Hamas said on Wednesday it was reviewing new Gaza proposals put forward by mediators, saying it wanted a deal that ends the war and ensures Israel's withdrawal.
"We are dealing with a high level of responsibility and conducting consultations as we review the proposals presented by our brother mediators in order to reach an agreement that guarantees the end of aggression, achieve the withdrawal and urgently aid our people in Gaza," Hamas said.
The statement followed an assertion by US President Donald Trump that Israel was moving towards a ceasefire in Gaza. Speaking on Tuesday, he said Israel has agreed to the “necessary conditions” to finalise a 60-day truce.
During that period, he added on his Truth Social platform, “we will work with all parties to end the war.
"The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring peace, will deliver this final proposal,” Mr Trump said. “I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this deal, because it will not get better – it will only get worse.”
Mr Trump also said he would be “very firm” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will visit Washington next week, on the need to end the 20-month conflict.
On Wednesday, however, Mr Netanyahu, making his first public remarks since Mr Trump spoke, called for the elimination of Hamas. "There will not be a Hamas. There will not be a Hamastan. We're not going back to that. It's over," Mr Netanyahu said.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Hamas official told The National the US was not serious about ending the Gaza war and bears direct responsibility for the conflict by supporting “massacres” in the territory.
The official, Mahmoud Taha from Hamas's media office in Beirut, described Washington's policy as a “blatant contradiction, clear lies, and hypocrisy” in light of violence on the ground.
He said Hamas “does not trust these statements because the reality on the ground contradicts what they are saying in the media”.
Trump push for ceasefire
“They talk about a proposal and a potential ceasefire next week, while at the same time Trump is sending a multimillion-dollar weapons deal to Israel to kill children and women. How does that make sense?” Mr Taha said.
“The US administration is not serious about ending the aggression on Gaza and bears direct responsibility for supporting and participating in the massacres. The death toll is rising daily.”
Contact between Hamas and Israel on one side and mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US on the other has increased over the past week in Cairo. The objective is to find enough common ground to hold another round of talks, sources have told The National.
A senior Israeli official, Ron Dermer, has also been in Washington holding discussions.
Sources said the proposals put forward to Hamas provide for the staggered release of 10 living hostages: eight during the first and second weeks of the proposed 60-day truce and two at its end.
They also involve the handover of the remains of 20 hostages who died while in captivity, said the sources. They said the release of the living hostages and remains would be in exchange for the freedom of nearly 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The proposals also include the entry of large amounts of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, they added.
Hamas officials previously told The National that the group was engaging positively with the mediators, but that the fate of a possible ceasefire lies in the talks between the US and Israel.
Mr Taha reiterated that message on Wednesday.
“We hope to reach an agreement that ends the aggression and leads to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as soon as possible,” he said. “But the issue lies with the Israeli side and with the US administration, which is aligned with Netanyahu and his fascist government.”
US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators have been trying to convince Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal since a six-week truce collapsed in March and Israel resumed military operations.
Israel insists the war will end only when Hamas is annihilated, both militarily and politically, and all the estimated 50 hostages – of whom only 20 are believed to be alive – are freed.
Hamas wants guarantees that Israel will withdraw fully from Gaza and agree to a permanent ceasefire. Israel refuses to commit to any postwar arrangements for Gaza and says it will maintain a security presence there after the end of the war.
The Gaza war was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel communities in October 2023 in which 1,200 were killed and another 250 taken hostage. The attack drew a harsh military response from Israel that has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians and injured more than twice that number, according to health authorities in Gaza.
Israel also reduced to rubble most of Gaza's built-up areas and displaced the majority of the enclave's 2.3 million residents, more than once in many cases.
De De Pyaar De
Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
MATCH INFO
Champions League last 16, first leg
Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
Notable groups (UAE time)
Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson (12.47pm)
Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen (12.58pm)
Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (1.09pm)
Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Zach Johnson (4.04pm)
Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Adam Scott (4.26pm)
Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)
