A senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, extended an invitation to Musk during a press conference held in Beirut on Tuesday….reports Asian Lite News
Following Elon Musk’s visit to Israel, the tech billionaire has now been invited by Hamas to Gaza to witness the destruction of the besieged enclave territory under Israeli attacks.
According to The Guardian, Musk was invited by a senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan, during a press conference in Beirut on Tuesday.
“We invite him to visit Gaza to see the extent of the massacres and destruction committed against the people of Gaza, in compliance with the standards of objectivity and credibility,” Hamdan said.
However, in response to a post about the news inviting him, Musk stated that the situation “seems a bit dangerous there right now.”
“Seems a bit dangerous there right now, but I do believe that a long-term prosperous Gaza is good for all sides,” he wrote on X.
Musk on Monday visited the Kfar Aza in Israel, which was one of the first places to be attacked by the Hamas militant group when it launched its unprecedented attack on October 7.
More than 1,200 people have died in Israel, while over 200 others were taken as hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompanied him to the residence of Ofir Liebstein, who fought back and died while fighting Hamas.
Musk has been severely criticised for anti-Semitic content on X in recent weeks. He also came under rising fire for supposed failures to combat antisemitism on X.
US President Joe Biden’s administration recently slammed Musk of repeating a “hideous lie” about Jewish people, as the X owner continues to endorse far-right viewpoints and agrees with posts that promote antisemitism.
Musk replied to a post sharing an antisemitic conspiracy theory, calling it “actual truth”.
He responded to a conspiracy theory that motivated the man who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018.
Doha Emerges as a Vital Intermediary for Washington, Navigating Talks with Iran and the Taliban…reports Asian Lite News
Qatar was instrumental in facilitating talks between the US and the Taliban that culminated in the 2020 Doha Accord and led to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Ongoing mediation efforts in Lebanon, Libya, Chad, Venezuela, and Palestine are also positioning the small Gulf nation as a diplomatic heavyweight with expanding geopolitical influence, as per a recent article published in Middle East Council on Global Affairs.
Mediation has long been a cornerstone of Qatar’s foreign policy – a key strategy by which the country garners outsize prestige within the international system, while hedging its bets and maintaining ties with a wide range of actors.
Doha has made itself indispensable to Washington as a go-between with various states and non-state parties, including Iran and the Taliban, the article said.
The two sides held talks over humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and issues related to facilitating people’s movement at Torkhan and Spinboldak. (Photo Pakistan Embassy Qatar)
This strategy arguably took a hit in 2017 when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates imposed a three-and-a-half-year blockade on Qatar, leading the country to temper its efforts abroad even after the blockade ended in 2021.
But its more recent engagements show that Doha can still punch above its weight by mediating conflicts and alleviating tensions in the Middle East and beyond, the article said.
Qatar’s ability to speak to all sides in the current conflict seems to have paid off with the potential release of hostages in Gaza, DW reported.
The announcement of a possible “humanitarian pause” in the Gaza Strip can be considered a triumph for the small Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, the report said.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry put out a statement announcing a four day “pause” during which all sides — the Israeli military, the militant Hamas group and Hezbollah’s armed wing in Lebanon — would agree to stop fighting.
Previously, even Israel’s national security advisor Tzachi Hanegbi had praised Qatar’s role, writing on social media that “Qatar’s diplomatic efforts are crucial at this time”.
But not everyone is so pleased with the small Gulf state. Some commentators said negotiators should have tried harder to secure the release of more hostages. Others argued that because Qatar has been home to Hamas’ political leadership since 2012, it was somehow complicit in Hamas’ attacks, DW reported.
Experts agree that Qatar is walking a fine line when it comes to its foreign policy, playing the “Switzerland of the Middle East” and keeping doors open to all comers.
“Qatar’s role is particularly sensitive because the emirate has been relying on being an intermediary for well over two decades now,” Guido Steinberg, a senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said.
In the past, Qatar has also acted as an interlocutor between the international community and the Taliban in Afghanistan (who also have political offices in Doha), between the US and Iran, and even Russia and Ukraine.
It also hosts the largest US military headquarters in the Middle East, al-Udeid Air Base, which played a significant role in evacuations from Afghanistan in 2021. This led to Qatar being described as ‘major non-NATO ally’, DW reported.
In the recent past, Qatar was spending an estimated $30 million a month on Gaza. But the arguments around this money are yet another example of how fraught Qatar’s role is when it comes to Palestinians and Hamas.
Some have suggested Qatari money subsidizes Hamas’ military wing and is used for nefarious purposes. Hamas has ruled the enclave since 2007 and also manages payments for the civil administration of Gaza, DW reported.
For many years the Qataris have served as a diplomatic bridge between various actors in the region, which, for political reasons, would not be able to easily engage each other in direct talks, The New Arab reported.
This has been evident in many instances, including the West’s engagement with the Taliban, which manifested in the Doha Agreement of 2020, the September 2023 Iran-US prisoner swap, as well as talks in Qatar between factions involved in conflicts in Lebanon and Sudan during the 2000s.
It is no secret that Hamas has a political office in Doha, with the group’s exiled leadership moved to Doha after leaving Damascus in 2012 following Hamas’ falling out with the Syrian regime at the Arab Spring’s outset, The New Arab reported.
Many neo-conservative voices in Washington have lashed out at Qatar for its relationship with the Palestinian group. Yet, an important fact to bear in mind is that it was the US which requested the opening of this Hamas office in the gas-rich emirate.
Qatar has long used Hamas’ status in Doha as a means to serve as an intermediary between the US and Israel, on one side, and Hamas, on the other, The New Arab reported.
Through Qatari backchannels, Hamas and Israel agreed to ceasefires which ended their previous armed conflicts in 2014, 2021, and 2022.
Many countries in the Middle East aspire to the role of mediators – Egypt, Oman and Kuwait among them – but Qatar presents itself as the region’s primary problem solver and advocate of dialogue. It has been active in Ukraine, Lebanon, Sudan, Iran, Afghanistan and Gaza, in the process hosting the leadership of the Taliban and the political wing of Hamas among others, The Guardian reported.
Observers say Qatar takes on this role since as a small but fabulously wealthy country built on vast supplies of liquid gas, it needs to make itself indispensable to the international community and be protected from unwelcome interventions by its larger neighbours, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The 2017-2021 boycott of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia showed it has good reasons to be fearful, The Guardian reported.
Participants painted red teardrops on a carton carpet on the ground, others cried out against the “Israeli apartheid regime…reports Asian Lite News
Gaza sympathizers gathered in the crowded Shibuya district of Central Tokyo on Saturday to honor the lost lives of about 15 thousand Palestinians – many of them small children and babies, murdered by the Israeli military occupation.
“Our tears continue as we honor them all,” one of the organizers said in a speech.
Participants painted red teardrops on a carton carpet on the ground, others cried out against the “Israeli apartheid regime and genocide war to exterminate the Palestinians.”
Chants of “Free Palestine”, “Palestine will be free from the River to the sea”, “Israeli terrorists” and “Boycott Israel” echoed around the square where hundreds of thousands pass by every day.
Speakers included Japanese and non-Japanese who applauded the determination of the Gazan people to resist the “Israeli genocide” and occupation.
Banners of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko were also held aloft demanding they apply more pressure on Israel “to stop its genocide campaign.”
A young Japanese woman told Arab News Japan that it was the first time she had joined in any protest but seeing how people of all ages had gathered and raised their voices for a free Palestine had encouraged her to take part.
A few Israeli sympathizers attempted to disrupt the gathering, but it continued peacefully.
Demonstrations and protests have been increasing around Japan in support of Palestine and condemning American military support of Israel.
Filipinos take to streets
Filipino protesters from civil society, the Catholic church, and academia demonstrated in Manila on Saturday to demand an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Hundreds of protesters marched from Roxas Boulevard toward the US Embassy carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading: “Ceasefire now,” “We don’t want a graveyard of children in Gaza,” “Stop the genocide,” and “You’re a Filipino, you know what it means to be occupied … don’t be neutral.”
The demonstration was held as a four-day pause in attacks was in place, with Israel having agreed to stop the daily bombardment in exchange for the release of its hostages held by the Gaza-based militant group Hamas.
Philippine protesters said a temporary ceasefire was not enough as they feared that Israel would continue its bombardment campaign, which in the past 45 days has killed at least 14,800 people and wounded tens of thousands more in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
“For more than a month now, Israel has waged a brutal war against the Palestinian people living in Gaza. We have seen in real-time the non-stop bombings and air strikes, including that of hospitals and refugee camps, the denial of humanitarian aid and basic services like electricity, water, internet communications, fuel and even food,” BAYAN President Renato Reyes told Arab News.
“The genocide is sure to intensify as Israel’s ground invasion steps up, threatening to engulf not only neighboring countries in the Middle East but the entire world.”
Those who showed up for the solidarity rally included Catholic priests who called for a free Palestine.
“We want a free Palestine like we want a free Philippines,” said Rory Del Rosario from the Union Theological Seminary.
Wesley Cabansag, from the same seminary, told Arab News they were there as they believed that Jesus would stand up for the oppressed.
“And I know if Jesus Christ were here, he would also take the side of the Palestinian children, the Palestinians,” he said.
Drieza A. Lininding, chairman of the Moro Consensus Group, which co-organized the rally, said Saturday’s march was not only a call to end Israeli violence, occupation, and apartheid, but also to call for the restoration of international law, which Tel Aviv has consistently and openly violated, setting a precedent for such violations to happen across the world.
“We need to show to the world that respect and follow international law and international humanitarian law,” he said. “We never know when we (ourselves) are going to need it also.”
Bing Parcon from the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights said: “We are working in solidarity with the people in Gaza because we believe that what is happening now in Gaza can also happen to anyone if people do not unite.
“And also, of course, we are against the occupation. Free Gaza and the Palestinian people. It’s their land and it’s their right to be in their land.”
A Palestinian prisoner returns to Jerusalem after being released from the Israeli Ofer prison. (Photo: Xinhua)
While uncertainty around the details of the exchange remained, there was some optimism, too, amid earlier scenes of joyous families reuniting on both sides…reports Asian Lite News
Hamas agreed to release 13 Israelis and four foreigners late Saturday in exchange for 39 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, Qatari and Egyptian mediators said, after the militant group delayed the second round of swaps for several hours and claimed that Israel had violated the terms of a truce deal.
The last-minute snag had created a tense standoff on the second day of what was meant to be a four-day cease-fire. By nightfall, as the hostages should have emerged from Gaza, Hamas alleged that the aid deliveries permitted by Israel fell short of what was promised and that not enough of the aid was reaching northern Gaza — the focus of Israel’s ground offensive and main combat zone. Hamas also said not enough veteran prisoners were freed in the first swap on Friday.
“This is putting the deal in danger and we have spoken to mediators about that,” Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said in Beirut. But Egypt, Qatar and Hamas itself later said obstacles had been overcome, and Hamas issued a statement listing six women and 33 boys and teenagers it said were expected to be released by the Israelis.
While uncertainty around the details of the exchange remained, there was some optimism, too, amid earlier scenes of joyous families reuniting on both sides.
On the first day of the four-day cease-fire, Hamas released 24 of the roughly 240 hostages taken during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison. Those freed in Gaza were 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and a Filipino.
Overall, Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners, during the four-day truce — all woman and minors.
Israel has said the truce can be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed — something US President Joe Biden said he hoped would occur.
Separately, a Qatari delegation arrived in Israel on Saturday to coordinate with parties on the ground and “ensure the deal continues to move smoothly,” according to a diplomat briefed on the visit. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details with the media.
The start of the pause brought quiet for 2.3 million Palestinians reeling from relentless Israeli bombardment that has killed thousands, driven three-quarters of the population from their homes and leveled residential areas. Rocket fire from Gaza militants into Israel went silent.
War-weary Palestinians in northern Gaza, the focus of Israel’s ground offensive, returned to the streets, crunching over rubble between shattered buildings and at times digging through it with bare hands. At the Indonesian hospital in Jabaliya, besieged by the Israeli military earlier this month, bodies lay in the courtyard and outside the main gate.
For Emad Abu Hajjer, a resident of the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza City area, the pause meant he could again search through the remains of his home, which was flattened in an Israeli attack last week.
He found the bodies of a cousin and nephew, bring the death toll in the attack to 19. With his sister and two other relatives still missing, he resumed his digging Saturday.
“We want to find them and bury them in dignity,” he said.
The United Nations said the pause enabled it to scale up the delivery of food, water, and medicine to the largest volume since the resumption of aid convoys on Oct. 21. It was also able to deliver 129,000 liters (34,078 gallons) of fuel — just over 10 percent of the daily pre-war volume — as well as cooking gas, a first since the war began.
In the southern city of Khan Younis on Saturday, a long line of people with containers waited outside a filling station. Hossam Fayad lamented that the pause in fighting was only for four days.
“I wish it could be extended until people’s conditions improved,” he said.
For the first time in over a month, aid reached northern Gaza. The Palestinian Red Crescent said 61 trucks carrying food, water and medical supplies headed there on Saturday, the largest aid convoy to reach the area yet.
The UN said it and the Palestinian Red Crescent were also able to evacuate 40 patients and family members from a hospital in Gaza City, where much of the fighting has taken place, to a hospital in Khan Younis.
The relief brought by the cease-fire has been tempered, however. For Israelis, by the fact that not all hostages will be freed. For Palestinians, by the brevity of the pause.
At least two Palestinians were injured Saturday at a tense West Bank checkpoint where Israel was to free prisoners. Israeli security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians gathered at Beitunia checkpoint. It was not clear how the two were injured.
In Tel Aviv, several thousand people packed a central square called “the square of the hostages,” awaiting news of the second release.
“Don’t forget the others because it’s getting harder, harder and harder. It’s heartbreaking,” said Neri Gershon, a Tel Aviv resident. Some families have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of not doing enough to bring hostages home.
Foreign Secretary expressing support and solidarity, also called on Israel to minimise civilian casualties and get more humanitarian aid into Gaza…reports Asian Lite News
Foreign Secretary Cameron has urged Israel to allow more aid into Gaza to show the Palestinian people and the world that the West wants to help.
He also said all possible precautions should be taken to minimise civilian casualties. Cameron had talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
He arrived amid uncertainty about when a pause in the fighting in Gaza, agreed with Hamas, would take effect. Qatar said the truce, aimed at allowing some of the hostages held by Hamas and some Palestinians held in Israeli jails to be freed, would now begin on Friday morning.
Humanitarian aid would start being delivered to Palestinian civilians in Gaza as soon as possible after the fighting stopped, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman added.
Israel and Hamas began a four-day truce with hostages to be released in exchange for prisoners on Friday, the first major reprieve in seven weeks of war that have claimed thousands of lives.
The pause began at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) after prolonged negotiations, silencing guns that have raged since Hamas’s raids into Israel on October 7.
Earlier, Cameron visited Kibbutz Be’eri, the scene of one of the worst Hamas attacks on Israel which triggered the war on 7 October. Around 100 Israelis were killed, many of them women and children. He said: “I wanted to come here to see it for myself; I have heard and seen things I will never forget.”
As he met Netanyahu in Jerusalem, he added: “There is never any excuse for this sort of hostage-taking. All the hostages should be released, but I hope that everyone who is responsible and behind this agreement can make it happen, to bring relief to those families, including, of course, there are British nationals who have been taken hostage.”
But as well as expressing support and solidarity, the foreign secretary also called on Israel to minimise civilian casualties and get more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“It is vitally important that we demonstrate to the Palestinian people, to the world, that we want to help. Those people need food, they need water, they need medicine,” he said.
A defiant Netanyahu pledged: “We will continue with the goals of the war and to destroy Hamas, because Hamas has already promised that they will do the same thing again and again and again.
“There is no hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab countries if we do not eradicate this murderous movement, which threatens the future of all of us,” he told the foreign secretary. Until the pause comes into force, Israel has said it will continue to target Hamas.
Under the deal agreed, 50 hostages seized by Hamas last month would be released, along with more than a hundred Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails.
Meeting Herzog, Lord Cameron spoke of a “huge amount of trauma in Israel because of the taking of 244 hostages”.
He said he remembered “the worst days of being prime minister was when British hostages were taken in Syria, and so many of them lost their lives in the most gruesome, terrible fashion”.
He added: “I remember the effect that had on me as prime minister and thinking about that, and so perhaps know a tiny bit of what your nation is going through.”
On Wednesday, Lord Cameron met foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries – including the Palestinian Authority – at Lancaster House in London to discuss the crisis.
Counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria were there, as well as the secretary general of the League of Arab States and the ambassador of Qatar.
The foreign secretary said the group discussed how to use the planned pause in the fighting to consider “how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people”.
Amnesty International UK’s chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said “short pauses” were “not enough”, and Lord Cameron should back a full ceasefire “in the interests of averting further civilian suffering for Palestinians and Israelis”.
“With the horrifying civilian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza still rising and no permanent ceasefire in sight, it’s vital that David Cameron uses this trip to signal an urgently needed change of direction from the UK Government in support of humanity and international law,” he added.
The Hamas attacks in Israel last month killed some 1,200 people and saw about 240 taken hostage. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has said more than 14,000 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory campaign.
Over 14,800, including 5,850 children, killed in Gaza
The death toll in Gaza from the Israeli offensive since October 7 has risen to 14,854, with 5,850 children among the casualties, CNN reported, citing Hamas authorities in the Strip.
Obtaining current figures has become a challenging task due to Israel’s ongoing air and ground campaign, CNN reported, adding that the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah, on Monday, reported 12,700 casualties, drawing data from sources in the Gaza Strip.
Recent health updates indicate communication disruptions in Gaza, hindering accurate data collection, the report noted.
At least 200 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, including four fuel trucks, will be allowed into the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire….reports Asian Lite News
A four-day humanitarian pause deal agreed by Israel and Hamas came into effect in Gaza on Friday, which allow the release of at least 50 hostages in the duration of the temporary ceasefire.
The pause in hostilities, which began at 7 a.m. (local time), came on the 49th day of the Israel-Hamas war which erupted on October 7 after the militant group launched its unprecedented attack on the Jewish nation.
Under the deal reached on Wednesday under the mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US, the Hamas said that it will release about 13 hostages at 4 p.m. on Friday as the first stage of the agreement, reports Xinhua news agency.
Hamas, which has been ruling Gaza since 2007, will hand over the hostages to Egypt. In turn, Israel will release 150 Palestinians, including women and children, from the Israeli jails. Israel is expected to stop all its military operations in the Gaza Strip as part of the four-day pause.
Meanwhile, at least 200 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, including four fuel trucks, will be allowed into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire will also facilitate the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt to allow the return of stranded Palestinians waiting in the Arish area, according to the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo.
Israel has notified the families of the hostages set to be released on Friday, the country’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons, Gal Hirsch, said in a statement. Hirsch said “liaison officers have informed all of those families whose loved ones appear on the list, as well as all of the hostages’ families”.
Israel has published a list of 300 names of people eligible for release in the exchange. The vast majority are male teenagers aged between 16 to 18, although a handful are as young as 14. The first hostages expected to be released will include members of the same families leaving together, Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in a news conference earlier Thursday.
“They will be 13 in number, all women and children, and those hostages who are from the same family will be put together in the same batch,” CNN quoted Al-Ansari as saying. The Israeli army said it was ready to implement the ceasefire, but warned Hamas that “even the slightest violation would result in a severe response”.
The ceasefire was originally due to start on Thursday but was delayed as the two sides were finalising the details of hostage release. According to the Israeli authorities, 235 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. About 40 of them are reportedly children.
So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas; one Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces; and three bodies of hostages have reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces. Since the war started, more than 14,800 people have died in Gaza, over 1,200 in Israel and 223 in the West Bank.
Fuel, Aid Trucks to Enter Gaza
In a breakthrough agreement, Egypt announced the daily entry of 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, a total of 1,30,000 litres of diesel, and four trucks of gas into the Gaza Strip during the pause.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said that that 80 aid trucks carrying food, water, medical equipment, medications, and relief supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Thursday.
A large aid convoy is positioned at the Egypt-Gaza border, ready to move into the strip immediately after the truce between Israel and Hamas begins, an official told CNN.
The entry of fuel was allowed in the besieged enclave on November 18, following approval by Israel’s war cabinet to facilitate regular deliveries to the besieged enclave.
Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said that the fuel would support desalination facilities providing water to the southern strip. The oversight of this process is led by the United States and Egypt.
The decision taken earlier allowed two fuel tankers a day to enter Gaza, providing essential support to the water and sewage systems on the verge of collapse due to a lack of electricity.
The decision was made in consultation with the Israel Defence Forces and Israel’s International Security Academy, ensuring it aligns with operational objectives and does not support Hamas, as clarified by Hanegbi.
The rationale behind the decision was framed within the context of avoiding the spread of pandemics, acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In addition to the aid trucks, 75,000 litres of fuel reached Gaza from Egypt on Thursday, aligning with Israel’s November 18 decision to permit two fuel trucks daily. This is intended to support food distribution, hospital generators, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services, according to UNOCHA.
The fuel situation has been a key focus of recent discussions, including those with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv earlier this month. The move to allow fuel deliveries comes after weeks of pressure from the US, CNN reported.
During the October 7 Hamas offensive into Israel, there were more than 1,200 deaths of Israeli citizens, with over 240 people being taken hostage….reports Asian Lite News
Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund has identified the Gaza Strip as the world’s most perilous location for children.
“More than 5,300 Palestinian children have been reportedly killed in just 46 days … That’s over 115 a day, every day, for weeks and weeks,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a video on Wednesday while addressing the UN Security Council.
“Based on these figures, children account for 40 per cent of the deaths in Gaza,” she added.
“This is unprecedented. In other words, the Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child,” Russell continued.
During the October 7 Hamas offensive into Israel, there were more than 1,200 deaths of Israeli citizens, with over 240 people being taken hostage.
Alternatively, the retaliatory attack on Gaza by the Israel Defence Forces has resulted in the deaths of over 12,000 Palestinians, so far, reported CNN.
Russel added that UNICEF has received reports that “more than 1,200 children” are expected to still be trapped under the rubble of bombed-out buildings after Israel’s targeted attack, as well as many children unaccounted for.
The comments come a week after Russell’s visit to Gaza. In a statement following her visit, she described “grave violations” being committed against children, including “killing, maiming, abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.”
A ceasefire deal was announced on Tuesday morning, whereby 50 hostages of the some 200 taken during the October 7 attacks in exchange for a ceasefire, which will enable crucial humanitarian aid to enter the area and assist in-need Palestinian civilians and children.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement on Wednesday, confirming roughly 50 hostages abducted by the Hamas terror group in Gaza during the October 7 attack, will be released, reported The Times of Israel.
Similarly, the US President, taking to his social media X, declared that he was glad the deal was secured, adding that he was grateful that the hostages will be reunited with their families.”I welcome the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7.”
The number of child deaths significantly dwarfs those of similar conflicts, including in Ukraine, 5,403 Palestinian children have died so far in the Gaza conflict whilst 83 have been killed in the Ukraine war. (ANI)
The letter comes in lieu of the announcement of a temporary four-day ceasefire in Gaza in return for the safe transfer of 50 hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack….reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden received a letter from more than 20 Michigan lawmakers urging him to “advance a lasting ceasefire” between Israel and the Hamas militant group, reported The Hill.
The letter comes in lieu of the announcement of a temporary four-day ceasefire in Gaza in return for the safe transfer of 50 hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack.
The ceasefire was announced in a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.
A post shared on Netanyahu’s X, formerly Twitter, page stated, “Tonight, the Government has approved the outline of the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 hostages – women and children – will be released over four days, during which a pause in the fighting will be held.”
Similarly, the US President, taking to his social media X, declared that he was glad the deal was secured, adding that he was grateful that the hostages would be reunited with their families.
“I welcome the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7th.” The US president said. “I’m gratified that these brave souls, who have endured an unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented.”
The lawmakers said that the temporary ceasefire deal between the two sides is a “positive step forward”. However, Michigan lawmakers still believe that this is not a sufficient enough deal., reported The Hill.
The letter sent by the state lawmakers noted that international organizations — including the United Nations, World Health Organization, and UNICEF- faith leaders, elected officials, and community leaders have all called for a ceasefire in the conflict, urging for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
“Some aid has been able to enter Gaza since October 21, but there continue to be insufficient supplies of water, food, medicine, and blood,” the letter reads. “According to the World Health Organization, 20 of Gaza’s hospitals are no longer functioning. Over 1 million residents have been displaced from their homes in Gaza, leading to a growing humanitarian crisis.”
The letter also highlights some of the atrocities that have been committed in Gaza, mentioning that many of the actions that have taken place” are prohibited by the Geneva Convention.
The letter was signed by 25 state lawmakers, including state Democrat Representative Abraham Aiyash, who is the majority leader of Michigan state’s House chamber.
“Today, I joined 25 other Michigan House and Senate colleagues pressing President Biden for a lasting ceasefire,” Aiyash wrote in a post to X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Bombing children will not bring peace. An end to violence is the only way to legitimately address the occupation and bring lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” Aiyash added. “We must advance and lasting and durable ceasefire to end the bombing and devastation in Gaza.”
With the transfer of hostages during the ceasefire, Palestinian prisoners will also be released from Israeli jail, per Hamas’s demands, The Hill reported.
An Israeli source has stated that the four-day lull in fighting, would be on hold and that Israeli military operations in Gaza would continue as long as the agreement is not finalized.
The delay is a blow to families who are desperate to see their abducted children, spouses, daughters, and sisters return after close to 50 days as Hamas hostages. (ANI)
