Author: ANews

Egyptian delegation in Israel for talks on Gaza hostages

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The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel had no new proposals to make, although it was willing to consider a limited truce in which 33 hostages would be released by the Islamist movement Hamas, instead of the 40 previously under discussion.

“There are no current hostage talks between Israel and Hamas, nor is there a new Israeli offer in that regard,” the official said. “What there is, is an attempt by Egypt to restart the talks with an Egyptian proposal that would entail the release of 33 hostages – women, elderly and infirm.”

According to Israeli media reports, Israeli intelligence officials believe there are 33 female, elderly and sick hostages left alive in Gaza, out of a total of 133 still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.

There was no decision on how long any truce would last but if such an exchange were agreed, the pause in fighting would be “definitely less than six weeks”, the official said.

The visit by the Egyptian delegation came a day after the United States and 17 other countries appealed to Hamas to release all of its hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza. Hamas vowed not to relent to international pressure.

Hamas said it was “open to any ideas or proposals that take into account the needs and rights of our people”. However it stuck to central demands Israel has rejected, and said it criticised the statement for not calling for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The visit by the Egyptian delegation followed Israeli media reports of a visit to Cairo on Thursday by the Israeli army chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, and Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence service.

Egypt, concerned about a potential influx of Palestinian refugees from neighbouring Gaza if the war continues with the long-promised Israeli offensive into the southern city of Rafah, has taken an increasingly active role in the negotiations.

“The Egyptians are really picking up the mantle on this. Egypt wants to see progress, not least because it’s worried about a prospective Rafah operation,” the official said.

Israel was increasingly looking past Qatar as a main broker, according to the official, after it failed to respond to Israeli demands to expel Hamas leaders from its territory or curb their finances.

“Qatar is still involved but in a lesser capacity,” the official said. “It’s clear to everyone they failed to deliver, even when it came to expelling Hamas or even shutting down their bank accounts.”

However Hamas officials said they still considered Qatar a key mediator, alongside Egypt.

(Reporting by Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, writing by James Mackenzie, editing by Mark Heinrich and Alex Richardson)

Egyptian delegation in Israel for talks on Gaza hostages

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel had no new proposals to make, although it was willing to consider a limited truce in which 33 hostages would be released by the Islamist movement Hamas, instead of the 40 previously under discussion.

“There are no current hostage talks between Israel and Hamas, nor is there a new Israeli offer in that regard,” the official said. “What there is, is an attempt by Egypt to restart the talks with an Egyptian proposal that would entail the release of 33 hostages – women, elderly and infirm.”

According to Israeli media reports, Israeli intelligence officials believe there are 33 female, elderly and sick hostages left alive in Gaza, out of a total of 133 still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.

There was no decision on how long any truce would last but if such an exchange were agreed, the pause in fighting would be “definitely less than six weeks”, the official said.

The visit by the Egyptian delegation came a day after the United States and 17 other countries appealed to Hamas to release all of its hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza. Hamas vowed not to relent to international pressure.

Hamas said it was “open to any ideas or proposals that take into account the needs and rights of our people”. However it stuck to central demands Israel has rejected, and said it criticised the statement for not calling for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The visit by the Egyptian delegation followed Israeli media reports of a visit to Cairo on Thursday by the Israeli army chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, and Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence service.

Egypt, concerned about a potential influx of Palestinian refugees from neighbouring Gaza if the war continues with the long-promised Israeli offensive into the southern city of Rafah, has taken an increasingly active role in the negotiations.

“The Egyptians are really picking up the mantle on this. Egypt wants to see progress, not least because it’s worried about a prospective Rafah operation,” the official said.

Israel was increasingly looking past Qatar as a main broker, according to the official, after it failed to respond to Israeli demands to expel Hamas leaders from its territory or curb their finances.

“Qatar is still involved but in a lesser capacity,” the official said. “It’s clear to everyone they failed to deliver, even when it came to expelling Hamas or even shutting down their bank accounts.”

However Hamas officials said they still considered Qatar a key mediator, alongside Egypt.

(Reporting by Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, writing by James Mackenzie, editing by Mark Heinrich and Alex Richardson)

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Secret Service says agent on Harris’ detail was removed from assignment after distressing behavior

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The incident occurred about 9 a.m. ET Monday at Joint Base Andrews, the agency said, ahead of a planned visit by the vice president to Wisconsin.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the agent began “displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing.” The statement did not clarify what that behavior entailed.

“The agent was removed from their assignment while medical personnel were summoned,” Guglielmi said. Harris was at the Naval Observatory during the incident and there “was no impact on her departure” from the base.

“The U.S. Secret Service takes the safety and health of our employees very seriously,” Guglielmi said. “As this was a medical matter, we will not disclose any further details.”

Harris’ office did not immediately return a request for comment

The incident was first reported by the Washington Examiner.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

Secret Service says agent on Harris’ detail was removed from assignment after distressing behavior

The incident occurred about 9 a.m. ET Monday at Joint Base Andrews, the agency said, ahead of a planned visit by the vice president to Wisconsin.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the agent began “displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing.” The statement did not clarify what that behavior entailed.

“The agent was removed from their assignment while medical personnel were summoned,” Guglielmi said. Harris was at the Naval Observatory during the incident and there “was no impact on her departure” from the base.

“The U.S. Secret Service takes the safety and health of our employees very seriously,” Guglielmi said. “As this was a medical matter, we will not disclose any further details.”

Harris’ office did not immediately return a request for comment

The incident was first reported by the Washington Examiner.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

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Key prosecution witness in Trump trial to face grilling from former president’s lawyers

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Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker‘s testimony marks the end of the second week of Trump’s hush money trial.

Since he took the stand Monday, Pecker has told jurors that Trump and his then-lawyer Michael Cohen had asked him to be their “eyes and ears” when it came to salacious stories that could undermine Trump’s candidacy.

When cross-examination began Thursday, Trump attorney Emil Bove immediately set out to poke holes in Pecker’s credibility, getting him to acknowledge times he had mixed up dates and that the passage of time could affect his memory.

“There are some gaps, correct? Because it was a long time ago?” Bove asked.

“Yes,” Pecker replied.

Bove also got Pecker, 72, to acknowledge that it wasn’t unusual for the paper to buy stories from sources that it wouldn’t print. Pecker said about half the stories it bought didn’t wind up getting printed, although some about celebrities were used as leverage to get other stories from those celebrities.

Pecker testified this week that he was involved in efforts to kill three stories that could have been damaging to Trump’s 2016 campaign. The first involved a doorman who claimed Trump fathered an illegitimate child. The paper paid the doorman $30,000 for his silence, even though, Pecker told the court, the claim was later determined to be “absolutely 1,000% untrue.”

The second story involved former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed to have had a monthslong affair with Trump that began in 2006. Pecker said he believed her account, in part because, he said, Trump had told him that she was “a nice girl.” Pecker wound up paying her $150,000 for the rights to her story, money he said he initially wanted Trump to pay back before he decided it could cause him legal problems if Trump did so.

Trump has denied McDougal’s claims of an affair.

Pecker added that in 2017 Trump invited him to the White House, where he thanked him for his help, saying the stories from the doorman and McDougal would have been “embarrassing.”

Pecker testified that he was less involved in the third story, which involved adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Daniels claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which Trump denies. Pecker said he refused to pay her for her story but encouraged Cohen to do so.

Pecker told the court that one of his employees, Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard, helped negotiate the terms of their eventual $130,000 deal. Trump later repaid Cohen in payments that were listed as legal expenses, which prosecutors say was a sham.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Key prosecution witness in Trump trial to face grilling from former president’s lawyers

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker‘s testimony marks the end of the second week of Trump’s hush money trial.

Since he took the stand Monday, Pecker has told jurors that Trump and his then-lawyer Michael Cohen had asked him to be their “eyes and ears” when it came to salacious stories that could undermine Trump’s candidacy.

When cross-examination began Thursday, Trump attorney Emil Bove immediately set out to poke holes in Pecker’s credibility, getting him to acknowledge times he had mixed up dates and that the passage of time could affect his memory.

“There are some gaps, correct? Because it was a long time ago?” Bove asked.

“Yes,” Pecker replied.

Bove also got Pecker, 72, to acknowledge that it wasn’t unusual for the paper to buy stories from sources that it wouldn’t print. Pecker said about half the stories it bought didn’t wind up getting printed, although some about celebrities were used as leverage to get other stories from those celebrities.

Pecker testified this week that he was involved in efforts to kill three stories that could have been damaging to Trump’s 2016 campaign. The first involved a doorman who claimed Trump fathered an illegitimate child. The paper paid the doorman $30,000 for his silence, even though, Pecker told the court, the claim was later determined to be “absolutely 1,000% untrue.”

The second story involved former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed to have had a monthslong affair with Trump that began in 2006. Pecker said he believed her account, in part because, he said, Trump had told him that she was “a nice girl.” Pecker wound up paying her $150,000 for the rights to her story, money he said he initially wanted Trump to pay back before he decided it could cause him legal problems if Trump did so.

Trump has denied McDougal’s claims of an affair.

Pecker added that in 2017 Trump invited him to the White House, where he thanked him for his help, saying the stories from the doorman and McDougal would have been “embarrassing.”

Pecker testified that he was less involved in the third story, which involved adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Daniels claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which Trump denies. Pecker said he refused to pay her for her story but encouraged Cohen to do so.

Pecker told the court that one of his employees, Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard, helped negotiate the terms of their eventual $130,000 deal. Trump later repaid Cohen in payments that were listed as legal expenses, which prosecutors say was a sham.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.

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