United News of Bangladesh

US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel has accepted the "necessary conditions" to finalise a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said all sides would work together to end the war during the proposed pause in fighting, though he did not elaborate on the specific terms. "The Qataris and Egyptians have worked tirelessly to help achieve peace and will deliver the final proposal. I hope Hamas accepts it, because there won't be a better offer — only worse," Trump warned. Israel launched its Gaza offensive following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims at least 56,647 people have died. It remains uncertain if Hamas will accept the proposed ceasefire terms. Trump's remarks come ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week, where Trump has pledged to take a tough stance. He also expressed confidence that Netanyahu wants to end the conflict. Meanwhile, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is in Washington for talks with US officials including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance. International charities, NGOs call for end to controversial Israeli-backed aid group in Gaza Although international mediators have intensified efforts to secure a truce and hostage release, negotiations between Israel and Hamas have so far stalled. Israel insists the war will not end until Hamas is dismantled, while Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Roughly 50 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with at least 20 believed to be alive. Trump’s announcement comes as Israel expands military operations in northern Gaza, where 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed in an airstrike on a Gaza City café on Monday. The Israeli military also said it is reviewing reports that civilians were harmed while approaching aid centres run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Over 170 NGOs have called for GHF’s closure, accusing Israeli forces of firing on Palestinians seeking aid — a claim Israel denies, insisting the group is vital to bypass Hamas's influence over aid. 74 killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes hit cafe, aid seekers shot A previous ceasefire agreement collapsed in March after Israel launched renewed strikes, calling them preemptive actions against Hamas's military build-up. That deal, which began on January 19, included plans for a permanent ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and Israeli troop withdrawal, but only the initial phase was implemented. Source: BBC 

During a visit to Cairo, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a ceasefire in Gaza and demanded that Israel lift its blockade to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged territory. Macron held high-level discussions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the Ittihadiya Palace, where the two sides aimed to sign a number of cooperation agreements. The leaders were also scheduled to hold a trilateral summit with Jordan’s King Abdullah II to address the ongoing crisis in Gaza, reports Al Jazareea.  

Hamas' threat to delay the next planned release of Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip has jolted a fragile ceasefire that’s seen as having the potential to wind down the war. It has brought new dismay for Israelis who watched the latest Hamas handover of hostages in growing horror over the weekend as the three emaciated men came into sight. Of the 17 hostages yet to be released from Gaza under this phase of the ceasefire, Israel has said eight are dead. The next handover of three hostages had been scheduled for Saturday, and families say time is running out for those still alive. Israel now awaits what comes from a security Cabinet meeting Tuesday morning, moved up in response to Monday's Hamas announcement. The developments also have led to new fear in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have surged to what remains of their homes in the territory’s north after fleeing in the war’s earliest weeks. The uncertainty, just over halfway into the ceasefire’s six-week first phase, complicates talks on the far more difficult phase. It also jeopardizes the pause in the devastating fighting and the increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza that it has made possible. Already, there had been concerns that the war would resume at the end of the first phase in early March. What happened? Hamas accused Israel of not holding up its end of the deal by initially delaying the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza over an earlier dispute, carrying out strikes across the territory and hindering the entry of humanitarian aid. The militant group, which quickly reasserted control over Gaza when the ceasefire began on Jan. 19, said the next hostage release would be delayed “until further notice.” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the delay “a complete violation” of the ceasefire agreement, and he instructed the military to be on highest alert. The prime minister’s coordinator for hostages said the government intends to live up to its end of the deal. Hamas releases 3 more Israeli hostages for dozens of Palestinian prisoners under Gaza ceasefire A later Hamas statement called the postponement a “warning signal” to Israel and noted that five days remained for mediators – the United States, Qatar and Egypt -- to pressure Israel to act. “The door remains open for the exchange to proceed as planned if Israel abides by its obligations," it said. There was no immediate public reaction from mediators. What’s Trump saying? The Hamas announcement came as U.S. President Donald Trump pressed further on his stunning proposal to remove the Palestinian population from devastated Gaza and have the U.S. take “ownership” of the territory. He told Fox News on Sunday that the Palestinians would not have the right to return. That deepened the shock among Palestinians, who live with the history of fleeing or being forced from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war. And it brought new condemnation from Arab nations that have long pressed for an independent Palestinian state. Trump’s comments contradicted some of his own administration officials who had said the president was only calling for the Palestinians’ temporary relocation. The Hamas statements on Monday made no mention of Trump’s proposal, which they have rejected multiple times. Who and what is at stake? In immediate limbo is the planned release on Saturday of three more Israeli hostages, along with dozens more Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody. Such exchanges – five so far in a gradual release of 33 hostages – have been sometimes tense and chaotic acts of trust that have gradually pushed the ceasefire forward, allowing its other measures to fall into place. But the latest release brought home like no other the bleak and dangerous conditions for those still held in Gaza. Israel's Netanyahu heads to US to discuss 'victory over Hamas' with Trump Relatives of the newly released hostages, at times sobbing, have described people being chained or held underground for months and eating half a piece of pita per day. Freed hostages have described going months without showering. The accounts have put furious new pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to begin the delayed talks on the ceasefire’s second phase, which is meant to see more hostages released and bring a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. “The hostages are in a clear and present danger. Their lives are at risk,” a doctor working with families of hostages, Hagai Levine, warned Monday. “Delaying their release means that some of them will not survive.”