Hamas confirms direct peace talks with US – as it calls on Trump to ‘pressure’ Israel
A senior Hamas official has confirmed the militant group is in direct talks with the United States over peace in Gaza, adding that it believes Donald Trump can help broker a deal.
Speaking to Sky News’ lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim, Dr Basem Naim said Hamas has shared its proposed agreement both through mediators and “directly with some persons in the US administration”.
They are calling for “a prisoner exchange, total withdrawal of Israeli forces, allowing all the aid to get into Gaza and rebuilding of [the] Gaza Strip without forceful immigration,” he said.
Basem Naim
Dr Naim also addressed whether Hamas – which has been in power since it won the 2006 Palestinian election – could step down from government in order to secure peace.
“We have also told the Americans, we are ready to, again, to hand over the government immediately if we reach an end of this war,” he said.
Trump, seen here at a US airbase in Qatar, is on the final day of a Middle East tour
Dr Naim added Hamas has “accepted” an Egyptian peace proposal which “is talking about forming a Palestinian, independent, politically unaffiliated body to run the Gaza Strip”.
“Before that, as long as we are still occupied people, we have all the right to continue defending our people and resisting the occupation with all means including under resistance,” he said.
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Turning his attention directly to the US president, the senior Hamas official said he thinks Mr Trump “has the capability and the will to reach this peaceful situation”.
He said: “Gaza and Gazans are deserving, like all other people everywhere, to live in peace and dignity.
“And I think President Trump can do it if he exercises enough pressure on the Israelis to end this war immediately. And we are ready to cooperate with him to achieve this goal of a more peaceful region.”
Responding to the interview with Hamas, White House National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt told Sky News that Hamas “has not demonstrated they are serious about peace” and that Mr Trump “has been clear Hamas must lay down their arms”.
“Hamas continues to wrongfully hold hostages, including American bodies, in the dungeons of Gaza who could easily be freed and have shown no changes in behaviour to indicate they will cease to attack civilians,” he added.
Hamas has set out ceasefire conditions – but Trump remains as stern as ever
Donald Trump’s Middle East tour has been full of surprises.
But the revelation that officials in his administration are speaking directly to Hamas is one of the most significant.
As the US president addressed troops at the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar – the largest in the region – I sat down with a senior Hamas official who confirmed direct talks were ongoing.
In an exclusive interview, Dr Bassem Naim praised Trump and talked up chances of finding a peaceful resolution.
It’s a remarkable statement from a senior figure within the group, which is considered by the US and UK to be a terrorist organisation.
Much has been made of Trump’s ‘transactional’ approach here in the region.
His commitment to the ‘art of the deal’ can often achieve unexpected results but also anger his allies – which is almost certainly the case with Israel’s embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
When I asked Dr Naim about the demands from Israel and the United States for Hamas to disarm and accept that it can no longer be the governing force in Gaza, he set out conditions that Hamas says would have to be met.
However, President Trump’s public stance on Hamas remains as stern as ever.
The group “needed to be dealt with” he said earlier, adding he has “concepts for Gaza,” and that the US should “take it” and turn it into a “freedom zone”.
Israel’s war in Gaza has now entered its 20th month with more than 53,000 people believed to be dead, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Some 15,000 of them are children, according to UNICEF.
There are still more than 50 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Strip.
In a statement released on Thursday, Hamas highlighted the fact it recently released hostage Edan Alexander, an Israeli soldier with American citizenship.
It continued: “We expect, based on the understandings reached with the American side, and with the knowledge of the mediators, that humanitarian aid should have entered the Gaza Strip immediately, a call been made for a permanent ceasefire, and that comprehensive negotiations would have been held on all issues to achieve security and stability in the region, a goal we aspire to achieve.
“However, failure to achieve these steps, especially the entry of humanitarian aid to our people, will cast a negative effect over any efforts to complete negotiations on the prisoner exchange process.”
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Analysis: Israel’s escalation in Gaza
The US president has previously shared plans of his own for Gaza and in February, he posted a bizarre AI video showing the region transformed into a paradise complete with its own Trump tower and exotic beaches.
The States could “own that piece of land” and develop it, he said – but the idea was swiftly condemned as the effective “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians from Gaza.
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Moment of Israeli strike on house
Mr Trump is currently on a visit to the Middle East, which has included stops in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – but not Israel.
There had been hopes his trip could lead to a ceasefire deal, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed ahead with an escalation of force on the Gaza Strip.
Israel has this week launched airstrikes on two consecutive nights while continuing to block aid for the region, worsening the humanitarian crisis.
Watch the full interview with Dr Basem Naim from 9pm this evening on The World With Yalda Hakim on Sky News
Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.
The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.
Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”
Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.
But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.
The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.
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In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.
“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.
Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
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