International
Gaza: Hamas studies new Israeli truce proposal, 32 more killed
Gaza: Hamas studies new Israeli truce proposal, 32 more killed
JEDDAH/GAZA STRIP: Palestinians in Rafah said on Saturday they were living in “constant terror” as Israel vows to push ahead with its planned assault on the south Gaza city flooded with displaced civilians.
The Israeli military has massed dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in southern Israel close to Rafah and hit locations in the city in near-daily airstrikes.
“We live in constant terror and fear of repeated displacement and invasion,” said Nidaa Safi, 30, who fled Israeli strikes in the north and came to Rafah with her husband and children.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 34,388 people have been killed in the besieged territory during more than six months of war between Israel and Hamas militants.
The tally includes at least 32 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 77,437 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Early Saturday, an airstrike hit a house in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, killing a man, his wife and their sons, ages 12, 10 and 8, according to records of the Abu Yousef Al-Najjar hospital’s morgue. A neighbor’s 4-month-old girl was also killed.
Ahmed Omar rushed with other neighbors after the 1:30 a.m. strike to look for survivors, but said they only found bodies and body parts. “It’s a tragedy,” he said.
An Israeli airstrike later Saturday on a building in Rafah killed seven people, including six members of the Ashour family, according to the morgue.
Five people were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza overnight when an Israeli strike hit a house, according to officials at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
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Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said. It said the men had opened fire at troops stationed at Salem checkpoint near the city of Jenin.
Violence in the West Bank has flared since the war. The Ramallah-based Health Ministry says 491 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.
Israel’s counterproposal
Hamas said it was studying Israel’s latest counterproposal for a ceasefire, a day after reports said a delegation from mediator Egypt was in Israel trying to jump-start stalled negotiations.
Israel’s foreign minister said that the Rafah incursion could be suspended should there be a deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages.
“The release of the hostages is the top priority for us,” said Israel Katz. “If there will be a deal, we will suspend the operation.”
The Egyptian delegation discussed a “new vision” for a prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss the developments.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Israel’s proposal was directly related to the visit.
Khalil Al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas’s political arm in Gaza, said it had “received the official Zionist occupation response to the movement’s position, which was delivered to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13.”
Negotiations earlier this month centered on a six-week ceasefire proposal and the release of 40 civilian and sick hostages in exchange for freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
A separate Hamas statement said leaders from the three main militant groups active in Gaza discussed attempts to end the war. It didn’t mention the Israeli proposal.
The armed wing of Hamas also released video footage of two men held hostage in Gaza, identified by Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum as Keith Siegel and Omri Miran.
Mediators are working on a compromise that will answer most of both parties’ main demands, which could pave the way to continued negotiations with the goal of a deal to end the war, the official said.
Hamas has said it won’t back down from demands for a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Israel has rejected both and said it will continue military operations until Hamas is defeated and that it will retain a security presence in Gaza.
There is growing international pressure for Hamas and Israel to reach a ceasefire deal and avert an Israeli attack on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge.
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Israel has insisted for months it plans a ground offensive into Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where it says many remaining Hamas militants remain, despite calls for restraint including from Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States.
Egypt has cautioned an offensive into Rafah could have “catastrophic consequences” on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where famine is feared, and on regional peace and security.
Tolerating Israeli abuses
Washington has been critical of Israeli policies in the West Bank. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is expected in Israel on Tuesday, recently determined an army unit committed rights abuses there before the war in Gaza.
But Blinken said in an undated letter to US House Speaker Mike Johnson, obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, that he’s postponing a decision on blocking aid to the unit to give Israel more time to right the wrongdoing. Blinken stressed that overall US military support for Israel’s defense wouldn’t be affected.
The US has also been building a pier to deliver aid to Gaza through a new port. Israel’s military confirmed Saturday that it would be operational by early May.
The BBC reported the UK government was considering deploying troops to drive the trucks to carry the aid to shore, citing unidentified government sources. British officials declined to comment.
Another aid effort, a three-ship flotilla coming from Turkiye, was prevented from sailing, organizers said.
Student protests over the war and its effect on Palestinians are growing on college campuses in the US, while demonstrations continue in many countries.
Hamas sparked the war by attacking southern Israel on Oct. 7, with militants killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Israel says the militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
Gaza: Hamas studies new Israeli truce proposal, 32 more killed
Arab News
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International
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has warned against the emergence of what she described as “little ghettos” of separatist migrant communities in Britain, arguing that newcomers must integrate and respect the country’s culture and values.
Badenoch made the remarks while opening the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham, where she set out her vision for rebuilding the party and Britain.
Speaking about immigration and integration, the Conservative leader said she wanted Britain to remain a “high-trust” society in which people coming into the country accept the social expectations and responsibilities that come with living there.
“I don’t want lots of little ghettos of separatist communities where they are recreating the place that they came from. That will ruin the United Kingdom,” Badenoch said.
She added that Britain was “not a dormitory” or “a hotel” and argued that migrants who come to the country, including those who come primarily to work, should respect British culture and values.
Badenoch stressed that she was not advocating race-based citizenship, saying Britain had never operated such a system. However, she argued that British culture, norms and expectations remained important to maintaining social cohesion.
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“It is not just about the values and the principles,” she said, arguing that the way people conduct themselves and the expectations they share also form part of British culture.
The remarks form part of Badenoch’s broader attempt to establish a tougher Conservative Party position on immigration, integration and national identity as the party seeks to regain political ground.
She has also acknowledged failures by previous Conservative governments to deliver promised reductions in immigration. In her newly published policy document, The Right Way, she argues that the party needs clearer principles and a more consistent approach to government.
The Conservatives are also proposing tougher conditions for migrants seeking permanent settlement in the UK, including changes to the rules governing indefinite leave to remain.
Badenoch’s comments have drawn attention because of the sensitivity surrounding immigration and multiculturalism in Britain, with critics arguing that language about migrant communities risks stigmatising minority groups.
Her supporters, however, say the emphasis on integration rather than race is intended to reinforce a shared national identity and social cohesion.
The debate comes as immigration remains a major political issue in the UK, with the Conservatives facing pressure from Reform UK over migration while the Labour government continues to face questions over legal and irregular immigration.
Badenoch, who became Conservative leader in November 2024, used the conference to present her party as a political alternative focused on economic growth, stronger national security, reduced bureaucracy and stricter immigration policies.
Her comments on migrant communities are expected to remain a significant part of the Conservatives’ political message as the party seeks to redefine its approach to immigration, integration and British identity.
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
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International
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by U.S. Army firing squad of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 13 people dead and 32 others wounded.
The Pentagon announced the decision on Monday, saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended the firing-squad execution and Trump approved it.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Secretary of the Army would determine the date and location of the execution.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire at a medical facility at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, shortly before he was due to deploy to Afghanistan.
The attack killed 12 active-duty soldiers and one retired serviceman, while 32 others were wounded. Hasan was shot and seriously injured by a responding civilian police officer and has been partially paralysed since the attack.
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A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder and sentenced him to death.
During his court-martial, Hasan represented himself and did not call witnesses in his defence. He acknowledged that he carried out the shooting and argued that his actions were intended to protect Muslims whom he believed were being targeted by U.S. military operations.
Hasan has remained on military death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, while pursuing legal challenges to his conviction and sentence.
Trump’s approval does not mean the execution will take place immediately. Further legal and administrative procedures remain, and Hasan could seek relief through the federal courts, potentially delaying the execution.
If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be an extraordinary event in the history of the U.S. military justice system.
The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged. The last known U.S. military execution by firing squad took place in 1945.
The decision also comes amid renewed debate in the United States over methods of execution. The Trump administration has expanded the available methods for carrying out federal executions, while recent difficulties surrounding lethal injection have intensified scrutiny of capital punishment.
Hasan’s case has remained one of the most prominent military death-penalty cases in the United States since the Fort Hood attack nearly 17 years ago.
The Army is now expected to determine when and where the execution will take place, subject to the remaining legal process.
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
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International
UK Threatens to Expel 27 Israeli Diplomats as Jerusalem Consulate Standoff Escalates
UK Threatens to Expel 27 Israeli Diplomats as Jerusalem Consulate Standoff Escalates
The UK-Israel diplomatic crisis has escalated to its most dangerous level in decades, with Britain threatening to expel 27 Israeli diplomats if Israel proceeds with its plan to shut down the British consulate in East Jerusalem this Thursday. The extraordinary standoff—sparked by UK sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements—now threatens to sever one of the West’s most strategically important bilateral relationships. According to reports confirmed by The Jerusalem Post and The New Arab, British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters personally delivered the warning to Israeli officials: for every British diplomat forced out of the East Jerusalem consulate, London will expel one Israeli diplomat from its embassy in London. With 27 British staff members facing expulsion, Israel’s London embassy—which has already been without an ambassador since September 2025—could be effectively gutted. The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the reported threat, while Israeli diplomatic sources told The Jerusalem Post there was “no reason for us to address speculation regarding decisions other countries might make in the future.”
Behind the scenes, UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell made a quiet visit to Israel last week in a desperate attempt to prevent the closure, three sources told Reuters. The talks failed to produce an agreement to keep the consulate open, and the British government did not disclose the visit.
The confrontation traces back to September, when UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sweeping trade sanctions on goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. In a dramatic statement to Parliament, Miliband accused the Israeli government of turning a “blind eye” to what he called “ethnic cleansing” by settler terrorists. “The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists,” Miliband said. “All too often the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians.” The UK settlement sanctions, announced in coordination with France and Canada, will ban imports from illegal settlements and target companies and individuals providing “construction, infrastructure, financing, or real estate for settlement expansion.” According to the House of Commons Library, the measures will take effect within six to nine months, with the import ban applied geographically based on settlement postcodes. Britain specifically cited the Israeli government-backed E1 settlement project—which would effectively sever the West Bank from East Jerusalem—as a key factor undermining the two-state solution.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced a series of countermeasures on September 8, calling the UK sanctions “morally distorted” and accusing Britain’s ruling Labour Party of interfering in Israel’s upcoming October 27 general election. The Israeli retaliation included closing the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem within 30 days, removing British representatives from the US-led International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, ending British participation in training Palestinian Authority security forces in Ramallah, and barring 12 British officials deemed “anti-Israel” from entering Israel, including 11 MPs and a lawyer. Sa’ar framed the measures as a necessary response to what he called a “hostile Labour government.” “Israel has nothing against the British people,” he said. “Unfortunately, a hostile Labour Government is in office, systematically acting against the State of Israel, and it has left us with no choice but to finally respond.”
The British Consulate General in East Jerusalem is not a routine diplomatic post. Established in 1838—110 years before the founding of Israel—it operates separately from the UK embassy in Tel Aviv and handles relations with Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. The consulate is located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The UK, like most of the international community, does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized internationally.
The UK sanctions on Israel have drawn fierce criticism from within the British Jewish community. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called the measures a “dark day for British Jews,” warning they could “embolden those, at home and abroad, who use hatred as a weapon against Jews.” Miliband, who describes himself as a “proud British Jew,” rejected the chief rabbi’s claim directly. Asked on BBC Radio 4 whether Mirvis was wrong, Miliband replied: “Yes, I am saying I don’t agree with the chief rabbi, somebody over whom I have great respect.” He added: “Anyone who holds British Jews, or indeed Jews around the world, responsible for the actions of the Israeli government is engaging in antisemitism, pure and simple.” The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it followed the announcement with “deep regret,” warning that deteriorating UK-Israel relations could “further inflame community tensions.”
The standoff has been further inflamed by domestic political developments in Britain. On Sunday, the UK Green Party voted to declare Zionism a form of racism, passing the motion by 1,022 votes to 813 at its annual conference. Israel’s foreign ministry declared the resolution “a clear antisemitic text” and announced that Foreign Minister Sa’ar was barring Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the Green Party decision “a disgrace,” while Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson described it as “shameful.”
With the consulate closure deadline set for Thursday, both sides appear entrenched. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed the consulate will close “as announced.” Two sources told Reuters that while talks were still ongoing, an agreement before the deadline was unlikely. If Israel proceeds and the UK follows through on its threat, the expulsion of 27 Israeli diplomats would mark an unprecedented rupture in British-Israeli relations. Israel’s embassy in London has already been without an ambassador since September 2025. The loss of 27 additional diplomats would effectively gut the mission. A Western diplomat told The Guardian that the closure would set a “dangerous precedent” for the status of diplomatic missions monitoring the status quo in Jerusalem, emphasizing that the UK does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the city under international law. The coming days will determine whether this UK-Israel diplomatic crisis escalates further—or whether a last-minute compromise can pull both nations back from the brink.
UK Threatens to Expel 27 Israeli Diplomats as Jerusalem Consulate Standoff Escalates
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