International
Gaza ceasefire progress is an illusion, says Hamas

Gaza ceasefire progress is an illusion, says Hamas
Hamas has described suggestions of progress on an Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal as an illusion, after US President Joe Biden said he was feeling “optimistic”.
Following two days of US-backed talks in Qatar, President Biden said on Friday “we are closer than we have ever been”.
And on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israeli negotiators had expressed “cautious optimism” about moving towards agreement on a deal.
However, a senior Hamas official told the BBC earlier there had been no progress and mediators were “selling illusions”.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
A ceasefire deal agreed in November saw Hamas release 105 of the hostages in return for a week-long ceasefire and the freeing of some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel says 111 hostages are still being held, 39 of whom are presumed dead.
In a recent joint statement, the US, Qatar and Egypt stated that they had presented a proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal that “narrows the gaps” between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has said any ceasefire deal would require the release of the remaining hostages. Some have already been released, while others are thought to have died in Gaza.
Relatives of hostages still in Gaza are calling the current negotiations as the “last chance” to get some of them out alive.
After 10 months of war and thousands of casualties, there is overwhelming pressure for a breakthrough.
A wider regional conflict, in the event of talks between Israel and Hamas collapsing completely, is a distinct possibility and is something all of those involved are fearful of.
The mediators said that the past two days of ceasefire discussions had been “serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere”.
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Technical teams are expected to continue working over the coming days on the details of how to implement the proposed terms before senior government officials meet again in Cairo, hoping to reach an agreement on the terms set out in Doha.
While the mediators’ statement is clearly a positive development, there is still a long way to go before a ceasefire is agreed.
This is not the first time the Mr Biden has said he thought a deal was close – and not everyone shares his cautious optimism.
Neither Hamas nor the Israeli government have been quite so upbeat in their responses.
Israel says its position and core principles have remained unchanged and were “well-known”. It accused Hamas of refusing to agree to a deal for the release of the hostages.
Above all else, Israelis want to see the remaining hostages released but many are sceptical that is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s primary goal. He has insisted that a “total victory” over Hamas is his government’s priority.
Meanwhile, Hamas’s new leader, Yaya Sinwar, continues to show few signs of compromise.
Asked about President Biden’s statement, the senior Hamas official told the BBC “what we have received from the mediators is very disappointing. There has been no progress”.
Hamas is understood to have dropped its demand for a permanent ceasefire in favour of Mr Biden’s proposal for a six-week pause in which an end to the war could be brokered.
Mr Biden’s ceasefire proposal also included the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, the staggered release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and the return of dead hostages’ remains.
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The “bridging proposal” put forward by US, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators will be the subject of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s negotiations in the region and should form the basis for the next talks in Cairo at which all parties, including Hamas, are expected to attend.
That proposal reportedly “closes the remaining gaps” between the two sides’ positions which could allow for “a rapid implementation of the agreement”.
It might sound straightforward, but there are big obstacles to overcome and there is still absolutely no trust between senior Israeli or Hamas figures.
They’re being dragged to the table – perhaps against their wishes – by others fearful of what could happen in the event of failure.
Hamas and its allies are convinced the US administration is trying to buy more time.
If Iran attacks Israel, it will appear as if it is Hamas which undermined the negotiations.
Hamas does not hide its desire for Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel and for the escalation to turn into a regional war.
They believe a strong blow to Israel will weaken Mr Netanyahu and push him to accept a deal.
For his part, Mr Biden warned “no-one in the region should take actions to undermine this process”.
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Meanwhile, Israel’s military operation in Gaza continues, with an air strike in the early hours of Saturday morning killing 15 people in the al-Zawaida neighbourhood of central Gaza, according to the Palestinian civil defence authority, a rescue service.
Spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP news agency nine children and three women were among the dead.
Israel has not commented directly. The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday morning it had “eliminated a number of terrorists” in central Gaza, including one that had fired at Israeli forces operating in the area.
The Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders for several blocks in northern Khan Younis and Deir Balah – further shrinking the humanitarian zone in which thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from the fighting.
Israel said the blocks had become dangerous for civilians “due to significant acts of terrorism” and the firing of rockets and mortars towards Israel.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) said: “Once again, fear spreads as families have nowhere to go.”
Pressing the need for a ceasefire deal is the circulation of the polio virus – which can spread through faecal matter – is now circulating inside the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Gaza.
“Let’s be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said.
Gaza ceasefire progress is an illusion, says Hamas
BBC
International
UK announces new passport application fees starting April 2025

UK announces new passport application fees starting April 2025
The UK government has confirmed it will introduce new fees for passport applications beginning on April 10th, 2025.
The changes, which are still subject to parliamentary approval, will see a rise in costs for both online and paper applications, affecting adults and children alike.
According to the UK Home Office, the adjustments will apply to both domestic and overseas passport applications.
The fee increases, as stated, are part of an ongoing effort to ensure the passport system is financially self-sustaining, reducing the need for funding from general taxation. The Home Office clarified that the government does not make any profit from the fees.
Fee increases for domestic applications
Starting April 10th, 2025, the fee for a standard online application within the UK will rise for both adults and children. The cost for an adult’s application will increase from £88.50 to £94.50, while for children it will go up from £57.50 to £61.50.
Postal applications will also see an increase, with the adult fee rising from £100 to £107 and the child fee increasing from £69 to £74.
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Charges to premium service fees
The Premium Service, which allows for passport issuance within one day, will also become more expensive.
- For adults, the fee will rise from £207.50 to £222
- For children, the fee will increase from £176.50 to £189.
This service is available for those who need a passport urgently and are applying from within the UK.
Higher costs for overseas applications
For individuals applying from overseas, the standard online application fee will also increase;
- The adult fee will rise from £101 to £108, and the child fee will increase from £65.50 to £70
- For paper applications made abroad, the adult fee will rise from £112.50 to £120.50, while the child fee will increase from £77 to £82.50.
The Home Office stated that the new fees are necessary to maintain the passport service and ensure it is financially viable. The fees contribute to covering the cost of processing passport applications, offering consular support to UK citizens overseas, and managing UK border services.
“The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders,” the office said.
It is also related that in 2024, 99.7% of standard applications from the UK were processed within three weeks, where no additional information was required. Customers are advised to apply well in advance of their travel plans to avoid delays.
These fee adjustments are in line with guidelines from HM Treasury, which regularly reviews passport fees.
UK announces new passport application fees starting April 2025
International
UN staff member killed in central Gaza blast, five others injured

UN staff member killed in central Gaza blast, five others injured
At least one UN staffer has been killed and at least five others injured following an explosion at two UN guesthouses in Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Several of the injured staffers are reported to be very severely hurt, though further details on their conditions have not yet been provided
The UN is verifying and confirming the details, including the circumstances that led up to the incident at the compound.
However, it was not due to “any action” that was being taken by UN personnel to remove “unexploded ordinance,” the head of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) said during a press conference in Brussels.
The UN official’s statement clarifies that the incident did not involve any activities related to the removal of unexploded ordinance by UN personnel, and further investigation is underway to determine the exact cause and context of the event.
According to media reports, the Israeli military – which has resumed deadly strikes in the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds since Monday – has denied attacking the compound.
“These premises were well known by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and they were ‘deconflicted’,” UNOPS chief Jorge Moreira da Silva, said, explaining that “everyone knew who was working inside the premises – it was UN personnel, UNOPS personnel.”
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“This was not an accident, this was an incident,” he told journalists, adding that additional information is being collected.
“What we do know is that an explosive ordnance was dropped or fired at the infrastructure and detonated inside the building,” he said, adding it was unclear if it had been due to air-drop weapons, artillery or rocket fire.
Silva stressed that attacks against humanitarian premises are a breach of international law.
“UN personnel and its premises must be protected by all sides. The civilian population relies on the UN for lifesaving assistance, they are an essential lifeline at the time of utter tragedy and devastation,” he said.
The incident took place at around 11:30 a,m. local time on Wednesday. It followed strikes on Tuesday that resulted in some damage, and “a near miss” on Monday, Silva said.
The UN buildings are situated in an “isolated area” in Dier al Balah.
As investigations continue into the incident, the “top priority” is the evacuation of injured staff members, Silva said.
“We have stayed and delivered for the people in Gaza in the last year and a half. This was not the first time a colleague from UNOPS lost their life,” he added.
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He noted that a staffer who drove aid trucks was killed around a year ago in the line of duty.
“It is very difficult to operate in Gaza…we have been challenged by the fact that international humanitarian law has not been respected,” he said.
UNOPS teams in Gaza have been carrying out critical humanitarian work, supporting hundreds of thousands of civilians severely affected by the conflict.
Their efforts include delivering essential supplies such as fuel and assisting in demining and explosive removal.
Additionally, the agency manages the so-called UN 2720 Mechanism for Gaza, which was mandated by the Security Council to accelerate humanitarian aid into the enclave.
In a related development, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reaffirmed that all parties to the conflict have a legal obligation to protect UN premises, which must remain inviolable.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief, strongly condemned the attacks and called for a full investigation.
“Today’s deadly strike brings the number of UN colleagues killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 to at least 280,” the statement noted.
Guterres emphasised that all military operations must respect and prioritise civilian protection.
“The Secretary-General stresses the need for the ceasefire to be respected to bring an end to the suffering of the people.
“Humanitarian aid must reach all people in need. The hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally,” he said.
UN staff member killed in central Gaza blast, five others injured
(NAN)
International
US judge suspends ban on transgender people in military

US judge suspends ban on transgender people in military
A US federal judge on Tuesday suspended the Trump administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the military, citing the principle of equality and dealing a blow — if only temporary — to the US president’s agenda.
Referencing the US Declaration of Independence, which states that all humans are “created equal,” Judge Ana C. Reyes suspended President Donald Trump’s late January order that excluded transgender people from the armed forces.
That suspension, however, will be put on pause until March 21 to give the government time to file an emergency stay at a higher court, according to Reyes’ decision.
The order will nonetheless come as a blow to Trump’s administration, which has made it a priority to strip protections for minorities since he took office.
Trump’s January 27 executive order stated that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
Since taking office, he has also declared that the US government will only recognize two sexes — male and female — that “are not changeable.”
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The number of transgender people in the US military is estimated at about 15,000 out of around two million.
Reyes’s order used unusually strong language in parts to criticize the order banning transgender Americans from serving in the military.
“The Military Ban is soaked in animus and dripping with pretext,” the judge wrote. “Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact.”
The judge said Trump “could have crafted a policy that balances the Nation’s need for a prepared military and Americans’ right to equal protection. They still can. The Military Ban, however, is not that policy.”
In February, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo preventing transgender people from joining the military and halting gender transition treatment for others who are already in uniform.
US judge suspends ban on transgender people in military
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