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Arab World

Mikati Urges Int’l Community to ‘Facilitate’ Lebanon Presidential Election

The Lebanese Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State during a talks session in New York (AP)
The Lebanese Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State during a talks session in New York (AP)
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Mikati Urges Int’l Community to ‘Facilitate’ Lebanon Presidential Election

The Lebanese Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State during a talks session in New York (AP)
The Lebanese Prime Minister and the US Secretary of State during a talks session in New York (AP)

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that US mediation efforts for Lebanon and Israel to demarcate maritime borders has “not yet reached” an agreement, denying reports of a Lebanese-Israeli agreement on this controversial file.

Mikati also urged the international community to help “facilitate” the election of a successor to President Michel Aoun, whose term ends on October 31.

According to Mikati, Lebanon, with all its suffering, cannot bear the brunt of another crisis.

Mikati spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the 77th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Speaking about US mediation over the demarcation of the maritime borders between Israel and Lebanon and the leaks about reaching an agreement, Mikati said: “The issue is not very clear.”

Mikati linked the matter to Aoun, who had appointed ex-minister Elias Bou Saab to head the demarcation file and deal with the US mediator, Amos Hochstein.

“I haven't heard anything yet. I hope this news is true and leads to positive steps towards ending the matter,” said Mikati about rumors on Lebanon and Israel having reached a settlement to demarcate maritime borders.

Mikati revealed that he had met with Hochstein, who “informed” him of some steps which he “considered positive, but not final yet.”

Moreover, Mikati, in his meetings with officials in New York, stressed the need for the international community to make all the necessary contacts to facilitate the election of a president for Lebanon.

He added that although electing a president will not end the crises sweeping Lebanon but would reduce the negativity surrounding the Mediterranean nation’s situation.

Moreover, Mikati acknowledged that the political situation in Lebanon is “ambiguous.”

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Arab World

Blinken Wants Gazans' Safety Assured Before Israel Resumes Attacks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. EPA
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. EPA
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Blinken Wants Gazans' Safety Assured Before Israel Resumes Attacks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. EPA
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. EPA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel on Thursday it must ensure that Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza are safe and their humanitarian needs are met before resuming military operations there, his spokesperson said.

Blinken met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet in Jerusalem before heading to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

He said a 7-day-old truce between Israel and Hamas had produced results and the United States hoped it would continue.

In the Jerusalem meetings, Blinken reaffirmed US support for Israel’s right to protect itself, spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Blinken urged Israel to take every possible measure to avoid civilian harm, Miller said.
"The secretary stressed the imperative of accounting for humanitarian and civilian protection needs in southern Gaza before any military operations there," Miller said.
Washington has urged Israel to narrow the zone of combat and clarify where Palestinian civilians can seek safety in southern Gaza, US officials said on Wednesday, to prevent a repeat of the massive death toll from Israel's northern Gaza attacks.
In a statement following the meeting, Netanyahu's office said the prime minister reaffirmed Israel's commitment to wiping out Hamas, which rules Gaza. Health authorities in Gaza say Israel's bombardment has so far killed more than 15,000 people.
Miller said Blinken urged immediate steps be taken to hold settler extremists accountable for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and reiterated that Washington remains committed to tangible steps to advance a Palestinian state "living in peace, freedom and security alongside Israel."
The US top diplomat said Washington was focused on helping to secure freedom for more hostages held in Gaza.
At a meeting in Tel Aviv with Israeli President Isaac Herzog earlier in the day, Blinken said: "We have seen over the last week the very positive development of hostages coming home, being reunited with their families.
"And that should continue today. It's also enabled an increase in humanitarian assistance to go to innocent civilians in Gaza who need it desperately," Blinken said.

Arab World

Sisi Says International Community Must Work to Settle Palestinian File

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi Says International Community Must Work to Settle Palestinian File

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi stressed “the importance of serious action by the international community towards a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue, in accordance with the references of international legitimacy.”
He noted that Egypt continues its efforts to accelerate the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, in order to alleviate the sufferings of the Palestinians.
On Wednesday, Sisi received a phone call from the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida. According to a statement by the Egyptian presidential spokesman, Ahmed Fahmy, the two officials exchanged views regarding developments in the regional situation and in the Palestinian territories.
The statement added that the Japanese prime minister listened to Sisi’s view on the means to calm the escalation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and the efforts aimed at “stabilizing the ongoing truce and building on it towards a permanent ceasefire.”
The conversation touched on Egyptian efforts to provide relief aid to the people of the Gaza Strip, Fahmy said, noting that Fumio expressed his country’s appreciation for Cairo’s role and efforts on various axes related to the current crisis and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, the Rafah border crossing witnessed a remarkable improvement in terms of delivery of relief aid to the Palestinians and the transfer of foreigners and the wounded.
The head of the Egyptian State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, said on Wednesday: “The volume of medical aid that was brought into the Gaza Strip as of Tuesday evening amounted to 2,973 tons, while the volume of food aid amounted to 11,972 tons, and water 9,111 tons, in addition to 2,611 tons of other relief materials.”
Rashwan stated that Egypt received, during the same period, 575 injured persons from Gaza for treatment in Egyptian hospitals, along with about 320 companions. Moreover, around 8,691 foreigners and dual nationals crossed to Egypt from Gaza, while 421 stranded Palestinians returned to the Strip.
Meanwhile, Egypt marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, on Wednesday, by calling on the international community to “take serious and decisive action to stop the grave Israeli violations against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the entire occupied Palestinian territory.”
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt called for “a permanent and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to spare the blood of innocent people, and to provide the necessary relief and humanitarian aid in an adequate and sustainable manner, in order to deal with the unprecedented humanitarian tragedy to which the Palestinian people are exposed.”
The statement continued: “Stability in the Middle East will not be achieved except through a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution and the relevant decisions of international legitimacy, which requires the international community to come together with all seriousness to implement the two-state solution and embody the independent Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

Arab World

Israeli Army Intercepts Target from Lebanon, Israel Says

This picture taken from Kibbutz Manara in northern Israel on November 27, 2023, shows the southern Lebanon village of Hula. (Photo by jalaa marey / AFP)
This picture taken from Kibbutz Manara in northern Israel on November 27, 2023, shows the southern Lebanon village of Hula. (Photo by jalaa marey / AFP)
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Israeli Army Intercepts Target from Lebanon, Israel Says

This picture taken from Kibbutz Manara in northern Israel on November 27, 2023, shows the southern Lebanon village of Hula. (Photo by jalaa marey / AFP)
This picture taken from Kibbutz Manara in northern Israel on November 27, 2023, shows the southern Lebanon village of Hula. (Photo by jalaa marey / AFP)

The Israeli military said it intercepted an "aerial target" that crossed from Lebanon on Thursday, in an incident that jolted the calm prevailing at the frontier since the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel agreed a temporary truce.
Reuters witnesses heard blasts along the southeastern Lebanese frontier. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for any attacks from Lebanon.
Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, had been trading fire across the border for weeks following the eruption of the Hamas-Israel war on Oct. 7, in their worst fighting since a 2006 war.
Other groups, including Hamas and the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, also launched attacks from Lebanon against Israel during the conflict.
The Israeli army said on Thursday it had "successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory".
A spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) told Reuters a launch was detected from Lebanon towards Israel, followed by Israeli retaliation.
Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute agreement on Thursday to extend their ceasefire for a seventh day, and Washington said it hoped the truce could be extended further to free more hostages and let aid reach Gaza.

Arab World

Le Drian Urges the Lebanese to Elect a President

Le Drian during his meeting with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (NNA)
Le Drian during his meeting with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (NNA)
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Le Drian Urges the Lebanese to Elect a President

Le Drian during his meeting with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (NNA)
Le Drian during his meeting with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (NNA)

French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian has held meetings with Lebanese politicians during his fourth tour to the country despite not having any new initiative to resolve Lebanon’s political crisis.

He started his round of meetings on Wednesday with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, to whom he reiterated the position of the Quintet Committee on Lebanon, which calls on the Lebanese to unify their stance and accelerate the election of a president.

During his meeting with the Army commander, General Joseph Aoun, Le Drian praised the army for dealing with the challenges facing the country, stressing France’s support for the military institution.

Aoun, for his part, expressed appreciation to Paris’ continued assistance, pointing to the recent French delivery of medical supplies.

While the French envoy did not make any statement after his meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that he reiterated the importance of electing a president and ending the presidential vacuum, without mentioning any particular candidates.

However, Le Drian stressed the need for reaching a consensus, which the opposition saw as a renewed call to go for a third option, away from the current candidate of Hezbollah, the head of Al-Marada Movement, Suleiman Franjieh, and the opposition candidate, former minister Jihad Azour.

While the French official warned of the vacuum extending to the army leadership, especially at this stage, he renewed the possibility of working to hold a consultative meeting that would include the different Lebanese components.

The sources added that Le Drian emphasized that the continued failure to elect a president would negatively affect Lebanon, especially in light of the regional developments and the post-Gaza stage.

Following his talks with the French envoy, the head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, said: “Le Drian confirmed the presence of a serious danger to Lebanon and considered that the government must shoulder its responsibilities, implement Resolution 1701, withdraw the militias from the South, and go to a third option in the presidential file.”

The French official’s visit to Beirut comes hours after Mikati received a letter from French President Emmanuel Macron warning of the extension of the conflict to Lebanon, which he said would have dire consequences for the country and the people.

The French president added: “During our discussions, I emphasized to the Israeli Prime Minister the interest we have in your country and expressed my concerns about the risks of escalation and the extension of the conflict to Lebanon.”

Arab World

Yemeni-UN Roundtable to Redirect Support towards Sustainable Development

The Yemeni-UN roundtable (Saba)
The Yemeni-UN roundtable (Saba)
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Yemeni-UN Roundtable to Redirect Support towards Sustainable Development

The Yemeni-UN roundtable (Saba)
The Yemeni-UN roundtable (Saba)

Yemen's government held a roundtable meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Aden with UN agencies to redirect relief support towards sustainable development.
The government hopes the UN humanitarian role becomes more effective and efficient, especially in the liberated areas, seeking to move the headquarters of international agencies and organizations to Aden, away from the control of the Houthi group in Sanaa.
Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and UN and government officials attended the inaugural session of the two-day meeting.
They discussed several work papers related to the vision of the national sectors, interventions, development, and humanitarian aid, and the most prominent challenges and achievements 2023.
The meetings also addressed cooperation between the government and the UN to coordinate humanitarian and development interventions for 2024.
- Transformation path
The Prime Minister stressed the need for Yemenis to chart the course of development transformation instead of relying on relief, considering that sustainable development is the basis for overcoming the worst global humanitarian crisis.
Abdulmalik pointed out that since the Houthi coup, his country has lost half of its gross national product, with economic growth indicators falling to their lowest levels.
He accused the Houthis of rejecting peace, recalling their attacks on oil export ports, causing the country to lose approximately 51 percent of revenues compared to last year.
The Yemeni government will continue to adopt and implement reform policies with the support of the UAE and Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen to restructure the general budget, rationalize expenditures, implement financial and tax reforms, and work with donors and the private sector.
He explained that the reform policies helped the country pay the salaries, maintain the minimum essential services, and enhance the steadfastness of Yemenis.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of boosting the capabilities of public institutions and the state in partnership with the UN and its affiliated agencies to achieve sustainable development.
Abdulmalik explained that his government's priorities are to maintain stability, prevent the collapse of purchasing power, maintain the minimum amount of services, and guarantee electricity and water.
-Overcoming challenges
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Waed Badhib reiterated the importance of a high-level dialogue to discuss the government's priorities and the mid-term UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) review.
Badhib recalled that the international framework faces significant challenges, mainly related to the ongoing conflict and targeting sources of income, including oil platforms, which has led to the deterioration of the economic and financial situation.
The minister stressed the importance of adhering to the UN principles in implementing the Framework, proposing another year's extension following a comprehensive review with the participation of all relevant partners who would provide recommendations to improve and update it.
He called on international partners and donors to increase their commitments and contributions to support the implementation of the Framework and achieve its goals, activate joint mechanisms and platforms, and hold periodic review meetings.

 

 

Arab World

Darfur Governor Warns of Sudan War Getting Out Control

The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Darfur Governor Warns of Sudan War Getting Out Control

The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi, said the war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was the “largest explosion” in the country’s history, warning of the possibility of the situation getting out of the control of the two sides.

During a press conference in Addis Ababa, Minnawi stressed that he maintained contact with both the Army and the RSF, pointing to his phone call with RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) on Tuesday.

The head of the Darfur Regional Government expressed fears about the future of the conflict, saying: “We do not know whether Sudan will remain one country, or whether it will be divided into states, emirates, or cantons.”

He continued: “We are all seeking to reach a single future for Sudan, because the conflict can slide in directions that may get out the control of the warring parties.”

Minnawi urged the civil political parties and figures with influence to unify ranks for the sake of the country’s unity and sovereignty.

He also called for an inclusive national dialogue to establish permanent solutions to the country’s problems.

Describing the situation in the Darfur region as “dire,” the governor said: “There is no state. The four regions are in the grip of the Rapid Support Forces, and the army is absent, which made the camps for the displaced safer than the cities.”

He added: “There are about four million displaced people, and the capital, El Fasher, has turned into a large displacement camp.”

Minnawi held the RSF primarily responsible for the violations committed during the war, but stressed that the army was also blamed for bombing with artillery and planes.

He confirmed that the authorities were avoiding a clash in Darfur, and calling on both sides to implement a ceasefire. But he warned: “If citizens are attacked, we will not remain neutral, and we hope such attacks will not occur.”

Arab World

Israel Shoots Down Two Palestinians in Jerusalem

Israeli officials work at the scene of a violent incident in Jerusalem November 30, 2023 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israeli officials work at the scene of a violent incident in Jerusalem November 30, 2023 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
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Israel Shoots Down Two Palestinians in Jerusalem

Israeli officials work at the scene of a violent incident in Jerusalem November 30, 2023 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israeli officials work at the scene of a violent incident in Jerusalem November 30, 2023 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Israel gunned down two Palestinians on Thursday after claims the two had opened fire at a bus stop killing at least three. 
Israeli police said the two Palestinians opened fire at a bus stop during the morning rush hour at the entrance to Jerusalem.
The shooters came from East Jerusalem and were stopped by off-duty soldiers and another civilian who was nearby, police said.
Security camera footage aired by Israel's Channel 12 television showed the moments of the attack. A white car is seen stopped beside a crowded bus stop. Two men then step out, guns drawn, and run at the crowd as people scatter. Shortly afterwards the two Palestinians are gunned down.
A large number of first responders and security forces converged on the area that was crowded with morning commuters, and police said they were working to reopen the street.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was visiting Tel Aviv, said Thursday's shooting was a reminder "of the threat from terrorism that Israel and Israelis face every single day ... My heart goes out to the victims of this attack."
The violence came as Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute agreement on Thursday to extend their six-day ceasefire in Gaza by one more day to allow negotiators to keep working on deals to swap hostages held in the coastal enclave for Palestinian prisoners.

Arab World

Syrians Lead Push to Create Global Chemical Weapons Tribunal

20 August 2023, Syria, Idlib: Children play next to a destroyed building with a mural painted on it during a commemoration event for the 10th anniversary of the Ghouta chemical attack. Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/dpa
20 August 2023, Syria, Idlib: Children play next to a destroyed building with a mural painted on it during a commemoration event for the 10th anniversary of the Ghouta chemical attack. Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/dpa
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Syrians Lead Push to Create Global Chemical Weapons Tribunal

20 August 2023, Syria, Idlib: Children play next to a destroyed building with a mural painted on it during a commemoration event for the 10th anniversary of the Ghouta chemical attack. Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/dpa
20 August 2023, Syria, Idlib: Children play next to a destroyed building with a mural painted on it during a commemoration event for the 10th anniversary of the Ghouta chemical attack. Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/dpa

Illegal chemical weapons attacks killed and injured thousands during Syria's civil war, many of them children, but more than a decade later the perpetrators go unpunished.
That could change under an initiative to create a new tribunal for such atrocities launched in The Hague on Thursday.
A dozen Syrian rights groups, international legal experts and others have quietly spent two years laying the groundwork for a new treaty-based court which could put on trial alleged users of banned toxic agents worldwide, Reuters said.
"The tribunal for us Syrians is hope," said Safaa Kamel, 35, a teacher from the Jobar suburb of Syria's capital Damascus, recalling the Aug. 21, 2013, sarin gas attack in the Ghouta district which killed more than 1,000 people, many in their sleep.
"The symptoms that we had were nausea, vomiting, yellowing of the face, some fainting. Even among the little ones. There was so much fear," she told Reuters from Afrin, a northwest Syrian town where she sought refuge. "We'll never be able to erase from our memories how they were all lined up."
Many diplomatic and expert meetings between states have been held to discuss the proposal, including the political, legal and funding feasibility, documents seen by Reuters showed.
Diplomats from at least 44 countries across all continents have been engaged in the discussions, some of them at ministerial level, said Ibrahim Olabi, a British-Syrian barrister, a key figure behind the initiative.
"While it's Syrians that are calling for it, for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, if states so wish, it could be far beyond Syria," Olabi told Reuters.
The Exceptional Chemical Weapons Tribunal proposal was launched on Nov. 30, the day victims of chemical attacks are remembered worldwide. The next step will be for states to agree on the wording of a treaty.
"SOME KIND OF JUSTICE"
The use of chemical weapons is banned under the Geneva Conventions that codified the laws of war. That ban was strengthened by the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, a non-proliferation treaty joined by 193 states which is overseen by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
But political division over the Syrian war at the OPCW and the United Nations led to the blocking of efforts to bring accountability for the widespread violations in international law in hundreds of suspected chemical attacks.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government has denied using chemical weapons against its opponents in the civil war, which broke out in March 2011 and has now largely settled into a stalemate. Its information ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Countries including France have opened prosecutions under so-called universal jurisdiction for war crimes, but in those situations where the International Criminal Court is not able to act there is no legal body that can prosecute individual suspects of chemical weapons use globally.
"Having those voices say 'we need some kind of justice ...I think that's going to be powerful," Dapo Akande, a British barrister and member of the United Nations International Law Commission, told Reuters.
There have been international courts for war crimes, from the Balkans to Rwanda and Lebanon, but none that focused on the specific crime of deploying chemical weapons, Akande said.
"It would be trying to fill a gap in the sense that it would essentially be for cases where the International Criminal Court is unable to exercise jurisdiction. And that would, I think, be particularly innovative about it."
The ICC, the world's permanent war crimes court in The Hague, has no jurisdiction in Syria.
The OPCW has the power to investigate claims of chemical weapons use and in some cases identify alleged perpetrators, but it has no prosecutorial powers. It said in January that Syria was responsible for an attack in Douma in 2018 that killed 43 people.
A UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) found that the Syrian government used the nerve agent sarin in an April 2017 attack and has repeatedly used chlorine as a weapon. It blamed ISIS militants for mustard gas use.
Syria's ally Russia has repeatedly vetoed attempts to extend the JIM's mandate, which expired in November 2017.
TEN YEARS LATE
For Dr. Mohamad Salim Namour, who helped treat hundreds of patients after the 2013 Ghouta attack, the images of the choking and dying still bring him to tears. He recalled one child survivor lying among the bodies ask him: "Am I still alive?"
"We feel bitter that accountability is coming ten years late...We hope that we don't have to wait another 10 years," he told Reuters in The Hague.
"Let international law and justice take its course."
Only a tiny fraction of about 200 investigations into Syrian war crimes conducted by mostly European countries relate to chemical attacks, the UN body tasked with investigating Syria crimes, the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) told Reuters.
IIIM head Catherine Marchi-Uhel said there are not enough justice opportunities for chemical weapons attacks in Syria and that her agency was ready to work with a new court.
"An international body with dedicated resources and a team that has developed expertise on building cases around chemical weapons incidents might be well placed to deal with these types of cases," she said.

Arab World

Israel and Hamas Agree to Extend Temporary Truce

A Palestinian man sits in an armchair outside a destroyed building in Gaza City on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, the sixth day of the temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar)
A Palestinian man sits in an armchair outside a destroyed building in Gaza City on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, the sixth day of the temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar)
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Israel and Hamas Agree to Extend Temporary Truce

A Palestinian man sits in an armchair outside a destroyed building in Gaza City on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, the sixth day of the temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar)
A Palestinian man sits in an armchair outside a destroyed building in Gaza City on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, the sixth day of the temporary cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar)

Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute agreement on Thursday to extend their six-day ceasefire by at least one more day to allow negotiators to keep working on deals to swap hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.
The truce has allowed much needed humanitarian aid into Gaza after much of the coastal territory of 2.3 million was reduced to wasteland in response to a deadly rampage by Hamas militants into southern Israel on Oct. 7, said Reuters.
"In light of the mediators' efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the framework, the operational pause will continue," the Israeli military said in a statement, released minutes before the temporary truce was due to expire at 0500 GMT.
Hamas, which freed 16 hostages in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday, said in a statement the truce would continue for a seventh day.
The conditions of the ceasefire, including the halt of hostilities and the entry of humanitarian aid, remain the same, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson from Qatar, which has been a key mediator between the warring sides, along with Egypt and the United States.
"A short time ago, Israel was given a list of women and children in accordance with the terms of the agreement, and therefore the truce will continue," the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Hamas earlier said Israel had refused to receive a further seven women and children and the bodies of three other hostages in exchange for extending the truce.
Hamas had said a family of three Israeli hostages, including the youngest hostage, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, had been killed during Israel's bombardment of the enclave.
Before the agreement, both Israel and Hamas had said they were ready to resume fighting.
Ninety-seven hostages have been freed since the start of the truce, according to a Reuters tally. The Israeli military says 145 hostages remain in Gaza.
On Wednesday night, two Russian citizens and four Thai citizens were released outside the framework of the agreement while the 10 Israeli citizens freed included five dual nationals, officials said. They were a Dutch dual citizen, who is also a minor, three German dual citizens and one US dual citizen.
DIPLOMATIC PUSH
Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, which rules Gaza, in response to the Oct. 7 rampage by the militant group, when Israel says gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages.
Before the truce, Israel bombarded the territory for seven weeks and killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the coastal strip.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had arrived in Tel Aviv earlier on Thursday, his third trip to the region since the Oct. 7 attack, to discuss extending the pause in fighting.
US President Joe Biden was determined to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas after American Liat Beinin was freed on Wednesday, the White House said in a statement.
The US is urging Israel to narrow the zone of combat and clarify where Palestinian civilians can seek safety during any Israeli operation in southern Gaza, US officials said on Wednesday, to prevent a repeat of the massive death toll from Israel's northern Gaza attacks.
Jordan will host a conference attended by the main UN, regional and international relief agencies on Thursday to coordinate aid to Gaza, official media said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday the Gaza Strip was in the midst of an "epic humanitarian catastrophe," and he and others called for a ceasefire to replace the temporary truce.
China called on the Security Council on Thursday to formulate a "concrete" timetable and roadmap for a two-state solution to achieve a "comprehensive, just and lasting" settlement of the Palestinian issue

Arab World

Jordan Says to Host a Conference to Coordinate Aid to Gaza

Palestinians gather as they wait to receive flour bags distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 29, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians gather as they wait to receive flour bags distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 29, 2023. (Reuters)
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Jordan Says to Host a Conference to Coordinate Aid to Gaza

Palestinians gather as they wait to receive flour bags distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 29, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians gather as they wait to receive flour bags distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 29, 2023. (Reuters)

Jordan will host on Thursday an international conference attended by the main UN bodies and regional and international relief agencies to coordinate humanitarian aid to war-devastated Gaza, official media said.

They said UN aid chief Martin Griffiths and key UN bodies and NGO's involved in ramping up aid to Gaza will be present at the conference, along with representatives of Western and Arab countries involved in the aid effort.