WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Sunday said talks on implementing a truce for Gaza will take days, while his foreign policy chief, Marco Rubio, warned that Israel needs to stop bombing for a hostage release to happen.&nbsp;&quot;They&#39;re in negotiations right now as we speak. They&#39;ve started the negotiations. It&#39;ll last a couple of days,&quot; Trump told reporters at the White House.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ll see how it turns out. But I&#39;m hearing it&#39;s going very well,&quot; he added.&nbsp;In a text exchange with CNN released Sunday, Trump said &quot;yes&quot; when asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on board with ending the military campaign in Gaza. Trump urges negotiators to &#39;move fast&#39;In a separate post on his Truth Social platform, Trump urged Hamas and Israeli negotiators to &quot;move fast,&quot; adding that there had been &quot;very positive discussions&quot; with the Palestinian group. &quot;There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the hostages, end the war in Gaza, but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East,&quot; he said. &quot;These talks have been very successful, and are proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details. I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST.&quot; Negotiators from Israel and Hamas were set to hold talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Netanyahu expressing hope that hostages held in Gaza could be released within days. However, Hamas called for a swift start to a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel. &quot;Hamas is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions,&quot; a senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Separately, Rubio called for a halt to Israeli bombing on Gaza.&nbsp;&quot;I think the Israelis and everyone acknowledge you can&#39;t release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop,&quot; the secretary of state told CBS News talk show &quot;Face the Nation.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;There can&#39;t be a war going on in the middle of it.&quot;&nbsp;The diplomatic push follows the positive response by Hamas to Trump&#39;s roadmap for an end to the fighting and the release of captives in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.&nbsp;Rubio told NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press&quot; that there were &quot;logistical challenges&quot; to address to pave the way for the hostage release.&nbsp;He also predicted that the longer-term goals would be &quot;even harder&quot; to attain, in terms of how the war-ravaged territory will be governed and disarming militants.&nbsp;&quot;You can&#39;t set up a government structure in Gaza that&#39;s not Hamas in three days. I mean, it takes some time,&quot; Rubio told NBC.&nbsp;Trump told CNN he expected clarity &quot;soon&quot; on whether the Palestinian group that carried out the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the conflict was committed to peace.&nbsp;The US president added that if Hamas were to refuse to cede power, they would face &quot;Complete Obliteration!&quot;

Americas

US president urges negotiators to 'move fast'; Hamas calls for swift start to hostage-prisoner exchange; Rubio says Israel must pause bombing for hostages to be safely released.





Trump says Gaza deal talks to go on 'couple' days

ROME: Some of the activists detained while trying to reach Gaza by sea have returned to their home countries to describe abuse and humiliation at the hands of Israeli guards.&nbsp;Some 450 activists were arrested as Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel&rsquo;s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the famine-stricken territory. Those detained between Wednesday and Friday were brought to Israel, where many remain in prison.&nbsp;Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi said Israeli soldiers withheld medicines and treated prisoners &ldquo;like monkeys.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;This is called torture. It&rsquo;s called torture, a denial of human rights, even the most basic ones,&rdquo; he said on his return at Rome&rsquo;s Fiumicino Airport late Saturday.&nbsp;&ldquo;They took away everyone&rsquo;s medicine: people with heart disease, asthma, even an 86-year-old man they took away his inhaler.&rdquo;&nbsp;Among those detained were Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela&rsquo;s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European lawmakers.&nbsp;Tommasi said Thunberg was singled out by Israeli forces after being arrested.&nbsp;&ldquo;We also saw Greta Thunberg at the port, in that case with her arms tied and an Israeli flag next to her, just a mockery,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s say the mockery was part of the verbal and psychological violence they always carried out, in order to demean, ridicule and laugh in situations where there is nothing to laugh about.&rdquo;&nbsp;The inteception of the flotilla came as US President Donald Trump was appearing to be brokering a fresh peace initiative in Gaza, including a proposed ceasefire, as he ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza.&nbsp;Another Italian journalist, Lorenzo D&rsquo;Agostino, said detainees were repeatedly woken during the two nights he spent behind bars. They were also intimidated with dogs and by soldiers pointing the laser sights of their guns at prisoners &ldquo;to scare us.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Overall, I felt I was being held by a terrorist organization,&rdquo; he said after landing at Istanbul Airport, where 137 activists from 13 countries arrived from Israel on Saturday.&nbsp;D&rsquo;Agostino added that his belongings and money had been &ldquo;stolen by the Israelis.&rdquo;&nbsp;Activist Paolo De Montis described being crammed into a prison van for hours with his hands secured by zip ties.&nbsp;&ldquo;Constant stress and humiliation,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You weren&rsquo;t allowed to look them in the face, always had to keep your head down and when I did look up, a man came and shook me and slapped me on the back of the head.&rdquo;&nbsp;In a statement, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he was &ldquo;proud&rdquo; of the way staff behaved at Ketziot prison, a facility in the Negev desert.&nbsp;&ldquo;I was proud that we treat the &lsquo;flotilla activists&rsquo; as supporters of terrorism. Anyone who supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves the conditions of terrorists,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&ldquo;If any of them thought they would come here and receive a red carpet and trumpets they were mistaken. They should get a good feel for the conditions in Ketziot prison and think twice before they approach Israel again.&rdquo;&nbsp;The arrests led to criticism from several governments including Turkey, Colombia and Pakistan. Greece, which had 27 of its nationals in Israeli custody, issued a &ldquo;strong written protest&rdquo; to Israel over the &ldquo;unacceptable and inappropriate behavior of an Israeli minister.&rdquo;&nbsp;The complaint is thought to refer to footage of Ben-Gvir upbraiding the activists for supporting &ldquo;terrorism&rdquo; and mocking their aid initiative after they were brought ashore at the southern port of Ashdod on Friday.&nbsp;The Swedish Foreign Ministry said it had &ldquo;acted intensively to ensure that the detained Swedes&rsquo; rights are observed.&rdquo;&nbsp;The interception of the flotilla also led to large-scale demonstrations in cities across the world.

Middle East

About 450 activists detained after Israel intercepted the Gaza flotilla report abuse, humiliation, and withheld medicine. Israel denies mistreatment, labeling them terrorists. The arrests sparked protests and criticism from multiple governments worldwide.

Activists accuse Israel of abuse during Gaza flotilla detention

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Saturday to discuss regional developments and the ongoing crisis in Gaza. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two leaders reviewed diplomatic efforts among eight Arab-Islamic countries and the United States in New York, focused on achieving an immediate and durable ceasefire and ensuring unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.<div class="fr-embed responsive-video"><div class="video-wrapper aspect-video"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 745px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1974404763472253102&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=7476a1b91bc03244c33e93e80c45f9a3cb0e8dc6&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div></div> Dar appreciated Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s constructive role and continued engagement in advancing peace efforts. Both sides also discussed recent developments, including Hamas&rsquo;s response to a US peace proposal, which they described as a hopeful step toward ending hostilities. The deputy prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s firm commitment to the Palestinian cause and expressed support for all regional and international initiatives aimed at securing a comprehensive and lasting peace. Both leaders agreed to maintain close coordination with Arab and Islamic partners, as well as the international community, to promote a just resolution of the conflict based on the two-state solution.&nbsp; &#39;Key areas&#39; not addressedOn Tuesday, Dar clarified Pakistan&rsquo;s position on the Gaza peace plan presented by the US and Israel earlier this week, saying the proposal did not address &ldquo;key areas.&rdquo; The 20-point plan, supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, disarmament, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. US President Donald Trump said his administration was waiting for Hamas to accept the plan. Pakistan&rsquo;s stanceSpeaking to reporters in Islamabad, Dar said the document did not reflect several crucial points discussed in the joint commitment issued by the foreign ministers of eight Muslim-majority countries. &ldquo;If these issues are not addressed, they will be,&rdquo; he said, emphasizing the group&rsquo;s immediate goal of stopping displacement, ending the bloodshed, and ensuring humanitarian access to Gaza. He stressed that Pakistan&rsquo;s stance was aligned with the joint position of the eight countries and was not an independent statement. &ldquo;This is the collective commitment of eight countries, not just mine or the Prime Minister&rsquo;s,&rdquo; Dar said. Earlier, a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan welcomed the US initiative and lauded President Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;sincere efforts to end the war.&rdquo;

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Central Asia

Europe

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Saturday to discuss regional developments and the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

Dar, Saudi FM reaffirm commitment to Gaza two-state solution

International reactions have been pouring in following Hamas&rsquo;s positive response on Friday to US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s plan to free Israeli hostages in Gaza and end the nearly two-year conflict. Here are some of the main reactions from around the world: From the US, &ldquo;Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay,&rdquo; Trump said on Saturday, on his Truth Social page.&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s get this done, FAST.&rdquo; Trump on Friday had expressed appreciation that &ldquo;Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing&rdquo; &mdash; but Israel said on Saturday it was continuing with its military offensive in Gaza. Israel also took a stance. &ldquo;In light of Hamas&rsquo;s response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of the Trump plan for the release of all the hostages,&rdquo; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s office said. &ldquo;We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which align with President Trump&rsquo;s vision,&rdquo; the statement added. QatarQatar welcomed &ldquo;the announcement by Hamas of its agreement to President Trump&rsquo;s plan,&rdquo; said foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, also expressing support for Trump&rsquo;s call for an immediate ceasefire. Egypt said it hoped &ldquo;this positive development will lead all parties to rise to the level of responsibility by committing to implementing President Trump&rsquo;s plan on the ground and end the war.&rdquo; United NationsUN Secretary-General Ant&oacute;nio Guterres &ldquo;welcomes&rdquo; Hamas&rsquo;s response and &ldquo;urges all parties to seize the opportunity to bring the tragic conflict in Gaza to an end,&rdquo; spokesman St&eacute;phane Dujarric said. UN rights chief Volker T&uuml;rk said he hoped the plan would &ldquo;pave the way for a permanent cessation of hostilities... in line with international human rights and humanitarian laws.&rdquo; It was, he said, a &ldquo;vital opportunity for all parties and influential states to pursue in good faith and stop &mdash; once and for all &mdash; the carnage and the suffering in Gaza, to flood the strip with humanitarian aid, and to ensure the release of the hostages and numerous detained Palestinians.&rdquo; The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, added: &ldquo;In two years, we have never been closer to securing peace than now. We cannot miss this opportunity. Too many lives have been lost and shattered,&rdquo; he wrote on X. Europe &ldquo;The release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach!&rdquo; French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, joining a chorus of hopeful European reactions to Hamas&rsquo;s response. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the plan represented &ldquo;the best chance for peace&rdquo; in the conflict and that Germany &ldquo;fully supports&rdquo; Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;call upon both sides.&rdquo; Britain&rsquo;s Keir Starmer called Hamas&rsquo;s acceptance &ldquo;a significant step forward&rdquo; and urged all sides &ldquo;to implement the agreement without delay.&rdquo; TurkeyTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he believed Hamas was showing, &ldquo;as it has done many times before, that it is ready for peace.&rdquo; The foreign ministry said the Palestinian group&rsquo;s response &ldquo;provides an opportunity for the immediate establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza.&rdquo; JordanJordan&rsquo;s foreign ministry welcomed Hamas&rsquo;s response. It &ldquo;stressed the need to immediately halt the Israeli aggression on Gaza, open the border crossings to allow the immediate, adequate, and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of the strip, and launch a genuine effort to achieve a just peace.&rdquo; Lebanon&rsquo;s HezbollahThe head of the Hamas ally in Lebanon, Naim Qassam, said Washington&rsquo;s Gaza ceasefire plan was &ldquo;full of dangers&rdquo; and accused Israel of using it to achieve what it &ldquo;failed&rdquo; to do during the war. &ldquo;It is Israel&rsquo;s project, which it seeks to achieve through politics after failing to achieve it through military action, aggression, genocide, and famine,&rdquo; he added.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

International reactions pour in following Hamas’s positive response to US President Donald Trump’s plan to free Israeli hostages in Gaza and end the nearly two-year conflict.

Gaza peace plan: Key reactions to Hamas's response

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza &ldquo;in the coming days,&rdquo; as indirect talks with Hamas continue in Egypt on Monday on a new US plan to end the war. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a brief statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt &ldquo;to finalize technical details,&rdquo; adding that &ldquo;our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Netanyahu signaled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. &ldquo;(Doubters) told me it&rsquo;s too good to be true. It&rsquo;s true. And with God&rsquo;s help, it will happen very soon,&rdquo; he said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The prime minister spoke after Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the US plan. President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group&#39;s statement but on Saturday warned that &ldquo;Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump also ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Some in Gaza City reported a notable easing of Israeli strikes Saturday, though hospital officials said at least 22 people were killed, including women and children. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Israel&#39;s army said leaders instructed it to prepare for the US plan&#39;s first phase. Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, an Israeli strike on Gaza City&#39;s Tuffah neighborhood killed at least 17 and injured 25 others, said Al-Ahli hospital director Fadel Naim. &ldquo;The strikes are still ongoing,&rdquo; Naim said. Israel&#39;s military said it struck a Hamas member and &ldquo;regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah earlier Saturday said Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City. <h4 style="line-height: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Momentum ahead of war&rsquo;s anniversary</h4><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of the second anniversary on Tuesday of the attack that sparked it. His proposal unveiled earlier this week has widespread international support. On Friday, Netanyahu&#39;s office said Israel was committed to ending the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The indirect talks on Monday are meant to prepare the way for the release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinians from Israeli detention, mediator Egypt said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A senior Egyptian official said US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the US negotiating team. The talks also will discuss maps showing the expected withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in Gaza, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn&rsquo;t authorized to brief the media. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The official also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians aimed at unifying their position toward Gaza&#39;s future. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful militant group in Gaza, said it accepted Hamas&rsquo; response to the Trump plan. The group had rejected the proposal days earlier. <h4 style="line-height: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Progress, but uncertainty ahead</h4><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages &mdash; around 20 of them believed to be alive &mdash; within three days. It also would give up power and disarm. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Its statement also didn&#39;t address the issue of Hamas demilitarizing, a key part of the deal. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel&rsquo;s Defense and Security Forum, said while Israel can afford to stop firing for a few days in Gaza so the hostages can be released, it will resume its offensive if Hamas doesn&#39;t lay down its arms.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Others said that while Hamas suggests a willingness to negotiate, its position fundamentally remains unchanged. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This &ldquo;yes, but&quot; rhetoric &quot;simply repackages old demands in softer language,&quot; said Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

Fire and smoke rises following an Israeli army shelling in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days,” as indirect talks with Hamas continue in Egypt on Monday on a new US plan to end the war.

Netanyahu hopes to release hostages from Gaza 'in coming days'

BARCELONA: Activists on board a flotilla of vessels sailing toward Gaza said late Wednesday that the Israeli navy has begun intercepting their vessels as they approach the besieged Palestinian territory. The Global Sumud Flotilla, with Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela&#39;s grandson, Mandla Mandela, and several European lawmakers aboard, consists of nearly 50 boats and 500 activists and is carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid. It has remained undeterred in its mission to break the Israeli blockade of the coastal strip and reach Palestinians. Greg Stoker, an American veteran aboard one of the boats in the flotilla, said around a dozen naval vessels with their transponders off had approached it. &ldquo;They are currently hailing our vessels, telling us to turn off our engines and await further instructions or our boats will be seized and we will face the consequences,&quot; he said in a shaky video while wearing a red life jacket. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X that the navy had reached out to the flotilla to ask them to change course and to warn them that they are approaching &ldquo;an active combat zone.&rdquo; It reiterated its offer to transfer the aid to Gaza through other channels. The flotilla enters a &lsquo;danger zone&rsquo;The vessels were sailing in international waters north of Egypt on Wednesday and had entered what activists and others called a &ldquo;danger zone&quot; or &ldquo;high risk zone.&quot; While still in international waters, it is an area where the Israeli navy has stopped other boats attempting to break its blockade in the past and which the flotilla has been warned not to cross. Overnight, the activists said two Israeli warships aggressively approached two of their boats, circling them and jamming their communications, including the live cameras on board. &ldquo;It was an intimidation act. They wanted us to see them,&rdquo; said Lisi Proen&ccedil;a, another activist who was on board the Sirius, a vessel that was targeted alongside the Alma. After the close encounter overnight, the military vessels eventually left and the flotilla continued on its journey, broadcasting live cameras from many of its boats. A relaxed atmosphere on the vesselsBy Wednesday afternoon, the atmosphere appeared to be more relaxed on board the decks of some of the sailboats that broadcast their journeys through 24/7 livestreams. Some activists held up messages of solidarity with people in Gaza and chanted &ldquo;Free Palestine!&rdquo; on camera. If undisturbed, the flotilla, which began its journey from the Spanish port of Barcelona a month ago, was to reach the shores of Gaza by Thursday morning, the group said. Israel and other governments urge them to turn backIsrael&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the flotilla a provocation and warned them to stop and transfer their aid through other channels into Gaza. &ldquo;It is not too late,&rdquo; he posted on X. Israel&rsquo;s government has accused some of the flotilla members of being linked to Hamas, while providing little evidence to support the claim. Activists have strongly rejected the accusations and said Israel was trying to justify potential attacks on them. European governments, including Spain and Italy, which had sent their navy ships to escort the flotilla during part of its journey, urged the activists to turn back and avoid confrontation. But while Italy&#39;s Premier Giorgia Meloni said late Tuesday the flotilla&#39;s actions risked undermining US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s recent proposal for resolving the war in Gaza, Spain&#39;s prime minister defended them. &ldquo;We must remember it is a humanitarian mission that wouldn&rsquo;t be taking place if the Israeli government had allowed for the entry of aid,&rdquo; Pedro S&aacute;nchez told reporters on Wednesday. Spaniards taking part would benefit from full diplomatic protection, he added. &ldquo;They present no threat nor danger to Israel,&rdquo; he said. What international maritime law saysThe UN Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a state only has jurisdiction up to 12 nautical miles (19 kilometers) from its shores. In general, states don&rsquo;t have the right to seize ships in international waters, though armed conflict is an exception to this. But the flotilla argues they are a civilian, unarmed group and that the passage of humanitarian aid is guaranteed in international law. Omer Shatz, an Israeli international law expert who teaches at Sciences Po University in Paris and co-litigated a previous flotilla case before the Israeli supreme court, told The Associated Press that even if the disputed siege of Gaza was considered lawful, &ldquo;international law paves a humanitarian road from the high seas to Gaza, both in international and national waters off Gaza,&rdquo; he said.

Israeli navy intercepts Gaza-bound aid flotilla with activists, including Greta Thunberg, sparking legal disputes and international tension over blockade.

Activists say Israeli navy begins intercepting Gaza-bound aid flotilla

NEW YORK: Days after his defiant speech at the United Nations rejecting demands to end the war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to confer with his most important supporter. But Monday&rsquo;s meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington comes at a tenuous moment. Israel is increasingly isolated, losing support from many countries that were long its steadfast allies. At home, Netanyahu&rsquo;s governing coalition appears more fragile than ever. And the White House is showing signs of impatience. The question now is whether Trump, who has offered steadfast backing to Netanyahu throughout the war, will change his tone and turn up the pressure on Israel to finally wind down the conflict. In a post on Sunday on social media, the president said: &ldquo;We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!&rdquo; Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet in the Oval Office, with a joint press conference expected to follow. The uncertainty surrounding the meeting casts it as &ldquo;one of the most critical&rdquo; in the years-long relationship between the two leaders, said professor Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israeli relations at Bar-Ilan and Reichman universities. &quot;Netanyahu might have to choose between Trump and his coalition members,&rdquo; a number of whom want the war to continue, Gilboa said. A move by Netanyahu to end the war would leave him on shaky political ground at home a year before elections. Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, agreed that Trump is likely to demand a permanent ceasefire, leaving Netanyahu with few options. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas is destroyed. Israel could seek to include &lsquo;red lines&rsquo;If Trump puts the pressure on, the Israeli leader would probably seek to include &ldquo;red lines&rdquo; in any deal, Ailam said. He might demand that Hamas be dismantled, Ailam said. Netanyahu might also set a condition that if the group resumes fighting or returns to power, the Israeli military would have the right to operate freely in Gaza, he said. Trump joined forces with Netanyahu during Israel&#39;s brief war with Iran in June, ordering US stealth bombers to strike three nuclear sites, and he&#39;s supported the Israeli leader during his corruption trial, describing the case as a &ldquo;witch hunt.&rdquo; But the relationship has become more tense lately. Trump was frustrated by Israel&#39;s failed strike this month on Hamas officials in Qatar, a US ally in the region that had been hosting negotiations to end the war in Gaza. Recent comments have hinted at growing impatience from Washington. Last week, Trump vowed to prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank &mdash; an idea promoted by some of Netanyahu&#39;s hard-line governing partners.&nbsp; The international community opposes annexation, saying it would destroy hopes for a two-state solution. Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, dismissed the idea that Trump&rsquo;s comments about the West Bank were a sign of friction. He said the remarks allowed Netanyahu to resist pressure from right-wing members of his government. &ldquo;That was a clever move by Trump,&rdquo; Doran said. &ldquo;It simultaneously showed responsiveness to Arab and Muslim allies while actually helping out Netanyahu.&rdquo; On Friday, Trump raised expectations for the meeting with Netanyahu, telling reporters on the White House lawn that the US was &ldquo;very close to a deal on Gaza.&rdquo; Trump has made similar pronouncements in the past with nothing to show for it, and it&rsquo;s unclear if this time will be different. Proposal does not include expulsion of PalestiniansTrump&rsquo;s proposal to stop the war in Gaza calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages within 48 hours, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave, according to three Arab officials briefed on the plan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been formally unveiled. Hamas is believed to be holding 48 hostages, 20 of whom are considered by Israel to be still alive. The militant group has demanded that Israel agree to end the war altogether and withdraw from all of Gaza as part of any permanent ceasefire. Trump discussed the plan with Arab and Islamic leaders in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. It doesn&rsquo;t include the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, which Trump appeared to endorse earlier this year. The 21-point proposal also calls for an end to Hamas&#39; rule of Gaza as well as the disarmament of the group, the officials who were briefed on the plan said. Hundreds of Palestinians, including many serving life sentences, will be released by Israel, according to the proposal. The plan also includes the establishment of an international security force to take over law enforcement in post-war Gaza, they said. A Palestinian committee of technocrats would oversee the civilian affairs of the strip, with power handed over later to a reformed Palestinian Authority, they said. Netanyahu has rejected any role for the authority, the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinians, in postwar Gaza. A Hamas official said the group was briefed on the plan but has yet to receive an official offer from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. The group has repeatedly rejected laying down arms and has linked its weapons to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu acknowledged the US plan Sunday in an interview with Fox News, saying Israeli officials were &ldquo;working with President Trump&rsquo;s team ... and I hope we can make it a go.&rdquo; In his speech Friday at the UN, Netanyahu praised Trump multiple times, calling him an essential partner who &ldquo;understands better than any other leader that Israel and America face a common threat.&rdquo; Israel has lost much of the world&#39;s goodwillBut apart from the US leadership, Israel has lost much of the international goodwill it once could count on. At a special session of the UN Security Council last week, nation after nation expressed horror at the 2023 attack by Hamas fighters that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, saw 251 taken hostage, and triggered the war. Then many of the representatives went on to criticize the response by Israel and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an influx of aid. Israel&rsquo;s sweeping offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas administration. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate by the UN and many independent experts. The fighting has displaced 90% of the Gaza population, with an increasing number now starving. In recent weeks, 28 Western-aligned countries that circled behind Israel two years ago have called on it to end the offensive in Gaza. They also criticized Israel&rsquo;s restrictions on humanitarian aid, which have contributed to famine in parts of Gaza. Ten countries &mdash; including Britain, France, Canada and Australia &mdash; recognized Palestinian statehood last week, hoping to revive the long-moribund peace process. Several Arab states, including some with longstanding relations with Israel, have accused it of committing genocide in Gaza, as have leading genocide scholars, UN experts and some Israeli and international rights groups. The UN&rsquo;s highest court is weighing genocide allegations raised by South Africa that Israel vehemently denies. Aaron David Miller, who served as an adviser on Middle East issues to Democratic and Republican administrations, said there were too many unresolved issues to believe that an end to the conflict is near. &ldquo;The more crowing that is done about how we&rsquo;re in the final stages, the more skeptical I become,&rdquo; he said.

The question now is whether Trump, who has offered steadfast backing to Netanyahu throughout the war, will change his tone and turn up the pressure on Israel to finally wind down the conflict.



Netanyahu, Trump set to meet as pressure mounts to end war in Gaza

<ul style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;" id="isPasted"><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Drone hits flotilla boat again</li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">CCTV shows crew shouting &ldquo;fire&rdquo;</li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Blaze contained, mission continues</li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Tunisia calls attack &ldquo;premeditated&rdquo;</li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Investigation launched, details pending</li></ul><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The Global Sumud Flotilla said a drone struck one of its boats at a Tunisian port late Wednesday. It was the second attack in two nights. No injuries were reported.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Security video from the British-flagged &lsquo;Alma&rsquo; showed people on deck shouting &ldquo;fire.&rdquo; Burning projectiles landed and exploded.&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">&ldquo;A drone came and dropped another incendiary device,&rdquo; Thiago Avila, a Brazilian activist and flotilla spokesperson, told Al Jazeera. He added the blaze was contained and the mission would continue, Al Jazeera reported.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Tunisia&rsquo;s Interior Ministry called the incident a &ldquo;premeditated act.&rdquo; It said an investigation was underway. Officials gave no further details as reported by Al Jazeera.&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The reported strike was similar to one the night before on the Portuguese-flagged &lsquo;Family&rsquo; vessel, according to the flotilla.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Greta Thunberg returns<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The &lsquo;Alma&rsquo; and the &lsquo;Family&rsquo; serve as motherships. They carry supplies and prominent participants, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The flotilla has 20 boats carrying aid and plans to add more vessels in Tunis before sailing to Gaza to challenge Israel&rsquo;s naval blockade.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Tunisian coastal police were seen alongside the flotilla off Sidi Bou Said on Wednesday where crowds gathered at the port to show support. Local authorities said departure was delayed because of the weather.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The group said drones were not visible in the video but audio captured a buzzing sound consistent with unmanned aircraft. Activists also posted a photo of a charred object they said had fallen on the Alma.&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Reuters was not immediately able to verify the video.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Some activists linked the incidents to intensified fighting in Gaza and accused Israel of sabotage. Israel did not respond to the accusations as reported by Al Jazeera.&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Israeli officials have previously dismissed flotillas as publicity efforts and say the blockade, in place since 2007, is intended to prevent smuggling, particularly of weapons.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The Mediterranean is heavily surveilled by manned and unmanned aircraft, but specialists say small commercial drones adapted for incendiary payloads could carry out attacks of the type described.&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">In May, another activist vessel reported a drone strike in international waters off Malta.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">In Israel, Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has proposed classifying flotilla members as security prisoners if intercepted at sea, a move observers view as unlikely to pass.&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">If stopped, participants would likely be deported within days, as in earlier cases, rights groups and officials told Al Jazeera.

Africa

Global Sumud Flotilla reports a second drone attack on its British-flagged ship Alma in Tunisia; no injuries reported, investigation underway, mission to Gaza continues.

Articles tagged with "gaza"