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A latest Gaza ceasefire proposal approved by Hamas is “almost identical” to that put forward by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry has said.

The proposal would see a 60-day truce and 28 hostages – including 10 who are still alive – returned to Israel 22 months after the 7 October 2023 attacks which triggered the war in Gaza.

It would also see the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel and an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors, a Hamas official has said.

Israel’s response to the proposal is expected in the coming two days, a Palestinian source said.

Meanwhile, Israeli broadcaster Kan, citing Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, said Israel was demanding the release of all 50 hostages.

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Mass protests and strikes in Israel over hostage release

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Qatar has been working with Egypt to mediate between the warring factions and broker a US-backed ceasefire deal for Gaza, where, according the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the past 22 months.

The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and members of Palestinian armed groups.

The war has left swathes of the besieged enclave razed to the ground, while Gaza’s population is increasingly facing famine.

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Gaza hospitals ‘overwhelmed with malnutrition cases’

There were 251 dead as a result of famine and malnutrition, including 108 children, according to the latest numbers from the Gaza health ministry.

Sky News reported on Monday that remaining hospitals in Gaza are overwhelmed with malnutrition cases, as it pointed to how a nine-year-old child went from weighing 25kg to nine.

The war in Gaza came after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks in southern Israel, which saw 1,200 people killed and about 250 more taken hostage.

The latest ceasefire proposal includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, which currently control 75% of Gaza, and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the enclave.

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Hamas has also requested the release of hundreds of Gaza detainees, two Egyptian security sources said.

Efforts to broker a deal that would suspend the violence in Gaza intensified after Israel announced plans to seize control of Gaza City, which is currently home to an estimated one million people.

The Israeli prime minister has said a final push is needed to “complete the defeat of Hamas” – and vowed to continue the war until all hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed.

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No signs of a ceasefire on the ground

Meanwhile, Israel’s military campaign in the besieged enclave showed no sign of abating as Israeli gunfire, tank shelling and airstrikes killed at least 20 Palestinians on Tuesday, according to Gaza health officials.

Tanks completed taking control of the Zeitoun suburb, an eastern neighbourhood on Gaza City’s outskirts, and continued to pound the nearby area of Sabra, killing two women and a man, medics said.

Local health authorities said dozens of people had been trapped in their houses because of the shelling.

The Israeli military said it was checking the report.

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Two dead and a million evacuated as Super Typhoon Fung-wong hits Philippines

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Two dead and a million evacuated as Super Typhoon Fung-wong hits Philippines

Two people have died and more than one million people evacuated after a storm bearing down on the Philippines intensified into a super typhoon and made landfall on Sunday.

Fung-wong started battering eastern and central parts of the country, causing power outages, and forcing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to declare a state of emergency.

One person drowned in Catanduanes and firefighters recovered the body of a woman trapped under the debris of a collapsed home in Catbalogan City, officials said.

A satellite image shows Storm Fung-wong, which has intensified into a super typhoon. Pic: CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA/Handout via Reuters
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A satellite image shows Storm Fung-wong, which has intensified into a super typhoon. Pic: CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA/Handout via Reuters

A man walks in the rain with an umbrella as Typhoon Fung-wong approaches, in Cauayan, Isabela, Philippines. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A man walks in the rain with an umbrella as Typhoon Fung-wong approaches, in Cauayan, Isabela, Philippines. Pic: Reuters

Evacuations under way in Quezon province. Pic: Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Image:
Evacuations under way in Quezon province. Pic: Philippine Coast Guard via AP

An evacuation centre in Manila. Pic: Reuters
Image:
An evacuation centre in Manila. Pic: Reuters

Packing sustained winds of 115mph and gusts of up to 140mph, Super Typhoon Fung-wong made landfall in Aurora province in central Luzon.

Those living in high-risk villages in northeastern provinces were told to evacuate, including in Bicol, a coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.

Defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr warned Fung-wong could affect a vast expanse of the country, including the capital Manila, and Cebu, the central province hit hardest by the deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi just days ago.

More than 200 people were killed in the earlier typhoon, and around 100 are still missing.

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Filipinos stranded on roofs amid Typhoon floods

Mr Teodoro Jr urged residents to heed evacuation orders, warning refusing to comply was dangerous and unlawful.

“We ask people to pre-emptively evacuate so that we don’t end up having to conduct rescues at the last minute, which could put the lives of police, soldiers, firefighters and coast guard personnel at risk,” he said in a public address.

More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong, the Office of Civil Defence said.

The projection of the route that will be taken by Super Typhoon Fung-wong by Japan's national weather agency. Pic: JMA
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The projection of the route that will be taken by Super Typhoon Fung-wong by Japan’s national weather agency. Pic: JMA

In Isabela in northern Luzon, dozens of families were sheltering at a basketball court repurposed as an evacuation centre.

“We’re scared,” said Christopher Sanchez, 50, who fled his home with his family. “We’re here with our grandchildren and our kids. The whole family is in the evacuation area.”

Nearly 400 domestic and international flights have been cancelled, according to the civil aviation regulator.

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Deadly tornado tears through southern Brazil

Deadly tornado in Brazil

Meanwhile, a powerful tornado ripped through the southern state of Parana in Brazil – killing at least six and injuring more than 750 people, state officials said on Saturday.

The tornado left a trail of destruction, downing trees, overturning vehicles and damaging buildings.

Roads were also blocked and power lines damaged, with authorities saying around 1,000 people were displaced,

“We will continue to assist the people of Parana and provide all the help needed,” President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X.

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UK deploying specialist RAF team to defend Belgium from ‘rogue’ drones

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UK deploying specialist RAF team to defend Belgium from 'rogue' drones

The UK is deploying a specialist Royal Air Force team to help defend Belgium’s skies following a series of sightings of “rogue” drones, the defence secretary and his military chief have revealed.

The ground-based unit will be equipped with kit that can track and take down unmanned aerial systems.

It is not yet clear who is responsible for the drone incursions, which forced the country’s main airport near Brussels to close temporarily and have also impacted Belgian military bases.

However, there are suspicions that they could be linked to Russia.

Other NATO nations have also experienced similar problems, including Denmark and Germany.

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Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News, said his Belgian counterpart had called him to request British support.

Queen Camilla looks at counter-drone equipment during a visit to RAF Leeming, Northallerton, in September 2024. Pic: PA
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Queen Camilla looks at counter-drone equipment during a visit to RAF Leeming, Northallerton, in September 2024. Pic: PA

“I had my Belgian opposite number – the chief of the defence staff – in touch with me this week, seeking our help to track and potentially defeat the drones,” he said.

“We agreed with the defence secretary on Friday that we would send our people and our equipment into Belgium to help them with the current problem they have got there.”

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Queen Camilla, who is an honorary air commodore, inspects counter-drone equipment. Pic: PA
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Queen Camilla, who is an honorary air commodore, inspects counter-drone equipment. Pic: PA

John Healey, the defence secretary, said: “When our NATO allies call, we step up. Belgium requested urgent support to counter rogue drone activity at their military bases, so I’ve directed a small team of RAF specialists to deploy immediately.

“As hybrid threats grow, our strength lies in our alliances and our collective resolve to defend, deter and protect our critical infrastructure and airspace.”

The RAF team is trained and equipped to combat drones.

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Three dead and 15 injured in Tenerife tidal surge

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Three dead and 15 injured in Tenerife tidal surge

Three people have died after they were swept into the sea off the coast of Tenerife during treacherous weather, officials said on Sunday.

Strong waves pulled them into the Atlantic Ocean during a tidal surge on Saturday.

A man who had fallen into the water at Charco del Viento, a rocky beauty spot in the north of the island not far from Icod de los Vinos, was airlifted to hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival, Spanish media reported.

In a separate incident, a man was found floating off Cabezo beach in El Medano in the south of the island.

Lifeguards and paramedics were unable to resuscitate him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman suffered a heart attack and died when a wave swept several people into the sea at Puerto de la Cruz in northern Tenerife. Three people were seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

The victim was a 79-year-old Dutch woman, according to El Dia.

The Spanish newspaper reported the deceased at Charco del Viento was a 43-year-old man from La Orotava, a town in northern Tenerife, while the identity of the man who died at Cabezo beach had not been released.

Around 15 people were injured in four different incidents along the coast of the island of Tenerife on Saturday, according to emergency services.

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Authorities had warned people of a tidal surge and strong winds, advising them not to walk along coastal paths and avoid putting themselves at risk by taking photos and videos of the rough seas.

The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the west coast of Africa that includes Tenerife, are on alert for coastal hazards, officials said.

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