Hamas on Wednesday said Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel were progressing due to US President Donald Trump's involvement in the process.
The key provisions of the proposals under discussion are a 60-day truce, the release of 10 hostages held by Hamas along with the remains of 18 others who died in captivity, as well as the entry into Gaza of humanitarian aid.
Also included is the release of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israel and indirect Hamas-Israel negotiations on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
The US President wants the proposed ceasefire to lead to the war's conclusion, with the two-month truce automatically extending.
His demand was relayed during a meeting between White House Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday, a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The National.
"There is slow progress in the negotiations, even when it seems implementing the agreement is harder than reaching it," a Hamas official told The National of the indirect talks that resumed in Doha this week to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal.
"These negotiations are different from previous ones and are moving forward due to the direct American involvement via Mr Trump."
Gazans plead for an end to the war
Hamas has said it is seeking personal guarantees from Mr Trump that the deal on the table would lead to "an end of the war".
Israel has consistently said the 21-month conflict will not be over until all the hostages – 20 of whom are believed to be alive – are freed, and Hamas's governing and military capabilities are dismantled.
Sources told The National on Wednesday that who distributes the humanitarian assistance expected to flow into Gaza if a deal is reached has become one of the main points of contention. The Hamas official confirmed that remains unresolved.
Hamas wants aid to be handled by the UN and associated agencies, while Israel is insisting the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation continues to play that role.
The Israeli army has been accused of opening fire on Palestinian civilians trying to obtain aid from distribution centres run by the foundation. Hundreds have been shot dead attempting to secure supplies. The Israeli military says troops fire warning shots when they detect suspicious activity.
The forced displacement of Palestinians has also been brought back into the spotlight. While Mr Netanyahu was hosted at the White House, his defence minister proposed that a prison-like "humanitarian city" be built in the south of Gaza close to Egypt's border to host hundreds of thousands in a closed zone, Israeli media reported.
It appears to be the latest version of plans by the Israeli government to maintain lasting control over Gaza and relocate much of its population of more than two million.
Hamas wants Israel to pull its military away from proposed humanitarian corridors in Gaza, said the sources. But, they added, signs were growing that Israel may eventually cede to Hamas's demand that the UN take charge of distributing aid, although Israel was unlikely to relinquish control of the narrow but strategic strip on the Palestinian side of the Egypt-Gaza border and another area close by.
Both areas intersect with the proposed humanitarian corridors, the sources said.
"There are issues the occupier refuses to give clear answers on, such as withdrawing from Gaza – instead, it talks about redeployment," said the Hamas official. The militant group has insisted on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave.
Without guarantees on these points, there will be no progress towards ending the war, the Hamas official added.
The Gaza war was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities killed 1,200 in October 2023. Another 250 were taken hostage. Israel's response was a devastating military operation that has to date killed about 57,700 Palestinians and injured more than twice that number, health authorities in Gaza say.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
Company%20Profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
