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Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Wednesday it was discussing proposals for a Gaza ceasefire received from mediators, after US President Donald Trump said Israel backed a 60-day ceasefire in the war-ravaged territory.Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations against Hamas militants.The civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 33 people on Wednesday.Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal. The Israeli government has not commented on that claim.Hamas said in a statement Wednesday it was “conducting national consultations to discuss what we received from the proposals of the… mediators”.It said it aimed “to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israel from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip”.Without directly mentioning Trump’s remarks, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that “a large majority within the government and the population is in favour” of a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.”If the opportunity arises, it must not be missed!” Saar wrote on X.Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas’s 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.On the ground in southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area.Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.- Children covered in blood -AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tents blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.One man held a pack of nappies, asking: “Is this a weapon?””They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed… What did they do?” said another resident, Maha Abu Rizq, against a backdrop of destruction.AFP footage from nearby Khan Yunis city showed infants covered in blood being rushed into Nasser Hospital. One man carrying a child whose face was smeared with blood screamed: “Children, children!”Some appeared terrified while others lay still on hospital beds in bloodied bandages and clothes as medics treated them.Further north, Bassal said four people from the same family were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City, and another five in a drone strike on a house in the central Deir el-Balah area.Bassal later reported seven killed in a strike in Gaza City, five more killed by Israeli army fire near an aid distribution site close to the southern city of Rafah, and a further death following Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of the territory.They are the latest in a string of deadly incidents that have hit people waiting for food. Bassal said a further four people were killed in an air strike on a tent for displaced people southwest of Gaza City and two in an air strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza City’s Zeitun neighbourhood.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it “is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities” in line with “international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm”.On Tuesday the military said that in recent days its forces had expanded operations across Gaza.- Ceasefire push -After months of stalled mediation efforts to bring an end to the war, Trump said on social media on Tuesday that a new ceasefire push has Israel’s support.”Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War,” Trump said.He added that Qatari and Egyptian mediators, who have been in direct contact with Hamas throughout the war, would deliver “this final proposal”.”I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.”Trump is due to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week.Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.

Israel’s top diplomat on Wednesday said any chance to free hostages held in Gaza “must not be missed”, after US President Donald Trump urged Palestinian group Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire that he said had Israel’s backing.Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations against Hamas militants.The civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 33 people on Wednesday.Trump on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal.Without directly mentioning Trump’s remarks, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that “a large majority within the government and the population is in favour of the plan to free the hostages” held by Hamas in Gaza.”If the opportunity arises, it must not be missed!” Saar wrote on X.Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas’s 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.On the ground in southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the coastal Al-Mawasi area.Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.- Children covered in blood -AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tent structures blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.One man held a pack of nappies, asking: “Is this a weapon?””They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed… What did they do?” said another resident, Maha Abu Rizq, against a backdrop of destruction.AFP footage from nearby Khan Yunis city showed infants covered in blood being rushed into Nasser Hospital. One man carrying a child whose face was smeared with blood screamed: “Children, children!”Some appeared terrified while others lay still on hospital beds in bloodied bandages and clothes as medics treated them.Further north, Bassal said four people from the same family were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City, and another five in a drone strike on a house in the central Deir el-Balah area.Bassal later reported seven killed in a strike in Gaza City, five more killed by Israeli army fire near an aid distribution site close to the southern city of Rafah, and a further death following Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of the territory.They are the latest in a string of deadly incidents targeting those waiting for much-needed food aid. He said a further four people were killed in an air strike on a tent for displaced people southwest of Gaza City and two in an air strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza City’s Zeitun neighbourhood.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it “is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities” in line with “international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm”.On Tuesday the military said that in recent days its forces had expanded operations across Gaza, “eliminating dozens of terrorists and dismantling hundreds of terror infrastructure sites”.- Ceasefire push -After months of stalled mediation efforts to bring an end to the war, Trump on Tuesday said on social media that a new ceasefire push has Israel’s support.”Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War,” Trump said.He added that Qatari and Egyptian mediators, who have been in direct contact with Hamas throughout the war, would deliver “this final proposal”.”I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.”Nadav Miran, the brother of hostage Omri Miran, told AFP that he was against a partial agreement that “would leave Hamas in place”.Such an agreement “would not ensure the return of all the hostages… they must all be brought back at once,” added Miran, who is part of a grouping of hostage relatives opposed to negotiations with Hamas. Trump is due to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week.Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

Hong Kong is expected to lead the world in IPO financing this year despite uncertainty from geopolitical tensions and trade tariffs, accountancy giant PwC said on Wednesday.The Chinese financial hub’s capital market has rebounded strongly this year, with dozens of Chinese companies piling into the city to raise overseas capital despite regulatory pressure from Beijing …

Hong Kong to regain IPO crown this year, say PwC and Deloitte Read More »

Iran on Wednesday formally suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, a measure drawn up in the wake of unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites.The war between Iran and Israel, which broke out on June 13 and lasted for 12 days, has intensified tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favour of the bill to suspend cooperation with the agency.State media said on Wednesday that the legislation had cleared the final hurdle and was in effect.The text, published by Iranian media, states that the legislation aims to “ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran” under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and “especially uranium enrichment”.The issue of enrichment was at the core of disagreements between Washington and Tehran in nuclear negotiations that had been derailed by the war.Israel and some Western countries had for long accused Iran of seeking to quire nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.The text of the law did not specify concrete moves linked to the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA, whose inspectors have had access to declared nuclear facilities.Following the parliament vote, the bill was approved by the Guardian Council, a body tasked with vetting legislation, before a final ratification from the presidency.Iranian President “Masoud Pezeshkian promulgated the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency”, state TV said on Wednesday.Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEA for what they described as the agency’s “silence” in the face of the Israeli and US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.- ‘Deceptive and fraudulent’ -Tehran has also lambasted the UN agency for a resolution adopted on June 12 that accuses Iran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations.Iranian officials said the resolution was among the “excuses” for the Israeli attacks.On Wednesday, senior judiciary official Ali Mozaffari said that IAEA director Rafael Grossi should “be held accountable” for what he called “preparing the groundwork for the crime” against Iran, referring to Israel’s air raids.Mozaffari accused Grossi of “deceptive actions and fraudulent reporting”, according to Iranian news agency Tasnim.Iran has rejected a request from Grossi to visit nuclear facilities bombed during the war, and earlier this week Pezeshkian decried his “destructive” conduct.Iran has said Grossi’s request to visit the bombarded sites signalled “malign intent” but insisted there were no threats against him or against inspectors from his agency.France, Germany and Britain have condemned unspecified “threats” against the IAEA chief.Iran’s ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper has recently claimed that documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed.- Damage -On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the parliament vote to halt cooperation with the IAEA reflected the “concern and anger of the Iranian public opinion”.The 12-day war began when Israel launched a major bombing campaign on Iran and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, with Tehran responding with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israel.On June 22, Israel’s ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.More than 900 people were killed in Iran, according to the judiciary.Iran’s retaliatory attacks killed 28 people in Israel, according to authorities.US President Donald Trump said the US attacks had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme, though the extent of the damage was not clear.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has admitted “serious” damage to nuclear sites.But in a recent interview with CBS Evening News, he said: “One cannot obliterate the technology and science… through bombings.”