Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire talks have resumed after weeks-long hiatus
A Hamas official says international mediators have resumed negotiating with the Palestinian group and Israel over a ceasefire in Gaza, and that he was hopeful a deal to end the 14-month war was within reach.
Ceasefire negotiations were halted last month when Qatar suspended talks with mediators from Egypt and the United States because of frustration over a lack of progress between Israel and Hamas.
But there has been a “reactivation” of efforts in recent days to end the fighting, release captives from Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners in Israel, according to Basem Naim, an official in Hamas’s political bureau who spoke with The Associated Press news agency.
Israeli and German army commanders hold talks
Israeli army chief of staff Herzi Halevi has hosted his German counterpart, Carsten Breuer.
“The two discussed the latest operational events with an emphasis on the northern theatre, the increasingly strong cooperation between the armies, and preparedness for near and distant threats,” an Israeli army statement said, adding that the meeting took place yesterday.
It added: “The Chief of Staff expressed his appreciation to the German Chief of Staff for their shared commitment to strengthening regional stability and security in the Middle East.”
Germany rejects Amnesty’s accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
Asked for a response to Amnesty’s report that accused Israel of committing “genocide” against Palestinians in its war on Gaza, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told reporters: “The question of genocide presupposes a clear intention to eradicate an ethnic group. I still do not recognise any such clear intention and therefore I cannot share the conclusions of the report.
“We take the accusations in the report very seriously and are currently analysing them,” he said. “We have repeatedly urged the Israeli government to adjust its military operations in Gaza and better fulfil its obligations to protect civilians,” Fischer said.
“However it is still our opinion that Israel is acting in defence against Hamas which sparked this conflict with its terror attacks,” he said.
On Thursday the London-based human rights group published a 300-page report on Israel’s offensive in Gaza, saying its findings were based on satellite images documenting devastation, fieldwork and ground reports from people in Gaza, as well as “dehumanising and genocidal statements by Israeli gover
Of course the countries complicit in genocide will deny its a genocide.
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