Hamas said Thursday it would soon send a delegation to Cairo to resume ceasefire talks in response to Egypt’s latest proposal. In a statement, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he had spoken with Egypt’s intelligence chief and “stressed the movement’s positive sentiment in studying the ceasefire proposal.” The statement did not say when the delegation would travel.
If Israel-Hamas war Halted today, it will take until 2040 to rebuild all the homes destroyed in nearly seven months of Israeli bombing and ground attacks, according to United Nations estimates released Thursday.
The US has pressed Israel to increase aid supplies during the war, Israel said on Wednesday A border crossing was reopened The northern Gaza Strip has been hit hard for the first time since it was devastated at the start of the war.
Meanwhile, on his seventh visit since the latest war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken pressed for a ceasefire deal. The proposed cease-fire would see Hamas release prisoners in exchange for an end to fighting and providing Gaza with much-needed food, medicine and water. Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released as part of the deal.
On Oct. 7, Palestinian militants a Unprecedented attack in southern Israel, about 1,200 people were killed – mostly civilians – and about 250 hostages were taken. Israel says the militants They still hold 100 hostages and the remains of over 30 others.
The death toll in Gaza is over 34,500 Palestinians. According to local health officials, the region is facing a humanitarian disaster. The war displaced 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, wreaked havoc on many towns and cities, and pushed northern Gaza. to the brink of famine.
Currently:
– Intermittent coverage of the Israel-Hamas war is suspended Protests and police action in American schools.
– The President of Colombia says the country Cut diplomatic ties with Israel About the war in Gaza.
– The Biden administration is weighing measures to do so Help Palestinians bring families from the region.
— Blink presses Hamas “The time has come” for an agreement to close the ceasefire with Israel.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Here’s the latest:
Also, Hamas representatives are to travel to Egypt for ceasefire talks
CAIRO – Hamas says it will send a delegation to Cairo to continue ceasefire talks.
Hamas was expected to respond as soon as Thursday to Egypt’s latest plan.
In a statement, the group’s supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said he had spoken with Egypt’s intelligence chief and “stressed the movement’s positive sentiment in examining the ceasefire proposal.”
The statement said Hamas negotiators would travel to Egypt as soon as possible “to conclude ongoing discussions with the aim of moving forward to an agreement”.
The statement did not say when the delegation would travel.
German Chancellor, Israeli Prime Minister Discuss Hostage Release and Ceasefire in Phone Call
BERLIN – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed efforts to free Hamas hostages and a ceasefire in a phone call Thursday, German government spokesman Wolfgang Buchner said without giving details.
One topic was further improvements in the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, Buechner said in an emailed statement.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany is the second largest arms supplier to Israel after the United States. It is one of the countries that announced the resumption of cooperation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestinians in Gaza. Independent study Its neutrality – Israel’s Foreign Ministry called it “regrettable and disappointing”.
The Health Ministry added 28 people to the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza
BEIRUT – The bodies of 28 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s health ministry said Thursday. Its daily report said 51 people were injured in hospitals.
That brings the overall Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war to at least 34,596, the ministry said, and 77,816 wounded. The The Ministry of Health does not differentiate Its numbers range between militants and civilians, but it says two-thirds of those killed were women and children.
The Israeli army claims to have killed around 13,000 fighters, with no evidence to support the claim.
Fighting in Gaza has destroyed 3,70,000 homes and repairs will take at least 2040, UN report says
AMMAN, Jordan — If the war in Gaza were to stop today, it would take until 2040 to rebuild all the homes destroyed in nearly seven months of Israeli bombing and ground attacks, according to United Nations estimates released Thursday.
“Every additional day that this war continues imposes enormous and collective costs on the people of Gaza and all Palestinians,” said Achim Steiner, United Nations Development Program administrator.
At least 370,000 homes in Gaza have been damaged, including 79,000 completely destroyed, according to a new report by the UNDP and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, which describes how Israel’s offensive was launched after Hamas’ October 7 attack. destroyed the economy of the Palestinian Territories, and how its impact will increase the longer the conflict lasts.
After previous Israel-Hamas conflicts, housing was rebuilt at a rate of 992 units per year. Even if Israel allows a fivefold increase in construction materials inside Gaza, the report says it will take until 2040 to rebuild the destroyed homes without repairing them.
In Gaza, the Israeli offensive has nearly shut down an 81% shrinking economy in the last quarter of 2023. “The productive base of the economy has been destroyed,” the report said, with sectors suffering more than 90% losses.
Gaza, home to about 2.3 million Palestinians, has been under siege by Israel and Egypt since its 2007 takeover by Hamas. Before the war, it faced “high unemployment” of 45%, reaching almost 63% among younger workers. Since the start of the war, it has lost about 201,000 jobs.
The war has also affected the West Bank, where Israel has imposed restrictions on movement for months. By 2024, the entire Palestinian economy — including Gaza and the West Bank — has shrunk by 25.8% so far, and the loss could reach 29% by July if the war continues, the report says, equating to $7.6 billion.
Hamas applauds Colombia’s decision to sever ties with Israel
BEIRUT – The militant Palestinian group Hamas hailed Colombia’s announcement Break ties with IsraelSuch action purports to recognize the plight of the Palestinian people.
In its statement on Thursday, Hamas called on other Latin American leaders to sever their countries’ diplomatic ties with Israel, describing it as “a rogue and fascist organization that perpetrates crimes against our people.”
Historically, Colombia has been one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two countries cooled later Gustavo Pedro was elected Colombia’s first left-wing president in 2022.
Describing Israel’s blockade of Gaza as “genocide”, Petro announced on Thursday that he would sever diplomatic ties with Israel. He previously stopped buying arms from Israel and compared that country’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. Hamas said it highly respected Petro’s position.
Weeks after the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the current war in Gaza and killed around 1,200 people, Pedro recalled Colombia’s ambassador to Israel criticizing the country’s military offensive.
