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Live blog: US ‘evaluating’ Hamas reply to truce plan as Israel pummels Gaza
Israel’s war on besieged Gaza, now in its 250th day, has killed at least 37,164 Palestinians — 71% of them being women, children and infants –– and wounded 84,832 with 10,000+ believed to be buried under the debris of bombed homes.
Wounded Palestinians, including children, are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after Israel strikes central parts of Gaza in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on June 11, 2024. / Photo: AA
AA
Wounded Palestinians, including children, are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after Israel strikes central parts of Gaza in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on June 11, 2024. / Photo: AA
2001 GMT — The United States is “evaluating” an official response by Hamas to the latest proposal for a truce in besieged Gaza, the White House said.
Washington has received the “reply that Hamas delivered to Qatar and to Egypt, and we are evaluating it right now,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told journalists, while declining to provide details on its content.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said the response included “amendments that confirm the ceasefire, withdrawal, reconstruction and (prisoner) exchange.” Taha did not elaborate.
But while supporting the broad outlines of the deal, Hamas officials have expressed wariness over whether Israel would implement its terms, particularly provisions for an eventual permanent end to fighting and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in return for the release of all hostages held by the resistance groups.
Even as the US has said Israel accepted the proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given conflicting signals, saying Israel will not stop until it destroys Hamas.
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2239 GMT — Hamas calls its truce response ‘serious and positive’
Hamas’ response to a proposed Gaza ceasefire deal “opens up a wide pathway” to reach an agreement, Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, has said.
The movement’s response is “responsible, serious and positive,” al-Rishq said in a statement.
2100 GMT — UN adds Israeli army to blacklist for ‘grave violations’ against children
The UN has added the Israeli armed and occupation forces to “parties that commit grave violations affecting children in situations of armed conflict,” according to a report.
Seen by Anadolu Agency, the yet-to-be-released report, which contains data for the year 2023, said: “In 2023, violence against children in armed conflict reached extreme levels, with a shocking 21 percent increase in grave violations.”
Noting an increase of 35 percent in incidents leading to the death and wound of children compared to the previous year, the report said: “The United Nations verified 32,990 grave violations, of which 30,705 committed in 2023 and 2,285 were committed earlier but verified in 2023.”
The report said there were 7,837 violations against 4,247 Palestinian children in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem, 5,698 of them were made by the Israeli army and occupation forces.
Illegal settlers were also responsible for many of the violations.
Saying that Israel has detained 906 Palestinian children, the report also indicates that the UN has information about children being subjected to ill-treatment and sexual abuse.
2052 GMT — Israel reportedly kills senior Hezbollah commander
Israel has killed at least four people in its strike on the village of Jouya in southern Lebanon, including a senior field commander in the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, three security sources told the Reuters news agency.
He was identified by the sources as the group’s commander for the central region of the southern border strip, comprising some of the towns hardest hit in the last eight months of exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the commander’s role in Hezbollah was as significant as that of Wissam Tawil, a senior Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli strike in January.
Earlier, Israel claimed 15 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards the country’s north, with some being intercepted while others falling in open areas without causing any injuries.
For our live updates from Tuesday, June 11, 2024, click here.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD AND AGENCIES
