White House says Hamas making ‘very bad bet’ in Gaza talks

White House says Hamas making ‘very bad bet’ in Gaza talks
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas block traffic during a protest demanding the release of all hostages, in Tel Aviv, Mar. 13, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 14 March 2025
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White House says Hamas making ‘very bad bet’ in Gaza talks

White House says Hamas making ‘very bad bet’ in Gaza talks
  • “Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It is not,” a statement said
  • “Hamas is well aware of the deadline, and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes“

WASHINGTON: The White House accused Hamas on Friday of making “entirely impractical” demands and stalling on a deal to release a US-Israeli hostage in exchange for an extension of the Gaza ceasefire.
“Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It is not,” a statement from the office of President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the US National Security Council said.
“Hamas is well aware of the deadline, and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes,” it said, adding that Trump had already vowed Hamas would “pay a severe price” for not freeing hostages.
Hamas said earlier on Friday it was ready to free an Israeli-American hostage and the remains of four others, after the Palestinian militants and Israel resumed indirect Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
Witkoff presented a “bridge” proposal in Qatar on Wednesday to extend the first phase of the truce to mid-April if Hamas releases living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
“Hamas was told in no uncertain terms that this ‘bridge’ would have to be implemented soon — and that dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander would have to be released immediately,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire,” it added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked if the United States was prioritizing the release of the American hostage, said: “We care about all the hostages.”
“We’re acting like this is a normal exchange, this is a normal thing that happens. This is an outrage. So they should all be released,” Rubio told reporters after Group of Seven talks in Canada.
“I’m not going to comment on what we’re going to accept and not accept, other than that all of us — the whole world — should continue to say that what Hamas has done is outrageous, it’s ridiculous, it’s sick, it’s disgusting,” he said.


Syrian defense minister meets Jordanian army chief in Damascus

Syrian defense minister meets Jordanian army chief in Damascus
Updated 16 sec ago
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Syrian defense minister meets Jordanian army chief in Damascus

Syrian defense minister meets Jordanian army chief in Damascus
  • The Syrian defense minister affirmed the depth of the historical ties between Syria and Jordan and reiterated his country’s commitment to close cooperation

DUBAI: Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, chairman of Jordan's Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra on Wednesday in Damascus, news agency Petra reported. 

During the meeting, the two men discussed bilateral relations and explored ways to further develop and strengthen them. They also addressed prospects for enhanced security and military cooperation between the two countries.

Both sides emphasized the importance of continued coordination and joint efforts to confront the various challenges facing the region.

They highlighted the need to use the capabilities and resources of the Jordanian Armed Forces in multiple sectors to support regional security and stability — particularly in light of the challenges in border areas, which directly affect the national security of the two countries.

The Syrian defense minister affirmed the depth of the historical ties between Syria and Jordan and reiterated his country’s commitment to close cooperation. He also commended the pivotal role of King Abdullah II in fostering regional security and stability.


Jordan to hold press conference on Muslim Brotherhood

Jordan to hold press conference on Muslim Brotherhood
Updated 16 min 46 sec ago
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Jordan to hold press conference on Muslim Brotherhood

Jordan to hold press conference on Muslim Brotherhood

CAIRO: Jordan’s Ministry of Interior will hold a press conference on Wednesday on the Muslim Brotherhood and the latest plots attributed to the Islamist movement.  

A statement on Petra News Agency said the conference would be held at 3:00 p.m. local time about “the activities of the so-called Muslim Brotherhood.” 

Last week, Jordan said it had arrested 16 members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were trained and financed in Lebanon and had plotted attacks on targets inside the kingdom involving rockets and drones.


Powerful 6.2-magnitude quake hits off Istanbul coast

Powerful 6.2-magnitude quake hits off Istanbul coast
Updated 19 min 50 sec ago
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Powerful 6.2-magnitude quake hits off Istanbul coast

Powerful 6.2-magnitude quake hits off Istanbul coast
  • There were no immediate reports of damage, but people evacuated buildings as the quake hit and shook the city

ISTANBUL: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 hit the Marmara Sea near the western outskirts of Istanbul on Wednesday, officials said, with the impact felt across Turkiye’s largest city where people rushed onto the streets.
“An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Marmara Sea, Istanbul,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, adding that it was felt in the surrounding provinces.
The initial quake at 12:49 p.m. (0949 GMT) was followed by three others of with magnitudes of 4.4 to 4.9, Turkiye’s AFAD disaster management agency posted on X.
As buildings shook, people rushed onto the streets where crowds of worried-looking people stared at their mobile phones for information or made calls, an AFP correspondent said.
“I just felt earthquake, I’ve got to get out,” said a shaken-looking decorator rushing out of a fourth floor apartment where he was working near the city’s Galata Tower, who did not want to give his name.
There were no immediate reports of anyone being hurt or killed nor of buildings collapsing in the sprawling city of 16 million people, city authorities and the regional governor’s office said.
“Until now, we have no information about any buildings collapsing,” the governor’s office said, urging people to avoid any structures that might have been damaged in the tremors.
“No serious cases have been reported so far following the earthquake in Istanbul,” the Istanbul municipality said on X.
The tremors could be felt as far away as Bulgaria, according to AFP journalists in the capital Sofia.


Germany, France, UK say Israel’s Gaza aid blockade ‘must end’

Germany, France, UK say Israel’s Gaza aid blockade ‘must end’
Updated 23 April 2025
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Germany, France, UK say Israel’s Gaza aid blockade ‘must end’

Germany, France, UK say Israel’s Gaza aid blockade ‘must end’

Berlin: Germany, France and Britain on Wednesday called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of “an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death.”
“This must end,” their foreign ministers said in a joint statement. “We urge Israel to immediately re-start a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to meet the needs of all civilians.”


Gaza rescuers say charred bodies recovered as Israeli strikes kill 17

Gaza rescuers say charred bodies recovered as Israeli strikes kill 17
Updated 23 April 2025
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Gaza rescuers say charred bodies recovered as Israeli strikes kill 17

Gaza rescuers say charred bodies recovered as Israeli strikes kill 17
  • 11 of the victims died in an air strike targeting the Yafa school building in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood
  • Aid agencies estimate that the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once since the war began

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza’s civil defense agency on Wednesday said its crew recovered charred bodies from a school-turned-shelter for displaced people, as Israeli strikes killed 17 people in the Hamas-turn territory since dawn.
Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18, following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the fighting in the besieged Palestinian territory.
“Seventeen people have been killed since dawn,” civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.
He said 11 of the victims, which included women and children, died in an air strike targeting the Yafa school building in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood.
“The school was housing displaced people. The bombing sparked a massive blaze, and several charred bodies have since been recovered,” he said.
Since the war began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, tens of thousands of displaced Gazans have sought refuge in schools to escape the violence.
Aid agencies estimate that the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once since the war began.
Bassal said his crew has received distress calls from several areas in Gaza.
“We lack the necessary tools and equipment to carry out effective rescue operations or recover the bodies of martyrs,” he added.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military stated that it had targeted approximately 40 “engineering vehicles,” alleging they were being used for “terror purposes.”
Bassal said air strikes destroyed bulldozers and other equipment needed to “clear debris and recover the bodies of martyrs from beneath the rubble,” as well as to “save lives, pull people from the rubble.”
Elsewhere in Gaza, additional fatalities were reported on Wednesday.
A child was killed in an air strike on a home in the northern Jabalia area, and another individual was killed in a similar incident in the southern city of Khan Yunis, the civil defense said.
Four more people were killed in Israeli shelling of homes in eastern Gaza City. Several others remain trapped beneath the rubble, according to Bassal.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the latest strikes.
Since Israel’s military campaign resumed, at least 1,890 people have been killed in Gaza, bringing the total death toll since the war erupted to at least 51,266, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Hamas’s attack on Israel in 2023 that ignited the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.