Author: AFP

Hamas officials want amendments to clauses in US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan including on disarmament, a Palestinian source close to the group’s leadership told AFP on Wednesday.

Hamas negotiators held discussions Tuesday with Turkish, Egyptian and Qatari officials in Doha, the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters and adding that the group needed “two or three days at most” to respond.

Trump’s plan, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, the group’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

But the Palestinian source said: “Hamas wants to amend some of the clauses such as the one on disarmament and the expulsion of Hamas and faction cadres.”

Hamas leaders also want “international guarantees for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip” and guarantees that no assassinations attempts will be made inside or outside the territory.

Six people were killed in an Israeli attack last month on Hamas officials meeting in Doha to discuss an earlier ceasefire proposal.

The source said Hamas was also in touch with “other regional and Arab parties”, without giving details.

The US government began shutting down after midnight Wednesday as lawmakers and President Donald Trump failed to break a budget impasse during acrimonious talks that hinged on Democratic demands for health care funding.

It is the first shutdown since the longest in history — lasting 35 days — almost seven years ago, and will stop work at multiple federal departments and agencies, affecting hundreds of thousands of government workers.

Trump blamed Democrats over the stalled talks and threatened to punish the party and its voters during the stoppage by targeting progressive priorities and forcing mass public sector job cuts.

“So we’d be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected. And they’re Democrats, they’re going to be Democrats,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

He said a “lot of good can come down from shutdowns,” and suggested he would use the pause to “get rid of a lot of things we didn’t want, and they’d be Democrat things.”

Government operations began grinding to a halt at 12:01 am (0401 GMT), after a frenetic but ultimately failed bid in the Senate to rubber-stamp a short-term funding resolution already approved by the House of Representatives.

Hopes of a compromise had been hanging by a thread since Monday, when a last-gasp meeting at the White House yielded no progress.

The gridlocked Congress regularly runs into deadlines to agree on spending plans, and the negotiations are invariably fraught. But Congress usually avoids them ending in shutdowns.

Democrats, in the minority in both chambers of Congress, have been seeking to flex their rare leverage over the federal government eight months into Trump’s barnstorming second presidency that has seen entire government agencies dismantled.

Trump’s threat of new job cuts added to anxieties in the federal workforce sparked by large-scale firings orchestrated by tycoon Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year.

– Health care under threat –

The 100-member Senate requires government funding bills to receive 60 votes — seven more than the Republicans control.

Republicans had proposed to extend current funding until late November, pending negotiations on a longer-term spending plan.

But Democrats wanted to see hundreds of billions of dollars in health care spending restored, particularly in the Obamacare health insurance program for low-income households, which the Trump administration is likely to eliminate.

Almost all Senate Democrats voted against a House-passed, seven-week stop-gap funding measure hours ahead of the midnight deadline.

It remains unclear how long the shutdown will last.

The federal government has shuttered 21 times since 1976, when Congress enacted the modern-day budget process.

Some stoppages have lasted only a few hours — not long enough to affect government operations.

The longest began on December 22, 2018 when Democrats and Trump found themselves at an impasse over $5.7 billion the president was demanding for a border wall during his first term.

Around 380,000 federal employees were furloughed and another 420,000 worked without pay.

Senators can move quickly when inclined by waiving the normal procedures that tend to hold up legislation.

The upper chamber was due back in session on Wednesday, but a House recess lasting all week means it will not be able to rubber stamp any quick deal agreed by the Senate.

The Senate will be out on Thursday for the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, but will be back on Friday and possibly in session through the weekend.

The shutdown will not affect vital functions like the Postal Service, the military and welfare programs like Social Security and food stamps.

But up to 750,000 workers could be sent home each day and would not be paid until the shutdown was over, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

After days of speculation, the White House on Monday released a 20-point plan for ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza, releasing hostages held by Hamas, and outlining the Palestinian enclave’s future.

Speaking alongside President Donald Trump at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave cautious backing to plan.

Here is the plan, as released by the White House:

1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.

2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.

3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.

4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.

5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.

6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.

7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.

8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement.

9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.

10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.

11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.

12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.

13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors.

14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people.

15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.

16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.

17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.

18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace.

19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.

20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.

Italy and Spain have deployed navy ships to assist a Gaza-bound aid flotilla after organisers reported that several of their boats had been targeted by drones off Greece.

Spanish Prime Minister (PM) Pedro Sanchez said Wednesday that Spain would send a navy ship to the area.

“We are concerned, and that is why we will be deploying a ship to ensure that, if necessary, our citizens can be rescued and brought back to Spain,” Sanchez told a news conference in New York, adding that the ship would depart on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the country sent a navy frigate to assist the flotilla on Wednesday. “To ensure assistance to the Italian citizens on the flotilla […] I spoke with the prime minister and authorised the immediate intervention of the Italian Navy’s multi-purpose frigate Fasan, which was sailing north of Crete as part of Operation Safe Sea,” Crosetto said in a statement posted by the ministry on X.

“The vessel is already en route to the area for possible rescue operations,” he said.

Earlier, the Global Sumud Flotilla said more than a dozen explosions were heard around the flotilla as it sailed off Greece late on Tuesday, with damage caused by “unidentified objects” dropped on deck.

Crosetto expressed “the strongest condemnation” of the “attack” on the flotilla using “drones by currently unidentified perpetrators”.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had asked Israel to ensure the safety of Italian citizens, along with members of parliament among the pro-Palestinian activists.

The ministry had already informed Israel that “any operation entrusted to Israeli forces must be conducted in compliance with international law and the principle of absolute caution”.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which currently numbers 51 vessels, most of which are off the Greek island of Crete, set sail from Barcelona earlier this month with the aim of breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza and delivering aid to the territory.

Israel, which blocked two previous attempts by activists to reach Gaza by sea in June and July, said it would not allow the flotilla to reach the embattled Palestinian territory.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that he is bringing a $15 billion “defamation and libel lawsuit” against the New York Times.

“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding the lawsuit was being brought in Florida.

AFP has contacted the New York Times for comment.

Trump decried the newspaper as a “virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party” and accused it of lying about his “family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole.”

He provided no evidence for his claims.

The news outlet reported last week that Trump had threatened legal action against it in relation to articles on a lewd birthday note given to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Republican president has denied authoring the note.

Trump has intensified his attacks on traditional media since his return to the White House, repeatedly badmouthing journalists critical of his administration, restricting access and bringing lawsuits.

He sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion in July after it published an article about his friendship with Epstein.

Paramount settled Trump’s lawsuit over election coverage on CBS News’ flagship show “60 Minutes” for $16 million the same month. He had alleged that the program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favor.

Right-wing youth activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, a major ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead Wednesday in a “political assassination” that sparked fears of more political violence in an increasingly febrile United States.

Trump confirmed on social media that Kirk, 31, had died from his injuries.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Kirk was hit while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.

Video from the scene showed him addressing a large crowd when the sound of a single shot rang out. Kirk appeared to collapse in his chair before the camera swiftly moved and sounds of panic erupted in the audience.

Investigators said they believed the single bullet had come from a campus rooftop, fired by someone dressed in black, in what appeared to be a targeted killing.

FBI Director Kash Patel said one person was being held.

“The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” Patel said on X.

Illustrating the huge importance of Kirk in Trump’s orbit, the 79-year-old Republican ordered flags on government buildings to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday. American flags at the White House were lowered shortly after the president’s order.

“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” Trump wrote.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters Kirk’s killing was “a tragic day for our nation.”

“I want to be clear that this is a political assassination,” he said.

Cox, a Republican, appealed for Americans to take a step back from such violence as the nation readies to mark a milestone anniversary of its 1776 founding.

“We just need every single person in this country to think about where we are and where we want to be, to ask ourselves: Is this what 250 years has wrought on us?”

– ‘He fell back’ –

Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was at the rally, told Fox News the shooting had happened while Kirk was doing a question-and-answer session with the crowd.

“First question was about religion. He went on for about 15-20, minutes. Second question, interestingly, was about transgender shooters, mass shooters, and in the midst of that, the shot rang out,” a visibly shaken Chaffetz told the network.

“As soon as that shot went out, he fell back,” he said. “Everybody hit the deck… a lot of people started screaming, and then everybody started running.”

– Turning Point –

Kirk had an outsized influence in US politics, helping the rise of Trump’s support among younger voters — one of the key factors in the Republican’s return to power last year.

With natural showmanship skills, Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, turning him into the go-to spokesman on television networks and at conferences for the youthful hard-right.

He used his enormous audiences on Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread viral, carefully edited clips of his back-and-forths during debates at his many campus events.

His presence on campuses was seen on the right as a welcome contrast to widespread liberal viewpoints in higher education, but have sparked often fierce opposition.

News of the shooting provoked horror across the political spectrum.

“Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour,” Vice President JD Vance posted on social media, alongside a picture of the two men and the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr.

Right wing media figure Tomi Lahren called Kirk “visionary.”

Figures on the left also condemned the attack and urged calm.

“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” former president Joe Biden wrote on X.

California Governor Gavin Newsom — a frequent foil for right-wing figures like Kirk — called the attack “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” while Biden’s vice president Kamala Harris said “political violence has no place in America.”

Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — a Democrat who survived an assassination attempt herself — said she was “horrified” by the attack.

“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence,” Giffords said.

US President Donald Trump threatened Sunday to impose more sanctions on Russia, after the Kremlin unleashed its biggest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine.

Russian missiles and drones rained down across Ukraine early Sunday, killing four people and setting government offices in the capital Kyiv ablaze.

Trump told reporters after the assault he was “not happy with the whole situation” and said he was prepared to move forward on new sanctions on Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was counting on a “strong” US response.

Russia has intensified its onslaught against Ukraine since a meeting between Trump and President Vladimir Putin on August 15 failed to make any breakthrough on a ceasefire.

After Sunday’s attack on Kyiv, flames could be seen rising from the roof of the sprawling government complex that houses Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers in the heart of the city — the first time it has been hit during the three-and-a-half-year conflict.

Drone strikes also damaged several high-rise buildings in the Ukrainian capital, according to emergency services.

Russia denies targeting civilians in Ukraine.

It said it struck a plant and a logistics hub in Kyiv, with the Russian defence ministry saying “no strikes were carried out on other targets within the boundaries of Kyiv”.

“It is important that there is a broad response from partners to this attack today,” said Zelensky in his evening address, adding that Putin was “testing the world”.

“We are counting on a strong response from America. That is what is needed.”

– ‘Deliberate crime’ –

Russia fired at least 810 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine between late Saturday and early Sunday in a new record, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posted a video showing a damaged floor in the government building.

“We will restore the buildings,” she said. “But we cannot bring back lost lives. The enemy terrorises and kills our people every day throughout the country.”

Zelensky discussed the attack in a call with French President Emmanuel Macron and said France would help Ukraine strengthen its defence.

Macron was among European leaders who condemned the attack, posting on X that Russia was “locking itself ever deeper into the logic of war and terror”.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the attacks as “cowardly” while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen accused the Kremlin of “mocking diplomacy”.

Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington might slap tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil.

“The Russian economy will be in full collapse. And that will bring President (Vladimir) Putin to the table,” Bessent told NBC television.

– European troop proposal –

At least two people were killed in a strike west of Kyiv, prosecutors said.

More than two dozen were wounded in Kyiv, according to the emergency services.

Among them was a 24-year-old pregnant woman who delivered a premature baby shortly after the attack, with doctors fighting to save her life and that of her baby, state TV Suspilne reported.

Two more died and dozens were wounded in overnight strikes across the east and southeast, authorities said.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry highlighted that seven horses had also been killed at an equestrian club.

“The world cannot stand aside while a terrorist state takes lives — human or animal — every single day,” it posted on X.

The barrage came after more than two dozen European countries pledged to oversee any agreement to end the war, some of which said they were willing to deploy troops on the ground.

Ukraine has insisted on Western-backed security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks, but Putin has warned that any Western troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable and legitimate targets.

Trump has tried to find a way to end the war in recent weeks but has little to show for his efforts.

Russia has continued to claim territory in costly grinding battles and now occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions forced from their homes in Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday New Delhi and Washington still shared “very positive” ties, after US President Donald Trump reaffirmed their personal friendship and downplayed his earlier remarks about “losing India” to China.

The exchange comes amid strains after Washington imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Indian imports, accusing New Dehli of fuelling Moscow’s deadly attacks on Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil.

But Trump and Modi, both right-wing populists, have shared a strong bond since the US president’s first term.

“Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties,” Modi wrote on X, adding that India and the United States shared a “very positive and forward-looking comprehensive and global strategic partnership”.

Earlier, Trump told reporters that he “will always be friends with Modi”.

“India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about,” Trump said, downplaying his earlier remarks about “losing India” to China.

Last week, Modi visited China to attend a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, his first visit to the country in seven years signalling a thaw between the two Asian powers.

Trump has appeared irritated at New Delhi as he seeks credit for what he said was Nobel Prize-worthy diplomacy for brokering peace between Pakistan and India following the worst conflict in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

India, which adamantly rejects any third-party mediation on Kashmir, has since given the cold shoulder to Trump.

President Donald Trump is changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, the White House announced Thursday, insisting the rebrand will project a more powerful image.

While the department’s official name is set in law, Trump in an executive order is authorizing use of the new label as a “secondary title” by his administration, a White House document said.

Defense officials are permitted to use to use “secondary titles such as ‘Secretary of War,’…in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch,” according to the document.

It was not immediately clear when Trump planned to sign the order, but his public schedule for Friday said he would be signing executive orders in the afternoon as well as making an announcement in the Oval Office.

The president, a marketing-savvy real estate developer, has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he was mulling such a change.

Late last month, the 79-year-old Republican claimed the Defense Department’s title was too “defensive.”

The Department of War “was the name when we won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything,” he told reporters on August 25.

According to the White House document, the name change “conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve.”

Established in the early days of US independence, the Department of War historically oversaw American land forces.

A government reorganization after World War II brought it along with the US Navy and Air Force under the unified National Military Establishment, which in 1949 was retitled to the Department of Defense.

“Restoring the name ‘Department of War’ will sharpen the focus of this Department on our national interest and signal to adversaries America’s readiness to wage war to secure its interests,” the White House document said.

The move is the latest overhaul at the Pentagon since Trump took office in January and appointed former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the sprawling department.

Hegseth, a combat veteran, has repeatedly touted the push to restore a “warrior ethos” in the department, and has lambasted prior administrations for policies he and Trump have derided as “woke.”

Hegseth notably has sought to expel transgender troops from the military and change the names of bases that honored Confederate troops back to their original titles, after they were renamed under former president Joe Biden.

While Trump’s order could potentially be rescinded by a future president, it “instructs the Secretary of War to recommend actions, to include legislative and executive actions, required to permanently rename” the department, the White House document said.