The war in Gaza and simmering tensions across the Middle East are expected to dominate at the Saudi-hosted special meeting of the World Economic Forum that begins in Riyadh on Sunday. Hamas will be there and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to join the summit on Monday, but there will be no Israeli participation, and the formal mediation process between Israel and Hamas will unfold elsewhere, officials said. Follow our live blog for the latest developments on the war in Gaza.
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Summary:
- Hamas said it had received on Saturday Israel’s official response to its position over ceasefire talks and will study the proposal before submitting its response, the group’s deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, said in a statement.
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Hamas on Saturday released video footage of two men held hostage in Gaza, showing their first proof of life in months. In the undated video, Omri Miran said he had been held for 202 days and Keith Siegel mentioned the Easter Passover holiday, indicating the video was filmed recently.
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Some senior US officials have advised Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find “credible or reliable” Israel’s assurances that it is using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law, according to an internal State Department memo that leaked on Saturday.
- At least 34,388 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 77,437 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks that sparked the war and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.
7:02am: Gaza to dominate Riyadh summit
The war in Gaza and broader Middle East tensions are expected to get top billing as the Saudi-hosted special meeting of the World Economic Forum gets underway in Riyadh on Sunday.
“We meet at a moment when one misjudgement or one miscalculation or one miscommunication will further exacerbate our challenges,” Saudi planning minister Faisal al-Ibrahim said ahead of the conference.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Palestinian leaders and high-ranking officials from other countries trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are on the guest list for the summit in Riyadh, but there will be no Israeli participation, and officials said the formal mediation process between Israel and Hamas will unfold elsewhere.
2:53am: Gaza protests mar White House correspondents’ dinner
Hundreds of people outraged over the mounting humanitarian disaster for Palestinian civilians in Gaza gathered outside the annual White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington DC on Saturday, condemning President Joe Biden for his support of Israel’s military campaign.
“Shame on you!” protesters draped in the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh cloth shouted, running after men in tuxedos and suits and women in long dresses holding clutch purses as guests hurried inside for the dinner.
“Western media we see you, and all the horrors that you hide,” the crowds also chanted, accusing Western news outlets of undercoverage and what they said was a misrepresentation of the conflict.
- Hamas said it had received on Saturday Israel’s official response to its position over ceasefire talks and will study the proposal before submitting its response, the group’s deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, said in a statement.
- Israel’s foreign minister said on Saturday that a planned incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah could be suspended should there be a deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
- A “Freedom Flotilla” aimed at delivering aid to Gaza was blocked in Turkey Saturday after being denied use of two of its ships, which organisers blamed on Israeli pressure.
About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters, AP)
