[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

Trump’s threat to Gaza undermines truce

Hamas said yesterday that Donald Trump’s threats would encourage Israel to disregard the fragile ceasefire, after the US president said that unless hostages are freed, the people of Gaza would be “DEAD”.

www.thedailystar.net

Trump’s threat to Gaza undermines truce
Says Hamas as US holds unprecedented direct talks for release of American hostages
​

• Trump said he was "sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job"​
• Israel has halted the flow of goods, supplies into Gaza​
• France, Britain, Germany jointly called the situation in Gaza "catastrophic"​

Hamas said yesterday that Donald Trump's threats would encourage Israel to disregard the fragile ceasefire, after the US president said that unless hostages are freed, the people of Gaza would be "DEAD".

Trump's warning came hours after his administration revealed it held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, which it proscribes as a "terrorist" group, focused on American hostages in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed Israel was consulted and said in a statement that it "expressed its opinion" on the direct talks.

Trump said later he was "sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job" as his administration expedites billions of dollars in weapons.

"Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you," he wrote on his Truth Social platform after meeting freed hostages.

"This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance."

Trump also warned of repercussions for Gaza as a whole, where virtually the entire population has been displaced by Israel's relentless military campaign.

"To the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!"

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said Trump's words pushed Israel to disregard the terms of a ceasefire in place since January 19.

"These threats complicate matters regarding the ceasefire agreement and encourage the occupation to avoid implementing its terms," Qasim said in a statement, urging the United States to pressure Israel to enter the ceasefire's second phase.

Israel has ramped up its rhetoric and halted the flow of goods and supplies into Gaza.

"Hamas has indeed suffered a severe blow, but it has not yet been defeated. The mission is not yet accomplished," Israel's new military chief Eyal Zamir warned Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, France, Britain and Germany jointly called the humanitarian situation in Gaza "catastrophic," and urged Israel to ensure the "unhindered" delivery of aid.

South Africa said Israel's restriction of aid into Gaza amounted to using starvation as a weapon of war.​

 

[Saif]

Israel again weaponising starvation in Gaza: UN

A group of UN human rights experts said Thursday that Israel is again ‘weaponising starvation’ in Gaza by blocking humanitarian aid after the first phase of a ceasefire deal expired.

www.newagebd.net

Israel again weaponising starvation in Gaza: UN
Agence France-Presse . Geneva 07 March, 2025, 22:33

A group of UN human rights experts said Thursday that Israel is again ‘weaponising starvation’ in Gaza by blocking humanitarian aid after the first phase of a ceasefire deal expired.

A fragile ceasefire since January 19 saw an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, before Israel on Sunday announced it was blocking deliveries until Palestinian militant group Hamas accepted its terms for an extension of the ceasefire.

The group of more than 30 experts — specialists in various fields who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but do not speak on behalf of the United Nations — said the Israeli action breached international law.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would ‘open the gates of hell’ in Gaza if all hostages taken in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks were not returned. Gaza has already been devastated by the war that followed the attacks.

‘Apart from the cruelty of these statements on the second day of the holy month of Ramadan, these moves are patently unlawful under international law,’ the experts said.

‘As the occupying power, Israel is always obliged to ensure sufficient food, medical supplies and other relief services.’

‘Israel is once again weaponising aid. These are serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws, and war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute,’ they added.

Israel stopped aid deliveries into Gaza saying they were being diverted by Hamas.

With significant US involvement, Hamas and Israel are arguing over how to extend the ceasefire.

Israel wants an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire until mid-April. It is demanding the return of hostages, the total demilitarisation of Gaza and the departure of Hamas before the second phase of the ceasefire accord starts.

Hamas has demanded that the second phase, which should see the negotiation of a permanent ceasefire, be started and that the group should remain in the territory it has run since 2007.​

 

[Saif]

Gaza reconstruction: Europe backs Arab-led $53 billion plan

The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Britain said on Saturday they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave

www.thedailystar.net

Gaza reconstruction: Europe backs Arab-led $53 billion plan

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has only worsened. FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Britain said on Saturday they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave.

"The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza," the ministers said in a joint statement.

The plan, which was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders on Tuesday, has been rejected by Israel and by US President Donald Trump, who has presented his own vision to turn the Gaza Strip into a "Middle East Riviera".

The Egyptian proposal envisages the creation of an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza after the end of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The committee would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the Strip's affairs for a temporary period under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority.

The statement issued by the four European countries on Saturday said they were "committed to working with the Arab initiative," and they appreciated the "important signal" the Arab states had sent by developing it.

The statement said Hamas "must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more" and that the four countries "support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda."​

 

[Saif]

TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN: Muslim nations adopt Arab alternative

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation formally adopted early Saturday an Arab League counter-proposal to US president Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and displace its residents, calling on the international community to support the regional initiative.

www.newagebd.net

TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN: Muslim nations adopt Arab alternative
Agence France-Presse . Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 08 March, 2025, 22:09

Supporters of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan hold placards during a rally in support of women in Gaza, to mark International Women’s Day in Lahore on Saturday. | AFP photo

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation formally adopted early Saturday an Arab League counter-proposal to US president Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and displace its residents, calling on the international community to support the regional initiative.

The decision by the 57-member grouping came at an emergency meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, three days after the Arab League ratified the plan at a summit in Cairo.

The Egyptian-crafted alternative to Trump’s widely condemned takeover proposes to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority.

The OIC ‘adopts the plan... on the early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza’, a communique said.

The body, which represents the Muslim world, urged ‘the international community and international and regional funding institutions to swiftly provide the necessary support for the plan’.

Trump triggered global outrage when he suggested the US ‘take over’ Gaza and turn it into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’, while forcing its Palestinian inhabitants to relocate to Egypt or Jordan.

Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty welcomed the OIC endorsement and said he now hoped to gain support from the wider international community, including the US.

‘The next step is for the plan to become an international plan through adoption by the European Union and international parties such as Japan, Russia, China and others,’ Abdelatty said.

‘This is what we will seek and we have contact with all parties, including the American party.’

However, the Egyptian proposal—which does not outline a role for Hamas, which controls Gaza—has already been rejected by both the US and Israel.

The plan ‘does not meet the expectations’ of Washington, state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Thursday.

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, however, gave a more positive reaction, calling it a ‘good-faith first step from the Egyptians’.

Trump’s plan has united Arab countries in opposition, and Rabha Seif Allam, of the Al-Ahram centre for political and strategic studies in Cairo, said Egypt was seeking ‘broad support’ for its proposal.

‘This is an attempt to build a broad coalition that refuses the displacement’ of Palestinians from Gaza, she said.​

 

[Saif]

Israel carries out strike on Hamas in northern Gaza

Israel carried out an air strike on Hamas members in northern Gaza yesterday, rattling an already fragile ceasefire as it prepared for fresh talks in Doha on the future of its truce with Hamas.

www.thedailystar.net

Israel carries out strike on Hamas in northern Gaza
Hamas pushes for phase two of Gaza truce, stresses urgent need for aid to re-enter enclave
​

• Hamas's key demands for 2nd phase include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza​
• Israel wants an extension of truce's first phase until mid-April​

Israel carried out an air strike on Hamas members in northern Gaza yesterday, rattling an already fragile ceasefire as it prepared for fresh talks in Doha on the future of its truce with Hamas.

Hamas called for an immediate start to negotiations on the ceasefire's second phase, which it hopes will lead to a permanent end to the war.

Representatives of the Palestinian group met with mediators in Cairo over the weekend, stressing the urgent need for humanitarian aid to re-enter the besieged territory "without restrictions or conditions", according to a Hamas statement.

"Hamas stresses the urgency of forcing the occupation to immediately begin second-phase negotiations under the agreed parameters," senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi told AFP, adding that this would pave the way for a permanent end to the war.

Hamas's key demands for the second phase include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the Israeli blockade, the reconstruction of the Palestinian territory and financial support, Mardawi said. Following talks with mediators, Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua said indicators were so far "positive".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it would send delegates to Doha today, while the Israeli media reported that the government's security cabinet was due to discuss the matter later yesterday.

Israel says that it wants an extension of the truce's first phase until mid-April.

The initial period of truce ended on March 1 after six weeks of relative calm that included the exchange of 25 living hostages and eight bodies for the release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The truce largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, where virtually the entire population was displaced by Israel's relentless military campaign.

It also enabled the flow of vital food and medical assistance into Gaza. After Israel cut off that flow again, UN rights experts accused the government of "weaponising starvation".​