Tag: Gaza Ceasefire

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Gaza Sees Largest Aid Convoy Since Conflict Began


Israel has declared the admission of over 300 aid trucks into Gaza, marking the largest daily quantity since the onset of its conflict with the blockaded region half a year ago….reports Asian Lite News

Over 300 trucks of humanitarian aid entered the war-torn Gaza, the highest daily volume since Israel began its war against Hamas, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.

Israel has announced the entry of more than 300 aid trucks into Gaza, the highest daily volume since its war on the besieged territory began six months ago.

But Monday’s delivery still falls far short of what the United Nations says is the minimum required to feed millions of people – most of them refugees – on the brink of starvation.

Al Jazeera reported that under growing international pressure, Israel on Monday said 322 aid trucks were inspected and allowed to enter the heavily bombarded Palestinian territory.

In a statement on X, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said that 228 trucks representing 70 per cent of the total number, were carrying food.

Al Jazeera monitored some trucks going through the southern Rafah crossing with Egypt. Other trucks also went through the Karem Abu Salem crossing, known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis, according to Al Jazeera’s Tarek Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah.

He said most of the humanitarian convoys were loaded with water, sugar, flour and other basic necessities.

None of the trucks from the south was allowed to reach the northern part of Gaza, which according to the UN and other humanitarian groups, is facing famine, he added.

Meanwhile, an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon kills a Hezbollah field commander as Israeli fighter jets hit the village of as-Sultaniyah.

The Israeli military identified the commander as Ali Ahmad Hussein and said he was responsible for planning and executing attacks against Israelis. The commander was a part of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, Al Jazeera reported.

Hezbollah issued a funeral notice for Hussein. The strike also killed two other people, the Israeli military and two Lebanese security sources say.

Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been exchanging fire across Lebanon’s southern frontier in parallel with the Gaza war, adding to fears of a wider regional conflict. (ANI)

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‘Gaza war a betrayal of humanity’

The war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants resulting in the death of 1,170 people in southern Israel…reports Asian Lite News

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has escalated into a “betrayal of humanity,” the United Nations’ humanitarian chief said Saturday.

In a statement on the eve of the six-month anniversary of the war, Martin Griffiths, the outgoing under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, called for a “collective determination that there be a reckoning for this betrayal of humanity.”

“Each day, this war claims more civilian victims,” said Griffiths, who will leave his post at the end of June due to health reasons.

“Every second that it continues sows the seeds of a future so deeply obscured by this relentless conflict.”

The war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants resulting in the death of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show.

Palestinian militants also took around 250 Israeli and foreign hostages, about 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including more than 30 the army says are dead.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory by air, land and sea, killing at least 33,137 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Griffiths lamented “the unconscionable prospect of further escalation in Gaza, where no one is safe and there is nowhere safe to go.”

He added that “an already fragile aid operation continues to be undermined by bombardments, insecurity and denials of access.”

“On this day, my heart goes out to the families of those killed, injured or taken hostage, and to those who face the particular suffering of not knowing the plight of their loved ones,” he said in the statement.

Protests in Israel for Netanyahu’s removal

The anti-government protesters have once again stormed the streets in Israel, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanding early elections in the country amid its ongoing war with Hamas.

The demonstrators took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Caesarea and Haifa on Saturday, according to CNN, where they called for the release of the hostages by waving Israeli flags and holding signs featuring their images.

“We are not afraid; you destroyed the country, and we will fix it. We want them (hostages) back alive and not in coffins,” the protesters in Tel Aviv were heard chanting, as per CNN.

Another banner called for the “division of religion and state,” and one stated that “Netanyahu is dangerous to Israel.”

Demonstrators in Haifa referred to the government as a failure, calling Netanyahu “guilty, guilty, guilty,” according to CNN.

“Elections now!” read another banner held by a protester.

Israelis have been expressing increasing dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s management of the ongoing conflict, and the release of the hostages who have been held in Gaza since October 7.

In Tel Aviv, a protester was arrested for punching and injuring a police officer during an anti-government rally on Saturday, according to a statement from the Israeli Police.

The Israel Police also warned protesters not to light bonfires as demonstrators march through the streets, saying it can be “life-threatening” around the crowd.

“We will act with zero tolerance towards those who disrupt the order and behave violently towards police officers,” authorities said in a statement, according to CNN.

Earlier this week, tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and more attempts to release captives held in Gaza.

After demonstrating in front of the Israeli parliament on Sunday night, where they lit fires and waved the flag, protesters closed a major municipal route.

They asserted that this was the largest demonstration since the start of the Gaza War in October. Protesters yelled Netanyahu “must go,” and police responded by using water cannons against the crowd, jostling and pushing them back.

The prime minister has been under increasing pressure as opponents of his right-wing government have united with the families of the roughly one hundred hostages that Hamas in Gaza still holds.

Months of demonstrations against Netanyahu over divisive judicial reforms had occurred even prior to Israel’s war on Gaza. (ANI)

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US and Israel clash over UN ceasefire demand  

Netanyahu accused the US of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the ceasefire on the release of hostages held by Hamas…reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a ceasefire in Gaza, with the US angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the US of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the ceasefire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “kind of perplexed” by Netanyahu’s decision. He said the Israelis were “choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that.”

Kirby and the American ambassador to the UN said the US abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas. US officials chose to abstain rather than veto the proposal “because it does fairly reflect our view that a ceasefire and the release of hostages come together,” Kirby said.

The 15-member council voted 14-0 to approve the resolution, which also demanded the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The chamber broke into loud applause after the vote.

People fill water for use in their homes due to water shortages as a result of the ongoing escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip. (©UNICEF/UNI488774/Al-Qattaa)

The US vetoed past Security Council ceasefire resolutions in large part because of the failure to tie them directly to the release of hostages, the failure to condemn Hamas’ attacks and the delicacy of ongoing negotiations. American officials have argued that the ceasefire and hostage releases are linked, while Russia, China and many other council members favored unconditional calls for a ceasefire.

The resolution approved Monday demands the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, which ends in April.

Hamas said it welcomed the UN’s move but said the ceasefire needs to be permanent.

“We confirm our readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides,” the group said. For months, the militants have sought a deal that includes a complete end to the conflict.

The US decision to abstain comes at a time of growing tensions between President Joe Biden’s administration and Netanyahu over Israel’s prosecution of the war, the high number of civilian casualties and the limited amounts of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza. The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the expansion of settlements there.

In addition, the well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden — which dates from Biden’s tenure as vice president — deepened after Biden questioned Israel’s strategy in combating Hamas.

Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu was not operating in Israel’s best interests and called for Israel to hold new elections. Biden signaled his approval of Schumer’s remarks, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu.

During its US visit, the Israeli delegation was to present White House officials with its plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza where over 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.

Last week, Netanyahu rebuffed a US request to halt the planned Rafah invasion — vowing during a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to act alone if necessary. Blinken warned that Israel could soon face growing international isolation, while Vice President Kamala Harris said Israel could soon face unspecified consequences if it launches the ground assault.

The Security Council vote came after Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” in the Israeli-Hamas conflict. That resolution featured a weakened link between a ceasefire and the release of hostages, leaving it open to interpretation, and no time limit.

The United States warned that the resolution approved Monday could hurt negotiations to halt the hostilities, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans. The talks involve the US, Egypt and Qatar.

Because Ramadan ends April 9, the ceasefire demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in fighting should lead to “a sustainable ceasefire.”

The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the resolution “spoke out in support of the ongoing diplomatic efforts,” adding that negotiators were “getting closer” to a deal for a ceasefire with the release of all hostages, “but we’re not there yet.”

She urged the council and UN members across the world to “speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table.”

Thomas-Greenfield said the US abstained because “certain edits” the US requested were ignored, including a condemnation of Hamas.

The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, was backed by Russia and China and the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations.

Under the United Nations Charter, Security Council resolutions are legally binding on its 193 member nations, though they are often flouted.

Algeria’s UN ambassador, Amar Bendjama, the Arab representative on the council, thanked the council for “finally” demanding a ceasefire.

“We look forward to the commitment and the compliance of the Israeli occupying power with this resolution, for them to put an end to the bloodbath without any conditions, to end the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he said.

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UAE Welcomes UNSC Resolution on Gaza

The resolution was adopted after the United States agreed to abstain on the resolution in a sign of its fraying ties with Israel over the high human toll from that country’s pursuit of Hamas…reports Asian Lite News

The UAE has strongly welcomed the UN Security Council’s adoption of a resolution that demands for the first time “an immediate ceasefire” in the occupied Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan, and expressed hope that the resolution and its adherence would lead to a permanent ceasefire.

In a breakthrough, the UN Security Council on Monday called for an immediate unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, overcoming the intense polarisation after the United States agreed to abstain on the resolution in a sign of its fraying ties with Israel over the high human toll from that country’s pursuit of Hamas.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) conveyed its aspiration that the resolution will lead towards ending the crisis and preventing further suffering for the brotherly Palestinian people, and will facilitate the immediate, safe, sustainable, and unhindered delivery of relief and humanitarian aid, particularly to the most vulnerable, as well as the release of all hostages.

The UAE stressed the importance of returning to negotiations to achieve the two-state solution to establish an independent Palestinian state, affirming that the UAE will continue working alongside partners to intensify efforts aimed at alleviating the humanitarian suffering in Gaza.

The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmad Aboul Gheit, also welcomed the UNSC resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

“I welcome the Security Council’s adoption of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said in a statement, adding that this resolution was long overdue, and what is needed now is for its implementation on the ground.

Following the adoption, Egypt has called for the immediate implementation of the ceasefire in a way that opens the way for dealing with all elements of the crisis.

With all the other 14 members voting for it, the resolution also demanded that Hamas release the hostages it took in the October 7 assault on Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed.

It called for the ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, which is already underway, and for increased humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

UN officials have warned of famine conditions developing in Gaza to which food supplies have been limited.

The US decided to abstain in the face of growing criticism of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s continuing reprisals against Hamas in Gaza where about 32,000 people, many of them women and children, have been killed.

A resolution sponsored by the US was vetoed on Friday by China and Russia, which they said did not explicitly demand a ceasefire but made it sound like a suggestion saying only that it was an “imperative”.

Before Monday, six resolutions had been vetoed, three by the US, two jointly by China and Russia, and one by Russia alone, making the latest a breakthrough, drawing applause in the Council chamber when it passed.

The resolution was sponsored by all the 10 non-permanent members of the Council, and in a last-minute effort to prevent a Washington veto, it changed the demand for a “permanent” ceasefire to a “lasting” one.

Russia’s Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzia unsuccessfully proposed an amendment to change back to a “permanent” ceasefire, but it failed to get the minimum nine votes to be adopted.

The US had earlier vetoed three resolutions calling for a ceasefire, which its ally Israel opposes asserting that it would stymie its efforts to eradicate Hamas.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas.

She said: “A ceasefire can begin immediately with the release of the first hostage and so we must put pressure on Hamas to do just that.”

The huge toll on the civilians in Gaza has turned swathes of US public opinion, including within the Democratic Party against Israel, even though it still retains strong support among many.

Faced with the rising opposition from his supporters as he gets ready for the November election, Biden has softened support for Israel’s war leading to its refusal to veto the latest resolution. He has said that Israel has “gone over the top” and his officials have cautioned it against its planned incursion into Rafah in southern Gaza where over a million people have evacuated from other parts of the territory on Israel’s orders.

Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said last Monday the attack would be a mistake that “would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in Gaza and further isolate Israel Internationally”.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defied Biden and said he would send Israeli forces into Rafah.

Reports from Israel said that Netanyahu had threatened to cancel his country’s military delegation’s visit to the US to discuss the proposed Rafah action if Washington did not veto the resolution.

Interacting with reporters at a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan before the Council vote, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “I see a growing consensus emerging international community to tell the Israelis that the ceasefire is needed.”

He said that there was “a growing consensus to tell clearly to the Israelis that any ground invasion of Rafah could mean a catastrophic humanitarian disaster”.

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Gaza Grapples with Cash Crunch

People fill water for use in their homes due to water shortages as a result of the ongoing escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip. (©UNICEF/UNI488774/Al-Qattaa)

The liquidity crunch has intensified as the majority of ATMs have gone out of service…reports Asian Lite News

The Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) has said that the Gaza Strip is experiencing a cash liquidity crisis due to the disruption of banking operations caused by the ongoing Israeli attacks.

Many banks have been destroyed amid the conflict, and it has become impossible to open the remaining bank branches in the entire region due to bombings, power outages, and security concerns, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the PMA.

The liquidity crunch has intensified as the majority of ATMs have gone out of service, the PMA said in a statement on Sunday.

The authority is monitoring “complaints from residents of the Gaza Strip about extortion operations carried out by people, traders, and some unlicensed currency exchange shop owners, using point-of-sale deduction devices or financial transfers on banking applications”, said the statement.

These individuals exploited the residents’ need for cash, charging up to 15 per cent on any amount withdrawn from citizens’ accounts via plastic cards or transfers, in return for providing the remaining amount in cash, said the PMA, noting that immediate deterrent measures will be taken against those who engage in such behaviour.

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Sisi, Blinken discuss Gaza conflict

Secretary of State discuss efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza…reports Asian Lite News

Ministers from five Arab countries met Thursday in Cairo with a Palestinian official to discuss the Gaza war, Egypt’s foreign ministry said, ahead of talks with the US top diplomat.

In a joint statement released by Egypt’s foreign ministry, the ministers called for “a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire” and the “opening of all crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip,” where aid has only trickled in and the United Nations has repeatedly warned of imminent famine.

The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan, as well as the Emirati minister of international cooperation and the Palestinian Authority minister for civilian affairs, the ministry said.

The Arab officials also reiterated their “rejection of any attempt to displace the Palestinians from their lands,” as a looming Israeli ground invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah has raised fears for the 1.5 million mostly displaced Palestinians sheltering in the city, penned in by the Egyptian border.

Later Thursday, the ministers were due to hold talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is visiting Egypt as part of his sixth tour of the region since the Israel-Hamas war started on October 7.

Blinken also had separate meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss “ongoing efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza” and “secure an immediate ceasefire that includes the release of hostages”, according to the state department.

Egypt is the main entry point for aid deliveries to Gaza and a key mediator in talks underway in Qatar to secure a six-week truce in the war that would allow hostages to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and increased aid deliveries to Gaza.

The bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out on October 7 after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in about 1,160 deaths.

Militants also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead.

Israel has waged a relentless offensive against Hamas that has killed nearly 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

UN agencies have warned that Gaza’s 2.4 million people are on the brink of famine, and UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel may be using “starvation as a method of war”.

During a visit Wednesday to Saudi Arabia, Blinken unveiled a draft US resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The United States, Israel’s main backer, has previously used its UN Security Council veto to block the world body from calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

Sisi stressed the need for a truce to address the escalating humanitarian crisis and warned of the dangers of a military operation in Rafah, the last zone of relative safety for civilians where more than half the enclave’s population is now sheltering, pressed against the Egyptian border.

But an Israeli official insisted Israel would take control of Rafah even if it caused a rift with the United States, saying that a quarter of Hamas’s original fighting force was there.

“It’s going to happen. And it will happen even if Israel is forced to fight alone,” Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said in a podcast.

Officials from 36 countries and UN agencies gathered in Cyprus to discuss ways to expedite humanitarian deliveries.

One aid ship arrived in the enclave last week from Cyprus and two others are expected to depart soon. But aid agencies say the shipments are logistically difficult and cannot replace deliveries by truck.

“Recent efforts to deliver food by air and sea are welcome, but only the expansion of land crossings will enable large-scale deliveries to prevent famine,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Once again, we ask Israel to open more crossings and accelerate the entry and delivery of water, food, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid into and within Gaza.” At a Gaza school run by the UN Palestinian refugee agency, thousands of people who have fled Israeli airstrikes barely had enough food to break the daily Ramadan fast, unlike fellow Muslims elsewhere marking the holy month with post-fast treats.

“Go and check all the markets … You wouldn’t find a single can of fava beans or chickpeas for the kids to eat,” said Basel al-Soueidi, sheltering in the Jabalia refugee camp.

He was cooking a few red lentils for the surviving members of his family, 17 of whom have been killed in the war.

“I miss them all – there is no food or water, there is nothing. All my cousins died, there’s no one left. We used to all gather during Ramadan, with my uncle,” he said, close to tears.

Israel said its troops had killed more than 50 Hamas gunmen over the previous day, taking the number of fighters killed around the hospital to 140, along with two Israeli soldiers.

It said it had located military infrastructure and weapons in and around the facility, showing images of AK-47 automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and other artillery.

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Protesters demanding Gaza ceasefire block San Francisco airport

Footage from the scene showed protesters carrying banners with messages such as “Permanent Ceasefire Now,” “Stop the World for Gaza”…reports Asian Lite News

Hundreds of anti-war protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling for an end to US military assistance for Israel blocked the international terminal at the San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday.

Footage from the scene showed protesters carrying banners with messages such as “Permanent Ceasefire Now,” “Stop the World for Gaza” and “Stop Arming Israel.” An ABC News affiliate put the number of demonstrators at over 300.

Protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza have occurred in many US cities in recent months, including near airports and bridges in New York City and Los Angeles, vigils outside the White House and marches in Washington.

This month, large protests were seen ahead of US President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and the Oscars. Demonstrators have regularly interrupted Biden’s campaign events and speeches.

Airport officials said the international terminal remained open but passengers were re-routed around the activity. Activists blocked the roadway outside the airport, marched in circles and chanted slogans.

Passengers planning to reach the terminal were told to get dropped off at the rental car center and take an air train to the terminal. There were no known flight delays.

Most of Gaza has been flattened in Israel’s offensive that the health ministry says has killed over 31,000 people, displaced nearly all its 2.3 million population and led to a starvation crisis in the narrow coastal enclave. Israel’s assault on Hamas-governed Gaza followed an Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group that killed about 1,200 people.

While the United States has called for a temporary ceasefire to send more aid to Gaza and get hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 released, it has rejected calls for a permanent ceasefire, saying such a step would let Hamas regroup.

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Gaza Death Toll Climbs to 30,960

During the last 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 82 Palestinians and wounded 122 others…reports Asian Lite News

 The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 30,960 with 72,524 others wounded, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement.

During the last 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 82 Palestinians and wounded 122 others, it added on Saturday.

The statement noted that some victims remained under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defence and ambulance crews, Xinhua news agency reported.

Dozens of Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women, were killed and others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted multiple areas across the Gaza Strip since Friday night, Palestine’s official news agency WAFA reported.

The report said at least 23 people were killed in intense airstrikes that targeted a number of houses in the southern Gaza Strip cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage.

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Biden Plans Temporary Port in Gaza for Aid


The official stated that the project, primarily centered around a temporary pier, is anticipated to be operational within a few weeks…reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden will announce in his State of the Union address that the country’s military will build a temporary port in Gaza for the delivery of additional humanitarian aid to civilians, senior officials have said.

“Tonight in the speech, the President will announce that he’s directing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a port in the Mediterranean, on the Gaza coast, that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters,” one of the officials said during a call with reporters on Thursday.

The official added that the project, “the main feature of which is a temporary pier”, is expected to become operational in “a number of weeks”, Xinhua news agency reported.

US forces involved in the mission “are either already in the region or will begin to move there soon”, the official said.

The officials didn’t provide much detail about the plan, with one noting that it won’t require “US troops on the ground” to build the port. Instead, the US military will work “from just offshore”, collaborating with partners and allies and “working on commercial options”.

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Kamala Harris calls out Israel over ‘catastrophe’ in Gaza

Washington has insisted the ceasefire deal is close and has been pushing to put in place a truce by the start of Ramadan…reports Asian Lite News

Vice President Kamala Harris has demanded Palestinian militant group Hamas agree to an immediate six-week ceasefire while forcefully urging Israel to do more to boost aid deliveries into Gaza, where she said innocent people were suffering a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

In some of the strongest comments by a senior leader of the US government to date on the issue, Harris pressed the Israeli government and outlined specific ways on how more aid can flow into the densely-populated enclave where hundreds of thousands of people are facing famine, following five months of Israel’s military campaign.

“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire,” Harris said at an event in Selma, Alabama. “There is a deal on the table, and as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal. Let’s get a ceasefire.”

“People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act…The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses,” she said.

On Sunday, a Hamas delegation had arrived in Cairo for the latest round of ceasefire talks, billed by many as the final possible hurdle for a truce, but it was unclear if any progress was made. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth’s online version reported that Israel boycotted the talks after Hamas rejected its demand for a complete list naming hostages who are still alive.

Washington has insisted the ceasefire deal is close and has been pushing to put in place a truce by the start of Ramadan, a week away. A US official on Saturday said Israel has agreed on a framework deal.

An agreement would bring the first extended truce of the war, which has raged for five months so far with just a week-long pause in November. Dozens of hostages held by Hamas militants would be freed in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

One source briefed on the talks had said on Saturday that Israel could stay away from Cairo unless Hamas first presented its full list of hostages who are still alive. A Palestinian source told Reuters that Hamas had so far rejected that demand.

After the Hamas delegation arrived, a Palestinian official told Reuters the deal was “not yet there.” There was no official comment from Israel.

In past negotiations, Hamas has sought to avoid discussing the well-being of individual hostages until after terms for their release are set.

In other diplomatic moves, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz will meet Harris at the White House on Monday and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Tuesday. US envoy Amos Hochstein will visit Beirut on Monday to pursue efforts to de-escalate the conflict across the Lebanese-Israeli border.

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