Lenderking, Grundberg Resume Mobilization to Extend Yemen Truce

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen receives Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen receives Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Lenderking, Grundberg Resume Mobilization to Extend Yemen Truce

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen receives Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen receives Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The US Department of State announced that the US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking will return to the region to support UN efforts to expand and extend the Yemeni truce.

Lenderking’s return to the Middle East comes at a time when Houthi militias in Yemen have exhibited intransigence. Moreover, the Iran-backed group had presented demands that were labeled as “extremist” by the UN Security Council.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg is also mobilizing to revive the truce, whose second extension expired on Oct. 2. Houthi militias have rejected Grundberg’s proposal regarding the expansion and extension of the ceasefire.

The Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President, Anwar Gargash, met with Grundberg on Tuesday, according to a statement posted on the UN diplomat’s twitter account.

Grundberg also met with UAE Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Khalifa Almarar.

The officials stressed the need to continue the efforts being made to renew the armistice in Yemen.

“Lenderking will travel to the region starting Oct. 11 to support intensive, UN-led negotiations with the Yemeni parties to reach agreement on a truce extension and expansion, for the sake of Yemenis,” said a statement by the US State Department.

“The Houthis have an opportunity to support an expanded truce agreement that would provide millions of Yemenis with immediate relief, including much-needed civil servant salary payments, opening roads to and through Taiz and across the country, more flight destinations from Sanaa, and a path to a durable, inclusive Yemen-led peace process, that includes Yemenis’ calls for justice, accountability, and redress for human rights violations and abuses,” it added.

“The truce remains the best opportunity for peace Yemenis have had in years. The United States and the international community stand ready to support an expanded truce,” the statement affirmed.



Hamas Expects 'Real Progress' in Cairo Talks to End Gaza War

 Palestinians make their way with belongings as they flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Gaza City, April 11, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way with belongings as they flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Gaza City, April 11, 2025. (Reuters)
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Hamas Expects 'Real Progress' in Cairo Talks to End Gaza War

 Palestinians make their way with belongings as they flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Gaza City, April 11, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way with belongings as they flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Gaza City, April 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Hamas expects "real progress" towards a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, an official said, as senior leaders from the Palestinian movement hold talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Saturday.

The meeting between Hamas and Egyptian mediators come amid ongoing violence in Gaza, as the Israeli military intercepted three projectiles fired from the territory and launched air strikes and artillery shelling on several areas. No injuries were reported, the military said in a statement.

The scheduled talks in Cairo also come days after US President Donald Trump suggested an agreement to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza was close to being finalized.

A Hamas official told AFP that the Palestinian group anticipated the meeting with Egyptian mediators would yield significant progress.

"We hope the meeting will achieve real progress towards reaching an agreement to end the war, halt the aggression and ensure the full withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza," the official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations told AFP on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The delegation will be led by the group's chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, he said.

According to the official, Hamas has not yet received any new ceasefire proposals, despite Israeli media reports suggesting that Israel and Egypt had exchanged draft documents outlining a potential ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

"However, contacts and discussions with mediators are ongoing," he added, accusing Israel of "continuing its aggression" in Gaza.

The Times of Israel reported that Egypt's proposal would involve the release of eight living hostages and eight bodies, in exchange for a truce lasting between 40 and 70 days and a substantial release of Palestinian prisoners.

President Trump said during a cabinet meeting this week that "we're getting close to getting them (hostages in Gaza) back".

Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was also quoted in an Israeli media report as saying "a very serious deal is taking shape, it's a matter of days".

Israel resumed its Gaza strikes on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

Since then, more than 1,500 people have been killed, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory to which Israel cut off aid more than a month ago.

Dozens of these strikes have killed "only women and children," according to a report by UN human rights office.

The report also warned that expanding Israeli evacuation orders were resulting in the "forcible transfer" of people into ever-shrinking areas, raising "real concern as to the future viability of Palestinians as a group in Gaza".

On Saturday, Israel continued with its offensive.

Gaza's civil defense agency reported an Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City on Saturday morning.

AFP footage of the aftermath of the strike showed the bodies of four men, wrapped in white shrouds, at a local hospital, while several individuals gathered to offer prayers before the funeral.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, said its air force intercepted three projectiles that were identified as crossing into Israeli territory from southern Gaza on Saturday.

The ceasefire that ended on March 17 had led to the release of 33 hostages from Gaza -- eight of them deceased -- and the release of around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. It resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 58 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Gaza's health ministry said on Friday that at least 1,563 Palestinians had been killed since March 18 when the ceasefire collapsed, taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,933.