JERUSALEM -- A senior Israeli official said on Tuesday Israel is demanding the release of all hostages still held in Gaza, a day after Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire-for-hostage proposal brokered by Qatar and Egypt.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not explicitly reject the plan but said Israel "demands the release of all 50 hostages in accordance with the principles set by the cabinet for ending the war." (Israel-Gaza-Ceasefire)
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GAZA -- At least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured by Israeli army in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to the Civil Defense in Gaza.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense, told Xinhua that the casualties resulted from Israeli shelling and gunfire targeting tents for displaced people and gatherings of Palestinians near U.S.-backed aid distribution centers. (Gaza Strip-Hamas-Israel)
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CAIRO -- Egyptian police killed eight drug and arms traffickers in a shootout at their hideouts on Nile islands, north of Cairo, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said Tuesday in a statement.
The men had a criminal record including murder, drug dealing, illegal weapons possession, armed robbery, and vehicle theft, the ministry said. (Egypt-Police-Criminal Shootout)
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DAMASCUS -- Syria's foreign affairs chief, Assad Hassan al-Shibani, met with an Israeli delegation in Paris on Tuesday to discuss efforts to reduce tensions and bolster stability in southern Syria, according to Syria's state news agency SANA.
Al-Shibani and the Israeli delegation focused on de-escalation, non-interference in Syria's internal affairs, and the revival of the 1974 disengagement agreement that has governed the frontier for decades, said SANA, adding that their talks also covered ways to monitor the ceasefire in Sweida province, a flashpoint in the country's south. (Syria-Israel-Talks) ■
