The proposal from Egypt and Qatar is said to be based on a framework put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff in June.

It would see Hamas free around half of the 50 remaining hostages – 20 of whom are believed to be alive – in two batches during an initial 60-day truce. There would also be negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.

It is unclear what Israel's response will be, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said last week that it would only accept a deal if "all the hostages are released in one go".
In a video released after the reports of Hamas's approval emerged, Netanyahu did not comment directly but said that "from them you can get one impression – Hamas is under immense pressure."

The Israeli military's chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, meanwhile said it was at a turning point in the 22-month war, with the "focus on enhancing the strikes against Hamas in Gaza City".

It came as witnesses on the ground in Gaza City reported that Israeli tanks backed by air and artillery strikes had made a surprise advance into the southern Sabra neighbourhood, and surrounded schools and a UN-run clinic sheltering hundreds of displaced people.

Later this week, the Israeli cabinet is expected to approve the military's plan to occupy Gaza City, where intensifying Israeli strikes have already prompted thousands of people to flee.

Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to widen its offensive and conquer all of Gaza – including the areas where most of its 2.1 million Palestinian residents have sought refuge – after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire deal broke down last month.
A Hamas delegation led by the group's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, has been in Cairo since last week meeting mediators who see a window of opportunity for a new agreement.

On Monday morning, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the delegation was reviewing a new ceasefire proposal that it had received the previous day.

Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, also visited the Egyptian capital to "apply maximum pressure on the two sides to reach a deal as soon as possible", Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said.

Speaking during his own trip to the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, Abdelatty stressed the urgency of reaching a ceasefire to alleviate the deep humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. He said the current situation on the ground there was "beyond imagination".
Israel's prime minister has said the war will only end once all the hostages are released and Hamas disarms. He also wants Gaza to be demilitarised, kept under Israeli security control, and run by an administration not linked to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas has called for a comprehensive deal that would see the hostages it is holding exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, as well as an end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It says it will not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is created.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 62,004 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have warned that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" due to food shortages.

Gaza's health ministry reported on Monday that another five people, including two children, had died as a result of malnutrition over the previous 24 hours, raising the total number of such deaths since the start of the war to 263.

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Hunger and a heatwave plague the Gaza Strip
A child queues for water in Gaza.
© UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel A child queues for water in Gaza.

14 August 2025 Humanitarian Aid
As hunger and malnutrition deepen in the Gaza Strip, humanitarian missions continue to face delays and impediments, while scorching temperatures are adding to the suffering of the population.

Recently, Israel has denied fewer humanitarian movements but approved missions “still take hours to complete and teams have been compelled to wait on roads that are often dangerous, congested or impassable,” the UN aid coordination office OCHA said in its latest update.

Between 6 and 12 August, humanitarians made 81 attempts to coordinate planned movements with the Israeli authorities, including to transfer fuel and personnel.

Challenges to aid delivery
Of this number, 35 were facilitated, 29 were initially approved but then impeded on the ground, 12 were denied and five had to be withdrawn by the organizers.

However, 14 of the missions that had faced obstructions eventually went ahead.

Nearly three years have passed since hostilities erupted in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel which left roughly 1,200 people dead.

Some 250 others – both Israelis and foreigners – were taken hostage. It is believed 50 are still being held in Gaza, including some who have been declared dead.

Desperate times, desperate measures
Starvation in the enclave is now at its highest level since the conflict began, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

The update cites the Gaza health authorities who have documented 235 malnutrition-related deaths, including 106 children, as of 13 August.

Despite hunger spreading, aid convoys are limited each day and dangers persist as the trucks travel through the war-ravaged enclave.

“Additionally, desperate crowds often offload food supplies from trucks to feed their families – while looting also prevents aid from reaching its intended destinations,” OCHA said.

Last month, WFP collected 1,012 trucks transporting nearly 13,000 metric tonnes of food from the Kerem Shalom and Zikim border crossings with Israel. Only 10 arrived at warehouses and the rest were offloaded on the way.

Food aid risks spoiling
Although WFP and partners have enough food either in the region or headed there to feed all 2.1 million people in Gaza for at least three months, “the risk of spoilage and infestation of the stranded food supplies has significantly increased, and some of them are nearing their expiry dates.”

Humanitarians continue to push for more aid and commercial goods to be allowed into Gaza. Although more food is entering, the quality and quantity remain insufficient to meet the immense needs.

As of 10 August, 81 community kitchens were preparing 324,000 individual meals daily – a “noticeable increase” over the 259,000 daily meals prepared two weeks ago but far below the more than one million daily meals distributed in April.

The heat is on
Meanwhile, a heatwave is making conditions much worse as Gaza is currently experiencing temperatures that surpass 40°C or 104°F.

UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA warned that dehydration is increasing because of the very limited water available.

As part of its ongoing efforts to help the people of Gaza, UNRWA has provided emergency water, sanitation and hygiene services to about 1.7 million people since the start of the war.

Protests, vigils held worldwide over Israel’s killing of Gaza journalists
From South Africa’s Cape Town to Manila in the Philippines and London in the UK, voices are raised in protest.

Filipino activists shout slogans as they condemn the killing of Palestinian Al Jazeera journalists and media workers in a recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza, during a protest in Quezon city, Philippines on August 13, 2025.
Filipino activists shout slogans as they condemn the killing of Palestinian Al Jazeera journalists and media workers in a recent Israeli air strike in Gaza, during a protest in Quezon City, the Philippines, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 [Aaron Favila/AP]
Al Jazeera Staff
By Al Jazeera Staff
Published On 13 Aug 2025
13 Aug 2025
Protests and vigils have taken place around the world in support of Palestinians suffering in Gaza and to pay tribute to the four Al Jazeera journalists and two freelancers killed by Israel in the besieged enclave in a deliberate targeted assassination on Sunday.

Journalists, students, activists and members of civil society – notably in Cape Town, South Africa; Manila, the Philippines; and London, the United Kingdom – held the protests on Wednesday to call on their governments to put pressure on Israel to allow international media into Gaza and bring an end to Israel’s genocidal war there.

Five Al Jazeera journalists, including correspondent Anas al-Sharif, were killed in an Israeli air strike on Sunday. Two others were killed, including a freelance journalist, the broadcaster said.

Israel's military said it targeted Sharif, alleging he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas" – something Sharif denied. Israel provided little evidence.

The BBC understands Sharif did some work with a Hamas media team in Gaza before the current conflict.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said the UK government was "gravely concerned" and called for an independent investigation.

Speaking to reporters, Starmer's official spokesman said Israel should ensure journalists can work safely and report without fear.

The funerals of Sharif, fellow Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa took place on Monday following the targeted missile strike on their tent in Gaza City.

Mohammad al-Khaldi was named by medics at al-Shifa hospital as the sixth journalist who was killed during the strike, Reuters news agency reported. Another person was also killed in the attack, it said.

Streets in Gaza were thronged with crowds gathered for the funerals. Anas al-Sharif was a household name who had millions of followers online.

Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom group, strongly condemned what it called the assassination of Sharif.

The Foreign Press Association said it was outraged by the targeted killing. It said the Israeli military had repeatedly labelled Palestinian journalists "as militants, often without verifiable evidence".

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was appalled by the attack and that Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations against Sharif.

"Israel has a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof," the organisation added.

The Israeli military has suggested it has documents found in Gaza that confirmed Sharif belonged to Hamas.

It said these include "personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, phone directories and salary documents".

The only materials that have been released for publication are screenshots of spreadsheets apparently listing Hamas operatives from the northern Gaza Strip, noting injuries to Hamas operatives, and a section of what is said to be a phone directory for the armed group's East Jabalia battalion.

The BBC cannot independently verify these documents, and has seen no evidence of Sharif having involvement in the current war or remaining an active member of Hamas.

No Israeli explanation has so far been given for the killing of the entire Al Jazeera news crew.

CPJ says at least 186 journalists have been killed since the start of Israel's military offensive in Gaza in October 2023 – the deadliest period for journalists since it began recording such data in 1992.

"Israel must respect & protect all civilians, including journalists," the UN Human Rights office said in a post on X. "We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists."

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in the city in the north of the Gaza Strip. It was the enclave's most populous city before the war.

Several world leaders have condemned the plan, and the UN has warned it would lead to "more massive forced displacement" and "more killing".

Hamas warned of "fierce resistance" to the move.
from the army's chief of staff.

Netanyahu is being "intentionally vague" over which "Arab forces" he believes could run Gaza, according to the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, as he has been in the past with his plans for the territory.

He may be referring to the Jordanians and the Egyptians, who have said they are willing to work with Israel – but they have made it clear that they will not go into Gaza on the back of an Israeli occupation.

No more details have been shared regarding a timeline for Gaza's post-takeover government.

What has the reaction been?
Netanyahu is facing mounting criticism from hostage families and from world leaders.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called Israel's escalation "wrong" and that it "will only bring more bloodshed".

On Friday Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government will not approve any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza until further notice.

He said it was "increasingly difficult to understand" how the Israeli military plan would help achieve legitimate aims. Historically, Germany has been one of the largest arms suppliers to Israel.

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas has described the move as a "fully-fledged crime".

Turkey's foreign ministry said Israel aims to "forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land".

The UN's human rights chief Volker Türk says "the war in Gaza must end now" and warns that further escalation "will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes".

The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters said the decision "is leading us toward a colossal catastrophe for both the hostages and our soldiers".

However, the US has been much less critical. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said it was "pretty much up to Israel" whether to fully occupy Gaza, and Washington's Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that the plan is not America's concern.

"It's not our job to tell them what they should or should not do," he said.

Israeli media say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees this as the only way to destroy Hamas and free hostages still held by the group following the breakdown of ceasefire talks.

Reports, though, say the head of the military and some ministers disagree, amid warnings such a move could be disastrous for the hostages and Palestinian civilians.

Top UN official Miroslav Jenča told the UN Security Council earlier this week that it would be against international law and was a "deeply alarming" prospect.
The Israeli military currently controls about three-quarters of Gaza. The vast majority of Gaza's population has already been displaced by the war and many more would be uprooted if the army takes over remaining areas.

The security cabinet of top government ministers is scheduled to meet at 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Thursday.

According to Israeli media, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers would need to be sent to Gaza to carry out the takeover.

Reports say the plan initially focuses on taking full control of Gaza City, relocating its one million residents further south. Forces would also take control of refugee camps in central Gaza and areas where hostages are thought to be held.

Reports say a second offensive would follow weeks later in parallel with a boost in humanitarian aid.

US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Fox News there would be a significant scaling up of distribution sites operated by the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The GHF has been strongly criticised by the UN and aid agencies, who have accused it of being chaotic and forcing hungry Palestinians to travel long distances in perilous conditions to try to get food.

Hundreds have been shot dead in or around the four sites run by GHF since it began operating in May. The Hamas-run health ministry and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of being responsible. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has denied targeting civilians, saying soldiers have fired warning shots to keep crowds back or in response to threats.
The families of hostages have reacted with alarm, fearing such a move could push their captives into killing them.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that taking over Gaza was "really up to Israel". The US has been mediating in indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas for months, but negotiations broke down two weeks ago.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages. Israel launched a massive military offensive in response, which has killed at least 61,158 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Crowds rushed to the vehicles on a road south east of Deir al-Balah on Tuesday evening. They climbed on top of the trucks, causing the drivers to lose control, local journalists told the BBC.

The area was under Israeli military control and the roads were rugged and dangerous, civil defence agency spokesman Mahmoud Basal said.

The private transport association now operating in Gaza said that 26 commercial trucks entered the territory on Tuesday. Six were looted, and four of those overturned, resulting in deaths and injuries.
Israel announced that is would start to allow the gradual entry of goods into Gaza via the private sector to "increase the volume of aid" entering the enclave while reducing reliance on the UN.

The approved supplies include baby food, fruits, vegetables, hygiene products and basic staples.

The BBC has contacted the Israeli ministry of defence for comment.

Hamas said civilians had been waiting for basic supplies to be delivered via road for weeks. "This often results in desperate crowds swarming the trucks," its media office said.

Aid trucks have been frequently rushed, leading to chaotic scenes.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, Jordan said Israeli settlers attacked a Gaza-bound aid convoy of 30 trucks and accused Israel of failing to prevent such attacks.

The convoy crossed the Jordanian border and was heading towards Gaza's Zikim crossing. Settlers blocked the road and pelted the trucks with stones, smashing windscreens.

"This requires a serious Israeli intervention and no leniency in dealing with those who obstruct these convoys," government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said.

He added this was the second attack on a Jordanian aid convoy, following a similar incident on Sunday.
About 90% of Gaza's 2.1 million people have been displaced, some repeatedly, and are living in overcrowded and dire conditions.

The UN has repeatedly called for the full and sustained entry of humanitarian supplies, but access remains sporadic and many aid trucks are looted.

Israel insists there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and has repeatedly rejected what it describes as "the false claim of deliberate starvation".

Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken to Gaza as hostages.

At least 61,020 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the UK would take the step unless Israel met certain conditions including agreeing a ceasefire and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted furiously, saying the decision rewarded "Hamas' monstrous terrorism".

Emily Damari – a British-Israeli who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months – said the move was a "moral failure" which "sends a dangerous message: that violence earns legitimacy".
Her comments echoed a statement from lawyers for 10 hostages held by Hamas who are either British or have close ties to the UK.

They said they feared the UK's announcement would remove the incentive for Hamas to agree a ceasefire and release the remaining hostages because it could make recognition of a Palestinian state "less likely".

Speaking at the UN in New York, Lammy said the world had seen "the most horrific scenes" in Gaza and the time had come to "abate the suffering of the Palestinian people".

Tuesday's announcement "puts us on a pathway towards recognition", he told the BBC's Tom Bateman.

"It is my sincere hope that the decision that we have taken today affects the situation on the ground, and we get to that ceasefire, we get to those hostages coming out as soon as possible," he said.

Lammy added that the global community was "deeply offended by children being shot and killed as they reach out for aid" and called for the flow of medical equipment and supplies to be restored.

Netanyahu criticised the UK's announcement, writing on social media: "A jihadist state on Israel's border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW".

"Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.
Until now, Starmer's government has said recognition of a Palestinian state should come as part of a long-term political solution to the conflict in the Middle East, without specifying the exact stage.

But Sir Keir has been facing mounting pressure, both internationally and domestically, to announce recognition now as a means to exert pressure on Israel.

President Emmanuel Macron France announced on Friday that France would recognise a Palestinian state in September, joining Ireland, Spain and Norway, who took the step last year.

A public letter calling for immediate recognition had been signed by 255 MPs, including more than half of Labour MPs, by Monday.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Sir Keir said the UK would make the move in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire, ruled out annexing the West Bank, and "revived" the prospect of a two-state solution to the conflict.

He also said Israel should also take "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza," amid warnings amid warnings from aid agencies of mass starvation in the territory.

He added that Hamas, a proscribed terror group in the UK, must immediately release all hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm, and "accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza".

"We will make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps," he added.

'Bargaining chip'
Labour MP Sarah Champion, who coordinated the letter calling for recognition, said she was "delighted and relieved" at the announcement.

But she added she was "troubled our recognition appears conditional on Israel's actions," adding "recognition is about the self-determination of the Palestinian people".

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said recognition "should have taken place many months ago" and should not be used as "a bargaining chip".

However, both the Conservatives and Reform UK have argued now is not the right time for the UK to recognise Palestine.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch labelled the move "political posturing at its very worst" and claimed Sir Keir was merely acting to quell dissent in the Labour party.

Reform UK's Zia Yusuf told the BBC's Newsnight programme that the prime minister had made a "political calculation" that "trivialised" the situation in Gaza.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 60,034 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

An alert issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) says there is mounting evidence that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths among the 2.1 million Palestinians there.

"Latest data indicates that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City," it adds.

UN agencies have already warned that there is man-made, mass starvation in Gaza, and reported at least 63 malnutrition-related deaths this month. They have blamed the crisis on Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies to the territory.

Israel imposed a total blockade on aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza at the start of March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the armed group to release its Israeli hostages.

The blockade was partially eased after 11 weeks, after the Israeli government came under pressure from its allies, but the shortages of food, medicine and fuel have worsened.
Israel has insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and that there is "no starvation".

However, it has announced in recent days measures aimed at helping the UN and its partners collect aid from crossings and distribute it within Gaza, including daily "tactical pauses" in military operations in three areas and designated corridors.

The IPC says immediate action must be taken to end the hostilities and allow for an unimpeded, large-scale, life-saving humanitarian response.

The report does not formally classify Gaza as being in a famine, saying that can only be made through analysis that will be conducted "without delay".

The IPC – a global initiative by UN agencies, aid groups and governments – is the primary mechanism the international community uses to conclude whether a famine is happening.

Households are classified as IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) if they experience an extreme lack of food, starvation and exhaustion of coping strategies.
The World Food Programme and Unicef expressed alarm that wo famine thresholds – food consumption and acute malnutrition – had been breached in parts of Gaza.

They warned that collecting robust data on the third threshold – starvation-related deaths – under the current circumstances in Gaza was "very difficult as health systems, already decimated by nearly three years of conflict, are collapsing".

On Monday, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said that another 14 people had died as a result of malnutrition over the previous 24 hours. That brought the total number of malnutrition-related deaths since the war began to 147, including 88 children, according to the ministry.

The World Health Organization also said on Sunday that there had been 63 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this month, including 24 children under five. It noted that the bodies of most of the dead showed "clear signs of severe wasting".

"The unbearable suffering of the people of Gaza is already clear for the world to see. Waiting for official confirmation of famine to provide life-saving food aid they desperately need is unconscionable," said the WFP's executive director, Cindy McCain.

"We need to flood Gaza with large-scale food aid, immediately and without obstruction, and keep it flowing each and every day to prevent mass starvation. People are already dying of malnutrition, and the longer we wait to act, the higher the death toll will rise."

WFP and Unicef said "barely a trickle" of what was needed by Gaza's population had entered since Israel partially eased its blockade, and that more than 62,000 tonnes of aid – the equivalent of approximately 3,100 lorry loads – was required every month just to cover basic humanitarian food and nutrition assistance.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of stealing aid. However, the New York Times cited senior Israeli military officials as saying on Sunday that the military had never found proof that the armed group had systematically stolen aid from the UN.

Reuters news agency also reported last week that internal US government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of US-funded aid.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 60,034 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.