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Netanyahu back in Israel, addresses his Hebrew-speaking audience
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was preparing to inform his government of the details of the plan for Gaza presented by U.S. President Donald Trump, following talks between the two leaders at the White House yesterday.
"In Washington, I reached an agreement with President Trump on a framework for the release of all our hostages and the achievement of all the war objectives we have set for ourselves," Netanyahu said at the start of a government meeting held shortly after his return to Israel, according to a video released by the Prime Minister's Office.
"I will provide a more detailed report to the members of the government and the members of the security cabinet," he added.
In a video posted on his X account, Netanyahu reiterated his long-stated refusal to withdraw Israeli troops from the occupied enclave.
Senator Graham: No 'normal' Middle East as long as Hezbollah exists
U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham strongly hoped "that Hamas will say yes to President Trump's proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, which calls for the release of all hostages."
"As for a new Middle East that embraces normalization between Israel and the region, I also hope that day will come. But it is impossible to have a normal Middle East as long as Hezbollah exists," he added.
"My message to the region is this: if you want normalization, you must disarm Hezbollah one way or another," he continued.
Ten days ago, Graham said that the disarmament of Hezbollah was non-negotiable and that Washington would give Israel the "green light" to "do what it needs to do" if the party did not voluntarily hand over its heavy weapons to the Lebanese army as part of the process initiated by the government.
Houthis announce next attack
The Houthis will target ships belonging to several American oil companies, including ExxonMobil and Chevron.
Yemeni rebels announced in a statement that they will now target ships belonging to major US oil companies, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, passing through the Gulf of Aden, despite a truce agreed with President Donald Trump's administration not to attack US-linked ships sailing in the Red Sea.
The Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC), based in Sanaa and responsible for liaising between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, has sanctioned 13 American companies, nine executives, and two ships.
The entities designated by the rebel group "will be treated in accordance with the principle of confrontation," the HOCC said on its website regarding the measures planned against those under their sanctions.
Israeli Foreign Ministry claims to find 'direct links between flotilla members and Hamas'
As the Global Sumud Flotilla makes its way towards Gaza in an attempt to break Israel's blockade of the besieged enclave, the activists on board are bracing themselves for Israel's reaction.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry earlier today claimed that new "Hamas documents ... discovered in the Gaza Strip" show "direct links" between members of the flotilla and the Palestinian group.
The statement specifically names two activists who were members of the flotilla crew, Zaher Birawi and Saif Abu Kashk, as "Hamas members abroad," while claiming that the ships in the convoy "secretly belong to Hamas." In another post, the ministry also singled out Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila as a "Hezbollah fanboy."
The flotilla is being escorted by Spanish, Italian, and Turkish ships to ensure its safety. According to Reuters, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently sent a radio message to the flotilla asking them to turn back. "Any other choice risks being an obstacle to peace," she said.
You can track the exact movement of the flotilla here.
French Foreign Minister urges Hamas to accept Trump plan
Hamas "no longer has any excuse to reject the proposal made to it" as part of the plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
"Hamas is now definitively isolated, it has been categorically disavowed, it must face the facts: it has lost," he said on France Inter radio. Hamas "must seize the opportunity it has been given to disarm and go into exile," he said.
Barrot is due to travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to meet with his Arab counterparts so that, in his words, "all stakeholders, Arab countries and European countries, can play their part in what must be a prospect for peace and stability in the region."
South Lebanon
The Israeli army fired three artillery shells targeting the area between the towns of Shihine and Marwahine (Sour), according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
In addition, an Israeli drone crashed on the outskirts of Khiam (Marjayoun).
Points in Trump's plan 'require clarification and negotiation,' according to Qatari prime minister
Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said on Tuesday that the plan presented by the Trump administration to end the war in Gaza "achieves a main objective": A halt to hostilities, but also "contains points requiring clarifications and negotiations."
In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Qatari official said that Doha had handed the document to the Hamas negotiating delegation the previous day, adding that "the discussion remained general" and that a response from the Palestinian movement "will require agreement with the other factions."
"We hope that all parties will examine the proposal constructively and seize the opportunity to end the war," he continued, stressing that "Hamas has shown responsibility and promised to study the plan."
Israeli stun grenades
An Israeli drone dropped two stun grenades in Odaisseh (Marjayoun), our correspondent in the south reports.
Israeli munition causes fires in south
Israel's continuous firing of munition on the forests of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil) has sparked several fires, according to our correspondent in the south.
Israeli UN ambassador reiterates Netanyahu's words
Israel's ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, has assured that Israel "will finish the job and bring back the hostages, whether by peaceful means or by force" if Hamas rejects Trump's plan, Reuters reports.
Trump says Hamas has 'three or four days' to respond to his cease-fire proposal
While speaking to America's top military officials on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Palestinian militia Hamas will "pay in hell" if the group rejects his 20-point Gaza 'peace' plan.
Donald Trump said he would give Hamas “about three or four days” to respond to his cease-fire proposal, CNN reports. "We'll see how it is. All of the Arab countries are signed up. The Muslim countries are all signed up. Israel is all signed up. We're just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not, and if not, it's going to be a very sad end."
The plan demands that Hamas disarm, return all hostages within 72 hours, and cede authority of the enclave.
Trump has also said that not winning the Nobel Peace Prize would be an 'insult to our country'.
Two Israeli teens wounded in car-ramming incident in the occupied West Bank
The Magen David Adom rescue service announced a 15-year-old and 16-year-old were wounded in a car-ramming attack on al-Khader highway in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The perpetrator was reportedly shot and killed by an off-duty reservist, according to Israeli media. The 15-year-old victim has been hospitalized in serious condition.
Israel says hundreds of Palestinians left Gaza yesterday
According to Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), hundreds of Palestinians, mainly those requiring medical treatment and their caregivers, along with dual-national Palestinians, left the Gaza Strip yesterday, Times of Israel reports.
COGAT says it coordinated their exit from Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing, and they headed to various countries abroad via Ramon Airport and the Allenby Bridge Crossing with Jordan.
COGAT also stated that nearly 430 trucks carrying humanitarian aid had entered the Gaza Strip yesterday through the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings, although “the contents of hundreds of trucks are still awaiting collection on the Gazan side of the crossings,” it added.
CBS reports Hamas 'leaning toward' accepting Trump's plan
Hamas and other Palestinian factions are leaning toward accepting Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, CBS reports, citing a source close to the process, who added that Hamas would present its response to Egyptian and Qatari mediators tomorrow.
Qatar says meeting on Gaza plan to be held with Hamas, Turkey later today
Qatar says it's set to hold talks with Hamas negotiators and Turkey to discuss Trump's Gaza plan, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying Hamas would study it "responsibly," AFP reports.
The comments come just hours after Trump unveiled a plan in Washington calling for a cease-fire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of the group and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.
Qatar and Egypt handed the proposal to Hamas yesterday, and the group's negotiating delegation "promised to study it responsibly," foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a press conference.
He added: "There will also be another meeting today, also attended by the Turkish side, with the negotiating delegation."
The last time Hamas' negotiators met to review a plan written up by Donald Trump — which was, that time around, roughly 100 words in length — Israel bombed the building in Doha where the delegation had gathered.
An Israeli army soldier stands guard as Palestinian protesters gather at the site of a new road under construction through the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The road is being carved through Palestinian territory for the use of Israeli settlers who have
Leading Israeli settler says Netanyahu not committing to West Bank annexation
A leading Israeli settler said he failed to get assurances from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on annexation of the occupied West Bank ahead of a meeting between the premier and U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday, AFP reports.
"Netanyahu listened and the meeting was substantive, but we left troubled despite the open discussion," said Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, representing Israeli settlements in northern West Bank.
"In the end the prime minister did not say when sovereignty would come," Dagan told Israeli news outlet Yedioth Ahronoth.
Dagan flew to New York to meet Netanyahu as part of a delegation from the Yesha council, an umbrella body representing Israeli West Bank settlements.
Germany to send top diplomat to the region next week, hostages' families appeal for German pressure on Turkey
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says he will travel to the region next weekend to participate in implementing Trump's peace plan for Gaza, which German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier called “the best chance for an end to the war.”
Germany is prepared to support the plan “with concrete measures,” Wadephul wrote in a statement published on his X account, adding that it “could pave the way for a broader reconciliation process in the Middle East.”
Families of German hostages held in Gaza met with Merz in Berlin and called on Germany to leverage its relationship with Turkey to pressure Hamas into accepting Trump's Gaza peace plan, Haaretz reports, citing a statement by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
According to the forum, the family members emphasized that Germany's influence on Turkey could be "pivotal in encouraging Hamas to accept the cease-fire proposal."
453 people have died of hunger in Gaza, ministry announces
Gaza’s Health Ministry says that it has recorded 453 deaths linked to “famine and malnutrition,” including 150 children, since Israel’s war on the enclave started on Oct. 7, 2023, Al Jazeera reports.
Experts in famine and food security have warned since the war began that Israel's suffocating blockade of the Strip — which included almost three months of a total shut down on all supplies entering the enclave earlier this year — would cause mass starvation. Famine has set in in the North, while malnutrition is rampant throughout the rest of Gaza.
Raids, arrests, settler attacks across the occupied West Bank
Already this morning, Israeli forces have carried out several wide-scale raids in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports, storming homes, detaining Palestinians, and in some cases turning homes into military posts.
Among those detained is former prisoner Hanan Barghouti, who was arrested from Kober, north of Ramallah. Barghouti has been detained and freed at least twice already since the war began.
Al Jazeera reports Israeli army raids in Ramallah, Tulkarem, Qalqilya, Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jenin. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians driving near Qalqilya.
In Hebron, Israeli forces began conducting a census in the Jabal al-Rahma neighborhood. Palestinians there fear this is a prelude to annexing parts of the city that were divided after the Israeli massacre in the Ibrahimi Mosque, Al Jazeera notes.
Football Federation president calls for Israel's suspension
Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness has called for Israel to be suspended from international football ahead of an expected UEFA vote this week on the country's participation in European competition, Reuters reports.
Norway are set to play Israel on Oct. 11 in a World Cup qualifier in Oslo when a win for the hosts would all but seal their qualification for next year's finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Klaveness, who also serves on European soccer governing body UEFA's executive committee, ruled out a boycott of the match but said sanctions against Israel are necessary.
"I work on the issue from a principled standpoint, but we will not boycott on our own. A boycott would only result in Israel going to the World Cup instead of us," Klaveness said on Norwegian podcast Pop and Politics.
Netanyahu says army will remain in most of Gaza
Despite reports that Trump's peace plan would see Israeli soldiers withdraw to a "security perimeter" along the border of Gaza, Netanyahu has released a video statement on Telegram saying that, instead, the Israeli military would stay in most of the Strip.
"We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the [Israeli military] will remain in most of the Gaza Strip," he said in the video, cited by AFP.
According to the Times of Israel, which obtained a copy of the plan both before the Netanyahu-Trump meeting and after, including edits, Israeli forces would only partly withdraw until the International Stabilization Force (ISF) of Arab and Muslim countries is prepared to deploy and fully operate to disarm Hamas.
The Israeli army's complete withdrawal would be “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the [Israeli army], ISF, the guarantors, and the U.S.," the updated plan reads.
Bank of Israel holds rates, warns over Israel's growing isolation
The Bank of Israel kept short-term interest rates unchanged yesterday, citing Israel's push deeper into Gaza along with persistent inflation, while warning over the impact of the country's growing global isolation.
The central bank held its benchmark rate at 4.50 percent for the 14th meeting in a row, Reuters reports. In a news conference after the decision, Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron cautioned that Israel's deteriorating reputation over Gaza could damage trade, foreign investment and the economy as a whole.
"Israel depends to a considerable extent on its participation in the global economy," Yaron said. "Therefore, Israel must do all that it can to strengthen its international standing, and thus ensure that the economy is open."
Opposition leaders in Israel express support for Trump plan
The head of the Israeli opposition Yisrael Beytenu party has expressed his support for Trump's Gaza peace plan, Times of Israel reports, joining several other opposition politicians, including Yair Lapid and Yair Golan.
“Every initiative that brings all the hostages home must be welcomed,” Avigdor Liberman wrote on X, citing a verse from the biblical book of Jeremiah stating that “your children shall return to their borders.”
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett has yet to weigh in, TOI notes. Bennett, a right-wing party leader who had helmed a broad coalition including left-wing and Arab parties, has become more vocal in recent weeks as he plots his political comeback.
Netanyahu apologized to Qatar for Doha bombing
Trump told reporters yesterday that he had hosted a trilateral call between Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani the day before during which, according to Axios, Netanyahu apologized to Thani for violating Qatari sovereignty in Israel's recent strike on Doha.
Citing a source familiar with the matter, Axios reports Netanyahu also expressed regret for the killing of a Qatari security officer.
Qatar had said it would not resume its mediation with Hamas until certain conditions were met, including receiving an apology from Israel for the Doha attack.
Hamas' negotiating team is reviewing Trump's plan
Hamas received a version of the plan last night via Qatari and Egyptian mediators and is currently meeting to study and discuss the proposal, Al Jazeera reports, citing diplomatic sources.
For its part, Islamic Jihad said yesterday in a statement that the plan is “a recipe for aggression” against the Palestinians. “What was announced at the press conference between Trump and Netanyahu is an American-Israeli agreement and represents the position of the entire Israeli establishment. It is a recipe for continued aggression against the Palestinian people.”
The Palestinian Authority, which Trump said would have no role in governing Gaza, welcomed “Trump's efforts” to end the war in the Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Smotrich calls Netanyahu a 'tragedy of a leadership that has no true vision'
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized Netanyahu for agreeing to Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, writing on X that the "the celebrations" concerning it are "absurd."
According to Smotrich, Netanyahu's approval of Trump's plan is "a tragedy of a leadership that offers no true vision," adding that he will hold consultations throughout the day today, Haaretz reports.
Allowing a Palestinian security force into Gaza and allowing Qatar to become a “central player” marks a “historic missed opportunity to finally break free from the shackles of Oslo, a resounding diplomatic failure, closing our eyes and turning our backs on all the lessons of Oct. 7,” Smotrich wrote.
Smotrich and National Security Ministry Itamar Ben-Gvir are both part of Netanyahu's coalition and have pushed for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza throughout the war.
According to Times of Israel, which obtained a copy of the plan, one of the points explicitly states: "No one will be forced to leave Gaza, but those who choose to leave will be allowed to return. Moreover, Gazans will be encouraged to remain in the Strip and offered an opportunity to build a better future there."
Senior Gaza official denounces Trump's plan as 'legitimizing the occupation'
The 20-point peace plan presented by Trump yesterday "does not represent a real, objective or fair solution," Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, wrote in a post on X.
"It is an attempt to impose a new guardianship that legitimizes the 'Israeli' occupation and strips our Palestinian people of their national, political, and human rights," he wrote. "Any proposals that ignore these rights and treat Gaza as a demilitarized security entity under international administration are categorically rejected by the Palestinian national collective consciousness."
Thawabta does not represent Hamas' political office, so this is not the organization's official Hamas reaction.
Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in the region, especially revolving around Trumps announcement yesterday that he and Netanyahu had agreed to a 20-point plan for ending the war on Gaza and retrieving the hostages. The deal is currently being reviewed by Hamas, which was given 72 hours to respond.
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