Paris Conference Over Yemen Discusses Clear Mechanisms to Deliver Aids

Socotra residents escaping severe flooding/AFP
Socotra residents escaping severe flooding/AFP
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Paris Conference Over Yemen Discusses Clear Mechanisms to Deliver Aids

Socotra residents escaping severe flooding/AFP
Socotra residents escaping severe flooding/AFP

Yemeni Minister of Local Administration and chairman of Higher Committee for Relief in Yemen Abdul Raqeeb Fateh told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday that the scheduled Paris conference for the reconstruction of Yemen would discuss clear mechanisms for the delivery of humanitarian aids to the entire Yemeni territories, based on the announcement made by foreign ministers of the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

“The Yemeni government has specific guidelines which were presented during the Geneva meeting held last April.

Those guidelines focus on moving from an early recovery response to one related to the livelihoods and the needs of people, to enhance stability and provide revenue streams to the Yemenis,” Fateh said.

The Minister noted that an early recovery would still be needed even following the end of the war, however, he stressed the importance of moving to the second stage.

He said the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen had already announced the presence of 22 safe-passage corridors to ensure guarded passage of humanitarian aid to Yemen.

“The Paris meeting would discuss means that could facilitate the delivery of aid to targeted areas and would also witness an invitation call for all humanitarian organizations, particularly those operating under the United Nations, to effectively operate in Yemen through a decentralized relief system and to improve efficiency in the use of funds and effectively achieve the set goals and the targets of the humanitarian operation,” Fateh said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Samer Al Jutaily, Spokesperson for King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) told Asharq Al-Awsat that a relief team already left Saudi Arabia to Socotra on a relief mission, adding that the visit preceded the arrival of the tropical storm to the Yemeni Island.

“We have already delivered 20 tons of aid, providing a large supply for humanitarian aid to around 150,000 Yemeni families,” Al Jutaily said.



Some Gaps Have Narrowed in Elusive Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Sides Say

Israeli tanks take a position, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli tanks take a position, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Some Gaps Have Narrowed in Elusive Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Sides Say

Israeli tanks take a position, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli tanks take a position, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Gaps between Israel and Hamas over a possible Gaza ceasefire have narrowed, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials' remarks on Monday, though crucial differences have yet to be resolved.

A fresh bid by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the fighting and release Israeli and foreign hostages has gained momentum this month, though no breakthrough has yet been reported.

A Palestinian official familiar with the talks said while some sticking points had been resolved, the identity of some of the Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return for hostages had yet to be agreed, along with the precise deployment of Israeli troops in Gaza.

His remarks corresponded with comments by the Israeli diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, who said both issues were still being negotiated. Nonetheless, he said, the sides were far closer to reaching agreement than they have been for months, Reuters reported.

"This ceasefire can last six months or it can last 10 years, it depends on the dynamics that will form on the ground," Chikli told Israel's Kan radio. Much hinged on what powers would be running and rehabilitating Gaza once fighting stopped, he said.

The duration of the ceasefire has been a fundamental sticking point throughout several rounds of failed negotiations. Hamas wants an end to the war, while Israel wants an end to Hamas' rule of Gaza first.

"The issue of ending the war completely hasn't yet been resolved," said the Palestinian official.

Israeli minister Zeev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Israel's Army Radio that the aim was to find an agreed framework that would resolve that difference during a second stage of the ceasefire deal.

Chikli said the first stage would be a humanitarian phase that will last 42 days and include a hostage release.

HOSPITAL

The war was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 45,200 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave. Most of the population of 2.3 million has been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.

At least 11 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, medics said.

One of Gaza's few still partially functioning hospitals, on its northern edge, an area under intense Israeli military pressure for nearly three months, sought urgent help after being hit by Israeli fire.

"We are facing a continuous daily threat," said Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital. "The bombing continues from all directions, affecting the building, the departments, and the staff."

The Israeli military did not immediately comment. On Sunday it said it was supplying fuel and food to the hospital and helping evacuate some patients and staff to safer areas.

Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to permanently depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone, which Israel denies.

Israel says its operation around the three communities on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip - Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia - is targeting Hamas militants.

On Monday, the United Nations' aid chief, Tom Fletcher, said Israeli forces had hampered efforts to deliver much needed aid in northern Gaza.

"North Gaza has been under a near-total siege for more than two months, raising the spectre of famine," he said. "South Gaza is extremely overcrowded, creating horrific living conditions and even greater humanitarian needs as winter sets in."