, Canada’s Foreign Ministry stated: “Israeli military operations against WHO staff and facilities, World Food Programme aid convoys, & the ongoing killing of Palestinians seeking urgently needed food and water are…

BEIRUT (Reuters) -A senior Hamas source told Reuters on Thursday that there was still a chance of reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement but it would take a few days because of what he called Israeli stalling.

The source said Hamas’ response to the latest ceasefire proposal included requesting a clause that would prevent Israel from resuming the war if an agreement was not reached within the 60-day truce period.

(Reporting by Samia Nakhoul, Writing by Jana Choukeir; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday it was recalling its Gaza negotiating team to Israel for consultations, a day after the Palestinian group Hamas handed its response on a ceasefire proposal to mediators.

(Reporting by Emily Rose, Writing by Ahmed Elimam; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Oxfam has warned of worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, saying that famine has already spread across the territory for some time and has led to the deaths of many civilians due to hunger.

In a statement on Wednesday, the organisation said it continues to sound the alarm about the deepening crisis in Gaza, warning that the lack of adequate response to repeated appeals for help is leaving humanitarian workers increasingly hopeless.

Oxfam stressed…

By Ayhan Uyanik and Michele Kambas

BILECIK, Turkey/NICOSIA (Reuters) -Firefighters across Turkey and Cyprus battled multiple wildfires on Thursday amid a searing Mediterranean heatwave that has scorched swathes of land and killed 10 firefighters in central Turkey.

At least six separate wildfires burned across Turkey and Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and scorching heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions.

Late on Wednesday, Yumakli…

A cruise ship carrying around 1,600 Israeli tourists was prevented from docking on the Greek island of Syros earlier this week, following a protest organised by over 300 local campaigners waving Palestinian flags and banners reading “Stop the Genocide”. 

The protest, driven by mounting opposition to Israel’s policy of extermination in Gaza, prompted authorities to redirect the vessel, the Crown Iris, to Cyprus, reportedly due to safety concerns. 

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News Source: www.middleeastmonitor.com

International news agencies Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP) and Reuters as well as the BBC on Thursday called on Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza, which is subject to a strict blockade.

“We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” the media groups said in a joint statement.

They added that “journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in war zones. We are deeply alarmed that…