Tag: Gaza

10/3: CBS Evening News

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Everything we know about Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sentencing on prostitution-related charges; Pudge the cat steals the show at Bowling Green football games.

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10/3: CBS Evening News Plus

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Behind the judge’s reasoning for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sentencing; Reporter’s Notebook: Trump rebrands words as tools of power.

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10/3: The Daily Report

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Nancy Chen reports on the sentencing of Sean “Diddy” Combs, Hamas partially accepting a peace deal outlined by President Trump, and more.

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10/3: The Takeout with Major Garrett

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10/3: The Takeout with Major Garrett – CBS News

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Hamas accepts part of President Trump’s peace plan to end the war in Gaza; and how a new Democratic think tank is pushing the party to take more centrist stances.

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Hamas says it has agreed to parts of the Gaza peace proposal outlined by President Trump

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Hamas said in a statement Friday it has agreed to parts of the ceasefire deal that President Trump outlined earlier this week, including a demand to release all hostages — but the group suggested other portions of the deal should be subject to negotiation.

A U.S. official told CBS News the United States views Hamas’ response as positive, though there are details that still need to be hammered out, such as the decommissioning of weapons, which may begin as soon as next week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the deal on Monday. Earlier Friday, Mr. Trump gave Hamas until Sunday evening to accept the deal, or “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”

After Hamas released its statement, Mr. Trump said on Truth Social that he believes the group is “ready for a lasting PEACE.” He pushed Israel to cease hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out,” the president wrote.

“In light of Hamas’s response, Israel is preparing to immediately implement the first phase of Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all hostages,” a statement released by Netanyahu’s office early Saturday morning local time read. “We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel that are consistent with President Trump’s vision.”

In a video posted to Truth Social later Friday, Mr. Trump called the deal “unprecedented in many ways” and thanked several Arab and majority Muslim countries that assisted with the deal as mediators, including Qatar and Egypt.

“This is a big day,” Mr. Trump said in the video. “We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down and concrete.”

Hamas says it’s willing to release hostages, hand over control of Gaza

Hamas said it is willing to release all living hostages and the remains of deceased hostages “in accordance with the exchange formula set forth in President Trump’s proposal.” The proposal laid out by the White House called for Hamas to release all hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, within 72 hours, and for Israel to release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 other Gazans who were detained following the start of the conflict.

The deal also called for an immediate end to fighting if both sides accept the deal, and for Israel’s military to withdraw to an “agreed upon line.”

Hamas also said it is willing to “hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and with the support of Arab and Islamic parties” — another portion of Mr. Trump’s proposal.

The group was less clear on other portions of the deal. The statement said some aspects of Mr. Trump’s proposal “remain linked to a comprehensive national stance, grounded in relevant international laws and resolutions.” It said those issues will need to be discussed “within an inclusive Palestinian national framework” that includes Hamas.

It’s not clear if Hamas has agreed that it will play no role in the governance of Gaza, which was one provision of Mr. Trump’s proposal.

The plan, unveiled Sept. 29 by Mr. Trump and backed by Netanyahu, called for Hamas to free all remaining Israeli hostages and for the Israeli military to begin withdrawing from parts of the Gaza Strip in phases, starting with an initial withdrawal before the hostages are freed. It also proposed handing over parts of Gaza to a “technocratic” Palestinian committee and deploying a temporary security force backed by Arab states.

Netanyahu, who joined Mr. Trump for a joint news conference at the White House when the 20-point proposal was announced, had said he supports the plan, and that if Hamas does not accept the offer, “Israel will finish the job by itself.”

“We’re giving everybody a chance to have this done peacefully,” Netanyahu had said, warning Hamas what would happen if they didn’t agree to the proposal. “But if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself. This can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way, but it will be done.”

The president told Netanyahu on Monday that if Hamas were to reject the proposal, “you’d have our full backing to do what you would have to do.“

Mr. Trump had said his goal is to ensure a “sustainable, long-term peace.” The president on Monday also said he and Netanyahu were “waiting for signatures and waiting for approvals from a lot of different countries that are involved in this.”

Israel and Hamas have been at war since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel has waged an intense aerial bombardment and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not specify how many of the dead were civilians or militants.

Some 50 hostages are still in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive, according to Israeli authorities.

Claire Day, Margaret Brennan and Melissa Gaffney contributed to this report.

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston.

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Netanyahu ordered drone attacks on Gaza-bound humanitarian aid boats off Tunisia, sources say

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Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly approved military operations on two vessels early last month that were part of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian supporters, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, CBS News has learned.

Two American intelligence officials briefed on the matter told CBS News that Israeli forces on Sept. 8 and 9 launched drones from a submarine and dropped incendiary devices onto the boats that were moored outside the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said, causing a fire. The officials spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on national security matters.

Under international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict, the use of incendiary weapons against a civilian population or civilian objects is prohibited in all circumstances.

Israel has enforced a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip for more than a decade, first declaring the restriction in January 2009, when its navy announced the closure of the coastal waters to all maritime traffic. The move came some two years after Hamas took control of the region following a brief but violent civil war with the rival Fatah party, the political and military organization of Arab Palestinians, officially known as the Palestinian National Liberation Movement.

The Israel Defense Forces didn’t respond to CBS News’ request for comment.

The Global Sumud Flotilla organized the international maritime initiative that aims to break through Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and provide aid to the war-torn territory.

On Sept. 8, an incendiary device was dropped onto the Family, a Portuguese-flagged vessel. The Global Sumud Flotilla told CBS News that on the night prior to the attack, Portuguese lawmaker Mariana Mortágua was on board. The activists believe the perpetrators deliberately waited until “elected officials or high-profile figures were absent,” the group said in a statement to CBS News on Friday.

On Sept. 9, the Alma, a British-flagged vessel, was attacked in a similar manner as the Family. In both cases, the group said last month that the boats were damaged by the fire but the crew was able to extinguish the flames quickly. No one was killed or injured.

A screengrab from handout CCTV footage shows a fire that struck the Alma, a vessel of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in the waters off the coast of Tunisia, Sept. 9, 2025.

Global Sumud Flotilla/Handout via Reuters

“Confirmation of Israeli involvement would not surprise us; it would simply lay bare a pattern of arrogance and impunity so grotesque that it cannot escape eventual reckoning,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said in its statement Friday.

The statement added: “Whether the purpose of these attacks was to kill us, scare us away, or disable our boats, they recklessly endangered civilians and humanitarian volunteers. The world must take note: attempts to silence, intimidate, or obstruct our commitment to the Palestinian cause and people will not succeed. We call for urgent, independent investigations into these attacks and full accountability for those responsible.”

In September, Tunisian authorities disputed that drones dropping incendiary devices caused the fire, instead claiming that an initial inspection indicated the explosion originated inside the boat, according to BBC News. Pro-Israeli accounts on social media claimed the fires were started after the activists did not use a flare gun properly.

Footage released by the Global Sumud Flotilla and obtained by CBS News appears to show a ball of flames falling onto the boat, sparking the fire on board, instead of the fire originating from inside the vessel. The stationary cameras affixed to the vessels do not capture where the flames originated from prior to landing on the boat nor do they depict a flare gun being fired.

In separate incidents in late September, the activist group said they were attacked by 15 low-altitude drones while sailing south of Greece. The Global Sumud Flotilla said at least 13 explosions were heard on and around several flotilla boats and objects were dropped on at least 10 boats, causing damage. While no casualties were reported, the activist group said that their communications systems were also disrupted.

This week, Israeli naval forces intercepted most of the vessels bound for Gaza, detaining dozens of activists along with Thunberg and several European lawmakers, a move that drew swift international criticism.

American citizens travelling on the flotilla have also been detained by Israel. A State Department official told CBS News that the department was monitoring the situation and is committed to providing assistance to U.S. citizens. The official also called the flotilla a “deliberate and unnecessary provocation,” particularly as the Trump administration continues to seek a negotiated solution to end the war in Gaza.

Two Americans sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla include Marine Corps veteran Jessica Clotfelter and Greg Stoker, organizer of the veterans’ delegation to the group. On Wednesday, they spoke via Zoom to CBS News Chicago roughly an hour before the Israeli navy intercepted the flotilla.

“We are a civilian aid mission, trying to break the siege into Gaza, and we are carrying humanitarian aid in accordance with international humanitarian and maritime law,” said Stoker.

Clotfelter told CBS News Chicago that the images that have been coming out of Gaza for the last two years have been “heartbreaking” and “gut-wreching.”

She added: “I mean, I’ve cried probably every single day on this boat as the violence since we’ve taken off on 31 August has escalated.”

Olivia Gazis

contributed to this report.

James LaPorta

James LaPorta is a national security coordinating producer in CBS News’ Washington bureau. He is a former U.S. Marine infantryman and veteran of the Afghanistan war.

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Hamas Says It Accepts Some Elements Of Gaza Peace Plan After Trump Issues Ultimatum – KXL

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DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas said Friday that it has accepted some elements of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that others require further consultations among Palestinians.

The statement came hours after Trump said that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught nearly two years into the war sparked by the Oct. 7 attack into Israel. There was no immediate response from the United States or Israel, which is largely shut down for the Jewish Sabbath.

Hamas said it was willing to return all remaining hostages according to the plan’s “formula,” likely referring to the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange. It also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body.

But it said aspects of the proposal touching on the future of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rights should be decided on the basis of a “unanimous Palestinian stance” reached with other factions and based on international law.

The statement also made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in Trump’s proposal.

Trump’s plan would end the fighting and return hostages
Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His peace plan has been accepted by Israel and welcomed internationally, but key mediators Egypt and Qatar have said some elements need further negotiation.

“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote Friday on social media. “THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.”

Under the plan, which Trump unveiled earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas would immediately release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive. It would also give up power and disarm.

In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. Plans to relocate much of Gaza’s population to other countries would be shelved.

The territory of some 2 million Palestinians would be placed under international governance, with Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it. The plan provides no path for eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a future Palestinian state.

Palestinians long for an end to the war, but many view this and previous U.S. proposals as strongly favoring Israel.

Hamas officials air objections in TV interviews
Trump’s proposal “cannot be implemented without negotiations,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official based outside of Gaza, told the Al Jazeera network.

He said it might be difficult for Hamas release all the hostages within 72 hours as the proposal dictates, because it could take days or weeks to locate the remains of some of the captives.

Abu Marzouk said Hamas was willing to hand over its weapons to a future Palestinian body that runs Gaza, but there was no mention of that in the official statement. He also took issue with the proposal’s language about ridding Gaza of terrorists, since Hamas considers itself a national liberation movement.

Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, told Al Araby television that Hamas would refuse foreign administration of the Gaza Strip and that the entry of foreign forces would be “unacceptable.”

US and Israel seek to pressure Hamas
Israel has sought to ramp up pressure on Hamas since ending an earlier ceasefire in March. It sealed the territory off from food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months and has seized, flattened and largely depopulated large areas.

Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched a major offensive aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind.

Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office, said she saw several displaced families staying in the parking lot of Shifa Hospital during a visit on Thursday.

“They are not able to move south because they just cannot afford it,” Cherevko told The Associated Press. “One of the families had three children and the woman was pregnant with her fourth. And there were many other vulnerable cases there, including elderly people and people with disabilities.”

Trump wrote that most of Hamas’ fighters are “surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, ‘GO,’ for their lives to be quickly extinguished. As for the rest, we know where and who you are, and you will be hunted down, and killed.”

Most of Hamas’ top leaders in Gaza and thousands of its fighters have already been killed, but it still has influence in areas not controlled by the Israeli military and launches sporadic attacks that have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers.

Hamas has held firm to its position that it will only release the remaining hostages — its sole bargaining chip and potential human shields — in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Hamas must surrender and disarm.

Second anniversary approaches
Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, attacking army bases, farming communities and an outdoor music festival, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, most of them since released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The offensive has displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population, often multiple times, and left much of the territory uninhabitable.

Both the Biden and Trump administrations have tried to end the fighting and bring back the hostages while providing extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel.

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Jordan Vawter

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Hamas agrees to return hostages but resists other parts of Trump’s peace plan

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JERUSALEM — Hamas accepted most of President Trump’s terms for ending the war in Gaza on Friday, delivering a “Yes, but …” response that agreed to handing over all hostages and relinquishing control of the enclave, but stopped short of the full surrender outlined in the agreement.

The response came the day Trump said that the Palestinian militant group had until Sunday to accept what was essentially a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum.

“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, then all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” wrote Trump on his messaging platform, Truth Social.

After days of what it said was “thorough study” — and intense pressure from its Arab interlocutors in Qatar, Egypt and others — Hamas issued a statement late Friday saying it would release all Israeli hostages, dead or alive, according to “the exchange formula outlined in President Trump’s proposal, provided that field conditions for carrying out the exchange are secured.”

Trump’s deal, which comprises 20 points and amounts to more of a framework than a comprehensive agreement, represents his administration’s most concerted push to not only end the Hamas-Israel war, but achieve a more comprehensive peace in the region.

Upon acceptance from both sides, the agreement says, hostilities must immediately end and aid be allowed into Gaza, where Israel’s months-long blockade has triggered famine. Hamas fighters who lay down their arms would be granted amnesty and Gazans would not be forced to leave the enclave.

The agreement was negotiated with Israel along with a raft of Arab and Muslim nations. Media reports after the deal’s terms were published said Israel had inserted eleventh-hour modifications more in line with the wishes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has refused during two years of war any ceasefire deal that would see Hamas remain in power.

His move infuriated Arab nations. Still, they nevertheless issued statements cautiously lauding Trump’s initiative, which he unveiled Monday after meeting with Netanyahu at the White House.

A few hours after Hamas’ affirmative response, Trump wrote on Trump Social that he believed the group was “ready for a lasting PEACE,” adding “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!”

“Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out,” he said. “This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

The deal stipulates Israel will release 1,700 Gaza residents detained by Israel after Oct. 7, 2023, along with some 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences. It gives Hamas 72 hours to release the remaining 48 hostages, 20 of whom are still alive.

Hamas also agreed to another Trump condition, all but relinquishing its 18-year-rule over the Gaza Strip and handing it over to what Trump said was a body of “technocratic” Palestinians overseen by a “Board of Peace” to be headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

But Hamas’ acceptance Friday fell short of what could be an essential point for Israel: The notion of surrendering its weapons.

Through Trump’s agreement stipulates the group should disarm and not be involved in any future governance, Hamas has long insisted it would hand over its weapons only as part of a deal that would lead to an independent Palestinian state — a position it reiterated again in its Friday statement, saying that any other issues would be discussed through a comprehensive national Palestinian framework that would include Hamas.

“Regarding the future of the Palestinian issue, this is not a matter of Hamas alone. Hamas is a part of the Palestinian people, but it’s not alone,” said Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top-ranking Hamas official, speaking to Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera after the release of Hamas’ statement.

Abu Marzouk also emphasized the logistical difficulties the group faces in gathering all the remaining hostages within the 72-hour time frame, describing the condition to be “unreasonable.” He added that there would need to be further negotiations to specify withdrawal lines.

The response, said Bader Al-Saif, a professor of history at Kuwait University, was “in the same style of the offer it received — vague and incomplete.”

“We have a quasi response to a quasi offer — one in need of more details, guarantees and enforcement ability on both Hamas and Israel,” he said, adding that Hamas was throwing the ball back into Israel’s court, knowing the divisions within the Israeli government over any plan that falls short of annihilating the group and excising it from any future negotiations.

Netanyahu’s government is composed of a fractious coalition that relies on hard-right figures to have sufficient numbers for its survival. Those figures want Netanyahu to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed and the territory of Gaza given over to settlements.

Other Israelis point to Israel’s growing isolation with every day of the war’s passing, with the U.N., rights and aid groups and governments, including Western allies of the U.S. and Israel, accusing Israel of committing genocide in the enclave. Israel denies the charge.

With Hamas’ “conditional acceptance,” said Mouin Rabbani, a nonresident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, negotiations could be on a potential crash course.

“It’s crunch time,” Rabbani said. “Hamas says, ‘We accept the proposal if the following issues are clarified to our satisfaction.’

“We’ll now find out if the U.S. accepts entering discussions for these clarifications, or that Israel will persuade the Americans that Hamas has rejected it and the genocide should continue in full force.”

Hamas’ action comes just days before the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that launched the conflict. On that day, Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Israel’s response has been punishing, leaving vast portions of Gaza in ruins; more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials.

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Nabih Bulos

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Trump gives Hamas until Sunday to reach a ceasefire agreement and release all hostages

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President Trump posted on social media a stern deadline for Hamas to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages, including the bodies of those killed since Oct. 7, 2023. CBS News’ Willie James Inman reports.

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Trump issues executive order declaring any attack on Qatar be treated as a threat to U.S. security

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President Trump has signed an executive order saying that any armed attack against Qatar would be considered “a threat to the peace and security of the United States.”

“In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability,” reads the executive order, which was dated Monday, Sept. 29.

A Qatari official confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s move to grant the small Gulf state the rare promise of U.S. military backup in the event of an attack on its territory came in response to Israel bombing Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Sept. 9.

Israel said its attack was aimed at Hamas leaders gathered in the Qatari capital, where the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group has long maintained a political office.

Qatar hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, the Al-Udeid Air Base, where thousands of American forces are stationed. The United States already classifies Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally, a designation that was approved by President Biden.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President Trump leave after a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Doha, May 14, 2025.

KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty

The executive order was signed in the wake of Israel’s attack on Doha, and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington to meet with Mr. Trump.

While that visit was largely focused on Mr. Trump’s announcement of a still-pending proposal for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement to end the war in Gaza, it also saw Netanyahu apologize to Qatar for the strike in Doha.

“As a first step, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” a White House readout of a trilateral phone call with Mr. Trump, Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, said.

Netanyahu “further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future,” the White House said.

The Israeli attack shocked the Qataris and raised questions about Qatar’s security relationship with the United States.

Netanyahu, just several days after the strikes in Doha, threatened to launch new attacks on Qatar if it refused to eject Hamas political representatives.

The Israeli leader made the remarks after Mr. Trump said in a social media post that “eliminating” Hamas was “a worthy goal,” but that he had spoken with leaders in Qatar and assured the nation’s prime minister, “that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”

Margaret Brennan and

Tucker Reals

contributed to this report.

Haley Ott

Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau.

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Irish citizens on intercepted Gaza flotilla boats

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It is understood at least seven Irish citizens have been detained after the Israeli navy intercepted a number of boats carrying aid to Gaza.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said several vessels that form part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) had been “safely stopped” and that those aboard were being transferred to an Israeli port.

It added that the navy had told the vessels to change course as they were “approaching an active combat zone”.

Irish coordinators of the GSF said there are 22 Irish citizens taking part in the flotilla, RTÉ has reported.

The seven Irish citizens detained are senator Chris Andrews, Tadgh Hickey, Tara O’Grady, Louise Heaney, Sarah Clancy, Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais and Thomas McCune, according to the Irish broadcaster.

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg is also among the detained activists.

Livestreamed footage shows crew members of the Alma vessel, which includes Belfast man Fra Hughes, sitting on deck as they sail for Gaza [Reuters]

Multiple ships including the Alma, which includes Belfast man Fra Hughes and is one of the main vessels, as well as the Surius and the Adara, had been intercepted and boarded on Wednesday evening, the GSF said.

It said the flotilla had been 70 nautical miles from Gaza’s shoreline when the intervention had occurred. The group had hoped its vessels would arrive in Gaza on Thursday morning.

The GSF described the interception as “illegal” and “not an act of defence” but “a brazen act of desperation”.

Israel previously said it would not let the flotilla reach its destination. An earlier attempt saw activists detained by Israeli forces and taken to shore.

‘Safety of Irish citizens remains our priority’

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of reports that the flotilla has been intercepted and is in direct contact with its Irish representatives.

“The safety of Irish citizens remains our priority,” it added.

In a statement, Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) Simon Harris said Ireland “expects international law to be upheld and all those on board the flotilla to be treated in strict accordance with it”.

“Tonight’s reports are very concerning. This is a peaceful mission to shine a light on a horrific humanitarian catastrophe,” he added.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins speaks at a lectern. We wears a black suit with a white shirt and and a purple floral tie. — Michael D Higgins says the safety of those involved in the flotilla “is a concern for us all” [PA Media]

Irish President Michael D Higgins said “the safety and protection of those involved in this humanitarian exercise is a concern for all of us”.

“In recent weeks there was a near consensus among members of the United Nations that a Palestinian State should be recognized as an essential building block for peace in the region,” he said in statement.

“We might well ask where stands this commitment now if a flotilla involving more than 40 boats and more than 500 people from the international community seeking to bring humanitarian aid – water, medicines and food to those who are in desperate need – is being prevented from achieving that humanitarian objective.”

Chris Andrews wearing a grey suit, he has grey hair — Sinn Féin senator Chris Andrews was on board the Spectre [Getty Images]

A boat carrying Sinn Féin senator Chris Andrews was also intercepted, according to his party.

“The flotilla, including Senator Andrews’ boat, the Spectre, was violently assaulted by Israeli military forces, with participants kidnapped by armed Israeli agents,” a party spokesperson said.

Earlier, Andrews said that his vessel was about to be boarded.

“Israeli warship directly off my boat… Boarding is imminent and this will likely be my last post before I am kidnapped,” he posted on social media.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said she had spoken to Andrews prior to his vessel being boarded.

In a post shared on X, she said it was a “moment of huge danger”.

“The Irish government must speak out. Irish citizens and all the activists on board must be given safe passage,” McDonald added.

‘These people are peaceful’, says taoiseach

Earlier, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin called on the Israeli government to “behave within international law” when it comes to the Gaza flotilla, but he suggested the flotilla should not progress any further.

Speaking in Copenhagen, Martin said: “This is not a military operation. These people are peaceful, the people on the various boats. They’re there to shine a light on the appalling deprivation in Gaza and the lack of humanitarian aid going into Gaza, it’s a humanitarian mission.”

However, he said the Irish government believed there were dangers involved in approaching Gaza by sea.

“We have said to people, to Irish citizens, that it’s not an area for safe travel, and people shouldn’t, in my view, progress further, and should do everything they can to protect themselves and to make sure they don’t come in harm’s way.

“But there’s a huge responsibility also on the Israeli government to handle this with caution and sensitivity and acknowledge that this is a humanitarian mission, first and foremost.”

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Israel pushing forward with Gaza City operation, Hamas yet to respond to Trump peace plan

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Israel pushing forward with Gaza City operation, Hamas yet to respond to Trump peace plan – CBS News

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Israel is moving ahead with its operations in Gaza City as the world awaits a response from Hamas to President Trump’s proposed peace plan. CBS News senior foreign correspondent Debora Patta has more.

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Polarizing L.A. police official keeps post by default after City Council fails to vote

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A polarizing figure on the Los Angeles Police Commission will retain his seat despite having never received an approval vote from the City Council.

Erroll Southers, who previously served as president of the civilian panel that watches over the LAPD, has taken criticism for what critics say is his unwillingness to provide oversight of police Chief Jim McDonnell, while also facing renewed scrutiny in recent months for his past counterterrorism studies in Israel.

For the record:

9:33 a.m. Oct. 1, 2025An earlier version of this story reported that Erroll Southers’ nomination was not on the City Council’s agenda last week. Southers was on the agenda but the council continued the matter and took no vote.

New members of any city commission must typically be approved by a City Council vote within 45 days of their nomination. Mayor Karen Bass put forward Southers in mid-August, but his first scheduled vote was delayed because he was traveling, and the council continued the matter without explanation at a meeting Friday in Van Nuys.
Now that his 45-day window has elapsed, multiple officials told The Times that city rules allow Southers to continue in the position by default for a full five-year term because he was already serving on an interim basis.

Around City Hall, news of the council’s inaction set off speculation about whether it was the result of a scheduling mix-up — or because Southers’ backers didn’t believe he could get enough votes.

Failing to vote on a member of one of city’s most important and high-profile commissions is almost unheard of, said Zev Yaroslavsky, a former councilman and L.A. County supervisor now at UCLA.

“They have responsibility to confirm or not confirm,” he said of the council. “I never understood why you would campaign for office, as hard as you campaign to get there, and not vote on something that’s as important to the public.”

Appointed by the mayor, police commissioners act much like a corporate board of directors, setting the LAPD policies, approving its budget and providing oversight, including reviews of officer shootings and other serious uses of force.

Southers, 68, has been a member of the panel since 2023, when Bass picked him to serve out the term of a departing commissioner.

A former FBI agent and Santa Monica cop turned top security official at USC, Southers helped lead the nationwide search for the next LAPD chief. The position eventually went to McDonnell — who like Southers served as director of the school’s Safe Communities Institute.

His backers say that Southers has been committed to his role, participating in numerous listening sessions with Angelenos to learn what qualities they wanted in a police chief. He has also become a regular presence at LAPD recruitment events and graduations.

Zach Seidl, a mayoral spokesperson, praised Southers for his stewardship of the commission, saying the career lawman “brings deep knowledge of the police department’s operations, a commitment to the continued development of policies that further transparency and accountability, and trusted relationships with community members and law enforcement.”

Teresa Sánchez-Gordon, a retired L.A. County judge, replaced Southers as commission president last month, after he served more than a year in the role.

But more than any other commissioner, Southers has accumulated a loud chorus of detractors who oppose keeping him in the key oversight role.

Although it has long been part of his resume, Southers’ work in the mid-2000s in Israel has especially become a lighting rod due to the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

Last month, a United Nations commission accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas militant attacks that left 1,200 dead and 251 others kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel’s military campaign has so far killed more than 66,000 people, the vast majority of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials and international aid groups.

Although Southers has said little publicly about the conflict, he has previously described traveling to Israel and studying with the Israel Defense Forces to learn about anti-terrorism strategies for his academic work.

His opponents have argued his writings suggest that authorities should use an individual’s public support for controversial causes as a potential warning sign of extremism. Such arguments, they say, can be used to justify the criminalization of minority groups or silence dissent.

Southers weathered calls for his resignation from the commission last year after he was among the USC officials responsible for clearing encampments occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters on the school’s campus.

Others have focused on his oversight of McDonnell. Far too often, critics say, he has let the chief off the hook after recent controversies. Most recently Southers and his fellow commissioners have faced calls to put more checks on aggressive behavior by LAPD officers toward journalists and nonviolent protesters.

Shootings by police have also been a point of contention with Southers. LAPD officers opened fire 31 times in the first nine months of this year, already surpassing the total number of shootings in 2024.

The commission ordered the department to present a report on the shootings, but that was not nearly enough to satisfy Greg “Baba” Akili, a longtime civil rights advocate with Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles who has frequently spoken out against Southers’ nomination.

As commission president, he said, Southers seemed more willing to shut down public speakers at the board’s meetings than to question the department’s narrative of recent events.

“It’s like having a member of the police force on the commission,” Akili said of Southers. “We don’t want to see just Black faces in high places: We want people who actually … uplift the public.”

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Libor Jany

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9/30: CBS Morning News

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9/30: CBS Morning News – CBS News

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Deadline looming for government shutdown; Celebrating 50 years of service dog training.

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News Analysis: Can Trump’s Gaza ‘eternal peace’ plan deliver results when details remain vague?

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BEIRUT — When President Trump presented his 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip, he deployed his trademark hyperbolic speaking style to trumpet it as a “big, big day, a beautiful day, potentially one of the great days ever in civilization,” which would end the war and deliver “eternal peace in the Middle East.”

Yet many of the plan’s details are unknown, and though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he “supports” it and a bevy of Arab and Muslim nations welcomed it as a sign of U.S. commitment to ending the war, observers — both supporters and critics — warn that Trump’s optimism is unwarranted in a deal where so much remains ambiguous.

“It’s so vague that a million things still need to be negotiated,” said Mouin Rabbani, a nonresident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies.

“And for both Israel and Hamas, accepting terms and implementing them are different things,” he said.

The proposal, which Hamas negotiators received late night on Monday and are still studying, would immediately end the war and allow aid to flood Gaza, where Israel’s months-long blockade has triggered famine.

The U.N., rights and aid groups and governments, including Western allies of the U.S. and Israel, accuse Israel of committing genocide in the enclave. Israel denies the charge.

Even as Trump said on Tuesday he was “waiting for Hamas” for its response, the Israeli military continued pummeling Gaza, with at least 42 Palestinians killed and 190 injured in Israeli attacks across the Strip in the past 24 hours, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Some 66,097 Palestinians have been killed and a further 168,536 wounded in the two years since Israel began its campaign on Gaza after Hamas’ attacks nearly two years ago.

Under the plan, Hamas would surrender, release all hostages, disarm and relinquish any future role in Gaza’s governance — all points Netanyahu has insisted on throughout many rounds of fruitless Qatari-brokered negotiations with Hamas.

Also in Netanyahu’s favor: The Palestinian Authority — which welcomed the initiative — would have no control over Gaza until after it fulfills a “reform program” and the mention of Palestinian statehood was so notional it amounted to little more than a recognition that Palestinian self-determination and statehood were “the aspiration of the Palestinian people.”

Yet although Netanyahu said the plan fulfilled “our war aims,” he did not leave the White House on Monday completely pleased.

Crucially, the agreement stipulates Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza, nor will its residents be forced to leave, conditions that frustrate Netanyahu’s right-wing allies. On Tuesday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a coalition partner of Netanyahu and an ardent supporter of Israel conquering the enclave, dismissed celebrations of the proposal as “premature,” writing on X it was “a resounding diplomatic failure” that will “end in tears.”

Israel would begin a staged withdrawal conditioned “on standards, milestones, and time frames linked to demilitarization,” leading to an eventual full withdrawal, save for a temporary “security perimeter” until Gaza is “properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.”

Yet those standards, milestones and time frames remain undefined, along with much else in the initiative, which for the moment serves more as a blueprint for a wider agreement, one requiring days, if not weeks, of negotiations to flesh out.

And in a seeming contradiction of the terms outlined, Netanyahu released a video address on Tuesday saying the Israeli military “will remain in most of the Gaza Strip.” As for a withdrawal, “no way, that’s not happening.”

For the Palestinians, other misgivings abound.

“There are plenty of guarantees to the Israelis, but not a single guarantee given to Palestinians — nothing,” said Diana Buttu, a Palestinian lawyer who served as a legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team. As it stands, the plan allows Israel to resume fighting at any moment, choose not to withdraw and block humanitarian aid at will.

It also imposes a transitional authority — composed of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee without Hamas or the Palestinian Authority — to rule over Gaza and overseen by a “Board of Peace” involving Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

After the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority completes reforms, according to the document, “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

In effect, Buttu said, “Palestinian agency has been completely removed.” And the reforms called for in the plan include the Palestinian Authority dropping its case for genocide in the International Criminal Court — a deeply unpopular move likely to further tank the authority’s image with Palestinians.

“The sum total,” Buttu said, ”is we have no Hamas, no Palestinian Authority, and just Israel.”

Another concern is that the proposal transfers the onus of making Hamas comply from Israel to regional governments, especially those supposed to provide training and support, if not troops, for the stabilization force. Deploying their soldiers into a chaotic post-war enclave would open them up to accusations of collaborating with Israel.

Still, Buttu and others said that, for many regional governments, they have little choice but to go along with Trump’s plan as the least-bad option.

“If you compare it to what Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials were threatening to do to Gaza, the plan is good,” said Oraib al-Rantawi, who heads the Amman-based Al Quds Center for Political Studies, adding that most Arab governments were unconcerned with the fate of Hamas’ arsenal and had little interest in helping it secure a victory in negotiations.

“Their central issue is there be no annexation and that the people of Gaza not be forcibly displaced,” al-Rantawi said.

An earlier draft of the proposal — according to diplomatic figures who received it but spoke on background because they were not allowed to comment publicly — said Israel would not occupy or annex the West Bank as well as Gaza; the published version only mentions the enclave. In recent days, Trump has said Israel will not be allowed to annex the West Bank, which Israel occupies and which Palestinians want as part of a future state.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants blitzed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Hamas and other groups still hold 48 people; 20 are still alive.

Trump touted his plan as a path to bring other Arab nations into the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements he brokered during his first term between Israel and some Arab countries.

Trump has long angled for Saudi Arabia to join the accords, but the kingdom has refused without a credible path to Palestinian statehood. The plan is unlikely to change that, said Ali Shihabi, a Saudi commentator who is close to the country’s monarchy.

“Saudi Arabia won’t be normalizing based on this agreement,” Shihabi said. “If concrete steps are taken on the ground and a Palestinian state happens, then it’s there.”

Still, the hope is that Arab nations backing Trump’s peace plan can influence him to steer events, said Amer Al Sabaileh, a Jordanian political analyst.

“You’re now talking about a peace in which these countries are involved,” he said. “They want to contain the danger of a unilateral Israeli vision.”

For now, al-Rantawi said, the plan could bring a close to the “open wound” that was Gaza, but little else.

“Let’s not make this greater than it is. We’re still in the beginning of a long road, but we know it can help Gaza,” he said. As for the initiative leading to Trump’s “eternal peace,” he added, there was little horizon for that, and many observers expect it would flounder like other attempts to forge a comprehensive agreement in the Middle East.

“We’ve all seen this movie before.”

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Nabih Bulos

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Opinion | How’s Life in That New Palestinian State?

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I have a few questions for the foreign governments that approved “ A Palestinian State for Hamas” (Review & Outlook, Sept. 23). What is its capital city? Can Christians and Jews freely practice their religion there? Can women divorce, own property, vote, run for office, get abortions? Will elections be regularly held? Will gay marriage be allowed? Finally, do all citizens of the “state” have the right to kidnap, rape, torture and murder Jews?

The Jewish people are celebrating the New Year of 5786—many of them, living in the state their foes want to wipe off the map. Meanwhile, Hamas refuses to release hostages kidnapped almost two years ago. Useful idiots in the U.K., Australia, France and elsewhere reward them for their intransigence. Recognition of this supposed state is an affront to decency, morality and common sense.

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Opinion | Why Qatar Changed Course on Hamas

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Doha had operated with Israeli complicity, but a strike on Qatari soil changed the equation.

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Amit Segal

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Hamas leaning toward accepting Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan quickly, source tells CBS News

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Hamas and other Palestinian factions are leaning toward accepting President Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, and they will present the group’s response to Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Wednesday, a source close to the process told CBS News on Tuesday.

The plan, which Mr. Trump presented alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, is a 20-point proposal which, if agreed to, would see a swift ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all the remaining hostages and a number of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, an increased flow of humanitarian aid and the eventual transfer of control over the territory to an interim administration of Palestinian technocrats overseen by an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Mr. Trump.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would also be on the board.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with President Trump after a news conference in the State Dining Room of the White House, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington.

Alex Brandon/AP

Israel would maintain security control around the perimeter of Gaza.

The AFP news agency cited an official briefed on the matter as saying that Egyptian and Qatari mediators had provided Hamas representatives with a copy of the proposal.

The leaders of a number of Muslim majority nations, including key states in the Middle East, quickly signalled support for the plan. Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar issued a joint statement welcoming Mr. Trump’s “sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza” and asserting their “confidence in his ability to find a path to peace.”

“They emphasize the importance of the partnership with the United States in securing peace in the region. Along these lines, the ministers welcome the announcement by President Trump regarding his proposal to end the war, rebuild Gaza, prevent the displacement of the Palestinian people and advance a comprehensive peace, as well as his announcement that he will not allow the annexation of the West Bank,” the joint statement said.

The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said he was “encouraged by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s positive response” to the U.S. proposal, and that “all parties must seize this moment to give peace a genuine chance,” CBS News partner network BBC News reported.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, told CBS News that “anything that brings us to a ceasefire, to the release of hostages, to an end to the carnage that we see, and an end to the incredible suffering, and a pathway for peace is welcome.”

Haley Ott

Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau.

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Palestinian Authority Responds to Trump Gaza Peace Plan

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The Palestinian Authority (PA) said it “welcomes” President Donald Trump’s “sincere and determined efforts” to end the war in Gaza after he unveiled a new peace plan for the territory alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The PA, which oversees parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said it “renews its joint commitment to work with the United States, regional states, and partners to end the war on Gaza through a comprehensive agreement.”

Why It Matters

The Gaza Strip was governed by the PA until 2007, when Palestinian militant group Hamas took over. Israel declared war in Gaza in fall 2023, after Hamas led the October 7 attacks that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel. More than 250 people were taken into the enclave as hostages.

The Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza say more than 66,000 people have been killed in the strip since the start of the war. This figure does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, and is frequently criticized by Israeli officials but widely cited by Western sources.

What To Know

“We have affirmed our desire for a modern, democratic, and non-militarized Palestinian state, committed to pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power,” the PA said in a statement published by the Palestinian Wafa news agency early on Tuesday.

Under the new plan—which Hamas has yet to agree to—the war in Gaza would come to an immediate end, before the territory is “redeveloped” as a “deradicalized terror-free zone.” Israel would stop its extensive attacks on Gaza and pull back its ground forces in the enclave in stages.

Within 72 hours, all Israeli hostages would be returned. Netanyahu said in recent days he believed 20 of the 48 remaining hostages still in Gaza were alive.

Once Hamas releases the hostages, Israel will release 250 prisoners held under life sentences, as well as 1,700 Gazans who have been in Israeli custody since the October 7 attacks. Israel will hand over the remains of 15 Gazan residents for the remains of each Israeli hostage, according to the plan.

Increased aid would then flow into the territory, which would pass into the control of a “temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee.”

Former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair will be part of what the White House termed a “Board of Peace” overseeing the strip.

“This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program,” the White House said. Under the proposal, the U.S. said it would work with neighboring Arab countries and other global players to “immediately deploy” a “temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)” in Gaza to train Palestinian police forces.

The White House said “no one will be forced to leave Gaza” and said it would “encourage” residents to stay and help rebuild the devastated territory. Previous comments from Trump had raised concerns that Gaza’s roughly two million residents would be forcibly relocated.

Israel will eventually withdraw to a “security perimeter” around Gaza, which would be in place “until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.”

The proposal cuts Hamas from power entirely, although it states all members of the group who “commit to a peaceful co-existence” and to surrender their weapons will be “given amnesty.” Hamas members will be given the option of safe passage out of Gaza.

Hamas has not yet responded to the proposal. Israeli military action will continue in Gaza if Hamas delays or rejects the plan, according to the White House read out.

Newsweek has contacted Hamas for comment.

The 20-point plan leaves the door ajar to Palestinian statehood, although Netanyahu—who has consistently ruled out a Palestinian state—appeared to dismiss this chunk of the plan. The White House said it recognized the “aspiration of the Palestinian people” for statehood, which could be on the cards after reforming the PA and reconstruction is underway in Gaza.

The ideas were positively received by European and Middle Eastern leaders, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said Hamas should “agree to the plan and end the misery.”

“President Trump’s Gaza plan is an opportunity for lasting peace,” the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said in a statement. “It offers the best immediate chance to end the war. The EU is ready to help it succeed.”

The U.K., along with France, Canada and several other countries, recognized a Palestinian state earlier this month as international condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza grew.

A U.N. committee this month accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, which Israel strongly denied. United Nations-backed experts in August declared a famine in Gaza City, where Israel has concentrated a new offensive.

Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Indonesia said in a joint statement they had “confidence” in Trump’s ability to secure peace for Gaza, and would “engage positively and constructively” with Washington.

The Wafa news agency separately reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed medical sources, that three people were killed in a tent sheltering displaced Gazans close to the southern city of Khan Younis and six others were killed in central Gaza.

The Israeli military said in an update on Tuesday it had had attacked more than 160 “terror targets” in Gaza.

What People Are Saying

Netanyahu told Trump in a joint press conference on Monday: “You are the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.”

The PA Response in Full

“The State of Palestine welcomes the sincere and determined efforts of President Donald J. Trump to end the war on Gaza and affirms its confidence in his ability to find a path toward peace. It also underscores the importance of the partnership with the United States in achieving peace in the region.

“It renews its joint commitment to work with the United States, regional states, and partners to end the war on Gaza through a comprehensive agreement that ensures the sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the release of hostages and prisoners, the establishment of mechanisms to protect the Palestinian people, guarantee respect for the ceasefire and security for both sides, prevent annexation of land, stop the displacement of Palestinians, end unilateral actions that violate international law, release withheld Palestinian tax revenues, and lead to a full Israeli withdrawal.

“This would also ensure the unification of Palestinian land and institutions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, end the occupation, and open the path toward a just peace based on the two-state solution, with the independent and sovereign State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness, in accordance with international legitimacy.

“Reaffirming the commitments undertaken by the State of Palestine at the International Conference in New York regarding the completion of the Palestinian reform program—including holding presidential and parliamentary elections within one year after the end of the war, and ensuring that all candidates in the elections adhere to the political program, international commitments, of the PLO, international legitimacy, and the principle of one system, one law, and one legitimate Palestinian security force.

“We have affirmed our desire for a modern, democratic, and non-militarized Palestinian state, committed to pluralism and the peaceful transfer of power.

“This also includes the commitment to implement the program for the development of curricula in line with UNESCO standards within two years, the abolition of laws and regulations under which payments are made to the families of prisoners and martyrs, and the establishment of a unified social welfare system subject to international auditing. The State of Palestine affirms its readiness to engage positively and constructively with the United States and all parties in order to achieve peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region.”

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