NewsOvernight reports: Israel and Hamas move toward ceasefire deal; hostages at stake
Overnight reports: Israel and Hamas move toward ceasefire deal; hostages at stake
This happened while you were asleep. Here’s what global agencies reported overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
ed. Kamila Gurgul
- Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, during a visit to Rome, declared the government's coalition support for an agreement with Hamas. Saar emphasized that Israel is taking intensive actions to release hostages. "We are negotiating a gradual agreement. The first stage will be implemented soon and will last for six weeks," explained the Israeli foreign minister, acknowledging that the next phase will be more complicated. The minister stressed that the creation of a Palestinian state in the current situation could worsen regional security, and Hamas should not control the Palestinians. "Creating a Palestinian state would mean establishing a Hamas state," Saar assessed.
- Hamas also accepted the ceasefire proposal with Israel, which could lead to the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. This information was shared by the AP agency, citing two officials involved in the negotiations. The authenticity of the document was confirmed by representatives from Egypt and Hamas. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken assessed that the agreement is "closer than we’ve ever been," although it still awaits final confirmation from Hamas.
- The New York Times reports that a power grid failure might have caused the fires in Los Angeles. Investigators are still looking into the causes of the wave of fires that broke out in California last week, causing extensive damage. At least 16 people died as a result of these incidents, and thousands of buildings were destroyed or damaged. Residents of Altadena filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison, accusing the company of causing the fire, which destroyed about 5,000 buildings. The company is conducting its own investigation into this matter. Similar incidents have occurred in other U.S. states, such as Texas and Oregon, where fires also resulted from power grid failures.
- In Istanbul, 11 people died after consuming counterfeit alcohol, as reported by the Turkish news agency Anatolia. Within the last 24 hours, 38 people, including 26 foreigners, were admitted to hospitals. Authorities suspect that methanol was the cause of death. Istanbul authorities report that in 2024, 110 people fell ill after consuming counterfeit alcohol, out of which 48 died. Methanol, a toxic industrial alcohol, is suspected to be the cause of the deaths. Methanol is used in the production of antifreeze fluids and can lead to blindness, liver damage, and even death.
- The president of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, announced the release of 553 prisoners convicted of various crimes. This decision results from negotiations with the Vatican, which led to Cuba being removed from the list of countries supporting terrorism by the USA. The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that President Diaz-Canel notified Pope Francis by letter about plans for the gradual release of convicts. The leader of Cuba thanked everyone who contributed to the U.S. decision, though he noted that the trade embargo and sanctions imposed by Donald Trump in 2017 remain in effect. Cuba was on the list of states supporting terrorism from 1981 to 2015, when Barack Obama signed an agreement to normalize relations. In 2017, Donald Trump reinstated some sanctions, and a week before the end of his presidency, he once again designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.
