International

Hamas and Fatah bring positions closer on future management of the Gaza Strip

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Fatah, the main governing party of the Palestinian National Authority (ANP), brought positions closer to positions on a future management of the Gaza Strip when the conflict with Israel ends, which preserves the unity of Palestine during its meetings yesterday and today in Cairo.

Egyptian sources close to the negotiations, where the Arab country participates as a mediator, told EFE that both Fatah and Hamas “showed more flexibility and positivity” for the establishment of the so-called “Community Support Committee”, the organization that would govern the Belt, affiliated with the ANP and would administer the territory with the presence of independent figures in its ranks.

“The Community Support Committee will be formed by a presidential decree of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and will be responsible for the administration of the Strip. It will be affiliated with the ANP and will include independent figures,” the source remarked.

Preventing the separation of the West Bank from Gaza

In this sense, he indicated that the meeting that both groups, which faced in a Palestinian “civil war” in Gaza in 2006 when the Islamist group won the elections in the enclave and took control of the area, sought at all times to achieve “unity” of the Palestinian forces and avoid a separation of the West Bank from the Gaza Strip.

“The meetings are a purely Palestinian matter, and Egyptian efforts are aimed at uniting the Palestinian ranks and alleviating their suffering,” the source said.

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Yesterday, Friday, delegations from both groups met in Cairo to discuss the future administration of the Gaza Strip and analyze the negotiations with Israel for a ceasefire.

Egyptian security sources close to the negotiations also told EFE that a delegation from the Israeli Mossad and Shin Bet (military intelligence) was expected to arrive in Cairo to address with the mediators of Egypt, Qatar and the United States Hamas’ responses to the proposals for a truce.

Truces

Hamas has already indicated to Egypt that it is willing to enter into a series of “brief truces”, under the premises that the movement accepted on July 2 based on the proposal of US President Joe Biden, on the condition that “Washington provides US guarantees to the movement, that Israel withdraws from the axis of Philadelphia, Netzarim and Rafah after a first truce that will not exceed 28 days.”

The Egyptian source indicated that the Arab country and Qatar, another key mediator, agree with the US assessment of the situation in Gaza after the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar, since with that, “Israel has achieved much of its objectives in Gaza, allowing a serious entry into the ceasefire.”

The next day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would be willing to accept a two-day truce in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for releasing four hostages, if he had received such a proposal from the mediators.

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Israel bombs Lebanon and causes 71 new deaths

A total of 71 people were killed and 169 were injured, in the last 24 hours, due to Israeli bombing, bringing to 2,980 the total number of deaths since the conflict began just over a year ago, the Ministry of Public Health of Lebanon reported.

The ministry said that 109 aviation bombings were recorded in the same period of time in various areas of Lebanon, most in Nabatie (57), the South (26), and Baalbek-Hermel (24), bringing the total number of bombings to 11,876, according to a statement.

Israeli bombings left 52 dead yesterday in Baalbek alone, a place that is home to Greco-Roman ruins that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Known as the City of the Sun, the historic Baalbek, had received its first total evacuation order this week by Israel, which has intensified bombing in the area, threatening some of the best preserved Roman vestiges in the world.

Although the Israeli bombings on Lebanon started almost simultaneously with the conflict in Gaza, in response to the launch of missiles by Hizbula, the Lebanese Shiite group, the situation took a radical change with the intensification of the attacks just over a month ago.

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Almost 1.2 million people were displaced by the conflict from the areas where the violence is most intense, the South and the Beeka Valley, areas of Shiite majority.

Israel attacks more than 120 “targets” in Gaza and Lebanon

The Israeli Army attacked more than 120 “targets” of the Islamists of Hamas in Gaza and Hizbula in Lebanon, where it also killed two commanders, according to a military statement, after a deadly day in the Palestinian enclave in which medical sources recorded more than 80 deaths.

“The Armed Forces eliminated (yesterday) two commanders of Hizbulá responsible for firing more than 400 projectiles against Israel in October” in the Tyre area, a military statement detailed today.

The dead in Gaza

The number of deaths from the war in Gaza increased this Saturday to 43,314, after at least 55 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health of the strip, dependent on Hamas and which put the total number of injured since October 7, 2023 at more than 102,000.

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International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.