(today)
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has told CNN that a ceasefire-hostage deal for Gaza is currently on the table with a pathway to end the war, and urged Hamas to accept it.
The proposal would see the release of half of the living hostages and half of those who have died in exchange for a temporary ceasefire before negotiations begin for a comprehensive agreement to end the war.
He declined to specify how long that temporary truce would last, which has been a key issue in the negotiations.
(today)
Al Jazeera’s sources said Hamas and the US’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, agreed to the draft deal at a meeting in the Qatari capital, Doha. They said it includes a 60-day ceasefire, and the release of 10 living captives held in Gaza, over two stages.
US President Donald Trump would guarantee the terms of the deal and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The agreement would also allow for the entry of humanitarian aid, without conditions, from day one, the sources said.
(24 hours ago)
Sources told Al Jazeera that representatives of Hamas and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have reached a draft ceasefire agreement in Qatar’s capital, Doha.
However, a US official told Al Jazeera that, according to Witkoff, Hamas has not agreed to a proposal currently on the table, and what he’s seen from the Palestinian group is “disappointing and completely unacceptable”.
Al Jazeera’s sources said the draft of the deal included a 60-day truce, the release of 10 living captives, and the return of bodies of others in return for Palestinian prisoners over two stages.
Five Israeli captives would be freed at the start of the agreement, with the other five released on the 60th day, they said.
Witkoff also rejected the notion that Hamas had accepted his offer for a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, telling Reuters that what he had seen was „completely unacceptable“ and the proposal being discussed was not the same as his.
Several news outlets reported on Monday that Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal that reportedly involves the releasing of 10 captives in two batches and a 70-day truce.
Citign a Hamas source, the AFP reported that Hamas agreed to the new proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
However, Witkoff appeared to walk back the reports. He told Axios on Monday that he was „disappointed“ that Hamas did not accept his proposal.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios on Monday he is „disappointed“ that Hamas has so far failed to accept his proposal for a new Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
The United States government has not said anything about this deal to reporters, in fact, it’s a bit of a ghost town at the White House North Lawn because it’s a federal holiday here.
Hamas has agreed to a proposal by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for a Gaza ceasefire, a Palestinian official close to the group told Reuters on Monday, paving the way for a possible end to the war with Israel.
The new proposal, which sees the release of ten hostages and 70 days of truce, was received by Hamas through mediators.
(May 19, 2025)
Israel’s security cabinet has reportedly approved a new model for delivering aid into Gaza, which the UN and our humanitarian partners cannot support. They are clear that they will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles. Humanitarian principles matter for every conflict around the world and should be applied consistently in every warzone. The UN has raised concerns that the proposed model cannot deliver aid effectively, at the speed and scale required. It places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives. Humanitarian aid should never be politicised, and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change.
(…)
The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management and the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean.
The New York Times found that the broad contours of the plan were first discussed in late 2023, at private meetings of like-minded officials, military officers and business people with close ties to the Israeli government.
The group called itself the Mikveh Yisrael Forum, after a college where members convened in December 2023. Its leading figures gradually settled on the idea of hiring private contractors to distribute food in Gaza, circumventing the United Nations.
The planning documents anticipated public skepticism and preemptively prepared talking points in case the GHF encountered allegations likening its food distribution hubs and residential compounds to “‘concentration camps’ with biometrics” or comparing the organization to Blackwater, a former U.S. mercenary firm implicated in violence against civilians in Iraq.
(…)
In mid-2024, Israeli officials shared their plans with a group of private-sector American consultants led by Phil Reilly, a retired CIA paramilitary officer and former agency station chief in Afghanistan. Reilly’s group, said five of the Israeli and American individuals, took over the planning and determined that a new company led by Reilly, named Safe Reach Solutions, would be the future subcontractor that would provide security and logistics for the hubs.
The Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Leo XIV met with the Vice President of the United States of America, James David Vance, on Monday morning. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and their wives were also present at the audience.
The US Vice President and Secretary of State represented the United States at the Pope’s Mass of Inauguration of his Petrine Ministry on Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Square.
(May 17, 2025)
Reports claiming that the U.S. has asked Iran to cease uranium enrichment for a couple of years are also false, a second source said. „From the outset, the negotiating team tasked with discussing a potential new agreement with the United States has made it clear that a cessation of uranium enrichment is not an option, even temporarily.“ Iran also maintained this position throughout the diplomatic process that led to the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, the source added.
(May 16, 2025)
Iran’s lead negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said in a post on X later Friday that the country hasn’t received a written proposal.
“In the meantime, the messaging we — and the world — continue to receive is confusing and contradictory,” he wrote. Earlier, Araghchi had said, “What the parties to the negotiations say in the media is not the same as what they say behind closed doors.”
Araghchi also repeated his insistence that Iran retain some enrichment capacity, which has been a major sticking point. U.S. officials have given conflicting messages on the levels of uranium enrichment they would accept.
Over the dissents of conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, the emergency decision prevents authorities from removing the migrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as a legal challenge proceeds, a win for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is suing on the migrants’ behalf.
But the justices declined the ACLU’s additional request to leapfrog the lower courts to immediately take up the issue of whether President Trump can invoke the rarely used law outside of wartime.
“Today’s ruling effectively extends the temporary freeze that the justices put on Alien Enemies Act removals from the Northern District of Texas back on April 19,” said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at Georgetown Law. “Because lower courts have blocked use of the act in every other district in which the president has sought to invoke it, that means it’s effectively pausing all removals under the act until the 5th Circuit – and, presumably, the Supreme Court itself – conclusively resolves whether they’re legal and how much process is due if so.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly endorsed this vision in late March, soon after Israel resumed the war. “Hamas will lay down its weapons. Its leaders will be allowed to leave. We will see to the general security of the Gaza Strip and allow the realization of the Trump plan for voluntary migration,” Netanyahu affirmed. “This is the plan. We are not hiding it and are ready to discuss it at any time.”
Just this week, Netanyahu made this link between the destruction of civilian buildings and forced displacement more explicit. “We are destroying more and more homes — they have nowhere to return to,” he reportedly said at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee. “The only expected result will be a desire for Gazans to emigrate outside the Strip.”
At another meeting with hostage families this week, Witkoff was pressed on why the US didn’t force Israel to stop. “We’re not the Israeli government. We don’t disagree. The Israeli government is a sovereign government. They can’t tell us what to do, and we can’t tell them what to do,” Witkoff said, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by Haaretz.
Israel’s military operations in Gaza are entirely reliant on US military aid, meaning the US has the ability to pressure Netanyahu to end the slaughter and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, which has been under a total Israeli blockade since March 2.
The optics of the U.S. leader’s Middle East visit were strong, showcasing the larger-than-life opulence of the region’s richest petrostates — and how much of that wealth they are willing to spend to deepen their ties with the U.S. and advance their own economic agendas.
The numbers are historic. Qatar and the U.S. agreed on a $1.2 trillion “economic exchange”; Saudia Arabia promised to invest $600 billion in the U.S., and major projects were signed with the United Arab Emirates, after Abu Dhabi in March committed to a 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework in the U.S.
“It was a deal,” said Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau who has previously engaged in direct talks with U.S. officials. He said the pledge was made by “Witkoff, himself.” In an interview with Drop Site, Naim said the agreement was: “If we release [Alexander], Trump will speak out thanking Hamas for its gesture, obliging Israel on the second day to open the borders and allow aid to come into Gaza, and [Trump would] call for an immediate ceasefire and to go for negotiations to end the war.”
“He did nothing of this,” Naim added. “They didn‘t violate the deal. They threw it in the trash.”
• Middle East visit: President Donald Trump is on the first major international trip of his second term as he works to shore up relations with a trio of key allies and prove his might as a dealmaker on the world stage.
• On the agenda: Trump received a warm welcome from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. Later today, he is expected to speak at a US-Saudi investment forum, where Elon Musk is also listed as a speaker. Trump will travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week.
• Weapons sale: The US announced a weapons sale of over $1.4 billion to the UAE ahead of Trump’s trip. A slew of deals between the two countries is expected to be announced during his visit, including investments in AI, chips, manufacturing and energy. Trump may also announce a major arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
“It’s disconcerting,” said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington.
“It’s total panic,” said Shalom Lipner, a former Netanyahu aide and a fellow at the Atlantic Council, describing the mood in Jerusalem.
The White House has called it a “historic return to the Middle East” and promised “a shared vision of stability, opportunity and mutual respect.” Israel is once again not on the itinerary. And after Trump blindsided Israel several times already – announcing talks with Iran, a deal with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and direct talks with Hamas – Israeli officials are concerned another surprise could be coming.
The Red Cross is now bringing Alexander to IDF special forces inside Gaza to then be escorted out of the Strip, the military adds.
Alexander was released by Hamas without a public ceremony.
We are hearing from Israeli media, citing Israeli defence officials, that the handover is expected to take place around 6:30pm (15:30 GMT).
The handover will be facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Alexander will be handed over and then taken to Israeli officials.
A source close to Hamas told AFP the handover of US-Israeli captive Edan Alexander, who has been held in Gaza since October 2023, would „most likely“ take place after 14:00 GMT on Monday.
Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, said on Sunday night that it would free the last living American citizen held captive in Gaza, just days before President Trump is expected to arrive in the region for the first major foreign tour of his second term.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s lead negotiator, said in a statement that Hamas had agreed to free the hostage, Edan Alexander, 21, after talks with the United States.
But the most significant causes for concern came late Friday, when explosions hit the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, the garrison city adjacent to Islamabad.
The base is a key installation, one of the central transport hubs for Pakistan’s military and the home to the air refueling capability that would keep Pakistani fighters aloft. But it is also just a short distance from the headquarters of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which oversees and protects the country’s nuclear arsenal, now believed to include about 170 or more warheads. The warheads themselves are presumed to be spread around the country.
(May 8, 2025)
Ties between the EU and Israel — which are major trading partners — are governed by a so-called Association Agreement. It stipulates that their ties “shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.”
The Dutch government has said that it intends to block the agreement pending an EU review into whether the Israel government is complying with the pact, which entered force in 2000. Kallas said the ministers would discuss this on May 20.
(May 7, 2025)
In a missive to European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Veldkamp accused Jerusalem of acting in violation of the 2000 E.U.-Israel Association Agreement, which states that relations between the Jewish state and the 27-member body are “based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.”
The Netherlands will block European cooperation with Jerusalem until alleged rights abuses are investigated, he wrote to Kallas. Renewal of the program requires unanimous support from all E.U. foreign ministers.
Ireland‘s Taoiseach Micheál Martin called the situation in Gaza ‘hell on earth’. He told The Europe Conversation that Israel is committing war crimes, and criticised the EU’s lack of response. Food and medicine have been blocked from entering the besieged area for almost 60 days.
Since Israel closed border crossings in early March, WCK has been unable to replenish the stocks of food that we use to feed hundreds of thousands of Gazans daily. In recent weeks, our teams stretched every remaining ingredient and fuel source using creativity and determination. We turned to alternative fuels like wood pallets and olive husk pellets and pivoted away from rice recipes that require more fuel in favor of stews with bread. By constantly adapting over the past weeks, we were cooking 133,000 meals daily at our two remaining WCK Field Kitchens and baking 80,000 loaves of bread each day.
But we have now reached the limits of what is possible.
Israel has long criticised involvement of the United Nations, seeing it as biased, and has banned work of the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees.
Asked about the lack of a role for the United Nations, whose efforts have been impeded by Israel, Bruce said: „Endless press releases and Hamas appeasement have not delivered food, medicine or shelter to those who need it.“
According to The Jerusalem Post, the US official told attendees Israel could face “a much heavier price” if it continues to oppose a ceasefire deal.
“President Trump is determined to move forward with a significant deal with Saudi Arabia, even without Israeli involvement,” the official reportedly said. “The ceasefire agreement with the Houthis is just a prelude. If Israel doesn’t come to its senses, even the ‘Deal of the Millennium’ will happen without it.”
The report said families of the captives hoped the meeting would result in greater international pressure on Israeli leaders to act.
(May 6, 2025)
While the White House has never confirmed that Israel would be part of his upcoming trip, there have been widespread rumors in diplomatic and national security circles that he would extend his trip to visit the U.S. ally.
Driving the news: Hegseth will arrive in Israel on May 12 and meet with his counterpart Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
– Hegseth will then travel to Saudi Arabia to join Trump‘s trip to the Gulf.
– Trump will also visit Qatar and the UAE but is not currently expected to visit Israel.
(May 1, 2025)
While the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are aligned with Iran, the Yemeni group has its own domestic missile and drone program, meaning they’re not reliant on Tehran for military support. This has been acknowledged by US officials, including President Trump.
“They’re experts on missiles. I mean, they actually make missiles. Nobody thought that, but they make missiles. It’s highly sophisticated,” President Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early April.
In March, The Washington Post, citing US officials, reported that the Houthis have “established their own substantial, independent weapons production capability.”
The Houthis also operate independently and aren’t likely to take orders from Tehran.
(Updated 21 hours ago)
An initial framework under discussion preserves the core of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) – scrapped by Trump in 2018 during his first term, eight sources said.
A deal may not look radically different to the former pact, which he called the worst in history, but would extend duration to 25 years, tighten verification, and expand so-called sunset clauses that pause but don‘t completely dismantle aspects of Iran‘s nuclear program, all the sources said.