Hamas offered 40-day ceasefire in exchange for release of hostages, says UK’s Cameron

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Summary:

• Hamas has been offered a 40-day ceasefire and the release of "potentially thousands" of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for freeing Israeli hostages, said British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Monday.
• A Hamas delegation met with negotiators in Cairo, Egypt, before returning to Qatar to deliberate "ideas and proposals" discussed during the talks, a Hamas source told AFP on Monday.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged Hamas to swiftly accept an Israeli proposal for a truce, which he called "extraordinarily generous".
• Student demonstrators at New York's Columbia University on Monday defied an ultimatum to disperse or face immediate suspension as protests erupted at several US colleges.
• Hamas’s al Qassam Brigades on Monday said its militants in southern Lebanon had launched a slew of rockets at a northern Israeli military position.
• French police broke up a student protest demanding an end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
• At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 77,643 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks that sparked the war and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.

12:10am: Columbia threatens to suspend pro-Palestinian protesters after talks stall

Columbia University's president said on Monday that talks with pro-Palestinian activists over a protest encampment on the Ivy League campus in New York City had reached an impasse and urged demonstrators to voluntarily disperse or face suspension.

But a mid-afternoon deadline set by the university for an end to the demonstration passed without any visible action immediately taken by Columbia's administrators or police.

University President Nemat Minouche Shafik said days of negotiations between student organisers and academic leaders had failed to persuade demonstrators to dismantle the dozens of tests they set up to express opposition to Israel's war in Gaza. 

Read moreColumbia University president Minouche Shafik in hot water for handling of pro-Palestinian protests

In a statement, Shafik said Columbia would not divest assets that support Israel's military, a key demand of the protesters. Instead, she offered to invest in health and education in Gaza and to make Columbia's direct investment holdings more transparent.

Protesters have vowed to keep their encampment on the Manhattan campus until Columbia meets three demands: divestment, transparency in Columbia’s finances and amnesty for students and faculty disciplined for their part in the protests.

9:55pm: US opposes ICC probe as Israel fears arrest warrants

The United States said it opposed the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into Israel's conduct in Gaza, amid reports that Israeli officials fear the Hague-based tribunal could soon issue arrest warrants.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly raised the issue with US President Joe Biden in a call at the weekend.

"We've been really clear about the ICC investigation, that we don't support it, we don't believe that they have the jurisdiction," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing.

The New York Times quoted Israeli officials as saying that Netanyahu himself could be among those charged. The court was also weighing charges against leaders of Hamas, it said.

Jean-Pierre would not confirm a report by news outlet Axios that Netanyahu had asked Biden in their call Sunday to prevent the court from sending out warrants for Israeli officials.

"The primary focus of that call was obviously the hostage deal and getting to a ceasefire, getting humanitarian aid into Gaza," she added.

The spokeswoman also declined to comment on reports that Washington had reached out to the ICC to warn that the issuing of any warrants could derail moves to reach the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

9:15pm: US, Egyptian presidents hold phone call over Gaza ceasefire talks

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received a phone call on Monday from US President Biden to discuss the latest developments of ongoing negotiations regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the dangers of a military escalation in Rafah, a statement from Egypt's presidency said.

The spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency said the call also touched on the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, a main sticking point in any comprehensive ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

A Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo to deliberate on Israel's response to a ceasefire deal.

9:10pm: Protesters defy Columbia University deadline to leave 

Student demonstrators at Columbia University, the epicenter of pro-Palestinian protests that have erupted at US colleges, said Monday they would not budge until the school met their demands, defying an ultimatum to disperse or face suspension.

Columbia authorities earlier Monday said the protest camp must be cleared, and adding that the university would not divest financial holdings linked to Israel – a key demand of demonstrators.

But student protestors pushed back, vowing to defend their camp on the prestigious institution's main lawn, despite threats of suspensions and disciplinary action after the 2pm local time (1800 GMT) deadline.

"These repulsive scare tactics mean nothing compared to the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians," said a statement, read out by a student at a press conference.

"We will not move until Columbia meets our demands or... are moved by force," said the student, who would not give his name.

9pm: European, Arab ministers meet in Saudi to jump-start two-state solution

European and Arab foreign ministers have met in the Saudi capital to discuss how to join forces on advancing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"If we want to move this two-state solution forward it will not happen from the parties. I do not believe that Israel is ready to negotiate at this point, and I do not think that the US is ready to take the necessary leadership," Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, one of the organisers of the meeting, told reporters after it concluded. 

"So I think an Arab-European leadership is the best we can hope for," he added.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a two-day World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh that was largely devoted to the grinding war in the Gaza Strip.

Read moreHost Saudi tells global economic summit the world has failed Gaza

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is among the leaders who told the WEF meeting that tangible and irreversible steps towards establishing a Palestinian state would be an essential component of any deal for a durable ceasefire.

Earlier, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters he would encourage Arab leaders to put forward their proposal for a two-state solution and that he wanted EU member states to invite Arab leaders to Brussels to present it.

8:40pm: US says five Israeli units committed abuse before Hamas attack

The United States has found five Israeli units committed serious human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank before the Hamas attack in October, the State Department said Monday.

Four of the units have taken remedial measures, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters, with consultations ongoing with the Israeli government over the fifth unit.

"After a careful process, we found five Israeli units responsible for individual incidents of gross violations of human rights," Patel said. "All of this behavior took place before the October 7 Hamas attack and it was not in Gaza," he added.

Patel declined to identify the units or say what measures the Israeli government had taken against them.

Press reports have identified a battalion called the Netzah Yehuda, composed mainly of ultra-Orthodox Jews, as being accused of abuses. 

Read more'An Israeli-style Wagner Group': The ultra-Orthodox military unit in Washington’s crosshairs

7:55pm: Columbia threatens to suspend pro-Palestinian protesters after talks fail

Student demonstrators at Columbia University have been given an ultimatum to disperse or be suspended, as tensions rise on the campus at the heart of pro-Palestinian protests across US colleges.

Columbia demanded that the protesters' encampment be cleared, adding that it would not divest financial holdings linked to Israel – a key demand of demonstrators.

Students pushed back, vowing to defend their camp on the New York institution's main lawn, despite the threat of suspensions and disciplinary action from the college.

As of midday only students with university ID cards were free to walk onto campus, AFP observed.

Columbia classics professor Joseph Howley told AFP the school's statement amounted to yielding to outside political pressure.

He said Columbia is "affirming the false premise that the mere presence of political speech on behalf of Palestine is a threat to Jews like myself", describing the position as "absurd and dangerous".

7:45pm: Paris region suspends funding of elite school over Gaza protest

The head of the Paris region has said she is suspending funding for Sciences Po, a prestigious university in central Paris, over pro-Palestinian protests that led to a tense standoff on Friday.

Students calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have staged several days of sit-ins and protests at the elite school, which counts President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal among its many famous alumni.

On Friday, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators faced each other in a tense standoff in the street outside the school. Riot police stepped in to separate the opposing groups.

The protest ended peacefully, when students agreed to evacuate the building late on Friday. The head of Sciences Po said an agreement with students had been reached.

In a social media post on X, Valérie Pécresse, the conservative head of the Paris region, blamed the protests on “a minority of radicalised people calling for anti-Semitic hatred, and instrumentalised by LFI and its Islamo-leftist allies”.

Protesters have denied accusations of anti-Semitic acts or slogans.

Sciences Po is investigating separate allegations that a pro-Palestinian student sought to bar a Jewish student from a lecture room in March because she was a “Zionist”.

6:15pm: Israel concerned over possible ICC arrest warrants related to Gaza war

Israel is voicing concern that the International Criminal Court could be preparing to issue arrest warrants for government officials on charges related to the conduct of its war against Hamas.

The ICC – which can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide – is investigating Hamas' Oct. 7 cross-border attack and Israel's devastating military assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza, now in its seventh month.

"We expect the court (ICC) to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said. "We will not bow our heads or be deterred and will continue to fight."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that any ICC decisions would not affect Israel's actions but would set a dangerous precedent.

Read moreExperts say Hamas and Israel are breaking international law, but what does that mean?

Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognise its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted with the status of a member state in 2015.

In October, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said the court had jurisdiction over any potential war crimes committed by Hamas fighters in Israel and by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

Khan has said his team is actively investigating any crimes allegedly committed in Gaza and that those who are in breach of the law will be held accountable.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, war crimes prosecutor Reed Brody notes that if the ICC did issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, it would be a "profound moral rebuke" and it would also result in "real diplomatic isolation" for Israel.

06:50

5:40pm: Rights groups say pro-Palestinian demos 'repressed' in Europe

European authorities are clamping down on pro-Palestinian protests, rights groups told AFP, as the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza sharply polarises opinion across the bloc.

"We see hate speech laws and we see counterterrorism laws being instrumentalised, being weaponised to go after what is legitimate speech under international standards," said Amnesty International researcher Julia Hall.

She added that there has been "an avalanche of cancellations and targeting of peaceful protesters, academics, anyone who is basically out there in solidarity with Palestinian human rights or is criticising the state of Israel".

People demonstrating in support of Palestinians are often accused of excusing Hamas, of rabid anti-Zionism, or even anti-Semitism.

In the US, the debate intensified after hundreds of students were arrested amid demonstrations on college campuses against Israel's campaign and US military aid – just as campaigning picks up steam for November's presidential election.

Back across the Atlantic, "in at least 12 EU member states, authorities have taken disproportionate measures, including the pre-emptive banning of protests based on apparent risk to 'public order' and 'security'," the Brussels-based European Civic Forum said in a report published this month.

French authorities have banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations, cancelled conferences and most recently summoned two far-left politicians for police questioning over alleged "support for terrorism".

Germany this month barred entry to former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis "to prevent any anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda".

Read moreGermany’s historical guilt haunts opponents of Israeli war in Gaza

5:15pm: French police break up pro-Palestinian student protest

French police has broken up a student protest demanding an end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza at one of the country's best-known universities.

Law enforcement evacuated dozens of demonstrators from the premises of the Sorbonne in Paris after they had set up tents inside.

"We were around 50 people when law enforcement forces came running into the courtyard," said Remi, a 20-year-old history and geography student who had taken part in the sit-in.

"The evacuation was quite brutal with around 10 people dragged on the ground but no arrests," he added.

Read moreFrench police break up Gaza war protest at the Sorbonne in Paris

Education authorities earlier said the students had set up 12 tents in the courtyard and hallway of the university, causing exams to be cancelled. One student said they had set up more than 20.

The university said it was closing as no one had been able to enter the university since noon.

"Students are saying that France and Emmanuel Macron are not doing enough to prevent this from happening. They say that President Macron is turning a blind eye to all of the violence notably targeting civilians," said FRANCE 24's Clovis Casali at the scene.

01:57

4:15pm: Likely missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targets a ship in the Red Sea

A suspected missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels has targeted a ship in the Red Sea, authorities said, the latest assault in their campaign against international shipping in the crucial maritime route.

The attack happened off the coast of Mokha, Yemen, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It urged vessels to exercise caution in the area. 

There was "an explosion in close proximity to a merchant vessel," the UKMTO said. "Vessel and crew are reported safe."

The private security firm Ambrey said a salvo of three missiles targeted a Malta-flagged container ship traveling from Djibouti onward to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

"The vessel was targeted due to its listed operator’s ongoing trade with Israel," Ambrey said. 

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge any attack, though suspicion fell on the group. It typically takes the rebels several hours to claim their assaults. 

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration. 

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. 

3:50pm: Current proposal before Hamas includes 40-day ceasefire, UK's Cameron says

Hamas has been offered a 40-day ceasefire and the release of "potentially thousands" of Palestinian prisoners in return for freeing Israeli hostages, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has said. 

The Palestinian militant group has been given "a very generous offer of sustained 40 days ceasefire, the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners, in return for the release of these hostages," Cameron told a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh.

"I hope Hamas do take this deal and frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying 'Take that deal'," Cameron added.

3:40pm: FRANCE 24 speaks to son of Marwan Barghouti

Marwan Barghouti, the man that many Palestinians believe is the key to future peace in Gaza, has served two decades in an Israeli prison on terrorism charges, which he denies.

Hailed by supporters as the "Palestinian Nelson Mandela", Barghouti is the subject of a new documentary titled "Tomorrow's Freedom".

FRANCE 24 talks to his son Arab Barghouti and the documentary's co-director Sophia Scott.

3:25pm: Gaza protesters disrupt Paris's Sorbonne university

Protesters angry over the Gaza war have taken to Paris' Sorbonne University, chanting 'Free Palestine' at the university's gates while some students set up tents in the courtyard.

Days after similar protests at Paris's Sciences Po elite school, the gathering at the Sorbonne was the latest sign that demonstrations on US campuses were spilling over to Europe as the devastating war is in its seventh month.

The protests, which led the university to close the building for the day, were peaceful as students urged the institution – one of the world's oldest universities – to condemn Israel's actions.

Police were securing the street with the main entrance, facing a group of around 50 students, a Reuters reporter saw.

Several French politicians, including Mathilde Panot who heads the hardleft LFI group of lawmakers in the National Assembly had called supporters to join the Sorbonne protests on social media.

1:04pm: Egypt optimistic on Gaza talks, waiting for response, foreign minister says

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that Egypt was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and hostage release in the Gaza Strip but that it was waiting for a response on the proposal from Israel and Hamas.

Shoukry was speaking on a panel in Riyadh with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who said the war in Gaza had turned "Israel into a pariah state".

12:57pm: Red Cross finances 'stabilised', new chief says

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has stabilised its finances after drastic crisis cuts, its new director said in comments published Monday.

In growing demand to aid and mediate in conflicts and disasters worldwide, the ICRC hit severe financial trouble in recent years.

It cut its 2024 budget by around $770 million to $2,2 billion and laid off 4,000 people – more than a fifth of its workforce.

"We had to cut budgets to reduce the institution's size but alongside that we also had to develop a new institutional strategy," said Krahenbuhl, who took over as ICRC chief this month.

"Succeeding in doing both those things at once has allowed us to cleanse and stabilise the ICRC's financial situation. Managing to do that in one year is no small matter."

He acknowledged however that the cuts had a hard impact on the ICRC's staff and that it remained necessary to "rebuild cohesion and trust".

12:49pm: Iran slams crackdown on US student protesters

Iran on Monday criticised a police crackdown in the United States against university students protesting against the rising death toll from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

"The American government has practically ignored its human rights obligations and respect for the principles of democracy that they profess," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said. 

Tehran "does not at all accept the violent police and military behaviour aimed at the academic atmosphere and student demands", he said.

12:21pm: Blinken says US 'not seen' Rafah invasion plan that protects civilians

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday renewed US opposition to an Israeli offensive on Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, ahead of his trip to Israel.

"We have not yet seen a plan that gives us confidence that civilians can be effectively protected," Blinken told a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh.

12:14pm: Blinken 'hopeful' Hamas will accept 'extraordinarily generous' Gaza deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he was hopeful Hamas would accept an "extraordinarily generous" offer to halt Israel's Gaza offensive in return for the release of hostages.

"Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel," Blinken said in Riyadh at the World Economic Forum.

"They have to decide – and they have to decide quickly," Blinken said. "I'm hopeful that they will make the right decision."

11:56am: Growing numbers of US students seek universities' divestment from Israeli occupation and war

A growing protest movement on US college campuses wants universities to sell off assets related to Israel's war in Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank. 

FRANCE 24 takes a closer look. 

07:00

11:52am: Blinken promotes Gulf Arab defence in sign to Israel and Iran

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for tighter defence integration among Gulf Arabs in response to Iran, part of efforts to encourage moderation by Israel by dangling the prospect of better ties with the region.

"This attack highlights the acute and growing threat from Iran but also the imperative that we work together on integrated defence," Blinken told Gulf Cooperation Council ministers meeting in Riyadh.

Blinken said the United States would hold talks in the coming weeks with the six-nation bloc on integrating air and missile defence and boosting maritime security.

The United States already has strong military relations with all the Gulf Arab states, but relations among the six have seen their ups and downs.

Gulf Arabs, through their meeting with the United States, were choosing "greater integration" and "greater peace", he said.

11:50am: Suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targets vessel in the Red Sea

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a vessel in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said, the latest assault in their campaign against international shipping in the crucial maritime route.

The attack happened off the coast of Mokha, Yemen, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said, without offering any other immediate details. 

It urged vessels to exercise caution in the area. 

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge any attack there, though suspicion fell on the group. It typically takes the rebels several hours before claiming their assaults. 

11:48am: Blinken says Israel must still do more to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel must still do more to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip and that he would use his current Middle East trip – his seventh to the region since the Israel-Hamas war started in October – to press that case with Israeli leaders. 

Speaking to Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers in Riyadh, Blinken said best way to ease the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza would be to conclude an elusive ceasefire agreement that would release hostages held by Hamas. But, in the meantime, he said it was critical to improve conditions now. 

“The most effective way to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to alleviate the suffering of children, women and men, and to create space for a more just and durable solution is to get a ceasefire and the hostages out," he said.

"But we’re also not waiting on a ceasefire to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza,” Blinken said. He said that because President Joe Biden has been insisting that Israel do more, including in his phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday, there had been improvements, although not nearly enough.

11:37am: Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll at 34,488

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 34,488 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory during almost seven months of war between Israel and Hamas.

The tally includes at least 34 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 77,643 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.

11:34am: Israel concerned over possible ICC arrest warrants related to Gaza war

Israel is voicing concern that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could be preparing to issue arrest warrants for government officials on charges related to its war against Hamas.

The ICC – which can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide – is investigating Hamas's October 7 cross-border attack and Israel's devastating military assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza, now in its seventh month.

In response to Israeli media reports that the ICC might soon issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli government and military officials, Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday warned Israeli embassies to bolster their security because of the risk of a "wave of severe antisemitism".

"We expect the court (ICC) to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials," Katz said. "We will not bow our heads or be deterred and will continue to fight."

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Friday that any ICC decisions would not affect Israel's actions but would set a dangerous precedent.

10:58am: Iran 'threat' requires integrated defence, Blinken tells Gulf Cooperation Council ministers 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Gulf Arabs on Monday that Iran's confrontation with Israel showed the need for greater defence integration. 

"This attack highlights the acute and growing threat from Iran but also the imperative that we work together on integrated defence," Blinken told Gulf Cooperation Council ministers meeting in Riyadh.

10:39am: Red Cross has no mandate to replace UNRWA in Gaza, chief says

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) does not have a mandate to replace the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, its director general said in comments published on Monday.

"We have completely different mandates," ICRC director general Pierre Krahenbuhl told Swiss daily Le Temps in an interview.

UNWRA's mandate "comes from the UN General Assembly, the ICRC's from the Geneva Convention. The ICRC cannot take over UNRWA's mandate," he said.

"We already have enough to do without replacing other organisations," said Krahenbuhl, who himself had headed UNRWA between 2014 and 2019.

Last week, a report by an independent group led by France's former foreign minister Catherine Colonna concluded that Israel had failed to furnish proof that some UNRWA employees had links to "terrorist organisations" such as Hamas.

10:35am: Blinken says 'measurable progress' on Gaza humanitarian situation in recent weeks

The United States has seen "measurable progress" in the humanitarian situation in Gaza over the past few weeks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, but urged Israel to do more.

Speaking in Riyadh at the opening of a US-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting, Blinken said the most effective way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was to achieve a ceasefire. He also said Washington continued efforts to prevent the Gaza war from expanding.

9:46am: Hamas's armed wing says it targeted Israeli military position from southern Lebanon

Hamas's al Qassam Brigades said on Monday they had targeted an Israeli military position with a salvo of missiles from southern Lebanon, according to a post on their telegram channel.

Air raid sirens went off in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

9:30am: Israeli airstrikes kill at least 20 Palestinians in Gaza's Rafah

Israeli airstrikes on three houses in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed at least 20 Palestinians and wounded many others, medics said on Monday.

In Gaza City, in the north of the Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes struck two houses, killing at least four people and wounding several people, health officials said.

The strikes on Rafah, where more than one million people are seeking refuge from months of Israeli bombardment, took place hours before Egypt was expected to host leaders of the Islamist group Hamas to discuss prospects for a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

The Israeli military said it was checking the report.

9:28am: Talks on Gaza ceasefire progressing but France 'careful', FM Séjourné says

Talks on a ceasefire in Gaza are progressing, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said on Monday in Riyadh, where he was due to meet other ministers of Arab and Western countries as well as Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

"Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting.

"We will discuss the hostages, humanitarian situation and the ceasefire. Things are progressing, but we must always remain prudent in these discussions and negotiations," said Séjourné.

8:31am: Hamas delegation to arrive in Egypt for Gaza truce talks

A Hamas delegation is due Monday in Egypt, where it will respond to Israel's latest proposal for a long-sought truce in Gaza and hostage release after almost seven months of war.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for months, but a flurry of diplomacy in recent days appeared to suggest a new push towards halting the fighting.

A senior Hamas official said Sunday that the Palestinian group had no "major issues" with the most recent truce plan. "The atmosphere is positive unless there are new Israeli obstacles," the official told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss the negotiations.

While Israel has pledged to go after Hamas battalions in Rafah despite mounting global concern for Palestinian civilians sheltering in the southern Gaza Strip city, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the government may "suspend" the invasion if an agreement is reached.

6:00am: Blinken arrives in Saudi Arabia on new Mideast crisis tour

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Monday in Riyadh at the start of a new crisis tour aimed at pushing an elusive Israel-Hamas ceasefire and increasing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Blinken, who will later visit Jordan and Israel, will meet in the Saudi capital with visiting Gulf Arab and European foreign ministers on "day-after" plans for reconstruction of post-war Gaza, a State Department official said.

5:00am: US senator questions whether State Department properly assessing Israel's conduct

A Democratic senator on Sunday questioned whether the Biden administration was properly assessing whether Israel was complying with international law, following a Reuters report that some senior US officials did not find that country's assurances credible.

"This reporting casts serious doubt on the integrity of the process in the Biden administration for reviewing whether the Netanyahu government is complying with international law in Gaza," Senator Chris Van Hollen said in a statement.

Yesterday's key developments:

• Some senior US officials have advised Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find “credible or reliable” Israel’s assurances that it is using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law, according to a leaked internal State Department memo.
• French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné arrived in Lebanon on Sunday as part of diplomatic attempts to broker a de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Iran-allied group Hezbollah.
• US President Joe Biden spoke Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and reiterated his "clear position" on Israeli plans to invade Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, the White House said.
• Two senior Israeli ministers have publicly opposed a Gaza truce deal, saying Binyamin Netanyahu's government has no right to exist if it failed to invade Rafah.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters, AP)