UN Envoy to Yemen Urges Exchange of Detainee Lists

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (Reuters)
The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (Reuters)
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UN Envoy to Yemen Urges Exchange of Detainee Lists

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (Reuters)
The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (Reuters)

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called on Wednesday to expedite the exchange of the lists of prisoners and detainees to ensure their release under the agreement of last March.

According to a statement issued by Grundberg's Office, the government and the Houthi militias agreed to establish a joint team to verify the identity of the detainees and prisoners on each party's list.

"A proposal was put forward to form a committee that brings together both parties under a joint framework to support the process of verifying the identities of the names of detainees included in their respective lists, provided that agreement is reached on details following consultation with relevant authorities," read the statement.

It said that the parties agreed to intensify efforts to finalize and consolidate lists of detainees from all sides as soon as possible.

They also agreed to facilitate visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to detention centers to assist with verifying the identities.

The parties also agreed to establish a joint committee to support verifying detainees' identities in the lists.

A previous statement issued by the Office stated that the Supervisory Committee on the Implementation of the Detainees Release and Exchange Agreement concluded its sixth meeting in Amman following six days of discussions to identify the names of detainees who will be released based on the numbers agreed upon by the parties in March.

Grundberg asserted that he would intensify his "engagements with the parties to ensure the full implementation of all the parties' obligations in the truce."

The statement expressed Grundberg's regret that an agreement to release detainees and prisoners has not yet been completed, which leads to more suffering.

He hoped the lists would be finalized as soon as possible, with priority given to the unconditional release of sick, wounded, children, arbitrarily detained, political detainees, and journalists.



Israeli Strikes Hit Dozens of Targets in Gaza as Ceasefire Efforts Stall

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Strikes Hit Dozens of Targets in Gaza as Ceasefire Efforts Stall

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli airstrikes hit around 40 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military said on Friday, hours after Hamas rejected an Israeli ceasefire offer that it said fell short of its demand to agree a full end to the war.

Last month, the Israeli military broke off a two-month truce that had largely halted fighting in Gaza and has since pushed in from the north and south, seizing almost a third of the enclave as it seeks to pressure Hamas into agreeing to release hostages and disarm.

The military said troops were operating in the Shabura and Tel Al-Sultan areas near the southern city of Rafah, as well as in northern Gaza, where it has taken control of large areas east of Gaza City.

Egyptian mediators have been trying to revive the January ceasefire deal, which broke down when Israel resumed airstrikes and sent ground troops back into Gaza, but there has been little sign that the two sides have moved closer on fundamental issues.

Late on Thursday, Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas' Gaza chief, said the movement was willing to swap all remaining 59 hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel in return for an end to the war and reconstruction of Gaza.

But he dismissed an Israeli offer, which includes a demand that Hamas lay down its arms, as imposing "impossible conditions".

Israel has not responded formally to Al-Hayya's comments but ministers have said repeatedly that Hamas must be disarmed completely and can play no role in the future governance of Gaza. The ceasefire offer it made through Egyptian mediators includes talks on a final settlement to the war but no firm agreement.

Defense Minister Israel Katz also said this week that troops would remain in the buffer zone around the border that now extends deep into Gaza and cuts the enclave in two, even after any settlement.