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U.S. says primary focus on lasting Gaza ceasefire, aid; too early for peace talks

U.S. says primary focus on lasting Gaza ceasefire, aid; too early for peace talks

HUMEYRA PAMUK and ARSHAD MOHAMMED U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will focus primarily on ensuring that a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas holds during his visit to the region, and work to get assistance delivered to the people of Gaza, a senior State Department official said. Washington has "every hope and expectation" that the ceasefire, brokered by Egypt and now in its fourth day after 11 days of hostilities, will hold, the U.S. official suggested in a call with reporters but said it was too early for wider peace talks. Blinken will travel to Jerusalem, Ramallah,…
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Gaza ceasefire holding as Egyptian mediators consult Hamas, Israel

Gaza ceasefire holding as Egyptian mediators consult Hamas, Israel

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip held yesterday as officials said Egyptian mediators conferred with the sides on securing longer-term calm. The ceasefire began before dawn on Friday, ending 11 days of cross-border shelling exchanges that caused fresh devastation in Gaza, shook up Israel and raised international concern about a slide into wider regional conflict. Egypt, which mediated the halt to the fighting with U.S. support, sent a delegation to Israel at around noon on Friday to discuss ways of firming up the ceasefire, including with aid for Palestinians in Gaza, Hamas officials told…
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Netanyahu vows to fight on as Biden urges Gaza ‘de-escalation’

Netanyahu vows to fight on as Biden urges Gaza ‘de-escalation’

NIDAL al-MUGHRABI, JEFFREY HELLER and ANDREA SHALAL ISRAEL Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting against Gaza militants after U.S. President Joe Biden urged him to seek a "de-escalation" yesterday in the 10-day conflict on the path to a ceasefire. An Egyptian security source said the two sides had agreed in principle to a ceasefire after help from mediators, although details were still being negotiated in secret amid public denials of a deal to prevent it from collapsing. Palestinian health officials said that since fighting began on May 10, 227 people had been killed in aerial bombardments that have…
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South Africa stands with Palestine – Ramaphosa

South Africa stands with Palestine – Ramaphosa

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA OUR experience with the democratic transition is a lesson about the power of empathy, negotiation and compromise. The escalating situation in Israel and Palestine affirms once more what we South Africans know too well, that intractable conflicts can only be solved through peaceful negotiation.  It also demonstrates that unless the root causes of a conflict are addressed, in this case, the illegal occupation by Israel of Palestinian land and the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, there will never be peace. The latest violence was sparked by an Israeli court decision to evict a group of…
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SA political parties, unions condemn Israel evictions, attacks on Palestine

SA political parties, unions condemn Israel evictions, attacks on Palestine

AS Israel-Palestine tensions escalated towards what many fear could end up in a full-scale war, South African political parties and trade unions have condemned the forced evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the bombardment of Gaza by the Israel army. Israel killed a Hamas commander and vowed no let-up in its Gaza barrages yesterday as Palestinian militants rained rockets far across the border and Washington dispatched an envoy to try to calm their most intense hostilities in years. At least 65 people have been killed in Gaza since violence escalated on Monday, according to the enclave's health ministry. Six…
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