Hamas Grants Israel Two Months to Implement Understanding

Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas' political bureau in Cairo, Egypt on Nov. 22, 2017. AFP Photo/Mohamed El-Shahed
Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas' political bureau in Cairo, Egypt on Nov. 22, 2017. AFP Photo/Mohamed El-Shahed
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Hamas Grants Israel Two Months to Implement Understanding

Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas' political bureau in Cairo, Egypt on Nov. 22, 2017. AFP Photo/Mohamed El-Shahed
Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas' political bureau in Cairo, Egypt on Nov. 22, 2017. AFP Photo/Mohamed El-Shahed

Hamas said Israel has two months to implement the recent Qatar-brokered agreements in Gaza before it launches a new round of escalation.

Member of Hamas' political bureau Khalil al-Haya warned that Israel had "two months to implement the agreements between the parties, otherwise the escalation of violence will resume."

He said the negotiations took so much time due to uncertainty regarding the duration to be granted to the occupation to implement the deal.

Israel lifted the latest sanctions that were imposed on Gaza Strip, reopened the crossing borders, provided the Strip with fuel and allowed fishermen to return to the sea within a truce deal- brokered by Qatar.

In return, the truce deal stipulates that Hamas halts all forms of escalation.

Qatar's ambassador to Gaza Mohammed al-Emadi, who mediated the ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israel, said that talks are ongoing regarding a hospital in Rafah.

“I met with the head of the Israeli energy company, Delek, and discussed with him supplying gas to the Gaza power plant. It is better than operating electricity line 161,” he said.

Emadi also revealed that Israel agreed to issue 7,000 work permits for Palestinian workers.

Haya said that over $30 million in Qatari aid will enter Gaza this month, and the amount that was added to the aid will be allotted to 100,000 households by distributing $100 for each family and those who were impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

According to Haya, the agreement is not new but it's a confirmation of previous understandings.



Red Sea Marine Traffic Up 60% after Houthis Narrowed Targets

Armed men stand on the beach as the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, is anchored off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
Armed men stand on the beach as the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, is anchored off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
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Red Sea Marine Traffic Up 60% after Houthis Narrowed Targets

Armed men stand on the beach as the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, is anchored off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
Armed men stand on the beach as the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, is anchored off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. (Reuters)

Red Sea marine traffic has increased by 60% to 36-37 ships a day since August 2024, but is still short of volumes seen before Yemen's Houthis began attacking ships in the region, according to the commander of the EU's Aspides naval mission.

The number of merchant ships using the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait increased after missile and drone attacks by the Houthis slowed and the US and the extremist group signed a ceasefire deal, Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis said in an interview in Madrid.

But shipping traffic, which reached a low of 20-23 ships daily in August last year, is still short of an average of 72-75 ships a day seen before the Houthis began attacks in the Red Sea in November in 2023 in support of Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza, said Gryparis according to Reuters.

The mission, which was established to safeguard navigation in the strategic trade route linking the Mediterranean with the Gulf of Asia through the Suez Canal, was extended in February when it was also tasked with tracking illegal arms shipments and monitoring vessels carrying sanctioned Russian oil.

The last attack on a merchant ship took place in November 2024 and the Houthis have also narrowed their objectives, saying their targets are Israeli ships and ships that have a connection with Israel or have docked at an Israeli port, Gryparis said.

"If you have a vessel that does not correspond to this criteria... there is a huge possibility - more than 99% - that you're not going to be targeted by the Houthis," Gryparis said.

Still, Gryparis said he could not guarantee that merchant ships won't be attacked.

Some companies have been deterred from using the route because of the mission's lack of ships, which can cause delays of as much as a week for those seeking to be escorted through the area, he said.

He said the mission has between two and three ships operating at one time and has requested the EU provide it with 10 ships to increase its capacity for protection.

The mission has provided close protection to 476 ships, shot down 18 drones, destroyed two remote-controlled boats used to attack ships and intercepted four ballistic missiles, he said.