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Adopted orphan brings couple ‘paradise’ in war-ravaged Gaza

In their home in war-devastated Gaza City, Iman Farhat and her husband cherish the “paradise” brought by their newly-adopted baby, one of many orphans in the Palestinian territory after more than 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.Wrapping five-month-old Jannah in a brightly coloured blanket, Farhat gently sang as she rocked her to sleep.”I chose Jannah just as she was,” the new mother said smiling, explaining the couple simply wanted to adopt a young child without preference for gender or physical appearance.”Her name was Massa, and I officially changed her name from Massa to Jannah,” which means “paradise” in Arabic, she added.Farhat, 45, and her husband Rami al-Arouqi, 47, adopted the well-behaved and chubby baby in January.”At first, we had mixed feelings of both joy and fear, because it is a huge responsibility and we had never had a child”, said Arouqi, a Palestinian Authority employee.The couple already owned a cat.”The idea of adopting a child had crossed our minds, but it was cemented during the war” which “wiped out entire families and left only orphans”, he added.In September, the United Nations children’s fund, UNICEF, estimated there were 19,000 children who were unaccompanied or separated from their parents in Gaza, Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF’s spokesman for the Palestinian territories, told AFP.Data for the number of adoptions in Gaza was not immediately available.The war sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel left more than 69 percent of Gaza’s buildings damaged or destroyed, displaced almost the entire population and triggered widespread hunger, according to the United Nations.- Life ‘turned upside down’ -Hamas’s attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to official figures.Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 48,446 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN considers these figures reliable.Farhat and her husband said that before Jannah’s adoption, she was taken care of by the SOS Children’s Villages — an international NGO which looks after children in need.After the NGO’s premises in the southern Gaza city of Rafah were destroyed in the war, the organisation had to move to nearby Khan Yunis where “they could not house all the children in buildings, so they set up tents for them,” Farhat said.Her husband Arouqi told AFP that another motive for adopting a child came from the idea that “Palestinians should stand by each other’s side”.”The whole world has abandoned and let us down, so we shouldn’t let each other down,” he added.Once the pair took Jannah home, “our life was turned upside down in a beautiful and pleasant way,” he said.”Her name is Jannah and our world has truly become a paradise.”A fragile truce took effect on January 19, largely halting the devastating fighting between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants. The ceasefire’s first phase ended last weekend.While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the deal’s second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war.

Israeli team due in Qatar for Gaza truce talks

Israel is due to send a delegation to Qatar on Monday for a fresh round of talks on extending a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, after cutting off the electricity supply to ramp up pressure on Hamas.The first phase of the deal expired at the beginning of March with no agreement on subsequent stages that should secure a lasting end to the war that erupted with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.There are differences over how to proceed — Hamas wants immediate negotiations on the next phase, but Israel prefers extending phase one.Hamas accused Israel of reneging on the ceasefire deal, saying in a statement Monday Israel “refuses to commence the second phase, exposing its intentions of evasion and stalling”.Media reports said a top official from the domestic security agency Shin Bet will lead Israel’s delegation.Israel has halted aid deliveries to Gaza amid the deadlock, and on Sunday announced it was cutting off the territory’s electricity supply.”We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring back the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza the day after” the war, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said as he ordered the power cut.The move echoed the early days of the war when Israel announced a “complete siege” on the Palestinian territory, severing the electricity supply which was only restored in mid-2024.Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanoua said Israel’s move will impact its hostages still held in Gaza.”The decision to cut electricity is a failed option and poses a threat to its (Israeli) prisoners, who will only be freed through negotiations,” Qanoua said in a statement on Monday.Germany criticised Israel Monday for its latest decisions.Foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said Gaza was “again threatened with a food shortage” and that cutting off electricity was “unacceptable and not compatible with (Israel’s) obligations under international law”.The sole power line between Israel and Gaza supplies its main desalination plant, and Gazans now mainly rely on solar panels and fuel-powered generators to produce electricity.Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians now live in tents across Gaza, where temperatures reach a night-time low of about 12 degrees Celsius (54 Fahrenheit).Top Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq called Israel’s decision “to cut off electricity to Gaza, after depriving it of food, medicine, and water” a “desperate attempt to pressure our people and their resistance”.- ‘Long-term truce’ -Hamas has repeatedly demanded that the second phase of the truce — brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States — include a comprehensive hostage-prisoner exchange, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire and the reopening of border crossings to end the blockade.Spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP that Hamas wanted the mediators to ensure Israel “complies with the agreement… and proceeds with the second phase according to the agreed-upon terms”.Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase involving hostage releases and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza.US envoy Adam Boehler, who has held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, told CNN Sunday a deal could be reached “within weeks” to secure the release of all remaining hostages, not just the five dual Israeli-US nationals, most of whom have been confirmed dead.Of the 251 hostages taken during the October 7 attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed dead.Boehler told CNN a “long-term truce” was “real close”, but later Sunday he told Israel’s Channel 12 that Washington would back any Israeli decision, including a return to war.- ‘Nothing available’ -In late February, US President Donald Trump issued what he called a “last warning” to Hamas, threatening further destruction if it does not release all remaining hostages.Trump had earlier proposed expelling Palestinians from Gaza, prompting Arab leaders to offer an alternative reconstruction plan for the territory that does not involve displacement.The initial 42-day phase of the truce, which began on January 19, reduced hostilities after more than 15 months of relentless fighting that displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million people.During phase one, 25 living Israeli hostages and eight bodies were exchanged for about 1,800 Palestinians in Israeli custody.The truce also allowed in much-needed food, shelter and medical assistance.After Israel cut the aid flow on March 2, UN rights experts accused it of “weaponising starvation”.At a UN distribution of flour in Jabalia, northern Gaza, Abu Mahmoud Salman, 56, said that with fresh supplies now closed off, “there is nothing available”.”The markets are empty… prices are high, and there is no income. The situation in Gaza is difficult,” he told AFP.Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, while Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,467 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.

Israeli negotiators head to Qatar for Gaza truce talks

Israel is due to send a delegation to Qatar on Monday for a fresh round of talks on extending a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, after cutting off the electricity supply to ramp up pressure on Hamas.The first phase of the deal expired at the beginning of March with no agreement on subsequent stages that should secure a lasting end to the war that erupted with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.There are still differences over how to proceed, with Hamas calling for immediate negotiations on the next phase, while Israel prefers an extension of phase one.Israeli media said the Israeli delegation will be led by a top official from the domestic security agency Shin Bet.Israel has halted aid deliveries to Gaza amid the deadlock, and on Sunday announced it was cutting off the electricity supply to the territory.”We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring back the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza the day after” the war, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said as he ordered the power cut.The move echoed the early days of the war when Israel announced a “complete siege” on Gaza, severing the electricity supply which was only restored in mid-2024.Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanoua said cutting off electricity will impact Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.”The decision to cut electricity is a failed option and poses a threat to its (Israeli) prisoners, who will only be freed through negotiations,” Qanoua said in a statement on Monday.The sole power line between Israel and Gaza supplies the Palestinian territory’s main desalination plant, and Gazans now mainly rely on solar panels and fuel-powered generators to produce electricity.Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now living in tents across Gaza, where temperatures reach a low of about 12 degrees Celsius (54 Fahrenheit) at night.Top Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said the Israeli decision “to cut off electricity to Gaza, after depriving it of food, medicine, and water” was a “desperate attempt to pressure our people and their resistance”.- ‘Long-term truce’ -Hamas has repeatedly demanded that the second phase of the truce — brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States — include a comprehensive hostage-prisoner exchange, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire and the reopening of border crossings to end the blockade.Spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP that Hamas wanted the mediators to ensure Israel “complies with the agreement… and proceeds with the second phase according to the agreed-upon terms”.Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase involving hostage release and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces left in Gaza.US envoy Adam Boehler, who held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas officials in recent days, told CNN on Sunday that a deal could be reached “within weeks” to secure the release of all remaining hostages, not just the five dual Israeli-US nationals, most of who have been confirmed dead. Of the 251 hostages taken during the October 7 attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed dead.The US envoy told CNN a “long-term truce” was “real close”, but in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 that aired later on Sunday, he said Washington would back any Israeli decision, including a return to war.- ‘Nothing available’ -In late February, US President Donald Trump had issued what he called a “last warning” to Hamas, threatening further destruction if the group does not release all remaining hostages.An earlier proposal from Trump to expel Palestinians from Gaza prompted Arab leaders to offer an alternative reconstruction plan without displacement.The initial 42-day phase of the truce, which began on January 19, reduced hostilities after more than 15 months of relentless fighting that displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million people.During this period, 25 living Israeli hostages and eight bodies were exchanged for the release of about 1,800 Palestinians in Israeli custody.The truce also allowed in much-needed food, shelter and medical assistance.After Israel cut off the aid flow on March 2, UN rights experts accused the government of “weaponising starvation”.At a UN distribution of flour in Jabalia, northern Gaza, Abu Mahmoud Salman, 56, said that with the territory now closed off from fresh supplies, “there is nothing available”.”The markets are empty… prices are high, and there is no income. The situation in Gaza is difficult,” he told AFP.Hamas’s 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, while Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,467 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.