A US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal was hanging in the balance on Friday morning after Hamas said it was studying it and Washington stated Israel had accepted the terms of the deal.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the proposal had been submitted to Hamas after Israel accepted it. She said she did not know whether Hamas had accepted the agreement.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel has accepted the new ceasefire proposal, presented by White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Hamas also confirmed it had received the proposal and it was considering it.
The development comes after Mr Witkoff on Wednesday said that he was optimistic the new terms of the deal would lead to a resolution.
“I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict,” he said.
President Donald Trump's administration is making a renewed effort to bring an end to the war in Gaza and enable the entry of food and humanitarian aid to the enclave.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when a Hamas-led attack killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel, with 240 taken hostage.
More than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations in the territory, and much of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble.
The Trump administration has said it is working to get more food to Palestinians. A US and Israeli-backed non-government group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started to deliver food this week.
On Tuesday, gunfire rang out as a crowd of Palestinians who had been queuing for food aid overran a distribution centre. It was not clear if Israeli forces, private contractors or others had opened fire. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least one Palestinian was killed and 48 were wounded.
The White House defended the introduction of the new aid distribution system.
“The President was the reason that that aid went into Gaza, and he got the Israelis to support that plan,” Ms Leavitt said in response to a question by The National.
Israel blocked the entry of all deliveries of food and assistance into Gaza on March 2, before a fragile ceasefire collapsed on March 18, leading to widespread hunger and concerns of a looming famine.
The UN and other aid groups who have been operating in the enclave have denounced the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and refused to collaborate with it.
They say the use of armed contractors contravenes norms surrounding the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians during conflict.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
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The five pillars of Islam
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
UAE%20ILT20
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The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
England v South Africa schedule:
- First Test: At Lord's, England won by 219 runs
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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