Israel and Hamas begin indirect Gaza talks in Egypt
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Hear from Gaza’s war displaced as they speak out on Donald Trump’s peace plan.
Learn more about the treatment of Gaza flotilla activists following their deportation by Israel.
Here’s what happened today
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Indirect talks on ending Israel’s war on Gaza have started in Egypt but few details have emerged.
Israeli attacks on Gaza continued across the enclave with at least 10 Palestinians, including aid seekers, killed since dawn.
At least 104 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since Friday, the day US President Donald Trump called on Israel to halt its bombing campaign.
Israel has deported 171 Global Sumud Flotilla activists, including Greta Thunberg. Lawyers say detainees from the Gaza-bound aid flotilla were mistreated and denied basic rights while in Israeli custody.
President Trump said he believes there will be a Gaza deal soon, adding “tremendous progress” on ending the devastating two-year war has been made.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers assaulted peace activists and uprooted 120 Palestinian-owned olive trees near Ramallah.
First day of Gaza talks end in ‘positive atmosphere’: Report
The first round of Gaza talks between Hamas and mediators have ended in Egypt “amid a positive atmosphere”.
Al-Qahera News, which is linked to state intelligence, said the talks will continue on Tuesday, also between Hamas and mediators in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, where an Israeli delegation arrived on Monday.
Potential hurdles litter road as Israel and Hamas head to Gaza talks
Negotiators from Hamas and Israel have begun indirect talks in Egypt on US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war on Gaza.
The talks, which come on the eve of the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that led to the war, have raised hopes the devastating conflict, which has killed tens of thousands in Gaza, could soon end.
But at the same time, there are plenty of potential obstacles to sealing a deal. Trump has insisted that both sides are on board with his peace framework and has called for the negotiations to “move fast” in reaching an agreement.
Greta Thunberg acknowledges ‘mistreatment’ while held in Israel
Activist Greta Thunberg has alluded abuse while being held in Israel after arriving in Greece.
Thunberg told journalists shortly after arriving: “I could talk for a very, very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment, trust me. But that is not the story.”
Instead, Thunberg urged world leaders and ordinary citizens to end their “complicity” with the “genocide” being carried out against Palestinians in Gaza, on the eve of the second anniversary of the war.
“We cannot take our eyes away from Gaza,” Thunberg said.
‘Stop making civilians pay with their lives’: UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for the release of Israeli captives in a message ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks.
“The horror of that dark day will be forever seared in the memories of us all,” Guterres said in a statement. “Two years later, hostages remain captive in Gaza in deplorable conditions.”
The UN chief urged the end of “suffering for all”, adding “this is a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale that defies comprehension”.
“Put an end to the hostilities in Gaza, Israel and the region now,” Guterres said. “Stop making civilians pay with their lives and their futures. After two years of trauma, we must choose hope. Now.”
He also hailed Trump’s ceasefire plan as an “opportunity that must be seized to bring this tragic conflict to an end”.
