JERUSALEM -- Israel will send a delegation for Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo only after it receives more indications that Hamas is willing to "soften its stance," an Israeli government official told Xinhua on Wednesday.
The official, who requires anonymity, said that Israel has yet to decide on sending a delegation for talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt. These discussions involve a potential ceasefire deal, which would require the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. (Israel-Ceasefire Deal)
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GAZA -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned on Wednesday that food insecurity in the northern Gaza Strip had reached an "extremely critical state" because of the restrictions imposed on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The agency said in a press statement that 51 percent of missions planned by the UNRWA and other humanitarian institutions to deliver aid to and undertake assessments in northern Gaza this year have been denied access by Israeli authorities. (Gaza-Food Insecurity-Critical State)
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ADEN, Yemen -- Yemen's internationally recognized government expressed strong condemnation on Wednesday for the Houthi group's assault on a commercial ship carrying 40,000 tons of grain intended for war-ravaged Yemen.
In a statement released by the state-run Saba news agency, the government said that the ship named the Sea Champion was fired upon by Houthi forces on Monday while sailing from Argentina to the port of Aden in southern Yemen. (Yemen-Houthis-Ship)
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GAZA -- At least 17 Palestinians were killed and more than 34 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, local medical sources told Xinhua on Wednesday.
The sources added that rescue efforts are still ongoing, and the casualties include women and children. (Gaza-Israeli Airstrike-Refugee Camp) ■
