U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has blamed the Palestinian militant group Hamas for the recent escalation in Gaza, reiterating Washington's unwavering support for Israel.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Witkoff stated that Hamas had been given multiple opportunities to prevent the violence. “Hamas had every opportunity to demilitarize, to accept the bridging proposal that would have given us a 40- or 50-day ceasefire where we could have discussed demilitarization and a final truce. There were all kinds of opportunities to do that, and they elected not to,” he said.
Despite the violence, Witkoff noted that the U.S. remains open to diplomatic discussions with Hamas, echoing a similar stance taken in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “Would we be amenable to a reach-out from Hamas? Of course, we would be – no different than in the Russian conflict. We want to end the killing, but we need to be clear who the aggressor is here, and that is Hamas,” he added.
The Israeli military resumed heavy strikes on Gaza on March 18 following the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which had been in effect since January 19. Since the resumption of attacks, over 670 Palestinians have been killed, with more than 1,200 others injured. The toll on Gaza’s population has been devastating, with at least 50,021 Palestinians killed and 113,274 others wounded since October 7, 2023.
In the wake of the failed ceasefire, Israel announced it would escalate military action against Hamas, rejecting new ceasefire proposals. Hamas, for its part, accused Israel of violating its commitments and resuming a campaign of genocide against Palestinians.
This renewed conflict comes amid internal political unrest in Israel, including the controversial dismissal of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The 'CIDC 2025 – Critical Infrastructure Defence Challenge' cybersecurity festival is being held on 9–10 October at the Baku Congress Centre, join...
Leaders across the world have welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal brokered under U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, calling it a criti...
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war...
Russia’s central bank has ruled the state violated minority shareholders’ rights in seized assets, signalling rare pushback against nationalisatio...
A newly elected German mayor survived multiple stab wounds in a family attack....
Leaders across the world have welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal brokered under U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, calling it a critical first step but warning that full implementation is essential.
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he may travel to the Middle East this weekend as talks continued on a potential deal to end the war in Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend a ministerial meeting in Paris on Thursday with representatives of Europe, the Arab world and other nations to discuss Gaza's post-conflict transition, according to three diplomatic sources.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
The 'CIDC 2025 – Critical Infrastructure Defence Challenge' cybersecurity festival is being held on 9–10 October at the Baku Congress Centre, jointly organised by the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Leaders across the world have welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal brokered under U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, calling it a critical first step but warning that full implementation is essential.
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected as “incorrect” the report by a Kuwaiti newspaper on recent contacts between Tehran and Washington and also condemned President Trump's threats of renewed attacks if Iran resumed nuclear enrichment.
Georgia’s Foreign Minister, Maka Bochorishvili sought to reassure the public that there is “no danger” to Georgia’s status as the European Union’s revised visa rules include Georgia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment