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The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Hamas to accept Israel's latest proposal for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, calling it “extraordinarily generous”.
It comes as a Hamas delegation left Cairo late on Monday following extensive discussions with Egyptian brokers.
The terms of the draft deal were not made public, but Israeli media said Israel softened its position, now seeking the release of 33 hostages, down from 40, in return for the release of some 900 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is believed to hold around 100 Israelis and other nationals in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian militant group will "return with a written response to the truce proposal," according to Egyptian security sources.
“Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel, and at this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and ceasefire is Hamas,” Blinken said at a World Economic Forum gathering in Riyadh.
“They have to decide, and they have to decide quickly. So, we’re looking to that, and I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision and we can have a fundamental change in the dynamic,” he added.
An Israeli delegation, composed of security officials, will depart on Tuesday to discuss the deal with the Egyptian brokers, Israeli media report.
Hamas has so far baulked at a series of offers negotiated by Egypt, Qatar and the US and agreed to by Israel. Even without a deal, Blinken said it was critical to improve conditions in Gaza now.
“We’re also not waiting on a ceasefire to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza,” Blinken told Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers earlier Monday.
He commented after arriving in Saudi Arabia for the first stop of his Middle East tour, which includes trips to Jordan and Israel on Tuesday and Wednesday.
One question is whether that will be enough to overcome Hamas' concerns over the ceasefire’s second phase.
Hamas to respond to Israel's hostage proposal in 48 hours
Hamas has demanded assurances that an eventual release of all hostages will bring a complete end to Israel’s nearly seven-month assault in Gaza and a withdrawal of its troops from the devastated territory.
Israel has offered only an extended pause, vowing to resume its offensive once it is over.
The issue has repeatedly obstructed efforts by US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators during months of talks.
Hamas said on Monday in a statement that ensuring a permanent ceasefire is a fundamental cornerstone for moving towards the details of negotiations and the success of the agreement with Israel.
Abdul Latif al-Qanou, a spokesman for Hamas, stressed the necessity of fulfilling the demands of the Palestinian people, including "a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of forces from the Gaza Strip, and the return of refugees."
Under the mediation of Egypt, Israel proposed the latest ceasefire agreement, warning that now is the "last chance" for a truce deal before the Israeli army launches a ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah where more than 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge.
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British and Irish ministers are trying to ease tensions between their governments as London refuses to accept the return of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland – many of whom are apparently fleeing Britain for fear of deportation to Rwanda.
The British government recently passed a highly controversial law under which asylum seekers and others arriving in the UK by illicit means, such as small boats crossing the English channel, will be deported to Rwanda to have their cases processed.
Today, Irish officials are expected to discuss emergency legislation for a new policy to “return” the migrants to the UK.
Ireland’s Justice Minister Helen McEntee asserted last week that the number of asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland into Ireland was now “higher than 80%”. She did not provide exact figures.
Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris said on Sunday that Ireland will not "provide a loophole for anybody else’s migration challenges” after one of his ministers said more than 80% of asylum seekers entering Ireland now come across the land border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, however, has dismissed the proposal out of hand.
“We’re not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn’t accept returns back to France, where illegal migrants are coming from," he said on Monday.
Sunak claims that the increase in migrants crossing into Ireland from the UK shows the intended deterrent effect of the Rwanda policy, which domestic opponents, international critics and human rights organisations have decried as inhumane and potentially illegal.
Chris Heaton-Harris, the UK's Northern Ireland secretary, and Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin sought to play down any rift over the migrant issue at a news conference on Monday.
The countries are jointly committed to “protect the common travel area from abuse,” Heaton-Harris said.
The Irish government's proposed legislation to return asylum seekers to the UK is a response to an Irish High Court ruling last week which found that Ireland's designation of the UK as a “safe third country” for asylum seekers is contrary to EU law.
Ireland's politics of immigration have grown more acrimonious in recent years, with an influx of refugees from Ukraine and elsewhere adding urgency to a nationwide housing crisis.
Far-right groups have exploited the incomers to galvanise a small but vocal movement opposing the accommodation of foreigners, particularly people of Muslim and African background. A stabbing committed by a man of Algerian descent last year caused a riot in Dublin, shocking a country not used to displays of racist violence.
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''I have decided to continue on with even more strength at the helm of the government of Spain,” he said in a televised speech after informing King Felipe VI of the decision earlier Monday.
But many wondered if it was necessary to keep the country in suspense for five days, and had expected Sanchez to either resign or to call a confidence motion.
Sanchez said after days of reflection, he saw his continuity as a new chapter, and said that he will dedicate his efforts to the regeneration of political life and to expel what he considers to be a campaign of lies and discredit from the far-right.
''It is a decision that does not mean a return to the status quo, this will mark a before and after, I promise you that,'' Sanchez said, without detailing what steps he could take to curtail ''the smear campaign'' he said he and his family is facing.
His resignation would have deprived Europe of a prominent Socialist prime minister ahead of European elections in June and at a time when the centre-right increasingly holds sway.
Although he stated that his decision was not based on political calculations, the prime minister has managed to mobilise his electorate and introduce a new narrative for the upcoming European elections, where one of the central issues could be defence of democratic integrity and the way politics are conducted, as well as the protection of institutions against the far-right.
In an emotional letter posted on X, Sanchez wrote that he could no longer just stand aside and watch his wife being targeted by a legal probe brought by allegations by a right-wing platform that accused her of using her position to influence business deals.
The group, Manos Limpias, or Clean Hands, acknowledged that the complaint was based on newspaper articles. Madrid's public prosecutor has said it should be thrown out due to a lack of evidence.
Sanchez blamed the investigation against his wife on online news sites politically aligned with the leading opposition conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox party that spread what he called ''spurious'' allegations.
Spain's conservative opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said Sanchez’s behaviour in ''neglecting his duties'' was unbecoming of a leader. Manu Fernandez/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.
The Popular Party, however, said Sanchez’s behaviour was unbecoming of a leader. That party and Vox have regularly compared him to a dictator and a traitor to Spain.
''(Sanchez) has pulled the leg of a nation of 48 million people,'' Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said. ''He neglected his duties for five days as part of a campaign ploy.''