International
Preliminary positive confirmation from Hamas on ceasefire proposal with Israel, according to Qatar
Hamas has given a “preliminary positive confirmation” to a ceasefire and hostage release proposal already approved by Israel, said Qatar on Thursday, which is mediating to achieve a pause in the war that has been devastating the Gaza Strip for almost four months.
“The path ahead of us is still very difficult. But we are optimistic because both parties have accepted the premises that would lead to a pause [in the fighting]. We hope to be able to announce good news in this regard in the next two weeks,” said Majed al Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry.
Representatives from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel formulated a ceasefire and hostage exchange proposal over the weekend in Paris, aiming to negotiate with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
“This proposal was approved by the Israeli side, and now we have a preliminary positive confirmation from Hamas,” stated the Qatari spokesperson, Majed al Ansari.
However, a Hamas source told AFP that there is “no agreement yet on the implementation” of the proposal and that “Qatar’s statement was hasty and not true.”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, in exile in Qatar, was expected to arrive in Egypt on Thursday or Friday, where he is likely to address this proposal.
A Hamas source had previously indicated that the Islamist movement, in power in Gaza since 2007, was examining a three-phase agreement proposal.
The first phase would include a six-week ceasefire during which Israel would release between 200 and 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 35 to 40 hostages. Additionally, between 200 and 300 trucks of humanitarian aid could enter Gaza each day.
On October 7, Hamas fighters entered southern Israel and killed around 1,163 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250, according to the latest AFP tally based on Israeli official data.
In response to the attack, Israel launched an aerial and ground offensive to “annihilate” Hamas, classified as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, resulting in more than 27,000 deaths, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas health ministry.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed that “Hamas has 10,000 dead terrorists and 10,000 who were taken out of action.”
US Sanctions Israeli Settlers
The United States imposed sanctions on a group of Jewish settlers accused of violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.
The violence by Jewish settlers has reached “unacceptable levels,” wrote US President Joe Biden in his executive order.
The Israeli government rejected these sanctions, stating that there is “no room for exceptional measures” against West Bank settlers.
“The vast majority of settlers in Judea and Samaria [West Bank] are law-abiding citizens, and many are currently fighting for the defense of Israel. Israel acts against all those who violate the law everywhere,” said a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli settlers killed at least 10 Palestinians and set fire to dozens of homes in the occupied West Bank in 2023, according to the human rights group Yesh Din.
“Uninhabitable” Territory
In Gaza, witnesses reported Israeli airstrikes near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis on Thursday night, the major city in the southern part of the enclave where, according to Israel, some Hamas leaders operate.
Over 30,000 displaced people are taking refuge in this partially destroyed town, lacking food, water, and medicine due to Israel’s total siege, according to the Hamas health ministry.
The population is “dying of hunger,” warned Michael Ryan, director of the World Health Organization’s emergency health program, on Wednesday.
According to the UN, the war forced 1.7 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants to flee their homes.
The situation risks worsening due to the suspension of donations from several countries to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after Israel accused 12 of its employees of being involved in the Hamas attack on October 7.
The agency, which stated that it might be forced to cease its operations “at the end of February,” was nominated on Thursday by a Norwegian politician for the Nobel Peace Prize “for its work in providing vital support to Palestine and the region.”
International
German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse
German authorities announced Monday that they are investigating more than 100 additional cases involving a nurse who was sentenced to life in prison in November for the murder of 10 patients.
The man, who was 44 at the time of his conviction, worked in palliative care at a hospital in Würselen, near Aachen. He was also found guilty of 27 attempted murders.
Aachen prosecutors are now examining 121 new cases, a spokesperson for the office said.
Prosecutors leading the investigation are preparing a new indictment that could be filed next year. Nearly 40 bodies have so far been exhumed as part of the investigation, which covers alleged incidents dating back to September 2022.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in the city of Cologne are investigating 18 additional cases. According to a spokesperson, the oldest case dates back to 2010.
Before working at the Würselen hospital, the nurse is believed to have worked at a clinic in eastern Cologne, according to local media reports.
At the time of his November conviction, the court ruled that the severity of his crimes was particularly serious, a finding that would make it difficult for him to obtain early release after 15 years in prison.
Between December 2023 and May 2024, the nurse administered overdoses of sedatives or painkillers to terminally ill patients, most of them elderly, according to the indictment in the original case.
His alleged motive was to sedate patients who required care so that he could minimize his workload during night shifts, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, the nurse worked «without enthusiasm» and «without motivation». When faced with patients requiring extensive care, he allegedly became «irritated» and showed a lack of empathy.
The case has revived painful memories in Germany of Niels Högel, a former nurse and serial killer who was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2019 for the murders of at least 85 patients.
International
Venezuela Raises Earthquake Death Toll to 6,301
The death toll from the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 6,301, while relatives continue searching for missing people among the rubble of collapsed buildings, parliamentary leader Jorge Rodríguez said Monday.
So far, the Venezuelan government has not released an official figure for the number of people missing after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which caused around 190 buildings to collapse, most of them in the coastal state of La Guaira, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Caracas.
The latest figure represents an increase from the 6,125 deaths reported by Venezuelan authorities on August 3.
According to statements made to local media by La Guaira Governor José Alejandro Terán, around 1,400 people were still missing just over a week ago.
Thousands of homes remain at risk
In addition to buildings that completely collapsed, authorities have classified another 9,567 structures as being at «high risk». Meanwhile, 12,411 homes remain under a «restricted» classification.
As a result, many families who lived in these properties have been relocated to temporary shelters or have sought accommodation with relatives and friends.
Nearly 24,000 people left homeless by the disaster are currently living in camps in Caracas and La Guaira, a popular tourist destination whose economy has been severely affected by the earthquakes.
The situation sparked renewed concern among Venezuelans on Monday after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, with its epicenter in Colombia, was felt across several regions of Venezuela.
The earthquake in Colombia left at least 111 people dead and dozens injured, according to preliminary figures released by authorities in that country.
International
CEAPI Backs Colombia’s New Government and Calls for Greater Public-Private Cooperation
The Ibero-American Business Alliance Council (CEAPI), led by its president, Núria Vilanova, participated in the inauguration ceremony of Abelardo de la Espriella as Colombia’s new president. The events were held on August 7 in Cali and brought together heads of state and institutional representatives from numerous countries.
CEAPI maintains a strong relationship with Colombia as part of its mission to serve as a meeting point between Ibero-American business leaders and the region’s main institutions and governments. The organization has more than 25 members in Colombia, including Jaime Gilinski, Luis Carlos Sarmiento, Omar González and Diego Urrea. In addition, Colombia hosted the seventh CEAPI Ibero-American Congress, held in Cartagena de Indias in 2024.
During his inauguration speech, President De la Espriella identified confidence and economic stability as key pillars of his administration and emphasized the role of private enterprise in Colombia’s future.
He also reaffirmed his intention to govern for all Colombians and strengthen institutional dialogue, while referring to Spain’s democratic transition and the leadership of former Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez.
Vilanova said she has seen this commitment firsthand during meetings with members of the new government, who have expressed their willingness to work closely with business leaders and the private sector to promote economic growth.
According to CEAPI, the government is considering measures aimed at strengthening legal certainty and business confidence, encouraging investment and promoting formal employment.
For Vilanova, Colombia’s new political and economic stage represents an opportunity to demonstrate that «when the public and private sectors are aligned, they can achieve more».
«Colombia has everything it needs to make it happen. And Ibero-American business leaders are ready to support it», she said, adding that CEAPI is already working with the government to organize a future investment delegation to the country.
The organization said the planned visit would seek to strengthen business ties and identify new investment opportunities in Colombia, reinforcing the role of the private sector in the country’s economic development.
German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse
Venezuela Raises Earthquake Death Toll to 6,301
CEAPI Backs Colombia’s New Government and Calls for Greater Public-Private Cooperation
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