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Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff were heading to Egypt to finalise hostage release details, official sources said Saturday.A White House official confirmed Kushner and Witkoff are traveling to the region to address the finalization of details on the release of hostages and to discuss the deal pushed by the US president to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.The Palestinian resistance group on Friday reacted positively to a plan that would end two years of war, saying it was ready to release all hostages and discuss details on the deal.Trump in turn called on Israel to "immediately" halt its bombings of the war-ravaged territory, although Washington's chief ally in the region said Saturday its troops were still operating in Gaza.Trump's proposal calls for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas's disarmament.In an interview Saturday with Axios, Trump -- highlighting his behind-the-scenes diplomacy including with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- said a peace deal in Gaza was "close" and that he will push to have it finalized in coming days.Trump also said his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan was "very helpful" in urging Hamas to agree to the release of hostages."Erdogan helped a lot. He is a tough guy, but he is a friend of mine and he was great," Trump said.Netanyahu said in Jerusalem that he had instructed negotiators to travel to Egypt for talks over a Gaza deal."I have instructed the negotiating team to go to Egypt to finalise the technical details. The intention is to limit the negotiations to a few days," Netanyahu said in a televised statement, without specifying when the talks would take place.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has officially submitted its response to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip. The announcement was made through mediators and follows extensive internal consultations.According to a statement highlighted by Qatar News Agency, Hamas said it aimed to reach a "responsible position" on the U.S. initiative, expressing its desire to halt Israeli aggression on Gaza.Hamas expressed appreciation for Arab, Islamic, and international mediation efforts, including those led by President Trump. It reaffirmed key conditions for ending the conflict, including:A call for a complete ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners, and immediate humanitarian aid access.Rejection of the ongoing occupation of the Gaza Strip and displacement of its residents.Agreement to transfer Gaza’s administration to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats, in line with national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic partners.Acceptance of prisoner releases—both alive and deceased—as outlined in Trump’s proposal and dependent on agreed-upon field conditions.Emphasis on future governance of Gaza being tied to national Palestinian positions and international legal frameworks.Hamas stated that all remaining issues in President Trump’s proposal must align with international law and resolutions, and reflect the unified stance of the Palestinian people.

Adviser to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said that Qatar welcomes the announcement by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) of its acceptance of US President Donald Trump's proposal to end the war in Gaza and its willingness to release all hostages, as part of the exchange formula contained in the proposal.In a post on X, Dr al-Ansari also affirmed Qatar's support for the US president's call for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate the safe and rapid release of the hostages, achieving rapid results that stop the bloodshed of our Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip.He added that Qatar confirms that it has begun working with its mediation partners in Egypt, in co-ordination with the US, to complete discussions on the plan to ensure an end to the war.

The daily death toll in the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip since dawn Friday has risen to 60.Medical sources in Gaza hospitals reported that 17 martyrs arrived at Al Shifa Hospital, 20 at Al Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, two at Al Awda Hospital, 20 at Nasser Hospital, and one at Al Aqsa Hospital.The Israeli army has continued its comprehensive aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct 7, 2023, resulting in the martyrdom of tens of thousands of Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women.A number of victims remain under the rubble, unable to be reached by ambulances and rescue teams amid an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 66,288, in addition to 169,165 injuries.In a statement Friday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said the death toll since March 18, when the occupation violated the ceasefire agreement, has reached 13,420, in addition to the injury of 57,124 persons.Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) confirmed Friday that there are no safe places for Palestinians forcibly displaced from Gaza City by Israeli forces. The areas designated for them in the southern Gaza Strip are nothing more than places of death, the organisation warned.Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Unicef spokesperson James Elder stated that the idea of a safe zone in the south is a farce.Reporting from Deir Al Balah in central Gaza, Elder described the situation as dire, bombs fall from the sky at a terrifyingly predictable pace. Schools designated as temporary shelters are routinely reduced to rubble, and tents are systematically incinerated by airstrikes.Israeli forces have compelled Palestinians to relocate to what they call a humanitarian zone in Al Mawasi along the coast, claiming it would provide aid, medical care, and infrastructure. However, repeated airstrikes on the area, despite its designation as a safe zone, reveal a deliberate targeting of civilians, Elder said.He emphasised that issuing a blanket evacuation order does not strip those who remain of their right to civilian protection, adding that so-called safe zones are also places of death.Al Mawasi, he noted, has become one of the most densely populated areas on Earth, grotesquely overcrowded and stripped of the basic means of survival.Elder recalled that the UN began debunking the notion of unilaterally declared safe zones in late 2023, stressing that the law is very clear.As the occupying power, he added, Israel is responsible for ensuring that any safe zone includes all essentials for survival: food, shelter, sanitation. None of these are adequately available.Initially, the UN assumed these zones would not be bombed. Yet over the past 18 months, Elder stressed, they have been hit dozens of times, with displaced people in tents subjected to air strikes.In a related context, Elder highlighted the dire conditions facing mothers and newborns in Gaza, amid severe shortages of medical supplies and overcrowding at Nasser Medical Complex in the south.He underscored that the situation for mothers and newborns in Gaza has never been worse, and at Nasser Hospital, they see hallways packed with women who have just given birth.Since Israel’s intensified bombardment of Gaza began in August ahead of its ground offensive, the military has continued to pressure Palestinians to move south, despite the lack of safety or protection in those areas.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced Friday that it has submitted its response to US President Donald Trump's plan to cease the war in the Gaza Strip to the mediators.In a statement, the movement said it had held extensive consultations to reach a "responsible position" on the US president's plan, out of its desire to halt the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.It expressed its appreciation for Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as the efforts of US President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, an exchange of prisoners, the immediate entry of aid, and the rejection of the occupation of the Strip and the displacement of the Palestinian people from it.It added: "We announce our agreement to the release of all prisoners, alive and dead, in accordance with the exchange formula included in President Trump's proposal and with the provision of field conditions for the exchange process," stressing its readiness to immediately enter negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details.The movement also renewed its agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats, based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.The statement continued saying that the other issues included in President Trump's proposal related to the future of the Gaza Strip and the inherent rights of the Palestinian people are linked to a comprehensive national position and based on relevant international laws and resolutions. These matters will be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, of which Hamas will be a member and to which it will contribute responsibly, the statement said.

300,000 people marched in Rome, organisers sayPro-flotilla protests particularly widespread in ItalyMore protests expected on Saturday Hundreds of thousands of Italians took to the streets across the country on Friday, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of an aid flotilla carrying food to Gaza that was intercepted by Israel this week. "After what I saw with the flotilla, I thought I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. It's the first time I go to these kind of demonstrations," Mario Mascetti, a protester in Rome, told Reuters. The CGIL and USB trade unions staged demonstrations in more than 100 cities. In the capital, crowds marched from the central Piazza Vittorio towards the main train station, holding union and Palestinian flags, as well as banners. The strike caused delays and cancellations across Italy's rail network, with more limited disruptions at airports. Metro lines continued operating in both Rome and Milan. Motorways or ring roads were blocked by protesters around several cities including Rome, Milan, Bologna and Trento, with police firing tear gas outside Milan to disperse stone-throwing demonstrators. The Tuscan port of Livorno was closed by protests. "This is not just any strike. We're here today to defend brotherhood among individuals, among peoples, to put humanity back at the centre, to say no to genocide, to a policy of rearmament," CGIL leader Maurizio Landini said. Some 300,000 people took part in the Rome march, according to the organisers. They estimated crowds of more than 100,000 in Milan, 50,000 in Naples, 25,000 in Venice and a total of 150,000 in various cities in Sicily. Authorities have not confirmed the figures. Italy's right-wing government has criticised the strike, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people skipping work for Gaza was just an excuse to have a longer weekend break. Protests in solidarity with the humanitarian convoy that was trying to break Israel's naval blockade have sprung up all over Europe and other parts of the world, but have been particularly widespread in Italy. Mattia Diletti, a sociologist at Rome's Sapienza University, said the Palestinian cause had always resonated in Italy, both amongst its centrist Catholic and leftist political traditions. "Italy has always been a very political country, characterised by this (pro-Palestinian) element," he said. The national strike watchdog said on Thursday that the unions had broken rules by not giving enough advance notice for the strike, but the CGIL and USB went ahead anyway, attracting more criticism from the government. "If today those who strike illegally cause billions of euros worth of damage to the Italian economy ... then sanctions must be proportionate to the damage caused," Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said. Pro-Palestinian protests were due to continue on Saturday with a mass rally in Rome, capping off several days of demonstrations that have sometimes turned violent and sparked clashes with police. On Thursday night, tens of thousands of people marched peacefully from Rome's Colosseum, while in Turin a conference centre was vandalised and in Milan a statue outside the Duomo cathedral was daubed with red paint and graffiti.

Israeli navy intercepts last boat in Gaza aid flotillaBut new flotilla now on its wayIsraeli foreign ministry says four Italians deported, others in process of being deportedTens of Italians demonstrate in solidarity with flotillaFar-right minister describes activists as 'terrorists'The Israeli military intercepted the last boat in an aid flotilla attempting to reach blockaded Gaza on Friday, a day after stopping most of the vessels and detaining some 450 activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.The organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the Marinette was intercepted some 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) from Gaza. Israeli army radio said the navy had taken control of the last ship in the flotilla, detained those aboard and that the vessel was being led to Ashdod port in Israel.In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had now "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels-each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza".However, in another attempt to challenge Israel's naval blockade, a new flotilla comprising 11 vessels was attempting to make its way to Gaza on Friday, organisers said, including a vessel carrying medics and journalists.A live-tracker shared by the organisers showed the boats sailing southeast in the Mediterranean between the Greek island of Crete and Egypt, while live footage from one of the boats showed activists chanting for a "Free Palestine".A camera broadcasting from the Marinette showed someone holding up a note saying "We see a ship! It's a war ship", before a boat is seen approaching and soldiers boarding. A voice is heard telling the people on board not to move and to put their hands in the air.An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the boat's status. The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the territory.Israeli foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a "lawful naval blockade", and asked organisers to change course. It had offered to transfer aid to Gaza. The Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said that four Italians had been deported. "The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible," it said in a statement. All the flotilla participants were "safe and in good health", it added.The Italian government identified the four Italians as parliamentarians who would fly back to Rome on Friday.Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City on Thursday to protest the flotilla's interception.On Friday, tens of thousands of Italians demonstrated, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of the flotilla.During a visit to Ashdod on Thursday night, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed calling the activists "terrorists" as he stood in front of them."These are the terrorists of the flotilla," he said, speaking in Hebrew and pointing at dozens of people sitting on the ground. His spokesperson confirmed the video was filmed at Ashdod port on Thursday night.Some activists are heard shouting "Free Palestine".Cyprus said one of the flotilla boats had docked in Cyprus with 21 foreigners aboard. Crew from the vessel, "Summer Time", said it was an observer mission carrying doctors and journalists."Nobody has the right to be a pirate of the sea and enforce whatever they want to do and I think we are equal," Palestinian crew member Osama Qashoo told journalists.Israel faced international condemnation and protest after it intercepted all of the 40 or so boats in the flotilla and detained more than 450 activists from different countries.Israel has faced widespread global condemnation over the war in Gaza, and is defending itself against charges of genocide in the International Court of Justice.

Flotilla is latest attempt to break Israel's blockade of GazaOrganisers say unidentified vessels approached, military came on boardBoats had expected to reach Gaza on ThursdayIsraeli military personnel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver medicine and food to Gaza and boarded its boats as it approached the war-ravaged enclave.Some 20 unidentified vessels were seen approaching the flotilla earlier on Wednesday night, multiple people on board said, as passengers put on life vests and braced for a takeover."Our vessels are being illegally intercepted. Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board," organisers of the flotilla said in a post on X.The Global Sumud Flotilla, which consists of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, despite repeated warnings from Israel to turn back. It is within 90 nautical miles of the war-ravaged Strip, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching.A live video feed from one of the boats in the flotilla showed passengers in life vests sitting on deck.It is not clear if all the boats had been intercepted or stopped. Some passengers said their vessels continued to advance.Organisers remained defiant. "We will not be intimidated by threats, harassment, or efforts to protect Israel's illegal siege on Gaza," they said in an earlier statement.The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment about intercepting the vessels.The Israeli foreign ministry earlier said its navy had reached out to the flotilla to warn it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, and asked them to change course.The ministry said that it reiterated the offer to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.It is the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war. The flotilla had been hoping to arrive in Gaza on Thursday morning if it was not intercepted.This was the second time the flotilla was approached on Wednesday. Before dawn, the mission's organisers said two Israeli "warships" had approached fast and encircled two of the flotilla's boats. All navigation and communication devices went down in what one organiser on board described as a "cyber attack". A video post on the flotilla's Instagram page showed the silhouette of what appeared to be a military vessel with a gun turret near the civilian boats.Reuters confirmed that the video was filmed from the flotilla, but could not confirm the identity of the other vessel in the video or when the video was taken. Last week the flotilla was attacked by drones, which dropped stun grenades and itching powder on the vessels, causing damage but no injuries. Israel did not comment on that attack, but has said it will use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its naval blockade is legal as it battles Hamas in the coastal enclave. Italy and Spain deployed naval ships to help with any rescue or humanitarian needs but stopped following the flotilla once it got within 150 nautical miles of Gaza for safety reasons. Turkish drones have also followed the boats.Italy and Greece on Wednesday jointly called on Israel not to hurt the activists aboard and called on the flotilla to hand over its aid to the Catholic Church for indirect delivery to Gaza - a plea the flotilla has previously rejected.At the press conference held by organisers on Wednesday, Francesca Albanese, the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, said any interception of the flotilla "would be yet another violation of international law, the law of the sea" since Israel had no legal jurisdiction on waters off Gaza.Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and there have been several previous attempts by activists to deliver aid by sea.In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships manned by 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries. In June this year, Israeli naval forces detained Thunberg and 11 crew members from a small ship organised by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as they approached Gaza.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Wednesday that Israeli forces had killed at least 46 people, including 36 in Gaza City, which Israel's defence minister has told residents to flee.Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the rescue agency operating under Hamas authority, said several deaths resulted from attacks in the north of the territory, to the west of Gaza City.Drone strikes also killed two people in Al-Zawayda and two people at a camp in Nuseirat, both in central Gaza, Bassal added.Two aid seekers were killed by Israeli gunfire southwest of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, he said.Media restrictions in the territory and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence or the Israeli military.The strikes come as Defence Minister Israel Katz warned the military was tightening its encirclement of Gaza City, telling residents to flee south, as Hamas weighs US President Donald Trump's plan to end nearly two years of war in the Palestinian territory.

Flotilla is latest attempt to break Israel's blockade of GazaActivists say Israeli vessels approached, jammed communicationsBoats expect to reach Gaza on Thursday, if not interceptedIsrael says flotilla has provocative, not humanitarian aimsThe international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza said Israeli vessels approached some of its boats and engaged in "dangerous and intimidatory manoeuvres" on Wednesday as it neared the Palestinian territory.The mission's organisers said two Israeli "warships" had approached fast and encircled two of the flotilla's boats, Alma and Sirius. All navigation and communication devices went down in what one organiser on board, Thiago Ávila, described in a press conference as a "cyber attack".The flotilla appeared to have recovered some communications. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment."These hostile actions placed unarmed civilians from over 40 countries in grave danger," the flotilla said in a statement.The Global Sumud Flotilla consists of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 people, among them parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.It is the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war, to deliver food and medicine.The boats have reached within 120 nautical miles of Gaza's coast, inside an area that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching.The flotilla said it would continue its course towards Gaza and expects to arrive on Thursday morning if not intercepted.It was unclear who operated the vessels that approached the flotilla. A video post on the flotilla's Instagram page showed the silhouetted outline of what appeared to be a military vessel with a gun turret near the civilian boats.Reuters confirmed that the video was filmed from the vessel Sirius because its rigging and lines matched file imagery of the boat. Reuters could not confirm the identity of the other vessel in the video or when the video was taken.Last week the flotilla was attacked by drones, which dropped stun grenades and itching powder on the vessels, causing damage but no injuries.Israel did not comment on that attack, but has said it will use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its naval blockade is legal as it battles Hamas in the coastal enclave.Italy and Spain deployed naval ships to help with any rescue or humanitarian needs but stopped following the flotilla once it got within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of Gaza for safety reasons. Turkish drones have also followed the boats.Italy and Greece on Wednesday jointly called on Israel not to hurt the activists aboard and called on the flotilla to hand over its aid to the Catholic Church for indirect delivery to Gaza - a plea the flotilla has previously rejected.Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt."This systematic refusal (to hand over the aid) demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative. They are not seeking to help, they are seeking an incident," Jonathan Peled, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, said in a post on X.At the press conference held by organisers on Wednesday, Francesca Albanese, the top U.N. expert on Palestinian rights, said any interception of the flotilla "would be yet another violation of international law, the law of the sea" since Israel had no legal jurisdiction on waters off Gaza.Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and there have been several previous attempts by activists to deliver aid by sea.In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships manned by 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries.In June this year, Israeli naval forces detained Thunberg and 11 crew members from a small ship organised by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as they approached Gaza.

Gaza's civil defence agency and hospitals said Tuesday that Israeli forces killed at least 41 people across the territory, including 17 near an aid distribution centre.The Israeli military has pressed on with its offensive even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war.Officials from Gaza's civil defence agency -- a rescue force operating under Hamas authority -- said 17 people were shot dead by Israeli forces near an aid distribution site near the Wadi Gaza bridge in central Gaza.Al-Awda hospital confirmed receiving 17 bodies and said 33 people were wounded."We received 17 martyrs and 33 injured as a result of Israeli forces targeting gatherings of citizens near the humanitarian aid distribution area near Wadi Gaza Bridge in the central Gaza Strip," the hospital said in a statement.Thousands of Palestinians congregate daily near food distribution points in Gaza, including those managed by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.Since launching in late May, its operations have been marred by regular reports of Israeli forces firing on those waiting to collect aid.An AFP journalist saw hundreds of children crowding a food distribution centre in Gaza's central Nuseirat area, where volunteers were handing out rice and other supplies.When asked about Tuesday's incident near Wadi Gaza Bridge, the military said it was looking into it.Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid supplies into Gaza since the start of the war nearly two years ago have led to shortages of food and essential items, including medicine and fuel, which hospitals require to power their generators.The civil defence added that 15 more people were killed in several strikes in Gaza City, from where hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee due to Israeli air and ground assaults.Nine others were killed elsewhere in the territory, it said.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence and the Israeli military.

Eight Arab and Muslim nations welcomed Trump's 'sincere efforts' to end the Gaza war in a joint statement Monday. "The foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt welcome President Trump's leadership and his sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza, and assert their confidence in his ability to find a path to peace. They emphasize the importance of the partnership with the US in securing peace in the region. Along these lines, the ministers welcome the announcement by President Trump regarding his proposal to end the war, rebuild Gaza, prevent the displacement of the Palestinian people and advance a comprehensive peace, as well as his announcement that he will not allow the annexation of the West Bank. The ministers affirm their readiness to engage positively and constructively with the US and the parties toward finalizing the agreement and ensuring its implementation, in a manner that ensures peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region. They reaffirm their joint commitment to work with the US to end the war in Gaza through a comprehensive deal that ensures unrestricted delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinians, the release of hostages, a security mechanism that guarantees the security of all sides, full Israeli withdrawal, rebuilds Gaza and creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state in accordance with international law as key to achieving regional stability and security. "