Israel ‘willing to withdraw more troops’ from Gaza than previously offered

Israel has presented a new proposal in indirect talks over a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, according to a media report. The Jewish state is now willing to withdraw more troops from Gaza during the ceasefire than previously offered, The Times of Israel newspaper reported on Monday, citing an Arab diplomat. Indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Qatari capital Doha have recently stalled. A major sticking point is the differing views on the extent of the Israeli troop withdrawal, particularly from southern Gaza. Israel had previously been adamant that its forces remain in a relatively large area, including a 3km (1.8-mile) wide buffer zone along the border with Egypt near Rafah, as well as the so-called Morag Corridor, which separates Rafah from Khan Younis, the next second city in the coastal strip. Hamas, though, has demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the positions they held before the collapse of the last ceasefire in March. Under the newly reported proposal, Israel would reduce its military presence to a 2km (1.3-mile) wide buffer zone along the southern border near Rafah. However, according to the Arab diplomat cited by the Times of Israel, it is doubtful whether this concession will lead to a breakthrough in the negotiations. Israel’s wish to maintain its military presence in southern Gaza is linked to plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to establish a camp there for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, media reports say. Critics describe this as an internment camp that could ultimately lead to forced deportation. Israel, however, refers to it as a “humanitarian city” intended as a base for the “voluntary departure” of Gaza’s residents. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in New York on Monday: “We all condemned the horrible, terrible attacks of Hamas, but what we are witnessing Gaza is a level of death and destruction that has no parallel in recent times.” Israeli strikes across Gaza overnight killed at least 31 people, according to local hospitals, as UN agencies warned on Monday that critical fuel shortages put hospitals and other critical infrastructure at risk. The latest attacks came after US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release. Twelve people were killed by strikes in southern Gaza, including three who were waiting at an aid distribution point, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which received the bodies. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also received 12 bodies, including three children and two women, after a series of strikes in the north, according to the hospital’s director, Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia. Al-Awda Hospital reported seven killed and 11 wounded in strikes in central Gaza. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. Separately, three Israeli soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, according to the military. A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said on Monday that they died in an explosion in their tank, apparently after it was hit by an anti-tank missile, though the incident was still being examined. UN agencies, including those providing food and healthcare, reiterated a warning made at the weekend that without adequate fuel, they “will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely”. In a joint statement, they said hospitals are already going dark and ambulances can no longer move. Without fuel, transport, water production, sanitation and telecommunications will shut down and bakeries and community kitchens cannot operate, they said. The agencies confirmed that some 150,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza last week – the first delivery in 130 days. But they said it is “a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running”. Israel’s military said a June 19 strike killed Muhammad Nasr Ali Quneita, a senior Hamas militant who it said had taken part in the October 7, 2023, attack and held hostage Emily Damari, a dual Israeli-British citizen, in his home at the start of the war. There was no comment from Hamas and no independent confirmation. Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 people, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. The militants are still holding 50 hostages, fewer than half of them are believed to be alive. Israel’s Knesset, meanwhile, voted to expel a prominent Arab lawmaker but the measure failed to pass the threshold of 90 votes in the 120-member assembly. Seventy-three members voted in favour. The attempt to remove Ayman Odeh from parliament was related to a social media post in January in which he welcomed the release of both Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners in a Gaza ceasefire. The prisoners released in the agreement included scores of militants convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis, and rival lawmakers accused Odeh of supporting terror, allegations he denied. Many Palestinians view those imprisoned by Israel as freedom fighters jailed for resisting Israel’s decades-long occupation of lands the Palestinians seek for a future state. Israel’s Arab minority, which makes up some 20 per cent of the population, has citizenship, including the right to vote, but faces widespread discrimination. Its members have close family ties to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and largely support their cause, leading many Jewish Israelis to view them with suspicion or contempt. Reporting by dpa, Reuters, Associated Press

Israel ‘willing to withdraw more troops’ from Gaza than previously offered

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Under the proposal, Israel would reduce military presence to a 2-km-wide buffer zone along the Rafah border, The Times of Israel reported

Under the proposal, Israel would reduce military presence to a 2-km-wide buffer zone along the Rafah border, The Times of Israel reported