JERUSALEM May 29 

Israeli Prime Minister Benja min Netanyahu has agreed to the latest ceasefire proposal put forward by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to local media reports.

Having informed the families of the surviving Israeli hostages of this development, Netanyahu claimed that Israel is ready to go ahead with the deal. 

Hamas, in the meantime, is less enthusiastic about the new US proposal, pointing out that it does not guarantee that this temporary ceasefire would translate into a permanent one. 

Witkoff’s proposal entails a 60-day ceasefire, during which 10 Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 more hostages will be handed over to the Israeli side. 

Humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza are expected to resume as soon as Hamas agrees to this ceasefire plan, with the distribution to be handled by the United Nations and the Red Crescent. 

As soon as the ceasefire begins, negotiations for a permanent truce are expected to kick off.

 Sputnik 

Confusion is spreading in the Gaza Strip because Israeli troops reportedly opened fire on people heading to a food distribution point.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing food on Tuesday. It made the move after Israel and the United States claimed that relief supplies delivered by the UN were winding up in the hands of the Islamic group Hamas.

The foundation announced on Wednesday that it had given out roughly 840,000 meals at two distribution points in the territory.

But authorities in Gaza said three people were fatally shot by Israeli soldiers as they gathered to get food on Tuesday.

Multiple Arab news outlets reported on Wednesday that six people had been killed by Israeli gunfire as they tried to reach a food distribution point.

Ref : NHK

GAZA May 26 

At least 33 Palestinians, including 18 children and six women, were killed and dozens of others injured in an Israeli airstrike early Monday morning targeting the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school sheltering displaced families, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence. 

Mahmoud Basal, a civil defense spokesperson, told Xinhua that searching operations, still underway for missing persons under the rubble, were hampered by the scale of the devastation. 

Eyewitnesses described the scene as “catastrophic.” “The explosion was like an earthquake. Minutes later, we saw flames engulfing the tents and charred bodies inside them,” Mahmoud Suleiman, a resident of the area, told Xinhua.

In a statement, the Israeli army confirmed the targeting of the school, claiming that it was being used as a “command and control compound” by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to plan “terrorist attacks.” The army added that it had employed precision-guided munitions and aerial reconnaissance to minimize civilian casualties. 

The bombing coincided with the Israeli army issuing urgent evacuation orders for residents of the Bani Suheila, Abasan, and Al-Qarara areas of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, in preparation for an “unprecedented” attack.

The evacuation came after three rockets were fired from southern Gaza toward Israel, one of which was intercepted. Since Israel resumed its military campaign on March 18, at least 3,822 Palestinians have been killed and 10,925 injured, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 53,977, with a total of 122,966 people injured, according to health authorities in Gaza on Monday.

 Xinhua

A North Korean media outlet says that the head of the country's secret police has departed for Russia to attend an international conference.

The ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported in Tuesday's edition that state security minister Ri Chang Dae left the capital of Pyongyang on Monday.

South Korean media outlets have reported that Ri is expected to hold talks with Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu while he is in Russia for the gathering.

They have also reported that he may engage in discussions about the North Korean troops that have been deployed in Russia. The outlets said topics of conversation could include future activities for the North's troops, the repatriation of the bodies of the country's fallen soldiers and the issue of soldiers who have been taken prisoner.

Rodong Sinmun also reported that Russia's deputy minister of internal affairs arrived in Pyongyang on Monday. The exchange of high-ranking officials between North Korea and Russia comes ahead of the first anniversary next month of the conclusion of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between the two countries.

Ref : NHK    

Israeli troops fired what they say were "warning shots" at a group of diplomats in the city of Jenin in the West Bank on Wednesday. The Israeli Defense Forces claimed the group had entered a restricted area without authorization. No injuries were reported.

Palestinian news agency WAFA said the delegation included diplomats from at least 20 countries, including Japan. They were visiting the city to assess the situation.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, expressed her outrage. She said, "We definitely call on Israel to investigate this incident, and also hold these accountable, who are responsible for this, and any threats on diplomats' lives are unacceptable."

Israeli troops have been conducting raids in Jenin in an effort to root out militants. The fighting has forced many residents to flee their homes.

Ref : NHK World

Two Israeli embassy staff members a man and a woman were shot and killed near a Jewish museum in the US capital Washington on Wednesday evening.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the deaths in a social media post. Police said in a news conference that a 30- ear-old male suspect has been taken into custody.
Ref : NHK

Photo: Bangkok Post

Israel has decided to recall most of its delegation involved in ceasefire and hostage release talks with the Islamic group Hamas in Qatar.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced on Tuesday that "the senior members of the negotiating team will return to Israel." The office said its working-level representatives will remain in Doha. Qatar is mediating the negotiations.

The two sides are still far from narrowing their differences. Hamas is demanding a permanent ceasefire, while Israel is calling for a truce for a limited period. Israeli forces are continuing their offensive in the Gaza Strip. Gaza health authorities said on Wednesday that 82 people had been killed in the past 24 hours.

Israeli authorities said on Tuesday that 93 United Nations trucks carrying humanitarian aid had entered the enclave. Gaza authorities said 500 truckloads of supplies are needed daily to save civilians' lives.

Ref : NHK World

US President Donald Trump says he intends to start operating a next-generation missile defense system by January 2029, the end of his term.

He also told reporters on Tuesday that the Golden Dome system will be capable of intercepting missiles "even if they are launched from space."

The president said he will appoint a Space Force general to oversee the program. He said the Golden Dome system would be deployed not only on land and at sea, but also in space.

Trump announced the program, which he said would cost about 175 billion dollars, amid rising concerns over missile threats from China and Russia.

Ref – NHK World

Pakistan and India held talks on Thursday and agreed to extend the ongoing ceasefire until May 18, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said. 

Addressing the parliament, Dar said that the militaries of both countries communicated earlier in the day and reached the decision to prolong the ceasefire, with plans to follow up with political dialogue. 

"The ceasefire was initially agreed upon on May 10 to last until May 12. It was later extended to May 14, and now further extended to May 18," he told lawmakers. 

Dar added that military-level communication has so far been instrumental in maintaining the ceasefire and after May 18, comprehensive political talks would begin. 

"There will be composite and result-oriented talks with India. The purpose is not to accept anyone's superiority but to resolve issues on the basis of equality," the foreign minister said. 

Tensions escalated in the early hours of May 7 when India launched airstrikes on several targets in Pakistan in response to a gun attack in Pahalgam, located in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, where 26 civilians were killed by unidentified gunmen last month. 

Following several days of fierce fighting, both sides agreed on a ceasefire on May 10, which was subsequently extended in phases. 

Xinhua

LONDON, May 12 (Xinhua) 

Police were investigating the cause of a fire that broke out at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's home in north London in the early hours of Monday morning.

The fire was reported shortly after 1:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Monday. The door to the property was damaged, but nobody was hurt, according to the police.

Though the fire was put out within half an hour, cordons remain in place as an investigation is underway. Starmer's property, which is currently being rented, has repeatedly been targeted by protesters, according to local media.