Hamas, US discuss Gaza truce and relief as toll keeps moving
- Last updated: May 12, 2025 | 10:53
Talks between Hamas and the US administration regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave were underway, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump recently repeated a pledge to help get food to Palestinians in Gaza. A US-backed mechanism for getting aid into Gaza should take effect soon, Washington’s envoy to Israel also said on Friday.
A State Department spokesperson said: “We cannot speak to ongoing negotiations, but I will note recent statements by Qatar and Egypt that they are continuing to engage in pursuit of an agreement.”
The spokesperson said that Hamas bore sole responsibility for the war as well as for the resumption of hostilities.
“President Trump has made clear the consequences Hamas will face if it continues to hold the hostages, including American Edan Alexander and the bodies of four Americans,” the spokesperson added.
The US had previously conducted discussions with the Palestinian group on securing the release of US hostages held in Gaza.
Since March 2, Israel has completely cut off all supplies to the 2.3 million residents of Gaza, and food stockpiled during a ceasefire at the start of the year has all but run out.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed at least 15 people, including young children, mostly in the south of the besieged Palestinian territory.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told reporters that Israeli fighter jets hit three tents overnight where dozens of displaced people were sheltering in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
“Eight people, including four children aged two to five and two women” were killed, Bassal said.
Footage showed rescuers working in the dark, evacuating a wounded baby from the site of the strike as well as two bodies, one of them in a white plastic bag and another wrapped in a blanket.
A separate strike on Khan Yunis later on Sunday killed three people, Bassal said.
One person was killed and three others wounded when a group of civilians came under attack in Gaza City, in the north, he added.
Bassal also said the Israeli military destroyed five houses with explosives in the east of Gaza City and fired artillery at the Abassa area east of Khan Yunis, without reporting any casualties.
The Israeli military did not comment on specific incidents but said its air force had struck “more than 50 terror targets across the Gaza Strip” since Saturday.
Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce in the war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
The Sharjah Charity International (SCI) has opened donations to philanthropists and donors in support of a new humanitarian initiative aimed at raising Dhs2.6 million.
The funds will go toward drilling 12 wells to supply clean water and operating 12 charitable kitchens and 20 ovens to serve daily meals to over 45,000 people in the Gaza Strip.
This initiative is part of the UAE’s wider “Chivalrous Knight 3” campaign, launched by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to support the people of Gaza and alleviate their suffering.
Mohammed Rashid Bin Bayat, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sharjah Charity International, stated that the initiative seeks to allocate Dhs1.2 million for water well drilling to serve over 312,000 residents, and allocate Dhs1.4 million to operate kitchens providing hot meals daily to families in need.
He emphasised that access to water and food are fundamental human needs, especially in the challenging circumstances currently faced by the people of Gaza.
Bin Bayat highlighted that drilling wells is a sustainable solution to Gaza’s water shortage and will help stabilise health and environmental conditions. Meanwhile, operating charity kitchens will offer daily, balanced meals to vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, and the sick.
To encourage participation, the association has made donations accessible through the Smart Link on the official website, payment platforms including Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and credit cards, as well as text messaging, bank transfers, and cash donations at official locations, mosques, and commercial outlets.
The Vice Chairman reiterated that the association adheres to a transparent and integrated operational system, ensuring that donations reach the intended beneficiaries efficiently. He noted that the initiative is part of a broader effort by the UAE to fulfil its humanitarian mission, strengthen brotherly ties, and offer vital support where it is most urgently needed.
On the other hand, Pope Leo XIV called for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff that featured some symbolic gestures suggesting a message of unity in a polarized Catholic Church.
Agencies