Middle East updates: Hamas demands permanent end to Gaza war

Witnesses reported on Sunday that Israeli forces fired on Palestinians waiting to receive aid close to a distribution site in Gaza.

At least 21 were killed and scores more injured, according to a Red Cross field hospital and numerous witnesses, cited by The Associated Press.

Hamas said that in total 30 people had been killed and a dozen more injured.

"There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones," The Associated Press cited Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd, as saying. Another eyewitness corroborated the account.

The incident happened on Sunday morning as people gathered to receive food. The population of the Palestinian enclave has been starved by a monthslong Israeli blockade that sparked international outrage, even from some of Israel's closest allies.

The decision by the Israeli government to allow aid into Gaza has also been mired in controversy and chaos. The UN said that the first deliveries of aid had been minimal and even then failed to reach the people in need.

An Israeli and US-backed plan to send in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has not assuaged concerns. The aim was to avoid aid being diverted to Hamas — something the UN has said there is no evidence for — and as such, the GHF employs private security contractors, i.e. mercenaries, to protect the aid distribution sites.

The Foundation on Sunday said it had distributed aid "without incident," and dismissed what it referred to as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos."

Local health officials have reported that prior to Sunday, six people had been killed and several more wounded by live fire at GHF distribution sites.

UN agencies have refused to work with the GHF, saying it violates humanitarian rules by giving Israel control over who receives aid.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff has sent what she called "a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime."

"It's in their best interest to accept it," Leavitt said without providing any more details.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that Iran "will respond to the US proposal in line with the principles, national interests and rights of people of Iran."

It comes as an IAEA report sent to member states on Saturday warned that Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% purity needed for nuclear weapons. If enriched further, the amount would be enough for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA estimate.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reacted to the ongoing talks over a ceasefire deal proposed by the United States by saying Hamas was responsible for the continuation of the war in Gaza by refusing to release hostages and disarm.

Hamas has said it was willing to release 10 living hostages and hand over the bodies of 18 dead in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. But the militant group reiterated demands for an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, conditions Israel has rejected.

Saar also criticized France and the UK for "attacking Israel."

"If France and the UK want to reach a ceasefire - pressure should be put on Hamas that continues to say No, instead of attacking Israel, which says Yes," Saar wrote

His statements come after President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff rejected Hamas' call for a permanent ceasefire.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said  Hamas' response to the US-led ceasefire proposal was "totally unacceptable."

The Palestinian militant group did not say it had accepted the proposal, but did say it was open to it, while emphasizing the need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

"It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward," Witkoff said, adding that Hamas should accept the framework proposal the US put forth, which would "begin immediately this coming week," he added.

"That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days, in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have at the proximity talks substantive negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire," Witkoff said.

As Israel's offensive in Gaza drags on, life has become an endless struggle for Palestinian children.

DW meets Eyad and Maryam, who survive with their families in tents that provide no protection from Israeli airstrikes in Al-Katiba Square, Gaza City.

The World Food Program (WFP) said that 77 trucks loaded with flour and brought into Gaza had been stopped and looted by hungry people.

"All trucks were stopped along the way, with food taken mainly by hungry people trying to feed their families," the WFP said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

"After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving — and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by," the WFP said.

The WFP said there was enough food to feed all 2.2 [million] people for 2 months, but added that "only consistent, large-scale aid can rebuild trust."

Israel has restricted the number of trucks from the World Food Program and other international groups that bring flour to bakeries in Gaza but deliveries have been hampered by repeated incidents of looting.

Israel has instead touted a controversial US-backed corporation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which NGOs have accused of bypassing the UN system. 

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it has submitted a response to a ceasefire proposal presented by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to mediators.

Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the US, the EU and several other countries, said it would release ten living hostages and the bodies of 18 others in return for Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas also added an additional demand for the war to end.

"This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip," the group said in a statement.

It said its response came "after conducting a round of national consultations."

According to the White House, Israel has accepted the US proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza war. Israeli media has reported that the plan drawn up by Witkoff provides for a 60-day truce.

There has been no official response from Israel regarding the planned trip to the Israeli-occupied West Bank by a delegation of top officials from Arab nations.

But news agencies have quoted an Israeli official as saying the ministers intended to take part in "a provocative meeting" to discuss promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state, both the AFP and the Reuters news agencies reported.

"Such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the land of Israel," the official said.

"Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security," the official was quoted as saying.

A delegation of Arab ministers who had planned to make a rare visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank have condemned Israel as they announced the postponement of the trip due to what they called "Israel's obstruction."

The group, led by the Saudi Foreign Ministry, had planned to travel from Jordan to the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday and meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"The committee decided to postpone the visit to Ramallah in light of Israel's obstruction of its mission by refusing the delegation entry through airspace in the occupied West Bank controlled by Israel," Jordan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on the social media platform X.

The ministers slammed the reported Israeli decision, calling it a "flagrant violation of Israel's obligations as the occupying power," the ministry added.

The delegation involved ministers ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates and Turkey were also expected to be involved.

There was no official Israeli comment on the visit.

In Saturday's developments, a top Arab delegation has postponed a visit to the West Bank, claiming the group was barred entry by Israel.

The delegation involved ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates and Turkey were also expected to be involved.

Meanwhile, Palestinian militant group Hamas is expected to respond to the US special envoy Steve Witkoff's ceasefire and hostage release proposal.

You can read more here as developments unfold across the Middle East region.