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‘Hamas must be removed from Gaza leadership’

Foreign Secretary David Cameron challenges Arab states to accept that the Hamas military leadership responsible for the attack on 7 October must leave Gaza…reports Asian Lite News

David Cameron has urged Hamas to agree to a deal for a sustained 40-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of potentially thousands of hostages and prisoners.

The foreign secretary also challenged Arab states to accept that the Hamas military leadership responsible for the attack on 7 October must leave Gaza.

Speaking at a World Economic Forum event in Riyadh, he echoed the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, saying: “I hope Hamas do take this deal and, frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘take that deal’, accept the generosity of the offer of a ceasefire that has been negotiated with Israel.”

He added that for a “political horizon for a two-state solution”, with an independent Palestine co-existing with Israel, the “people responsible for October 7, the Hamas leadership, would have to leave Gaza and you’ve got to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza”.

By contrast, three Arab foreign ministers speaking at the same forum presented Hamas as an idea born out of a legitimate struggle for a Palestinian state, but suggested the group’s influence would fade if a path to the establishment of that state was set out.

The Saudi foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, also insisted there would be no normalisation of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia unless there was “a credible and irreversible path to a Palestinian state”.

Cameron was in Riyadh to hold talks with both western and Arab leaders on the progress of the hostage talks, and an as yet unpublished Arab plan for the administration of Gaza and the West Bank if a ceasefire is agreed. He said: “Hamas was an extremist organisation that believes in a very extremist interpretation of Islam and a particularly violent one as well.”

Cameron said peace and stability in the Middle East was unobtainable “unless you deal with the question of the future for the Palestinian people”, but added: “I don’t think we should be naive and think that all the problems will be solved if that were to happen.”

He claimed there was a variety of conflicts in the Middle East, “including a conflict within Islam between those who want to see Islam as a religion of peace that can exist in all sorts of different states, but in a stable way, and those who have an extremist version of Islam”.

“I don’t believe, even if there was a Palestinian state created tomorrow, that Iran and its leaders would say, ‘Well, that’s all fine, now it’s all sorted.’”

He said: “Iran believes fundamentally in the destruction of Israel as a state, and Iran, through its support for Hamas in Gaza, through its support of the Houthis in Yemen, through its support of Hezbollah in Lebanon, is a force of malign activity in this region, which is deeply destabilising, deeply troubling. We do need to have a tougher, more deterrent approach right across the board to what Iran has been doing.”

The former prime minister also said there needed to be “a change of thinking in Israel about the fact they should support a two-state solution, because it’s fundamentally in their long-term interest, but it also requires a change of thought amongst Palestinians and others about the nature of the future relationship with Israel”.

He accepted it was going to be very hard to persuade Israel that its security rested on a two-state solution, but said it was hugely helpful that Saudi Arabia was looking at normalising relations with Israel as part of a political solution where the Palestinians would have the prospect of a Palestinian state. Saudi Arabia is seeking more bankable assurances about Israel’s commitment to a two-state solution before it will normalise relations.

The Saudi foreign minister said the bilateral work on a deal with the US was “very very close; we have the broad outlines of what we need to happen”. He said it might take 15 years to remove the rubble from Gaza and 30 years to reconstruct the strip.

The Jordanian foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, said: “Israel is run by a prime minister that is driven by an ideology that does not believe in a two-state solution,” adding that this represented a challenge for the international community, which had so far paid lip service to a Palestinian state, but taken no real action to stop Israeli settlements and land grabs.

ALSO READ-Blinken: Hamas received ‘extraordinarily generous’ truce offer

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German FM Calls for Gaza Aid, Two-State Solution

Baerbock took part in a meeting of Arab and European foreign ministers in Riyadh, initiated by Saudi Arabia and Norway…reports Asian Lite News

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has spoken out in favour of more humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip and a two-state solution, during the talks with counterparts from Western and Arab countries in Riyadh.

During the talks, Baerbock emphasised that an independent Palestine state as a part of a comprehensive peace process and a two-state solution remains a clear goal of German policy, according to reports from German delegation circles on Monday evening.

Baerbock took part in a meeting of Arab and European foreign ministers in Riyadh, initiated by Saudi Arabia and Norway, at which the prospect of a two-state solution and the recognition of Palestine was on the agenda.

A two-state solution foresees the peaceful co-existence of Israel and a Palestinian state based on the borders of the Palestinian Territories occupied by Israel since 1967 – the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

However, Israel’s government rejects such a two-state solution outright, whereas, the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas has said it wants an independent Palestinian state but will not officially recognise the state of Israel.

Baerbock also made it clear “that there is now an urgent need for improved humanitarian access to Gaza and the release of the hostages,” it was reported after the talks.

She also held confidential talks with Arab and Western colleagues in Riyadh on the specific steps needed to end the fighting and find a sustainable solution to the conflict.

The ministers, including Baerbock’s US counterpart Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, met in Riyadh on the fringes of a two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) conference. Israel did not take part in the talks.

ALSO READ: US nudges Germany on long-range missiles for Ukraine

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Israeli Delegation Heads to Cairo for Indirect Talks with Hamas

Sources in Israel’s defence ministry told IANS that they have communicated to the mediators that the IDF would not be withdrawn from the Gaza Strip…reports Asian Lite News

A delegation of senior Israeli officials led by Mossad Chief David Barnea will reach Cairo on Monday for indirect mediatory talks with Hamas.

The Hamas delegation will also reach Cairo on Monday with Qatar and Egypt taking the lead for the mediation regarding the release of hostages and temporary ceasefire talks in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.

Hamas, according to Arab media have in principle agreed to the release of a minimum of 33 hostages. The hostages include women, old people, sick and men above the age of fifty. Hamas has demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. This includes those arrested with grave offences, including murder.

Sources in Israel’s defence ministry told IANS that they have communicated to the mediators that the IDF would not be withdrawn from the Gaza Strip.

Israel, it may be recalled, has already called upon the Hamas side not to drag its feet from the release of hostages and has stated that if Hamas backs out from the deal then the Rafah ground operations will be imminent.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have already deployed its elite Nehal brigade in the Rafah region and are waiting for the outcome of the talks in Cairo.

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has already shared the country‘s apprehensions of an Israeli attack in the Rafah region with the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken during his last visit to Cairo.

Blinken has reached Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit and will be communicating with both the Egyptian and Qatar mediators regarding the temporary ceasefire.

ALSO READ-32 more killed in Gaza as Hamas studies new Israeli truce proposal

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32 more killed in Gaza as Hamas studies new Israeli truce proposal

The Israeli military has massed dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in southern Israel close to Rafah and hit locations in the city in near-daily airstrikes….reports Asian Lite News

Palestinians in Rafah said on Saturday they were living in “constant terror” as Israel vows to push ahead with its planned assault on the south Gaza city flooded with displaced civilians.

The Israeli military has massed dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in southern Israel close to Rafah and hit locations in the city in near-daily airstrikes.

“We live in constant terror and fear of repeated displacement and invasion,” said Nidaa Safi, 30, who fled Israeli strikes in the north and came to Rafah with her husband and children.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 34,388 people have been killed in the besieged territory during more than six months of war between Israel and Hamas militants.

The tally includes at least 32 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 77,437 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Early Saturday, an airstrike hit a house in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, killing a man, his wife and their sons, ages 12, 10 and 8, according to records of the Abu Yousef Al-Najjar hospital’s morgue. A neighbor’s 4-month-old girl was also killed.

Ahmed Omar rushed with other neighbors after the 1:30 a.m. strike to look for survivors, but said they only found bodies and body parts. “It’s a tragedy,” he said.

An Israeli airstrike later Saturday on a building in Rafah killed seven people, including six members of the Ashour family, according to the morgue.

Five people were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza overnight when an Israeli strike hit a house, according to officials at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said. It said the men had opened fire at troops stationed at Salem checkpoint near the city of Jenin.

Violence in the West Bank has flared since the war. The Ramallah-based Health Ministry says 491 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.

Hamas said it was studying Israel’s latest counterproposal for a ceasefire, a day after reports said a delegation from mediator Egypt was in Israel trying to jump-start stalled negotiations.

Israel’s foreign minister said that the Rafah incursion could be suspended should there be a deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

“The release of the hostages is the top priority for us,” said Israel Katz. “If there will be a deal, we will suspend the operation.”

The Egyptian delegation discussed a “new vision” for a prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss the developments.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Israel’s proposal was directly related to the visit.

Khalil Al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas’s political arm in Gaza, said it had “received the official Zionist occupation response to the movement’s position, which was delivered to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13.”

Negotiations earlier this month centered on a six-week ceasefire proposal and the release of 40 civilian and sick hostages in exchange for freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

A separate Hamas statement said leaders from the three main militant groups active in Gaza discussed attempts to end the war. It didn’t mention the Israeli proposal.

The armed wing of Hamas also released video footage of two men held hostage in Gaza, identified by Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum as Keith Siegel and Omri Miran.

Mediators are working on a compromise that will answer most of both parties’ main demands, which could pave the way to continued negotiations with the goal of a deal to end the war, the official said.

Hamas has said it won’t back down from demands for a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Israel has rejected both and said it will continue military operations until Hamas is defeated and that it will retain a security presence in Gaza.

There is growing international pressure for Hamas and Israel to reach a ceasefire deal and avert an Israeli attack on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge.

Israel has insisted for months it plans a ground offensive into Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where it says many remaining Hamas militants remain, despite calls for restraint including from Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States.

Egypt has cautioned an offensive into Rafah could have “catastrophic consequences” on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where famine is feared, and on regional peace and security.

Washington has been critical of Israeli policies in the West Bank. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is expected in Israel on Tuesday, recently determined an army unit committed rights abuses there before the war in Gaza.

ALSO READ: British troops may deliver Gaza aid

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Israel’s Ultimatum: Release 33 Hostages or Face Rafah Assault

Israel, citing its internal report, has said that of the 129 Israeli hostages, there are 33 people who fall in the category of aged, women, and ill.

Israel has demanded the release of at least 33 hostages by Hamas to prevent the planned attack on the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Sources in the Israeli Defence Ministry told IANS that the demand was put forward by Mossad chief David Barnea before the visiting Egyptian delegation headed by its intelligence chief Major General Abbas Kamel.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has already expressed his country’s concern over the planned attack on Rafah to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the latter’s recent visit to Cairo.

Egypt fears that an attack on the Rafah region would lead to civilian catastrophe as well as a huge refugee exodus to Egypt as Rafah borders the Sinai region of the country.

Israel, citing its internal report, has said that of the 129 Israeli hostages, there are 33 people who fall in the category of aged, women, and ill. According to Israel, many of the 129 hostages are dead.

Israel has also said that it would not allow any time buying tactics by Hamas led by Yahya Sinwar, its military commander and the “mastermind of the October 7, 2023 massacre”.

Israeli intelligence has claimed that Sinwar is in Rafah in one of the Hamas tunnels with the Israeli hostages as human shields.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has already deployed its elite Nahal Brigade in Rafah ahead of the planned attack.

ALSO READ: UK slaps fresh sanctions on Iran after Israel attack

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Hamas has ‘moved goal post’ on hostage talks, says US State Dept

State Department released its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and highlighted Israel, underscoring concerns over human rights abuses in Gaza….reports Asian Lite News

Palestinian militant group Hamas has “moved the goal post” and changed its demands in the hostage negotiations with Israel mediated by Egypt and Qatar, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.

Speaking at a daily press briefing, Miller said the United States would continue to push for an agreement that would see hostages taken on Oct. 7 released and a pause in fighting in Gaza.

Separately, Miller said the United States had received a report by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna into the UN aid agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, and is reviewing it.

State Department released its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and highlighted Israel, underscoring concerns over human rights abuses in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the human rights concerns stating, “The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues to raise deeply troubling concerns for human rights.”

He added that the US has condemned the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks while urging Israel to minimize civilian harm in its response.

The section on Israel, which runs 103 pages, documents “credible reports” of more than a dozen types of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention, conflict-related sexual violence or punishment, and the punishment of family members for alleged offences by a relative.

The resulting conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has had a “significant negative impact” on the human rights status in Israel, the report said.

It further cited credible reports of “unlawful killings” by both Hamas and the Israeli government.

Blinken said the United States would continue to make assessments about foreign nations’ records on human rights, and potentially authorize consequences for countries that fall short, regardless of their status as an enemy or partner of the United States.

Blinken in his remarks, explained that the US has “made clear” that Israel needs to follow international law “and take every feasible precaution to protect civilians.”

He emphasized that the department is still “urgently” raising concerns about civilian deaths in Gaza during the war.

The US also “repeatedly” brought up concerns about humanitarian aid access in Gaza, civilian displacement and “unprecedented” journalist deaths, the report noted.

Meanwhile, he Israeli war cabinet held a meeting late Sunday (local time) to discuss efforts for the release of remaining hostages held in Gaza, CNN reported, citing an Israeli official.

The war cabinet has four members – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, and National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz.

In a video statement, released by the Israel government’s press office to mark Passover on Sunday, Netanyahu said, “This night, 133 of our dear brothers and sisters do not sit at the Seder table and are still imprisoned in the hell of Hamas.”

He accused Hamas of rejecting proposals for a hostage deal “outright.” He announced that Israel will soon land “additional and painful blows” and will increase “military and political pressure” on Hamas to release the hostages, according to CNN report.

For weeks, international mediators have facilitated talks on a ceasefire and hostage deal. However, the talks have yielded no apparent breakthroughs.

Earlier this month, Hamas indicated that it was not able to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for the first phase of a ceasefire deal, CNN reported, citing Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions.

According to the framework outlined by the negotiators, Hamas should release 40 of the remaining hostages, including all the women as well as sick and elderly men during a first six-week pause in the fighting. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the report said.

ALSO READ: Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US colleges

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US House passes aid package for Ukraine, Israel

Indian-American in House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries' team.

Final Congressional approval is expected to come later during the weekend, when the package will be sent to the Senate.

The House of Representatives approved a $95.3 billion foreign-aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other American allies on Saturday. Lawmakers approved the package, most of which is direct military assistance, in separate votes, New York Post reported.

Final Congressional approval is expected to come later during the weekend, when the package will be sent to the Senate. US President Joe Biden has announced that he will sign it into law.

One bill provides $60.8 billion for Ukraine, with over 80 per cent of it for helping Kyiv amid its ongoing war with Russia, including replenishing supplies of US made weapons and ammunition. Around $9.5 billion of the package is in the form of a forgivable loan.

The bill was passed 311-112, with Republicans voting against it. Many Democrats celebrated the passage of the bill and waved Ukraine flags while shouting “Ukraine.” Of the 218 House Republican lawmakers, 112 voted against the bill, according to New York Post report.

US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who supported the bill, warned that it is a “violation” of the House to wave flags on the floor.

US Representative Anna Anna Paulina Luna asked Democrats to “Put those damn flags away!” A second measure provides roughly $17 billion in direct military aid for Israel and more than USD 9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and other war-torn regions.

The bill was passed 366-58 with dissenting members including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other “Squad” members and Representative Bob Good Freedom Caucus members, New York Post reported.

The third bill passed, 385-34, provides $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region to help deter China, about half of which has been kept aside for Taiwan.

US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul urged US House lawmakers to back the foreign-aid package, saying “evil is on the march.”

Before the vote, he said, “History is calling and now is the time to act.” He added, “Our adversaries are working together to undermine our Western values and demean our democracy.”

The lawmakers approval of the package came a day after a bipartisan coalition led by US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson voted 316-94 to clear a key procedural measure so it could be considered on the floor.

Most of the Republican lawmakers in the House supported Mike Johnson’s plans, despite threats by Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and other far-right lawmakers to oust him as speaker if he went ahead with the Ukraine aid bill instead of prioritising US border security as record-breaking numbers of migrants illegally enter the US and impact public funds.

The three amendments to the Ukraine bill, including one by Marjorie Taylor Greene reducing “every dollar amount in the bill to zero”, were all rejected on Saturday, New York Post reported.

A new border bill, introduced by Representative Juan Ciscomani, would have raised penalties for gun and drug-related offences committed in matters related to illegal immigration. However, it failed to clear the two-thirds supermajority that is required to pass the bill.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had placed pressure on Johnson to support a USD 95 billion bill approved by the Senate in February. That legislation provides all funding in a single bill. House Republicans have made several additions in the package, which are expected to be get Senate approval. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Blinken Denies US Role in Israeli Strike on Iran

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Erdogan, Hamas Chief to Address Gaza Crisis

Further details about the nature of discussions between the two were immediately unclear. …reports Asian Lite News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to meet militant organisation Hamas’ political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday in Istanbul, to discuss the ongoing Gaza war, state broadcaster TRT reports.

Further details about the nature of discussions between the two were immediately unclear. Haniyeh on Wednesday met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Qatar for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, according to the state news agency Anadolu.

Erdogan publicly endorses Hamas. Earlier this week, he likened Hamas to Turkish independence fighters against Western armies in Anatolia the 1920s, during a parliament address.

At the same address, the Turkish leader attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what he called an ongoing “massacre” in Gaza. Israel firmly rejects Erdogan’s statements.

Despite the president’s verbal attacks, Turkey has recently stepped up its efforts to play a mediating role in the Gaza war.

Negotiations mediated primarily by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have so far failed.

The war began after more than 1,200 people were killed in the massacre carried out by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups in Israel on October 7. Numerous people were also taken hostage from Israel to the Gaza Strip. There are still 133 people being held there, only some of whom are probably still alive.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza, with more than 33,000 people killed in the strip.

Given the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the strip, Israel is being increasingly criticized internationally – even by close partners.

ALSO READ: US Sanctions Chinese Firms Aiding Pakistan’s Missiles

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Israel Pulls Negotiators as Hamas Snubs Truce Offer

Israel has said that it will not relent to many of the demands put forward by the meditators, including Qatar and Egypt on behalf of the Hamas side….reports Asian Lite News

Israel has recalled its negotiating team from Qatar after Hamas rejected its latest offer on a hostage deal and truce, an Israeli official said.

The delegation led by the Mossad chief, David Barnea, had been in Doha for eight days.

Israel has said that it will not relent to many of the demands put forward by the meditators, including Qatar and Egypt on behalf of the Hamas side.

According to sources in the Israel defence ministry, Hamas had again put forward a demand of a total ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops and rehabilitation of Palestinians in northern Gaza from the south where they have been staying as refugees since the war broke out.

Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement on Tuesday night said, “Hamas wanted a permanent ceasefire and its decision to reject a US brokered compromise was clear proof of it not interested in continuing talks, and a sad testament to the damage caused by the UN Security council resolution.”

The statement also said, “Israel won’t cave into delusional demands made by Hamas.”

The hawks in the Israeli establishment, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant were not willing for even a temporary truce. This is owing to the military intelligence reports that Hamas military infrastructure has crumbled and only four battalions were remaining in southern Gaza and that it was only a matter of time before Hamas caves in.

The IDF chief has also briefed the Israel war cabinet that it was only a matter of time for the army to defeat Hamas and to take out its elusive and dreaded leader, Yahya Sinwar — the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 massacre.

The Israel defence ministry sources told IANS that the Hamas was trying to buy time and was expecting an escalation of violence in the West Bank area by the Hezbollah side before the end of Holy Ramzan month, which would force Israel to enter into mediation at the behest of international pressure.

ALSO READ: US and Israel clash over UN ceasefire demand  

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Israel Can’t Erase Hamas: Hezbollah

Nasrallah said that Israel had failed to achieve its “biggest goal” — to eliminate Hamas at the beginning of the war…reports Asian Lite News

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that Israel will not be able to eliminate Hamas even if it enters Rafah, a local media outlet reported.

“You have failed to achieve any of the war’s targets; even the Rafah operation will not offer you an image of victory. You will not be able to get rid of Hamas or the resistance,” Nasrallah said on Wednesday in a televised speech on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, showing solidarity with Hamas, the Gaza-ruling Palestinian faction.

Nasrallah said that Israel had failed to achieve its “biggest goal” — to eliminate Hamas at the beginning of the war. After nearly six months of war, Israelis are negotiating with Hamas through mediation, local TV channel al-Manar reported.

He claimed that Hamas is negotiating on behalf of all Palestinian factions, and it aims to reach a halt to the Israeli aggression against Gaza and not only a ceasefire.

The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing increased tension since October 8, 2023, after Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

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