UK’s foreign secretary Cameron: 40-day ceasefire is on table if Hamas accept deal
The current proposal put to Hamas over the Gaza war includes a sustained 40-day ceasefire and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages, British foreign secretary David Cameron said on Monday.
“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’,” Cameron added in a World Economic Forum special meeting held in Riyadh, echoing earlier words from US secretary of state Antony Blinken in calling the proposal “very generous”.
Cameron added that he believed the Hamas leadership and those who took part in the 7 October attack inside Israel need to leave Gaza before a two-state political solution is feasible.
The former British prime minister said the conflict will not end until all of the hostages abducted on 7 October are released.
Key events
Summary of the day …
Antony Blinken has told a meeting of regional leaders in Riyadh that the most effective way to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza is to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Speaking in Saudi Arabia, the US secretary of state said that there had been “measurable progress” in delivering aid to Gaza, which Israel has beseiged for six months, but more is needed.
Blinken said Hamas has before it “a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel”. Speaking at a World Economic Forum eveint, he said “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly. And I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision.”
Blinken urges Hamas to accept Israel’s ‘generous’ Gaza deal – video
British foreign secretary David Cameron has said the current proposal put to Hamas includes a sustained 40-day ceasefire and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Cameron added that he believed the Hamas leadership and those who took part in the 7 October attack inside Israel need to leave Gaza before a two-state political solution is feasible. The former British prime minister said the conflict will not end until all of the hostages abducted on 7 October are released.
Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that his country was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and hostage release in the Gaza Strip. France’s foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné, visiting the region, said “Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire.
Israeli media is reporting that Israel has lowered to 33 the number of hostages expected to be released by Hamas in return for a ceasefire and the release of Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and 77,643 were injured during Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, a statement by Gaza’s Hamas-led health ministry said on Monday. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah for Al Jazeera, has said that it has been “an extremely difficult night for civilians” and that “at least 20 Palestinians were killed, including five children” by Israeli airstrikes.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli security forces detained 12 Palestinians overnight in the occupied West Bank. It said raids were carried out in Hebron, Tulkarm, Jenin and Jericho.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has reported an incident near Yemen’s port city of Mokha which is suspected to be another attack on shipping by Yemen’s Houthis.
The Times of Israel is reporting that Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has broken his foot “during a cross-country bike ride” and has been taken to hospital. The paper said he is expected to be released later today. The news comes a day after the far-right interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was discharged from hospital after a two day stay, having been involved in a car crash Friday.
Hamas’ al Qassam Brigades said on Monday it had targeted an Israeli military position with a salvo of missiles from south Lebanon. Israel’s military has claimed that overnight it once again struck at Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon. British maritime security firm Ambrey has said that a Malta-flagged container ship was targeted with three missiles while it was en route from Djibouti to Jeddah.
Blinken said he respected and understood the “profound emotions” people were feeling about the human suffering in Gaza, but also expressed frustration that the role of Hamas was seemingly being “erased” in protests at US campuses and beyond. Tehran criticised the US for the arrests of about 275 protesters in the US over the weekend.
Several European member states are expected to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. 140 of the 193 UN member states have recognised the state of Palestine. On 18 April the US vetoed a draft security council resolution that would have recognised Palestine as a full member of the UN.
UK’s foreign secretary Cameron: 40-day ceasefire is on table if Hamas accept deal
The current proposal put to Hamas over the Gaza war includes a sustained 40-day ceasefire and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages, British foreign secretary David Cameron said on Monday.
“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’,” Cameron added in a World Economic Forum special meeting held in Riyadh, echoing earlier words from US secretary of state Antony Blinken in calling the proposal “very generous”.
Cameron added that he believed the Hamas leadership and those who took part in the 7 October attack inside Israel need to leave Gaza before a two-state political solution is feasible.
The former British prime minister said the conflict will not end until all of the hostages abducted on 7 October are released.
Israeli media is reporting that Israel has lowered to 33 the number of hostages expected to be released by Hamas in return for a ceasefire and the release of Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
On 7 October about 250 people are thought to have been abducted and seized as hostages by Hamas and other groups from Gaza. It is believed that about 130 still remain in the territory, though not all those are believed to be alive.
The general understanding of the deal on the table is that Hamas would initial release any women, children, the sick and those aged over 50. Hamas has at times appeared to argue that it cannot organise the gathering of information about the hostages or coordinate their release until a ceasefire is in place first, a condition which Israel has rejected.
Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting that the death toll in Rafah from Israeli airstrikes has risen to 25, with “at least four civilians, including three women” killed in the latest strike on the west of Rafah. Earlier reports said that at least 20 Palestinians, including five children, had been killed by airstrikes. Images over the news wires have shown people mourning over multiple wrapped bodies. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict, and access to Gaza for international journalists has been restricted.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has issued more detail of an incident off the coast of Yemen. It reports that there was “an explosion in close proximity to a merchant vessel. Vessel and crew are reported safe.”
British maritime security firm Ambrey has said that a Malta-flagged container ship was targeted with three missiles while it was en route from Djibouti to Jeddah.
Several European member states are expected to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday at the sidelines of a World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh, Reuters reports.
140 of the 193 UN member states have recognised the State of Palestine. On 18 April the US vetoed a draft security council resolution that would have recognised Palestine as a full member of the UN.
Reuters reports that student protesters have forced the Sorbonne University in Paris to close for the day after staging a demonstration there.
Chanting “Free Palestine” at the university’s gates, some students set up tents in the courtyard. It comes days after similar protests at Paris’s Sciences Po elite school.
Police were securing the street with the main entrance, facing a group of around 50 students, a Reuters reporter saw.
Students of the Sorbonne University gather to protest over the Gaza war in Paris, 29 April. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/ReutersA student holds a Palestinian flag near the Sorbonne university, 29 April. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
The Times of Israel is reporting that Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has broken his foot “during a cross-country bike ride” and has been taken to hospital. The paper said he is expected to be released later today.
The news comes a day after the far-right interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was discharged from hospital after a two day stay, having been involved in a car accident Friday. The paper reports that “dashcam footage from the scene of the accident showed the minister’s car and another car in his entourage running a red light”.
Egyptian foreign minister ‘hopeful’ about new proposal for truce in Gaza
Egypt’s foreign minister said he was “hopeful” about a new proposal for a truce in Gaza as a Hamas delegation was due in Cairo for talks on Monday.
“There is a proposal on the table (and it’s) up to the two sides to consider and accept,” Sameh Shoukry said in Riyadh at the World Economic Forum.
“We are hopeful,” he added, explaining that “the proposal has taken into account the positions of both sides and has tried to extract moderation”.
“We are waiting to have a final decision. There are factors that will have an impact on both side’s decisions, but I hope that all will rise to the occasion.”
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for months but a flurry of diplomacy in recent days appeared to suggest a new push towards halting the fighting.
A Hamas delegation was due in Egypt on Monday, where it is expected to respond to Israel’s latest proposal for a truce in Gaza and a release of hostages after almost seven months of war.
Summary of the day so far …
Antony Blinken has told a meeting of regional leaders in Riyadh that the most effective way to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza is to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Speaking in Saudi Arabia, the US secretary of state said that there had been “measurable progress” in delivering aid to Gaza, which Israel has beseiged for six months, but more is needed.
Blinken said Hamas has before it “a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel”. Speaking at a World Economic Forum eveint, he said “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly. And I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision.”
Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that his country was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and hostage release in the Gaza Strip, but that it was waiting for a response on the proposal from Israel and Hamas.
France’s foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné said “Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire. We will discuss the hostages, humanitarian situation and the ceasefire.”
At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and 77,643 were injured during Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, a statement by Gaza’s Hamas-led health ministry said on Monday. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah for Al Jazeera, has said that it has been “an extremely difficult night for civilians” and that “at least 20 Palestinians were killed, including five children” by Israeli airstrikes.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli security forces detained 12 Palestinians overnight in the occupied West Bank. It said raids were carried out in Hebron, Tulkarm, Jenin and Jericho.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has reported an incident near Yemen’s port city of Mokha which is suspected to be another attack on shipping by Yemen’s Houthis.
Hamas’ al Qassam Brigades said on Monday it had targeted an Israeli military position with a salvo of missiles from south Lebanon. Israel’s military has claimed that overnight it once again struck at Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon.
Blinken said he respected and understood the “profound emotions” people were feeling about the human suffering in Gaza, but also expressed frustration that the role of Hamas was seemingly being “erased” in protests at US campuses and beyond. Tehran criticised the US for the arrests of about 275 protestors in the US over the weekend.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli security forces detained 12 Palestinians overnight in the occupied West Bank. It said raids were carried out in Hebron, Tulkarm, Jenin and Jericho.
Reuters reports that Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that his country was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and hostage release in the Gaza Strip, but that it was waiting for a response on the proposal from Israel and Hamas.
Shoukry was speaking on a panel in Riyadh with Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi, who said the war in Gaza had turned “Israel into a pariah state”.
AFP reports from Tehran that Iran on Monday again criticised police crackdowns in the US against university students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
“The American government has practically ignored its human rights obligations and respect for the principles of democracy that they profess,” foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said.
Tehran “does not at all accept the violent police and military behaviour aimed at the academic atmosphere and student demands”, AFP reports he said, referring to the arrests of about 275 people in the US over the weekend.
