Israel to join Cairo talks on Gaza truce and hostage release, Israeli official says

A man stands in the midst of devastation caused by months of Israeli bombardment in Khan Yunis on April 7, 2024, after Israel pulled its ground forces out of the southern Gaza Strip. (AFP)
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Updated 08 April 2024
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Israel to join Cairo talks on Gaza truce and hostage release, Israeli official says

  • Netanyahu: No ceasefire in Gaza until hostages held by Hamas are released

JERUSALEM: An Israeli delegation will take part in the latest round of negotiations in Cairo aimed at reaching a truce in the Gaza conflict and a hostage release deal, an Israeli government official said on Sunday.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said on Sunday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire after six months of war against Hamas in Gaza until the hostages being held in Gaza are released.

His comments made at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting came as the new round of truce talks in Egypt were set to begin.

Netanyahu said that despite growing international pressure, Israel would not give in to “extreme” demands from Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas, which sparked the war on Oct. 7 with its deadly attack on southern Israel.

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Iranians mass on Tehran avenue in major anti-govt protest: images verified by AFP

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Iranians mass on Tehran avenue in major anti-govt protest: images verified by AFP

PARIS: Protesters in Tehran massed on a key avenue in the northwest of the Iranian capital on Thursday in a major protest that is part of a nationwide movement sparked by anger over the cost of living, according to images on social media verified by AFP.
Crowds of people, as well vehicles honking in support, filled a part of the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard, images from Tehran showed, as Persian language TV channels based outside Iran and other social media outlets posted images of significant protests in other cities, including Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Mashhad in the east.