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A Look at Gaza Ceasefire Talks After Hamas Accepts a New Proposal 

Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid packages from the United Arab Emirates, airdropped by parachutes into Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid packages from the United Arab Emirates, airdropped by parachutes into Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP)
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A Look at Gaza Ceasefire Talks After Hamas Accepts a New Proposal 

Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid packages from the United Arab Emirates, airdropped by parachutes into Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid packages from the United Arab Emirates, airdropped by parachutes into Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP)

Hamas says it has accepted a proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the 22-month war sparked by its Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel. Israel has not yet responded and says it is still committed to defeating the group.

The latest proposal developed by Egypt and Qatar contains only slight modifications to an earlier one advanced by the United States and accepted by Israel, according to Egyptian and Hamas officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.

The deal would include a 60-day truce, the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a flood of humanitarian aid into Gaza and talks on a lasting ceasefire.

Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is disarmed. President Donald Trump gave support to those goals Monday in a social media post, saying Hamas must be “confronted and destroyed” to ensure the return of the remaining hostages.

A ceasefire, a hostage release and an influx of aid The details of the latest proposal have not been made public, but the two Egyptian officials and two Hamas officials described the broad outlines to The Associated Press.

There would be a 60-day ceasefire in which Israeli forces would pull back to a buffer zone extending 800 meters (875 yards) into Gaza. The officials said Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, had proposed 1,500 meters (1,640 yards) and Hamas countered with 600 meters (656 yards) before the talks stalled last month.

Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases, in exchange for the release of around 1,700 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 200 serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.

Hamas-led fighters took 251 people hostage in the Oct. 7 attack and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians. Fifty hostages are still in Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel would allow 600 trucks of humanitarian aid to enter each day, a major increase that could help arrest what experts have described as the territory's slide toward famine. Israel allowed a similar amount of aid to enter during a ceasefire earlier this year.

During the temporary ceasefire, the sides would negotiate a lasting truce, the release of the remaining hostages and the further withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Israel is committed to destroying Hamas Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that while he will halt the fighting temporarily to facilitate the release of hostages, he will not end the war until Hamas has been defeated and disarmed.

Even then, he says Israel will maintain security control over Gaza and facilitate the relocation of much of its population to other countries through what he describes as voluntary emigration. Palestinians and much of the international community view it as forcible expulsion.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu announced plans to occupy Gaza City and other densely populated areas, which would likely result in even more casualties and further waves of mass displacement. Those threats were partly aimed at pressuring Hamas.

Israel's offensive has already killed over 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up around half of those killed. Vast areas of Gaza have been completely destroyed.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and run by medical professionals. The UN and many independent experts view its figures as the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Israel disputes them but has not provided its own numbers.

Hamas is severely weakened but not defeated Hamas has suffered heavy losses through nearly two years of war.

Most of its top leaders have been killed, its rocket supplies have been vastly depleted, and Israel has regularly announced the destruction of tunnel complexes and other military infrastructure. Iran and Hamas' other regional allies are in disarray after Israeli and US strikes.

The Israeli military says it now controls at least 75% of Gaza, with much of the population and the remnants of Hamas' government and police force largely confined to Gaza City, built-up refugee camps from the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation and Muwasi, a sprawling tent camp along the coast.

The hostages are Hamas' last bargaining chip and its only hope of emerging from the war with something it can try to portray as a victory.

The group has said it will only release the remaining captives in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal. Hamas says it is willing to hand over power to other Palestinians but will not lay down its arms as long as Israel occupies lands the Palestinians want for a future state.

Israel says any arrangement that leaves Hamas intact and armed would allow it to eventually rebuild its forces and launch another Oct. 7-style attack.

The US role is crucial Israel has been tight-lipped about the talks, and it's unclear when it will respond. The Security Cabinet, which would need to approve any such deal, usually meets on Thursdays.

In the meantime, all eyes are on Washington.

Trump helped to get a previous ceasefire across the finish line in January after former President Joe Biden's administration and Arab mediators had spent months hammering it out. The US then offered its full support when Israel ended that truce and resumed its air and ground war in March.

Trump alone might be able to convince Israel to halt the war without trying to eradicate Hamas at the cost of countless more Palestinian lives and possibly the remaining hostages.

He says he wants to return the hostages and end the war but has not publicly pressured Israel. In a post Monday on his Truth Social website, Trump appeared once again to express full support for Netanyahu's endgame.

“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” he wrote. “Play to WIN, or don’t play at all!”

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Arab World

Beirut Conference Sees Wide Consensus Over Weapons-free Capital

Beirut MPs met in the capital to support a government move declaring the city “safe and weapons-free." Asharq Al-Awsat
Beirut MPs met in the capital to support a government move declaring the city “safe and weapons-free." Asharq Al-Awsat
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Beirut Conference Sees Wide Consensus Over Weapons-free Capital

Beirut MPs met in the capital to support a government move declaring the city “safe and weapons-free." Asharq Al-Awsat
Beirut MPs met in the capital to support a government move declaring the city “safe and weapons-free." Asharq Al-Awsat

Beirut MPs representing most of Lebanon’s political parties met in the capital to support a government move declaring the city “safe and weapons-free,” following recent security incidents and Israeli strikes.

The conference brought together most factions, except MPs from Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya.

Despite political divisions, participants struck a unified rhetoric, calling for all weapons to be placed exclusively under state control and for a stronger presence of official institutions, chiefly the Lebanese Army, across the capital to ensure stability and restore public confidence in security.

MP Fouad Makhzoumi said Beirut “deserves to be protected together” and would remain “a city that embraces everyone,” describing the “Black Wednesday” as a serious warning of the risks still facing the capital.

He called for the army to deploy across all neighborhoods, for checkpoints to be reinforced and for effective security oversight, stressing that state-building requires a monopoly on arms “without exception.”

He further stressed all necessary measures should be taken to restore order, “up to declaring general mobilization if needed.”

For his part, MP Ghassan Hasbani of the Lebanese Forces said the meeting reflected a national stance tied to the responsibility of representing Beirut’s residents. He voiced support for state efforts to assert full authority, confiscate illegal weapons and treat any armed activity outside state control as a direct threat to the capital’s security and stability.

Kataeb Party lawmaker Nadim Gemayel noted that Lebanon should no longer be used as a bargaining chip by external actors, calling for firm implementation of government decisions and for the army to deploy across the country, starting with Beirut, to protect citizens and reinforce sovereignty.

Similarly, MP Ibrahim Mneimneh said Hezbollah had dragged Lebanon into a conflict unrelated to it, exposing the country to heavy losses, while Beirut and other regions paid the price in security and stability. He stressed that the current phase required restoring state authority and ensuring its exclusive control over arms.

MP Waddah Sadeq said the Lebanese “have the right to loyalty to Lebanon alone,” urging support for what he described as “historic” government decisions. He called for unity under a state based on institutions and the rule of law, and for security forces to fully carry out their duties.

MP Nicolas Sehnaoui of the Free Patriotic Movement highlighted the need for an inclusive national approach to rebuild trust in the state, stressing that limiting arms to the army and legitimate forces remains essential, while avoiding exclusionary rhetoric.

Lawmaker Edgar Traboulsi said Beirut, despite wars and crises, “does not die,” but needs unity and solidarity free from division and incitement.

MP Faisal Sayegh of the Progressive Socialist Party stated that Beirut’s security is inseparable from Lebanon’s, calling for adherence to sovereignty and independence and implementation of the Taif Agreement and relevant government decisions.

Arab World

A 10-day Ceasefire Agreed on By Israel and Lebanon Goes into Effect

A man stands on a damaged part of the Qasmiyeh Bridge that was targeted by an Israeli airstrike near Tyre, southern Lebanon, 16 April 2026. EPA/STRINGER
A man stands on a damaged part of the Qasmiyeh Bridge that was targeted by an Israeli airstrike near Tyre, southern Lebanon, 16 April 2026. EPA/STRINGER
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A 10-day Ceasefire Agreed on By Israel and Lebanon Goes into Effect

A man stands on a damaged part of the Qasmiyeh Bridge that was targeted by an Israeli airstrike near Tyre, southern Lebanon, 16 April 2026. EPA/STRINGER
A man stands on a damaged part of the Qasmiyeh Bridge that was targeted by an Israeli airstrike near Tyre, southern Lebanon, 16 April 2026. EPA/STRINGER

A 10-day truce began in Lebanon on Friday that could pause fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel after weeks of devastating war.

US President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants inside the country, who were not formally part of the agreement, The Associated Press said.

Barrages of gunshots rang out across Beirut as residents fired into the air just after midnight to celebrate the beginning of the truce.

Displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, despite warnings by officials not to attempt to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli troops would not withdraw.

Israeli forces have engaged in fierce battles with Hezbollah in the border area as they pushed into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a “security zone.” Netanyahu, in his video address, said it will extend 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanon.

“That is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said.

Hezbollah said that “Israeli occupation on our land grants Lebanon and its people the right to resist it, and this matter will be determined based on how developments unfold” — a stance that could complicate the ceasefire.

Israel reserves right to defend itself

The US State Department said that according to the agreement, Israel reserves the right to defend itself “at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” But otherwise, Israel “will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets.”

The wording suggested Israel would maintain the freedom to strike at will, as it did in the months following the ceasefire that ended the previous war. This time, Hezbollah said it would respond to any strikes by Israel.

It's unclear when the 1 million people displaced by the war will be able to safely return.

Lebanon’s state-run National News agency reported that Israeli shelling continued in the villages of Khiam and Dibbine about a half hour after the truce went into effect. Israel’s military said it was looking into reports of shelling and artillery fire in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah kept firing rockets at northern Israeli towns and communities right up to the start of the ceasefire. Air raid sirens went off in some often-targeted border towns less than 10 minutes before midnight.

Flurry of diplomacy

The agreement came after a meeting between Israel's and Lebanon’s ambassadors in Washington and a flurry of subsequent phone calls from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a White House official.

They were the first direct diplomatic talks between the two countries in decades. Hezbollah had opposed direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.

Trump spoke Wednesday evening with Netanyahu, who agreed to a ceasefire with certain terms, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Rubio then called Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, who got on board. Trump then spoke with Aoun, and again with Netanyahu.

The State Department worked with both governments to formulate a memorandum of understanding for the truce.

“May have been a historic day for Lebanon. Good things are happening!!!” Trump said in a social media post.

Trump extends White House invitation

Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah before engaging in more talks, while vowing to commit to disarming the group.

Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Lebanon remains deeply divided over diplomatic engagement with Israel.

Trump also invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for what he said would be “the first meaningful talks" between the countries since 1983.

“Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly,” Trump wrote on social media.

Lebanon and Israel signed an agreement in 1983 saying Lebanon would formally recognize Israel, and Israel would withdraw from Lebanon. The deal fell apart during Lebanon’s civil war and was formally rescinded a year later.

A Hezbollah official said the ceasefire was a result of Iran’s negotiations with the US, in which Iran had insisted Lebanon be included in its own ceasefire, and came about through efforts by mediator Pakistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Pakistan army chief meets with Iranian parliament speaker

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s army chief met Thursday with Iran’s parliament speaker as part of international efforts to press for an extension to a ceasefire that has paused almost seven weeks of war between Israel, the US and Iran.

It was unclear whether the frantic diplomacy could lead to a lasting deal before the ceasefire ends next week. The Iran war has killed thousands of people and upended global markets by disrupting the flow of oil.

Iranian state television did not provide details on the meeting between Pakistani Army Gen. Asim Munir and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, his country’s chief negotiator.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, a key mediator after hosting the talks between the US and Iran that authorities said helped narrow differences between the sides.

The White House said any further talks regarding Iran would likely take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, though no decision had been made on whether to resume negotiations. The fragile ceasefire is holding despite a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and Iranian counter-threats to target regional ports across the Red Sea.

Trump suggested the ceasefire could be extended.

“If we’re close to a deal, would I extend?” Trump said in an exchange with reporters. “Yeah, I would do that.”

The war has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as shipping has been cut off and airstrikes have pounded military and civilian infrastructure. Oil prices have fallen amid hopes for an end to fighting, and US stocks on Wednesday surpassed records set in January.

Officials say US and Iran are making progress

Even as the US blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats strained the ceasefire, regional officials reported progress, telling AP the United States and Iran had an “in-principle agreement” to extend it to allow for more diplomacy. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.

But tensions simmered.

The commander of Iran’s joint military command, Ali Abdollahi, threatened to halt trade in the region if the US does not lift its naval blockade, and a newly appointed military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he does not support extending the ceasefire.

Mediators seek compromise on sticking points

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.

Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points: Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

Since the war began, Iran has curtailed maritime traffic through the strait, which a fifth of global oil transited through in peacetime. Tehran’s effective closure of the strait sent oil prices skyrocketing, raising the cost of fuel, food and other basic goods far beyond the Middle East.

Arab World

Libya, US Hold Talks on Money Laundering, Terror Financing

Libya central bank governor (left) with US assistant secretary of state (central bank)
Libya central bank governor (left) with US assistant secretary of state (central bank)
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Libya, US Hold Talks on Money Laundering, Terror Financing

Libya central bank governor (left) with US assistant secretary of state (central bank)
Libya central bank governor (left) with US assistant secretary of state (central bank)

Anti-money laundering measures dominated talks in Washington between governor of the Central Bank of Libya Naji Issa and US officials, as prosecutors pursue corruption cases.

The central bank said Issa outlined efforts to strengthen anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing systems, expand electronic payments, and introduce unconventional monetary tools in line with international standards, steps it said have boosted confidence among global financial institutions.

Late on Wednesday, the bank said Issa and his delegation met several officials, including Robert B. Thomson, Visa's vice chairman, in talks aimed at expanding electronic payment services and advancing financial inclusion in Libya, while tightening oversight of financial transactions in line with international standards.

Libya ranks among the world’s five most corrupt countries, according to recent estimates by Transparency International. The country fell to 177th out of 182 states in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index.

The central bank said Issa also attended a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan group, MENAP, with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, on the sidelines of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington.

Discussions focused on slowing global growth, inflationary pressures, and challenges tied to commodity and energy prices.

The bank added that it received an official invitation from the US State Department and held a high-level meeting in Washington with Kyle Liston, a US State Department official. It quoted him as praising the governor and the bank’s board, calling their efforts “a model to be emulated in financial management despite compelling circumstances.”

Separately, Libya’s Anti-Financial Crimes, Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Agency said it dismantled a local network and arrested five bank employees over embezzlement and manipulation of a customer account.

Investigators said the suspects abused their positions to load international cards with $12,000 and carry out transfers worth 63,000 dinars without the account holder’s knowledge, placing his name on suspicion lists. The official exchange rate is 6.33 dinars to the dollar.

The public prosecutor said electronic tracking and financial analysis linked the case to a wider network that used data from more than 200,000 people in an organized money-laundering scheme. The suspects were referred to the anti-corruption prosecution, and authorities said strict oversight would be enforced to protect the economy.

In a related ruling, the Tripoli Court of Appeal sentenced a former director of international marketing at the National Oil Corporation to 10 years in prison, fined him more than $1.825 billion, and permanently stripped him of his civil rights, after convicting him of serious violations in oil marketing and fuel supply.

The attorney general’s office said the case stems from charges that the official failed to collect payments for crude oil and petroleum products sold between 2010 and 2017, and approved contracts in 2013 to supply gasoline that did not meet Libyan standards.