Suez Canal Ship Traffic Unaffected after Tanker Collision

A view of the BW Lesmes tanker at Freeport, Texas, US, August 3, 2023, in this picture obtained by Reuters. Glenn Travis/via REUTERS
A view of the BW Lesmes tanker at Freeport, Texas, US, August 3, 2023, in this picture obtained by Reuters. Glenn Travis/via REUTERS
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Suez Canal Ship Traffic Unaffected after Tanker Collision

A view of the BW Lesmes tanker at Freeport, Texas, US, August 3, 2023, in this picture obtained by Reuters. Glenn Travis/via REUTERS
A view of the BW Lesmes tanker at Freeport, Texas, US, August 3, 2023, in this picture obtained by Reuters. Glenn Travis/via REUTERS

Shipping traffic was flowing normally on Egypt's Suez Canal on Wednesday, two shipping sources based in the country said, after two tankers that collided earlier were separated.

The two tankers, the Singapore-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier BW Lesmes and the Cayman Islands-flagged oil products tanker Burri, briefly collided in the canal, ship tracking company MarineTraffic said early on Wednesday citing eyewitnesses.

The sources did not provide any further details on the incident.

However, in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Egypt's AlQahera News cited Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie as saying that a ship that broke down in the navigation course was starting to be towed, without giving more details.

As of 5 a.m. (0200 GMT), the BW Lesmes was facing north but being towed to the south by two tugboats, according to ship tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon. Meanwhile, the Burri was moored and pointing south about 12 km from the southern end of the canal, the data showed.

According to Reuters, a time lapse of the tracking map shared by MarineTraffic showed the Burri turning sideways and colliding with an already sideways BW Lesmes at 2040 GMT before backing up and pointing straight.
BW Group and TMS Tankers, which manages the Burri, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A person who answered the phone at the Suez Canal Authority's operations room when contacted by Reuters said he could not provide any information on the tankers. He did not give his name when asked.

The Authority has not yet issued an official statement.

The Suez Canal is one of the world's busiest waterways and the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

About 12% of the world's trade moves through the canal. During strong winds in 2021, a huge container ship, the Ever Given, became jammed across it, halting traffic in both directions for six days and disrupting global trade.



Hamas Clears Way for Possible Ceasefire in Gaza after Dropping Key Demand, Officials Say

A person rides a scooter near pictures of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas, in Jerusalem, July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
A person rides a scooter near pictures of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas, in Jerusalem, July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
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Hamas Clears Way for Possible Ceasefire in Gaza after Dropping Key Demand, Officials Say

A person rides a scooter near pictures of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas, in Jerusalem, July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
A person rides a scooter near pictures of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas, in Jerusalem, July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Hamas has given its initial approval of a US-backed proposal for a phased ceasefire deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel commit up front to a complete end to the war, a Hamas official and an Egyptian official said Saturday.

The apparent compromise by the armed group, which controlled Gaza before triggering the war with an Oct. 7 attack on Israel, could deliver the first pause in fighting since November and set the stage for further talks on ending a devastating nine months of fighting. But all sides cautioned that a deal is still not guaranteed.

Inside Gaza, the Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter killed at least 16 people and wounded at least 50 others in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Children were among the dead and wounded. Israel’s military said it struck several “terrorists” operating in the area of the school and had tried to lessen the risk to civilians.

The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, said Washington’s phased deal would start with a “full and complete” six-week ceasefire during which older, sick and female hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. During those 42 days, Israeli forces would withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow the return of displaced people to their homes in northern Gaza, the officials said.

Over that period, Hamas, Israel and mediators would negotiate the terms of the second phase that could see the release of the remaining male hostages, both civilians and soldiers, the officials said. In return, Israel would free additional Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The third phase would include the return of any remaining hostages, including bodies of the dead, and the start of a yearslong reconstruction project.

Hamas still wants written guarantees from mediators that Israel will continue to negotiate a permanent ceasefire deal once the first phase goes into effect, the officials said.

The Hamas representative told The Associated Press the group’s approval came after it received “verbal commitments and guarantees” from the mediators that the war won’t be resumed and that negotiations will continue until a permanent ceasefire is reached.

“Now we want these guarantees on paper,” the representative said.

Months of on-again off-again ceasefire talks have stumbled over Hamas’ demand that any deal include a complete end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered to pause the fighting but not end it until Israel reaches its goals of destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and returning all hostages held by the group.

Hamas has expressed concern that Israel will restart the war after the hostages are released. Israeli officials have said they are worried Hamas will draw out the talks and the initial ceasefire indefinitely without releasing all the hostages.

Netanyahu’s office did not respond to requests for comment, and there was no immediate comment from Washington. On Friday, the Israeli prime minister confirmed that the Mossad spy agency's chief had paid a lightning visit to Qatar, a key mediator, but his office said “gaps between the parties” remained.

“For the first time in many months, we feel hopeful,” a statement by many families of hostages said. “Netanyahu, we have seen how you repeatedly thwart deals in real time. Don’t you dare break our hearts again.” Anti-government protesters gathered again Saturday night.

Israel launched the war in Gaza after Hamas’ October attack in which gunmen stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250. Israel says Hamas is still holding about 120 hostages — about a third of them now thought to be dead.

Since then, the Israeli air and ground offensive has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The offensive has caused widespread devastation and a humanitarian crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of famine, according to international officials.

The ceasefire deal would see around 600 trucks of humanitarian aid entering Gaza daily, with half of them bound for the enclave's hard-hit north, the two officials said. Since Israel's assault on the southernmost city of Rafah, aid supplies entering Gaza have been reduced to a trickle.

“We want to eat, but from where we can eat? The country is exhausted. The country is destitute. It is not suitable for living,” said Walid Hegazi, a resident of the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. “We’re sorry for the donkeys because we ate their wheat and barley.”

Also Saturday, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said four police officers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah. The ministry, which oversees civilian police, said the officers were killed during foot patrols. It said eight other officers were wounded. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions.

The low-level conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued. An Israeli airstrike on a car in the area of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon killed an engineer in Hezbollah’s air defense unit, the Israeli military said in a statement, describing Meitham Mustafa al-Attar as a “key operative.” Hezbollah confirmed al-Attar’s death in a statement but did not give information on his position.

In recent weeks, fears have risen that the conflict with its near-daily clashes could escalate to a full-scale war.