Arab mediators have suggested changes to US President Donald Trump's 21-point plan to end the Gaza war, including a two-stage release of hostages and a full Israeli withdrawal from the strip, sources told The National on Sunday.
The sources said the suggested amendments were communicated to US officials last week and that talks between mediators and Washington were continuing.
The suggestions were presented to the US by Egyptian and Qatari mediators after consultations with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey.
Mr Trump presented the plan last week when he met leaders and officials from Arab and Muslim-majority countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Sunday.
Jordan is working with “active partners on the details of a comprehensive plan for Gaza, presented by Mr Trump last week during a multilateral meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders”, a Royal Palace statement quoted the king as saying. He added that “many of its details are in line with what has been agreed upon” among those leaders. The statement did not specify what the plan entails.
The sources on Sunday said the mediators wanted the plan to provide for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and for Hamas to lay down and have its weapons stored under international supervision, rather than surrender them.
Mediators said they had informed US officials it would be difficult to hand over the 48 hostages all at once – 20 are believed to still be alive – because contact with the Hamas operatives guarding the captives has been lost for weeks due to the intensity of the Israeli army's operations in Gaza.
The hostages who died in captivity have been buried inside Hamas's underground tunnels, the sources said, and many of those tunnels have been destroyed. Locating and exhuming the bodies require a great deal of time and effort, they added.
Mr Trump acknowledged on Friday that talks were under way between the stakeholders on his plan.
“Intense negotiations have been going on for four days and will continue for as long as necessary in order to get a successfully completed agreement,” he wrote on Truth Social. “All of the countries within the region are involved.
“Hamas is very much aware of these discussions and Israel has been informed at all levels,” Mr Trump wrote. He called the talks “inspired and productive”.
Steve Witkoff, the US's Middle East special envoy, earlier said Mr Trump had presented to the leaders and senior officials of Arab and Muslim majority nations a 21-point Middle East peace plan.
“We're hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we'll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough,” Mr Witkoff said. The plan, he said, “addresses Israeli concerns, as well as the concerns of all the neighbours in the region”.
An official text of the plan has yet to be publicised but sources told The National it includes a long-term ceasefire, the release of all 48 hostages held by Hamas and Israel's gradual withdrawal from Gaza.
It also features a pledge from Mr Trump that Israel would not annex the West Bank and would freeze building new Jewish settlements there. Hamas leaders will leave Gaza to live in exile abroad under the plan.
It makes no mention of Mr Trump's vision, first floated in January, for Gaza's two million Palestinians to leave the enclave that will then be taken over by the US and rebuilt as a glitzy resort.
However, it calls for the reopening of all land crossings into Gaza to allow humanitarian aid into the strip and let the injured out to receive medical care abroad, as well as civilians who wish to leave the territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Fox News on Sunday that Mr Trump's proposal remains in progress as his team works with US officials to secure the release of hostages and dismantle Hamas.
“I hope we can make it a go because we want to free our hostages. We want to get rid of Hamas rule and have them disarmed, Gaza demilitarised, and a new future set up for Gazans and Israelis alike and for the whole region.”
Mr Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Mr Trump in Washington on Monday. Hamas on Sunday said it has yet to receive Mr Trump's proposals but that it was prepared to deal “positively and responsibly” with them.
Egypt, Qatar and the US have been trying for months without success to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages. The last Gaza ceasefire lasted about two months before it collapsed in March.
The first indication that Arab mediators had some reservations on Mr Trump's plan came on Thursday, when Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah El Sisi wrote on social media that the US blueprint serves as a strong foundation that can be built on.
That position was echoed on Saturday by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty when he addressed the General Assembly in New York.
“Egypt shows readiness and commitment to build on the vision of President Trump to restore stability, end the war, open the horizon for peace, free the hostages and heal all the wounds … to put aside the arrogance of might and raise the banners of construction and hope in tomorrow,” he said.
The Gaza war was caused by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October 7, 2023 in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. The Israeli army responded with a devastating campaign that has to date killed more than 66,000, authorities in Gaza estimate, and reduced most of the territory to rubble.
The Israeli army's conduct in Gaza has given rise to charges of genocide, including by UN experts, and of the use of starvation as a weapon, leaving most of the enclave's residents without food and creating pockets of famine.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
More on animal trafficking
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The%20specs
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
More on Quran memorisation:
Boston%20Strangler
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AS%20WE%20EXIST
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What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Liverpool v Manchester United - 3.30pm
Burnley v West Ham United - 6pm
Crystal Palace v Chelsea - 6pm
Manchester City v Stoke City - 6pm
Swansea City v Huddersfield Town - 6pm
Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth - 6pm
Watford v Arsenal - 8.30pm
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Everton - 4.30pm
Southampton v Newcastle United - 7pm
Monday
Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion - 11pm
Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
Brief scores:
QPR 0
Watford 1
Capoue 45' 1
BABYLON
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Company%C2%A0profile
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Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
