Gaza: Britain Fired 10 Tons of Aid For First Time · Global Voices

Britain’s defence ministry announced today that RAF, the country’s air force, went on Monday – for the first time – to parachute a total of 10 metric tons of food intended for civilians in the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid, “water, rice, cooking oil, flour, canned food and infant formula” is “to support people in the Gaza Strip”, according to the press release published by the ministry. The drop was made by RAF A400M as part of an international relief mission coordinated by Jordan, specified in the text. Hamas accuses Israel of the “failure” of the Gaza truce talks The Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement accused the Israeli government on Monday to Tuesday night of carrying “integrity” for the “failure” to date of talks in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by the release of hostages and prisoners. “The movement soon informed the brother mediators (p.p. reference to Qatar and Egypt) that it remained committed to the position and the chariot presented on 14 March. But the occupation (ed. Israel) refused to meet the fundamental claims of our people and our resistance,” Hamas stressed in a statement that she made public. “The movement therefore repeats that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his extremist government bear full responsibility for the failure of negotiating efforts and has so far prevented the conclusion of an agreement,” Hamas added, without making it clear whether it is ending the talks. Hamas, who claimed as then a definitive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip before discussing a hostage-sharing with prisoners, appeared on 14 March to make a retreat, accepting a six-week truce. The countries interceding — Qatar, Egypt and the US — have been trying for weeks to secure a truce agreement, after five and a half months of disastrous war, accompanied by the release of Israeli hostages who remain in prison in the Gaza Strip and, in exchange, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. CIA chief, William Burns, and Mossad’s (Israeli espionage) David Barnea, left Qatar on Saturday “to inform” their governments about “this cycle” of negotiations, according to the source, which was expressed under the condition of not being named. Talks focus “on the details and reason for exchanging hostages and prisoners,” he added, clarifying that “technical groups remain in Doha”. Earlier yesterday, Hamas praised the United Nations Security Council’s decision calling for “an immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip and expressed its willingness to begin a “exchange process” of hostages/prisoned “directly”. Following the adoption of the decision, the Israeli government cancelled a delegation visit expected this week in Washington, judging that the American abstention during the UN vote “damaged” both the Israeli military operation and the attempts to free hostages.