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US allegedly puts hold on ammo shipment to Israel

An ammunition shipment meant for Israel was halted by the United States last week, Axios reported on Sunday citing Israeli officials.

According to the officials, the move awoke worries inside the Israeli government, as the authorities scrambled to find the reasons for this. The White House declined to give any statements with regard to the subject.

Axios mentioned that this was the first time Washington did this since the tensions between Israel and Hamas escalated on October 7, 2023. Previous reports claimed that the United States could potentially limit its assistance to Israel, should the latter carry out a Rafah Invasion. Meanwhile, earlier today, in a speech Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if the country needs to “stand alone, we will stand alone.”

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Netanyahu Says Israel Won’t Give in to Hamas Demand to End War

Israel is prepared to temporarily halt the war in Gaza to gain the release of the hostages held there, but won’t agree to the Hamas demand to end the war completely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. It’s unclear where the comments – and an exchange of barbs with the Hamas political leader – will leave the potential for a halt in the war, which is approaching the seven-month mark. Israel’s military continues to prepare for a potential assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.Israel and Hamas have been negotiating for weeks through mediators toward a potential truce that would include the release of hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. “We are not ready to accept a situation in which the Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure, and return to threatening the citizens of Israel in the surrounding settlements, in the cities of the south, in all parts of the country,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday. Hamas, not Israel, is preventing a deal, he added.

Giving in to Hamas’ demands would be a “terrible defeat” for Israel, a huge victory for Hamas and Iran, and would project a “terrible weakness” to Israel’s friends and enemies alike, Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office.

This weakness would distance any further peace agreement, Netanyahu said, in an apparent reference to potential normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia.“This weakness will only bring the next war closer, and it will push the next peace agreement further away,” Netanyahu said. “Alliances are not made with the weak and defeated, alliances are made with the strong and victorious.” Hamas poitical chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement that the group, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, is bringing “seriousness and positivity” to the current talks. Netanyahu, he said, wanted to “invent constant justifications for the continuation of aggression, expanding the circle of conflict, and sabotaging efforts made through various mediators and parties.” Hamas conducted a series of contacts with mediators and with resistance factions, and held intensive meetings and consultations before sending its delegation to Cairo, he said. Hamas is still keen to reach a comprehensive agreement that guarantees the withdrawal of Israeli forces and achieves a serious prisoners/hostage exchange deal, Haniyeh added. Hezbollah is thought to have more than 100,000 fighters, many of whom are situated close to the border with Israel. The group has a far larger and more sophisticated arsenal of missiles and other weapons than Hamas. Both militant groups are considered terrorist organizations by the US.

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Netanyahu: Hamas obstructing ceasefire deal…………. Islamic Resistance claims attack on Haifa port

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Sunday that he shouldn’t be blamed for the lack of a ceasefire deal. “It’s Hamas that’s preventing” the agreement. “We are working in every possible way to free the abductees. This is at the forefront of our minds. Israel was and still is ready to make a truce in the fighting to free our abductees,” Netanyahu stressed in a video posted on his social media channels. He underlined, however, that Israel will not be succumbing to Hamas’ demands, adding that the country will “continue the fighting until all its goals are achieved.” Netanyahu claimed that although Israel is still open to reaching an agreement, Hamas is the one that remains “entrenched in its positions.”Iran again calls for ‘immediate’ ceasefire in Gaza Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Nasser Kanaani shared on Sunday in a post on X that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called for “an immediate, complete, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in all areas of Gaza,” while delivering a speech at the summit of the Islamic Cooperation Organization in Gambia. The foreign minister underlined that “the human blockade of Gaza” must be lifted chttps://youtu.be/mLLxYZPRae8ompletely, while further hostage exchanges need to take place. He also called for an immediate arms and trade embargo against Israel.Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the Israeli military must withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip, adding that the country must “be stopped, brought to justice and punished.”

Islamic Resistance claims attack on Haifa port

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said on Sunday in a statement that it once again targeted Israel’s biggest international seaport, Haifa.”Our fighters have directed advanced cruise missiles at Haifa port in the occupied Palestinian territories,” the militant group wrote, underlining that it will continue to support the Palestinian people. The potential damage is still unknown, as the Israeli side has yet to address the strike.

 

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Hamas reportedly to set 33 hostages free…… Hamas again warns Israel against Rafah op

Hamas agreed to release 33 hostages during the first round of the latest negotiations on a new ceasefire deal with Israel, the Al-Akhbar newspaper reported. The outlet also noted the decision would mark a change in the organization’s previous stance. The news came after the allegations Hamas was about to accept a truce agreement with Israel. NN: This story is a work in progress

Hamas again warns Israel against Rafah op

Hamas reiterates its warnings to Israel against a military operation in Rafah as such an endeavor will “end in failure,” one of the group’s senior officials, who requested to remain anonymous, told Al Jazeera. “We confirm that invading Rafah will not be a walk in the park and the occupation will pay a heavy price for any adventure it embarks on,” the official said. He added that Israel will be the one to blame if the country and Hamas do not reach a new ceasefire deal. The statement came amid reports Hamas was close to agreeing to a new truce proposal.

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Israeli official: We’ve not agreed to end war, and we’ll not let mediators guarantee an to end war either

In the second statement in hours, a diplomatic official again denies reports that Israel will agree to a hostages-for-truce agreement with Hamas that includes an Israeli commitment to end the war in Gaza.

The official further says that reports suggesting Israel will agree to the mediators providing guarantees for an end to the war are also false.

The source says Hamas is still demanding that Israel agree to end the war as a condition for any deal, “and in doing so is thwarting the possibility to reach an agreement.”

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Hamas shows signs of progress in proposed hostage deal

Hamas leadership approved the implementation of the first phase of the hostage deal
Hamas will announce soon that it agreed to the Egyptian mediation proposal, according to Saturday Arab media reports. The Egyptian “Al-Rad” channel reported that Hamas waived the condition for a cessation of fighting in the first phase of a hostage deal. According to the report, Hamas waived the condition in the first mediation stage, with the guarantees of hostage mediators.  Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds reported that the announcement would come within days, while Qatari government-aligned newspaper Al-Sharq reported that it would come within hours. “In light of recent contacts with the mediator brothers in Egypt and Qatar, the Hamas delegation will head to Cairo [on] Saturday to complete the discussions,” Al-Sharq quoted Hamas as saying. Hamas’s delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday morning, Hamas told the Saudi newspaper Asharq on Saturday. Hamas also said its primary focus would be achieving national consensus and rebuilding the Strip. It was also reported that in recent hours, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and Hamas have held discussions on the number of prisoners to be released in the deal. Hamas, according to the Al-Quds report, also received American guarantees for a permanent cessation of the war and the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip in the third phase of the deal. Hamas also reportedly said that there is no need for a permanent ceasefire as a precondition of talks, as they still hold senior IDF officers hostage and will be able to use them as leverage in discussion of a more permanent ceasefire. The IDF denied that it would forgo an invasion of Rafah due to a hostage deal, telling the Israeli media, “As decided by the politicians, the IDF will enter Rafah and destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there, whether or not there will be a temporary ceasefire for the release of our hostages.” Political officials agreed, saying that a hostage deal was not connected to a Rafah invasion and that the invasion would proceed regardless of the success of the agreement. A senior Hamas official confirmed this to N12 on Saturday morning, saying that the Hamas leadership had approved the implementation of the first phase of the hostage deal. According to the report, the shift seems to be caused by guarantees from the US, Qatar, and Egypt that Israel would entirely withdraw from the Gaza Strip by the end of the deal. Citing reports in Arab media, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that a senior Saudi official confirmed that Hamas was satisfied with the American guarantees. The N12 report noted that the same source said that CIA Director William Burns would return to Cairo on Saturday and meet with the senior Hamas negotiating team. The source went on to say that part of the assurances was that Israel would not enter Rafah at any point of the deal. He also confirmed that compromises had been reached on the number of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Amid conflicting reports regarding whether or not an Israeli operation in Rafah could occur in the event of Hamas agreeing to a hostage deal proposal, Y-Net, citing an Al Jazeera interview with senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan, reported that the Islamist organization was confused by the Israeli rhetoric.

“Unfortunately, there was a clear statement from Netanyahu that no matter what might happen, whether there will be a ceasefire or not – he will order the operation in Rafah,” Hamdan said. “This means that there will be no ceasefire and that the fighting will continue, which is contrary to what we are discussing. We want to understand what he means. Our understanding is that any ceasefire agreement means that there will be no more attacks in Gaza.”

“The results today will be different. We have reached an agreement over many points, and a few point remain,” one Egyptian security source told Reuters. A Palestinian official with knowledge of the mediation efforts sounded cautious optimism. “Things look better this time but whether an agreement is on hand would depend on whether Israel has offered what it takes for that to happen,” the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.    

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Report: Hamas Accepts Gaza Cease-fire Deal; Israeli Officials Reject Prospect of War Ending

developing story

According to the report, Hamas was guaranteed by the U.S. for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and that Israeli forces will not continue fighting once the hostages are released. An Israeli official told Haaretz that ‘Israel will, under no circumstances, agree to end the war as part of a deal’ and is determined to enter Rafaha. One senses disappointment that Hamas has agreed.

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Official reiterates Israel won’t end Gaza war as part of hostage deal

An Israeli official close to ongoing talks to secure a hostage release deal discounts Arab media reports that claim the US has guaranteed Israel will withdraw all troops from Gaza at the conclusion of a three-phased ceasefire agreement. Contrary to the reports, Israel will under no circumstances agree to the end of the war as part of an agreement to release our hostages,” the official says. “As the political echelon decided, the IDF will enter Rafah and destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there – with or without a temporary respite to allow for the release of our hostages,” the official adds. Israel has repeatedly rejected ending the war to destroy Hamas in Gaza as a condition for a hostage release deal.

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Hamas reportedly to accept ceasefire in few hours

Hamas delegation in Cairo is preparing to announce a positive response in the next few hours to the latest ceasefire proposal to reach a deal with the Israeli government, the Times of Israel reported on Saturday quoting Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper sources. The media said that an undisclosed source within Hamas said the group is prepared to accept the deal without requiring the removal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It was reported that today, representatives from the Palestinian militant organization Hamas arrived in Egypt to carry out discussions regarding a potential ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. On Friday, Hamas stated its determination to reach a truce in a “positive spirit”.

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Blinken: Taking ceasefire deal should be a no-brainer for Hamas

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that Hamas should readily agree to a ceasefire deal with Israel, but he stressed uncertainty regarding the motives of the group’s leadership in the Gaza Strip.

During his late intervention at the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum, Blinken stated that while Hamas claims to represent the Palestinian people, their hesitation to accept the ceasefire raises questions about their true intentions. “If it is true, then taking the ceasefire should be a no-brainer […] But maybe something else is going on, and we’ll have a better picture of that in the coming days,” he said referring to Hamas’ return to Cairo to negotiate. Earlier he said that Hamas negotiators with whom they have contact live outside Gaza, making agreements with those inside the Strip more difficult to achieve

Blinken: US does not have contact with Hamas in Gaza

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said mediators between Israel and Hamas have only engaged with the Hamas political wing, which operates outside Gaza.

“The ultimate decision-makers are the folks who are actually in Gaza itself with whom none of us have direct contact,” he said in a speech at the McCain Institute.

Blinken repeated the assertion that Hamas “is the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire.” He also reiterated that the US cannot support Israel’s ground operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip as Israel has not provided a plan to protect civilians.