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Hamas Official Slams Israeli 'Refusal' of Gaza Deal Over Border Troops

The Philadelphi Corridor, pictured here in 2005, has become a sticking point in Gaza truce talks - AFP
The Philadelphi Corridor, pictured here in 2005, has become a sticking point in Gaza truce talks - AFP
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Hamas Official Slams Israeli 'Refusal' of Gaza Deal Over Border Troops

The Philadelphi Corridor, pictured here in 2005, has become a sticking point in Gaza truce talks - AFP
The Philadelphi Corridor, pictured here in 2005, has become a sticking point in Gaza truce talks - AFP

A Hamas official on Friday accused Israel's prime minister of refusing to agree to a final truce accord for Gaza, where the presence of Israeli troops on the Egyptian border remained a major sticking point.

An Israeli team was in Cairo "negotiating to advance a hostage (release) agreement", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Omer Dostri told AFP late on Thursday.

But Hamas representatives were not taking part and an official from the Islamist movement, Hossam Badran, told AFP on Friday that Netanyahu's insistence that troops remain on the Philadelphi border strip reflects "his refusal to reach a final agreement".

Egypt with fellow mediators Qatar and the United States have for months tried to reach a deal to end more than 10 months of war between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas in Gaza.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken visited the region this week to emphasise the urgency of an agreement.

Witnesses on Friday reported combat in the territory's north, heavy shelling in the centre, and tank fire in the far south near Rafah city.

The United Nations said tens of thousands of civilians have been on the move again this week from Deir el-Balah and the southern city of Khan Yunis after Israeli military evacuation orders, which precede military operations.

The war has displaced about 90 percent of Gaza's population, often multiple times, leaving them deprived of shelter, clean water and other essentials as disease spreads, the UN says.

"Civilians are exhausted and terrified, running from one destroyed place to another, with no end in sight," Muhannad Hadi, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said late Thursday.

"This cannot continue," he said.

Israel's military on Friday said that over the past day troops had "eliminated dozens" of militants around Khan Yunis and Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza.

In April the military had pulled troops out of Khan Yunis after months of devastating fighting, yet has found itself having to resume operations there, leaving civilians feeling they have nowhere to turn.

"This is no way to live," said Haitham Abdelaal.

ommand said on Thursday.

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Fires Break Out on Abandoned Oil Tanker Sounion That Houthis Attacked in Red Sea

Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion is pictured in Yarımca, Gulf of Izmit, east of Istanbul, Türkiye, May 31, 2024. (Reuters)
Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion is pictured in Yarımca, Gulf of Izmit, east of Istanbul, Türkiye, May 31, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fires Break Out on Abandoned Oil Tanker Sounion That Houthis Attacked in Red Sea

Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion is pictured in Yarımca, Gulf of Izmit, east of Istanbul, Türkiye, May 31, 2024. (Reuters)
Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion is pictured in Yarımca, Gulf of Izmit, east of Istanbul, Türkiye, May 31, 2024. (Reuters)

Fires broke out Friday on a Greek-flagged oil tanker previously attacked by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen this week, with the vessel now appearing to be adrift in the Red Sea, authorities said.

It wasn't immediately clear what had happened to the oil tanker Sounion, which had been abandoned by its crew on Thursday and reportedly anchored in place.

The Houthis didn't immediately acknowledge the fire. The militias are suspected to have gone back and attacked at least one other vessel that later sank as part of their monthslong campaign against shipping in the Red Sea over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that's disrupted a trade route that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it annually.

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the fires in a note to mariners on Friday night.

“UKMTO have received a report that three fires have been observed on vessel,” the center said. “The vessel appears to be drifting.”

A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said American officials were aware of the fires and continued to monitor the situation.

The vessel had been staffed by a crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, who were taken by a French destroyer to nearby Djibouti, the EU's Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea said on Thursday.

The Sounion has 150,000 tons of crude oil aboard and represents a “navigational and environmental hazard,” the mission warned. “It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.”

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The Houthis maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the UK to force an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the US military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. Early Thursday, the US military’s Central Command said that the Lincoln had reached the waters of the Middle East, without elaborating.

Washington also has ordered the USS Georgia-guided missile submarine to the region, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown into the region and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean Sea.