• Netanyahu follows Trump’s optimistic line on ceasefire hopes
• Rubio announces sanctions against outspoken UN expert Francesca Albanese
• Six children among 26 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza
JERUSALEM: As Israel fell in line with US President Donald Trump and his optimism about the prospects for a ceasefire and prisoner-release deal in Gaza, Hamas called the talks difficult due to Israel’s “intransigence”, but said it was working seriously to overcome hurdles.
The Palestinian group announced it would release 10 prisoners amid ongoing peace efforts, but clarified that the agreement still had several sticking points, including the flow of aid, withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and ‘genuine guarantees’ for a permanent ceasefire.
The announcement came after four days of indirect talks brokered by Qatar.
“Despite the difficulty of negotiations over these issues until now due to the intransigence of the occupation, we continue to work seriously and with a positive spirit with the mediators to overcome the hurdles and end the suffering of our people and ensure their aspirations to freedom, safety and a dignified life,” the group said.
Hamas has vowed “Gaza will not surrender” and a Palestinian official close to the ceasefire talks indicated that Israel was still holding back a deal by refusing to allow free entry of aid in Gaza.
One Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations in Doha said the Israeli delegation was “mostly listening rather than negotiating, which reflects Israel’s ongoing policy of obstruction and sabotaging any potential agreement”.
Meanwhile, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu – who met with top officials in Washington – struck a more upbeat note, in line with President Trump’s hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza this week or the next.
“I think we’re getting closer to a deal,” Netanyahu told Fox Business Network. “There’s a good chance that we’ll have it.”
Sanctions on UN expert
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctioning of UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, following her criticism of Washington’s policy on Gaza.
The action was supposedly taken over the outspoken UN rapporteur’s “efforts to prompt (International Criminal Court) action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives”, Rubio claimed..
The Italy-born expert, who has consistently been a leading voice speaking for Palestinians, released a damning report earlier this month denouncing companies she said “profited from the Israeli economy of illegal occupation, apartheid, and now genocide” in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Rubio also attacked her for “biased and malicious activities,” and accused her of having “spewed unabashed antisemitism (and) support for terrorism.”
He said she escalated her contempt for the US by writing “threatening letters” to several US companies, making what Rubio called unfounded accusations and recommending the ICC pursue prosecutions of the companies and their executives.
Gaza strikes
Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency said on Wednesday that 26 people were killed in Israeli strikes, at least six of them children.
“The explosion was massive, like an earthquake,” said Zuhair Judeh, 40, who witnessed one of the strikes, which prompted frantic scenes as people scrabbled in the rubble for survivors.
“The bodies and remains of the martyrs were scattered,” he added, calling it “a horrific massacre”.
