How UMNO is undermining the ‘unity government’

Murray Hunter


How UMNO is undermining the ‘unity government’


Jul 11, 2025





As prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is dealing with an internal PKR mutiny, all attention is being drawn away from UMNO, whose leader is sitting silent on the sidelines.

Going back to the 2022 general election, the main issue was the corruption of the then UMNO led government, in particular UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Zahid just hung onto his Bagan Datok seat with a majority of 348 votes, which he had held since 1995. Many expected the UMNO membership to turn on Zahid after UMNO’s dismal performance. However, Zahid assisted PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim stich together a government with the blessing of the former YDPA Sultan Abullah.

When the ‘unity government’ was formed in the first week of December 2022, many supporters of PKR and the DAP felt betrayed. Pakatan Harapan had done a ‘deal with the devil’. It got worse. Anwar appointed Zahid as deputy prime minister with the weight of 47 criminal charges hanging around his head.

This immediately tarnished Anwar’s reputation, This has stuck with him, where he is now seen as grossly unpopular.


UMNO party unrest

From the get-go there has been unrest within UMNO. Zahid had just completed a purge of his major adversaries (losing Perlis in the process). An influential section within the membership wanted a pardon for their former leader Najib Razak. Zahid also wanted to be released from his legal case, as did a long list after him.

Within three months into Anwar’s term of office, a Pardons Board meeting halved Najib Razak’s 12 year sentence down to 6 years, and lowered his fine from RM 210 million to RM 55 million. This brought anger and dismay to Anwar’s followers, leading to heavy public criticism from some of his loyal followers.

This was not all, the issue of an addendum signed just before the former YDPA left office, granting Najib house arrest persisted a whole year, with Anwar and his ministers trying to suppress the issue. This issue is still playing out in the court today. This has cost Anwar popularity, even though his home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had tried to keep the addendum unexecuted.

Zahid’s own acquittal through a DNAA of 47 criminal charges in September 2023 brought further rage and unpopularity to the government. The problem is all anger went towards Anwar and not UMNO.

The remains to this day a strong perception by non-Malay voters that Anwar had pandered to the corrupt within UMNO.


Race politics

Anwar’s administration has become tainted with hate-based race politics through minions of UMNO. Mihamad Akmal Saleh, a Melaka based state assembly person is infamously known for his attacks upon KK Supermart over socks that had the insignia of God, thus construed to insult Islam. Akmal has spoken up on other issues since, leading to perceptions that the ‘Madani Government’ plays racial politics. The net effect of this has been negative on Anwar as prime minister.


MCMC – making PKR unpopular

The MCMC had governed the internet for Malaysian since the early 2000s without becoming controversial. Now the MCMC has become an UMNO satellite and the commission’s overzealous use of power unnecessarily harassing Malaysians is backfiring on Anwar. The MCMC no doubt is making Anwar more unpopular by the day, and this has remained unchecked. The MCMC could be one of the major factors that lead to the loss of PKR seats in the next general elections.

UMNO has been well rewarded with seats for UMNO stalwarts in agencies and GLCs still playing the old patriarchal politics. UMNO has 6 ministers, a deputy prime minister, all with just 26 seats in parliament.

The eyes of UMNO leaders are on the coming general elections. UMNO strategists know they will benefit more than PKR electorally. Those who support Pakatan Harapan are more likely to vote for UMNO candidates, than UMNO supporters vote for PH. UMNO only has to win more seats than PKR to make a valid claim for the prime minister’s position in a future government after the coming general election.

UMNO has undermined PKR most (DAP has won most of its seats in parliament with massive margins). UMNO will leave PKR behind after the election and won’t be as kind as Anwar was to UMNO.

UMNO is the enemy within for Anwar and the ‘unity government’. UMNO is actually PKR’s greatest adversary, just as it was in 2022.

Is yet another PKR split imminent?

Murray Hunter


Is yet another PKR split imminent?


Jul 12, 2025





An FMT report this morning (July 12) said that “Nineteen PKR divisions in Johor have called for the suspension of nine MPs from the party who pushed for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into judicial appointments and alleged interference in the judiciary”.

The report went on to say “The division chiefs said the MPs’ actions not only breached party discipline and ethics, but also cast a negative light on the prime minister’s leadership and opened the door to political manipulation by rivals”.

The report continued to say that the divisions are urging PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh to immediately suspend the memberships of all nine MPs involved in the calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into judicial appointments.

This is not the first time there has been a split in PKR. Back in 2020 Azmin Ali led a group of PKR MPs out of the Pakatan Harapan government to join with Bersatu and PAS to form a new government under Muhyiddin Yassin. Azmin Ali left PKR with 10 other MPs, wounding PKR very badly.

PKR won some 31 seats in GE15 in November 2022. If Rafizi and the nine MPs supporting him are suspended from the party, that will leave PKR with 22 MPs. Technically, PKR would have a smaller representation in parliament than UMNO, and the position of prime minister staying with Anwar Ibrahim would be at the courtesy of Ahmand Zahid Hamidi, the deputy prime minister and president of UMNO.

One would have to assume the news in FMT is factual and involved Johor PKR leader Hasan Abdul Karim, the MP for Pasir Gudang in Johor. Otherwise, Karim would be quick to deny the story with Fuziah Salleh.

If the story is correct, then the move is seen as an attempt to weaken Rafizi and his group, and deny them preselection in the coming general election. PKR is very short of winnable seats for people such as Nurul Izzah PKR deputy president, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail the home minister, and Fuziah Salleh PKR secretary general.

Anwar very strangely held a meeting with Barisan Nasional MPS last night, three days before he meets with his Pakatan Harapan MPs on Monday afternoon. This will come the day after Rafizi’s forum on judicial appointments on Sunday night.

We must go back to 2018, when there was a major botch up in Selangor to rid the Menteri Besar post then held by Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. PKR splits and sacking of members in positions in the past have been messy.

We will only know how intact PKR will remain after the next couple of days. If long and drawn out, we could see Anwar and Rafizi competing for media attention, just like Anwar and Tun Mahathir did during 1998 before Anwar was sacked by Tun Mahathir.

The move to suspend the PKR nine, former party deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who is Pandan MP; Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa); Rodziah Ismail (Ampang); Wong Chen (Subang); Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju); Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau); Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Ledang); S Kesavan (Sungai Siput) and Onn Abu Bakar (Batu Pahat).

Watch the media closely for stories of the growing number of PKR divisions calling for the PKR nine’s suspension.

A Faustian Bargain: PM Anwar, Umno, and the erosion of judicial independence in Malaysia

Murray Hunter


A Faustian Bargain: PM Anwar, Umno, and the erosion of judicial independence in Malaysia

P Ramasamy
Jul 12, 2025





Is Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim caught between the devil and the deep blue sea?

In this analogy, the devil is Umno, and the deep blue sea is the political wilderness of losing power. One of the central reasons behind the growing controversy surrounding judicial interference may lie in Anwar’s heavy reliance on Umno to remain in power.

It is well established that without Umno’s backing—comprising over 20 MPs—Anwar could not have secured a majority to form the current unity government. Despite Pakatan Harapan’s sizeable bloc, it was the inclusion of Umno, along with support from Sabah and Sarawak coalitions, that convinced the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Anwar’s legitimacy as Prime Minister.

However, Umno’s support came at a price.

To secure power, Anwar had to make concessions: key Cabinet positions were handed to Umno, the DAP—with its 40 MPs—was politically subdued, and there were implicit or explicit assurances that legal troubles facing senior Umno leaders would be alleviated. It was only a matter of time before several prominent Umno figures were granted discharges not amounting to acquittals (DNAA), while corruption charges against others were either dropped or left dormant.

Maintaining Umno’s support didn’t just require dropping charges—it also demanded a judiciary that was pliant, if not entirely subservient. While Malaysia’s judiciary was never fully independent of the executive, there were notable attempts at reform and resistance. Even so, recent developments—such as the non-extension of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun’s service—are widely seen as outcomes of a political compromise between Anwar and Umno.

The Madani government’s survival has come to hinge so deeply on Umno’s support that Anwar, despite his previous reformist stance, appears to have sidelined judicial independence in favor of political expediency. In effect, Umno has exacted its proverbial pound of flesh.

There is also the matter of Anwar’s own political vulnerability. Allegations of sexual misconduct by his former aide Yusoff Rawther, might be pursued in court damaging his standing is political standing. A weakened judiciary, unable or unwilling to challenge the executive, offers Anwar both a shield and a sword.

Rather than enhancing the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) through constitutional reforms, Anwar has chosen to defend his actions by insisting that all appointments follow constitutional provisions. This, however, rings hollow in the face of selective non-extensions and rising concerns over judicial independence. Critics argue that Tengku Maimun’s extension was denied not for procedural reasons, but due to her speech in Malta, where she boldly called for an independent judiciary free from executive interference. If true, this reflects a government intolerant of dissent and allergic to accountability.

The erosion of judicial independence has not gone unnoticed. Calls are growing louder: for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, for Anwar to temporarily step aside, and for greater transparency in judicial matters. The Malaysian Bar Council’s planned march and the Secretariat on Judiciary’s call for Anwar’s resignation reflect deepening alarm over the trajectory of Malaysia’s legal institutions.

In the end, the concern is not just about one leader or one party—it is about the future of rule of law in Malaysia. A judiciary that bows to political pressure loses not only its relevance but its legitimacy. And without an independent judiciary, democracy itself stands on shaky ground.

Purported JAC meeting minutes leak

Purported JAC meeting minutes leak


Published: Jul 12, 2025 8:57 PM
Updated: 10:57 PM


An alleged excerpt of a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) meeting minutes from May has been leaked on social media.

The excerpts appear to have originated on Reddit, but are now also circulating on Facebook and X.

The minutes, which are classified, appear to contain allegations similar to a leaked police report lodged on behalf of a senior judge in June.

The police report was made after Malaysiakini contacted the judge on June 12, seeking comment on allegations that the judge was accused of judicial interference during a JAC meeting in May.

Malaysiakini is attempting to contact members of the JAC regarding the leak as well as the implicated judge.

Public Accounts Committee chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin expressed shock over the leak.

"Madness! If this document is true..." she said on Facebook.


‘Govt must answer’

When contacted, Mas Ermieyati - who is also the Masjid Tanah MP - said while it is unknown whether the leaked document is real or fake, it carries very serious allegations.

"The government must answer and an investigation must be launched," she urged.

Public Accounts Committee chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin

The allegations against the senior judge, as well as concerns about alleged interference in the appointment of judges after Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat retired as chief justice have sparked outrage.

Last week, nine PKR lawmakers led by Rafizi Ramli called for a royal commission of inquiry as well as the Parliament Special Select Committee on reforms to probe the allegations.

PKR MP Rafizi Ramli


Rafizi claimed that a scandal as bad as the VK Lingam judge fixing episode may be in the making.

The Malaysian Bar will also be marching on Monday to hand over a memorandum to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, calling for an RCI, among other demands.


PM to meet Harapan MPs

Meanwhile, Anwar will be meeting with Pakatan Harapan MPs regarding the scandal on Monday as well.

The Attorney-General's Chambers has downplayed concerns about the judiciary, saying a comparison to the Lingam scandal was unwarranted.

It also said that the allegations against the senior judge were just pure speculation about “procedural irregularities”.

***

kt comments:

Since 1988 the Judiciary and Police have never quite recovered their respective integrity. Prior to 1988, our Judiciary and Police (especially its SB) were among the BEST in the world, if not the best.

PN rejects cooperation with GRS at Sabah polls

FMT:

PN rejects cooperation with GRS at Sabah polls


PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin says the coalition felt betrayed when GRS leaders, then in Bersatu, left the party

Perikatan Nasional leader Muhyiddin Yassin said in Sandakan that PN was open to exploring electoral alliances with other parties in preparation for the Sabah election. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional has rejected any political cooperation with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah at the coming Sabah state election, with PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin saying the decision was because of what he described as a betrayal by GRS after its leaders, then in Bersatu, left in 2022.

“It’s very difficult to work with GRS because the party has already turned its back on us. If you were in my position, would you want to work with them?” said Muhyiddin, who is also Bersatu president.

“I was the one who came up with the name GRS when they first started. Back then, it wasn’t just Bersatu in the coalition – there were other parties too. I named it GRS, but it wasn’t officially registered,” he said at a party event in Sandakan, according to Utusan Malaysia.


Muhyiddin said PN was open to exploring electoral alliances with other parties in preparation for the Sabah polls, and would evaluate every state seat once the Sabah state assembly is dissolved.

GRS was formed as an informal coalition of Sabah parties, including Sabah Bersatu, and formally registered in March 2022. Sabah Bersatu leaders left the party in December 2022, a month after a unity federal government coalition was formed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim comprising Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Parti Sarawak.


The Sabah coalition had pledged support for Anwar’s unity government but Bersatu was in the opposition in Parliament. Sabah Bersatu chief Hajiji Noor, who was also the chief minister, said the decision to leave the party was unanimous, and was based on the premise that the status quo was no longer tenable.

GRS then dropped Bersatu as a coalition member and Hajiji announced that he would lead the semi-dormant local party Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, which was accepted as a GRS member.

In January, PN deputy chairman Hamzah Zainudin said PN may contest at least 18 of the 73 seats in the Sabah election, which are expected this year. The state assembly’s term expires in November, but may be dissolved sooner.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man confirmed in May that PAS would contest at least six seats under the PN banner.


GRS is in discussions with PH and BN about an electoral alliance, after the two peninsula-based parties announced they would join forces for the election, leading PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim to call for the PH-BN alliance to work with GRS.

Hajiji has warned that GRS was prepared to go solo if PH teamed up with BN and maintained that Sabah-based parties should form the backbone of any alliance and lead the state government.

Tourist safety a priority, accident report rule stays, says Tiong

FMT:

Tourist safety a priority, accident report rule stays, says Tiong


Tourism minister Tiong King Sing says the ministry will not compromise, under any form of pressure or complaint, over the requirement from July 1 to file a report within 24 hours of an accident occurring

Tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing said his ministry was dismayed by the “overly defensive reaction” of the Malaysian Association of Travel and Tour Agents. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: The tourism ministry will not compromise under any form of pressure over the requirement for tour companies to submit a report within 24 hours of any accident, minister Tiong King Sing said.

He said the rule, although regarded as extreme, was vital to ensure the safety of tourists, and his ministry is firmly committed to upholding the principle of safety-first, in order to restore confidence in Malaysia’s tourism.

“Ensuring the safety of tourists is a matter of life and death and should be treated as a top priority. Therefore, the ministry will not compromise under any form of pressure or complaint,” he said in a statement in response to criticisms by the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents.


The association said the rule, effective from July 1, was imposed without consultation and was unacceptable because it allows for licenses to be suspended for failure to comply.

Tiong said many tour-related accidents in the past had raised serious public concern, even leading to foreign governments issuing travel advisories against certain destinations in Malaysia.


He said submission of a report within 24 hours was not an admission of guilt, but would allow tour companies to provide accurate information to help the authorities determine the cause of the accident. The information includes details of the driver’s background, the inspection record of the tour bus, and details of the travel group.

The 24-hour ruling came about following several fatal road crashes involving tour buses, including one on June 9 in which 15 students of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan were killed.


Tiong said the ministry of tourism, arts and culture was dismayed by the “overly defensive reaction” of the Malaysian Association of Travel and Tour Agents. He said that during his official visits overseas, foreign ministers frequently express concern over Malaysia’s safety standards.

He said as the government approves tour operating licences allowing companies the opportunity to do business, it is incumbent on the private sector to ensure that it fulfils its obligations to safety and regulatory compliances.


“The ministry will continue enforcing this measure strictly. I hope Matta fully understands that ensuring the safety of tourists is their most basic responsibility. It must never be sacrificed for the sake of convenience or profit,” he said.

***

kt comments:

I reckon Tiong has been a good minister.

PAS fielding non-Muslims in Sabah poll : The bitter truth behind the hypocrisy of politics

PAS fielding non-Muslims in Sabah poll : The bitter truth behind the hypocrisy of politics


12 Jul 2025 • 7:30 AM MYT


TheRealNehruism
Writer. Seeker. Teacher

Image credit: Malay Mail


There’s a common complaint in public discourse — that politicians today have no principles. The latest to seemingly prove this point is PAS, which has recently stated its intent to field non-Muslim candidates in the upcoming Sabah poll.


According to PAS's Sabah secretary Sahar Abdul Majid, such nominations align with the party’s long-standing “PAS for All” principle and are not new. He noted that the party had already fielded non-Muslim candidates in the 14th general election (GE14).


“Our non-Muslim supporters’ wing (DHPP) in the Sabah chapter is active, particularly among the Dusun and Chinese communities, with over 1,000 members to date,” he told FMT.


“In 2018, PAS fielded a non-Muslim candidate. This shows that Sabah DHPP plays an important role in garnering support from non-Muslim communities.”


Critics, however, have wasted no time in pouring cold water on PAS's intention. Among members of the public, the accusation that PAS is acting hypocritically is widespread.


But this complaint reveals more about us than it does about them.


Politics is not the arena for saints. It is the arena for winners. The game, at its core, is about power. And power doesn’t reward purity — it rewards adaptability.


As Clausewitz once observed in war: the longer you engage an enemy in the same way, the more they will adapt. In politics, the same logic applies. Once you find a winning tactic, your opponents will study it, counter it, and eventually copy it. Victory is never static.

Many are criticising PAS for fielding non-Muslim candidates in the Sabah state election, arguing that it goes against its decades of Islamic rhetoric. But this assumes that PAS is, first and foremost, a religious institution. It is not. PAS is a political party. And political parties, by definition, must make choices that improve their odds of winning.


PAS’s Islamic principles are most intact when PAS is not trying to win — or when it is already losing or ready to lose. In those moments, principles are safe because power is out of reach. But when victory is the goal, principles inevitably become negotiable. They must. Because in a competitive arena, a party that clings too tightly to fixed ideals is like a soldier refusing to adapt on the battlefield — they are almost certainly going to be the first to die.


If PAS were to win while maintaining strict Islamic orthodoxy, you can bet its opponents — UMNO, PH, even DAP — would begin shifting in that direction, not out of belief, but out of necessity. In a fierce enough contest, we shouldn’t even be surprised if DAP — often seen as PAS's polar opposite — begins adapting by out-Islamising PAS, if that’s what it takes to wrest back victory.



That’s politics for you: when your opponent wins with a strategy, you borrow it.


Non-Muslims may find PAS's move to field non-Muslims hypocritical. After all the negative rhetoric PAS has used about upholding Islam and portraying non-Muslims as a threat, it certainly feels two-faced to now rely on them to win elections. But perhaps that rhetoric was just that: rhetoric. PAS might have said those things not because it believed them, but because it thought that was what it needed to say to win.


This doesn’t mean PAS has no Islamic convictions. It means those convictions sit more comfortably with those who are not responsible for winning. The idealists and the grassroots may hold the principles. But those at the top? They are tasked with delivering results. And delivering results means bending — if not breaking — what the base wants to hear.


This is the great trick of political leadership: to convince your followers you share their values, even if you know that fully embracing those values would doom you to the same irrelevance they face. Your job is not to mirror their purity. Your job is to win for them — even if you have to lie to do it.



As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage.” But no one knows the choreography better than a career politician.


And that’s why political winners are often alone. They may be surrounded by crowds, buoyed by movements, carried by slogans — but in their hearts, they are cut off from those they lead. The people see a champion, but the champion sees a battlefield. And the only people who truly understand what it means to win are their counterparts among their enemies — not their supporters.


So maybe the problem is not that politicians are unprincipled. Maybe the problem is that we expect them to be something they were never meant to be.


If we keep asking politicians to be more principled, we are dooming ourselves to a cycle of disappointment, because true principles often come with the cost of political failure — and politicians, by nature, are winners who are allergic to failure.



But if we change our expectations — if we accept that politics is a contest of strategy, not sanctity — then we can begin to judge politicians more clearly. We will stop expecting them to “stand for something,” and instead be ready to face the truth: that a politician will do anything to win.


Once we can see that, we will stop expecting politicians to act like noble heroes willing to sacrifice their own interests for the common good. We will begin to see them as what they truly are — hard-core competitors who will do whatever it takes to win. And then we can ask the real questions: How do they plan to win? And what does their victory mean for us?


We might not like the game. But we’ll stop pretending it’s something else.


And with that clarity, we might finally begin to deal with politicians not as saints or traitors, but as what they’ve always been: players in a brutal contest, doing what it takes to stay in the game.

With Royal decree confirmed, UMNO now demands Najib’s house arrest

With Royal decree confirmed, UMNO now demands Najib’s house arrest

KELANTAN UMNO is urging the immediate implementation of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s remaining prison sentence under house arrest, saying this would demonstrate transparency and fairness in the legal process now that the existence of the Titah Adendum is no longer in doubt.


Kelantan UMNO chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub also called for all prosecution proceedings to be halted in line with the validity of the Titah Adendum.


“This will also help dispel the negative perceptions held by the public previously,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

The request follows the Attorney General’s Chambers’ (AGC) confirmation of the Titah Adendum’s existence on Friday (July 11).

Meanwhile, UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the decree’s confirmation proved his earlier affidavit to the court was true and not hearsay.


Wan Rosdy further urged that court proceedings be halted and the decree implemented, emphasising that the AGC, courts, and government must uphold the separation of powers and respect the authority of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Malay Rulers.

He added that he and the people of Pahang pray Najib receives justice under the decree. — July 12, 2025

Lawyer urges Rulers to reject judge nomination

Lawyer urges Rulers to reject judge nomination

LAWYER Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla has urged the Conference of Rulers to reject the nomination of a senior judge implicated in alleged judicial interference for any top judicial position.


He emphasised the importance of integrity in judicial appointments, warning that proceeding with the nomination could damage public confidence in the judiciary.


“When the integrity of any judge has yet to be determined due to ongoing contempt of court proceedings and investigations by the authorities, it is inappropriate for them to be considered for any top position at this time.”

“This is not merely an issue of conflict of interest involving the executive, but something deeper. This is about the integrity of the proposed candidate,” he is quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

The issue arose after a police report was lodged over a leak involving a Judicial Appointments Commission meeting. Multiple stakeholders, including the Bar Council and political figures, have called for a transparent investigation.


“Would it not be a severe blow to the justice system if a senior judge — especially one holding the highest office — were later found guilty of a crime or contempt of court?

“This is not merely about a conflict of interest involving the executive, but something far deeper. It concerns the integrity of the proposed candidate,” he added. — July 12, 2025

***

kt comments:

As I can recall, Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla has worked for, and presumably is closed to you-know-who (not 'someone' friendly to Anwar, 😂😂😂wakakaka).

This is NOT to say that certain 'someone' is behind all the current 'unfriendliness - hostilities' towards PMX, 😂😂😂wakakaka.

But the movement looks serious and formidable.

Nonetheless, it's humongously IRONIC that the current concerns over the Judiciary is (if by chance my wild suspicion through fluke luck hits the target correctly) 'pushed' by that 'someone', wakakaka. Wonder what Almarhum Tun Salleh Abas would have said (if he was still with us) 😂😂😂 wakakaka - Read here for more.

Gaza truce talks stall as Israel insists on keeping military forces in 40pc of territory, refuses full pullout

Gaza truce talks stall as Israel insists on keeping military forces in 40pc of territory, refuses full pullout



Israeli troops deploy by Israel's border fence with the Gaza Strip on July 10, 2025, amid the ongoing war with the Palestinian militant movement Hamas. — AFP pic

Saturday, 12 Jul 2025 4:25 PM MYT



GAZA CITY, July 12 — Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel’s proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP today.

Delegations from both sides began discussions in Qatar last Sunday to try to agree on a temporary halt to the 21-month conflict sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 living hostages who were taken that day and who are still in captivity would be released if an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire were reached.

But one well-informed Palestinian source said Israel’s refusal to withdraw all of its troops from Gaza was holding back progress on securing a deal.


“The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to Israel’s insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a map of withdrawal, which is actually a map of redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal,” the source said.


Hamas has said it wants the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, which is home to more than two million people.

The source said, however, that the Israeli delegation presented a map at the talks which proposed maintaining military forces in more than 40 percent of the Palestinian territory.


“Hamas’s delegation will not accept the Israeli maps... as they essentially legitimise the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement,” the source added.

Mediators have asked both sides to postpone the talks until the arrival of US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha, they added.

A second Palestinian source said “some progress” had been made on plans for releasing Palestinian prisoners and getting more aid to Gaza.

But they accused the Israeli delegation of having no authority, and “stalling and obstructing the agreement in order to continue the war of extermination”. — AFP

***

kt comments:

Shailoks should get the frigg out of Levant, and return to Poland, Russia and Ukraine - Pssst, Putin and Zelenskyy may find some 'use' for you, wakakaka.

Deja Vu of 1MDB And "Najib's Downfall...!!!" - Will Anwar And Madani Suffer A "Similar Fate"…?!

Deja Vu of 1MDB And "Najib's Downfall...!!!" - Will Anwar And Madani Suffer A "Similar Fate"…?!


12 Jul 2025 • 1:00 PM MYT

JK Joseph
Repentant ex-banker who believes in truth, compassion and some humour

Credit Image: Lobak Merah.com / Sinar Harian / The Jakarta Post (Reuters/Lisa Marie David)


Don't politicians ever learn from history?


Many might still recall the mayhem in the country circa 2016 when the then embattled prime minister Najib Razak found himself in a deep hole following the fallout from the 1MDB scandal; two years down the road, his party UMNO suffered the “unimaginable” after losing power in what went down in the country's history as a “game changing” general elections.


Fast forward to the present, what some concerned observers may be asking now is: could Anwar and his fumbling Madani administration also suffer a similar fate in roughly two years time come the next general election - that is, provided they can “hang on to the ropes” for that long?


In fact, PKR’s maverick politician Hassan Karim has also hinted at the possibility of Anwar's government collapsing; this was after nine PKR MPs led by Rafizi Ramli had openly urged the government to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), arguing that this was imperative due to the alleged interference in judicial appointments and court decisions in the country.

Credit Image: Scoop / Keadilan.org


According to the outspoken Pasir Gudang MP, this latest “bombshell” is reflective of a growing sense of disillusionment within the party's leadership over the Madani government’s compromises, which he said had begun to reek of hypocrisy.


A major crisis brewing in PKR…?

Hassan had further stressed that the demand by the group was a sign of an apparent loss of confidence in PMX; however, he had cautioned that they must be held accountable if the Madani government falls!


The PKR lawmaker then went on to caution that in the event of an RCI, Anwar may become the prime suspect to be investigated which will further tarnish his image and that of the unity government; nevertheless, he conceded that the judicial issues raised by the group were valid and of public interest, and is bound to appeal to the public.


More significantly, Hassan also pointed out that the move will be viewed as a direct political “challenge” to the PKR president and would mark a serious and audacious challenge to Anwar’s leadership by senior leaders within the party which is simply unprecedented.

Screenshot of news headline from The Malay Mail dated 8 July 2025.


Meanwhile, responding to the demands, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) had outrightly dismissed claims that Malaysia is facing a judicial crisis while rejecting calls for a RCI or a parliamentary select committee; it also seemed to give a chilling warning against politicising the roles of the prime minister or the King, saying that such matters must be handled in line with constitutional principles.


Interestingly, to some, this latest episode may have given them a sense of deja vu; after all, back in 2016, didn't the then-Attorney General Apandi Ali also similarly “dismiss” corruption allegations against Najib who was found to have RM2.6billion deposited into his bank account linked to the controversial 1MDB sovereign fund?


AG “dismisses” allegations against Najib…?

Credit Image: Sarawak Report


Furthermore, the previous year Najib had also sacked his deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin after corruption allegations against him had started to pile up; justifying his actions, the then-PM was quoted to have said that “cabinet members should not air their differences in an open forum that can affect public opinion against the government and Malaysia.”


Will Anwar be replicating Najib's mantra too…?

No doubt, this latest setback to Anwar and his somewhat fragile unity government is sure to ignite a firestorm with the obvious question on the minds of many being: will PMX be compelled to eventually sack Rafizi and the eight PKR “rebels” - just like how Najib had sacked his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin - even if it means losing the two-thirds majority in parliament ?


Another question sure to play in the minds of many will be: in such a scenario will Rafizi and his men go on to set up a new party - similar to what Muhyiddin and Dr Mahathir did when they set up Bersatu to entice dissatisfied UMNO members? If that happens, will PKR also become divided and weakened with many of its supporters shifting their loyalty to Rafizi in the hope of finally seeing “real” reforms?


Is PKR heading for a split… or is there still time for redemption?

However, it's still early days yet and such a catastrophe may be averted provided Anwar comes up with a clear and effective strategy - or even an agreement with the rebels - to address the current crisis with an “open heart”; the burning question though is: is he willing to return to his “reformist roots” and spare the country of another political meltdown - or will he continue to sideline the Madani faithfuls and carry on with his “personal” agenda - until what might lead to the demise of the historic pact with his PH partners?


Main information source: Vibes, Malay Mail, Cilisos and ABC.net.au

***

kt comments:

Since 2020 Malaysian politicians, especially those in opposition or in the outer, have all come to believe in convenient "overthrowing" of incumbents by using any issues, real or gimmicky. But to suggest an 1MDB analogy to Anwar's present 'unpopularity' is going way too far.

This has been similar to the naughty and dirty attempts to equate the so-called affair relating to the futile attempts to extend Tengku Maimum's contract as CJ to the 1988 Constitutional Crisis - what sheer frigging nonsense from those who don't even know what happened in 1988.

Then there was another silly and disgusting attempt to analogise the failed extension of service for Tengku Maimum to the 2001 V.K. Lingam video clip saga - Does anyone remember what occurred in 2001?

The frigging mob has been flinging kitchen sinks and all at Anwar just to topple him, and we know who's at the bottom of all these!!!

Yes, DSAI hasn't been Mother Teresa-clean, but he's the best we have currently so remember: 'A bird in the hand ...' and all that ... you bunch of MFers.

Pentagon confirms Iranian ballistic missile struck US Air Base in Qatar

The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that one ballistic missile fired by Iran last month struck US' Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. - Hollywoodunlocked.com pic, July 12, 2025


Pentagon confirms Iranian ballistic missile struck US Air Base in Qatar


Pentagon spokesman said the impact did "minimal damage" to equipment and structures on the base, adding there were no injuries


Bernama
Updated 5 hours ago
12 July, 2025
10:34 AM MYT


WASHINGTON – The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that one ballistic missile fired by Iran last month struck US’ Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

“One Iranian ballistic missile impacted Al Udeid Air Base on June 23 while the remainder of the missiles were intercepted by United States (US) and Qatari air defence systems,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to Anadolu.

Parnell said the impact did “minimal damage” to equipment and structures on the base, adding there were no injuries.

“Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region,” he added.

Iran launched a barrage of missiles at the air base marking a dramatic escalation in tensions following the US targeting of three Iranian nuclear sites on June 21.

Following the incident, US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US forces in the region, said American forces, alongside Qatar, “successfully” defended against the attack.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters on June 26 that repelling the attack on the air base was “the largest single Patriot engagement in US military history.”

Caine said the US military was joined in protecting the installation by Qatari Patriot crews as well. While Caine wouldn’t say how many Patriot missiles were launched, he did say there was “a lot of metal flying around.” – July 12, 2025

Anwar’s end is near: Ratu Naga’s post ignites uproar

Anwar’s end is near: Ratu Naga’s post ignites uproar

A SINGLE line from Ratu Naga — “The moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived, Papanon. Your time has come” — has sent shockwaves through the anti-Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim camp across global platforms.

Ratu Naga

10 hours ago

Saat yang dinanti telah tiba, Papanon. Your time has come.

The message was directed at Anwar. Ratu Naga’s post quickly drew a flood of responses from her followers, many expressing their dissatisfaction with PM. However, amid the chorus of criticism, a few voices urged caution against the populist belief that Anwar’s downfall is imminent.

In the excitement, one Miqael Ozairy wished that TWO million people, especially Malays, would join a 26th July rally called ‘Turun Anwar” to precipitate Anwar’s downfall.

“MadaNon will definitely fall! Even one million would be enough! Do it like in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh recently.”

The user claimed that such a rally would mark the rise of Malay Muslim identity in Malaysia, emphasising its significance on the 26th. He added that it could indirectly support the outspoken Rafidah Ibrahim Official, whose Facebook page with 500,000 followers has reportedly been banned.

For Mey Zmey Mey, the problem is made more pernicious “when you appoint MPs who only know how to roll around and lie”.

Kembara Diri, however, believes PM will stay in power because of his cunning tactics, ability to create divisive issues, and misuse of power.

The commentator criticises the opposition for being too weak and divided by personal ambitions. They predict Anwar will retain power in the next election unless leaders like former premier Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin step aside for more capable figures and cooperate with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to oust him.

Nevertheless, Azrah Azrah urges people not to create chaos amid the current global economic crisis, calling for unity to support existing leaders to avoid prolonged hardship.

She said government change can wait until the next general election and warns that toppling leaders now could lead Malaysia to end up like Iraq, which was destroyed due to slander and incitement against its leadership. — July 12, 2025

Opinion: Anwar’s PKR Is Crumbling — And It Matters for All of Us

Opinion: Anwar’s PKR Is Crumbling — And It Matters for All of Us


12 Jul 2025 • 9:00 AM MYT



Mihar Dias
A behaviourist by training, a consultant and executive coach by profession

Microsoft Copilot

By Mihar Dias July 2025


Murray Hunter’s recent essay on the collapse of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) reads less like speculative commentary and more like a post-mortem report. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19HxPrrj9d/


What was once Malaysia’s most potent symbol of political reform now resembles a relic from a different era — like an old Reformasi rally poster curling in the rain, half-forgotten, half-mourned.


Anwar Ibrahim’s personal odyssey from jailed dissident to prime minister was once sold as Malaysia’s great political redemption arc. It promised not just power for its protagonist, but structural reforms for a country long throttled by race-based politics, elite impunity, and a gummed-up economy.


Today, the party he built in his image — and the coalition he stitched together through royal intervention — is hemorrhaging credibility, support, and apparently even functioning branches.


The political implications of this collapse are far-reaching, and not merely because of PKR’s numerical value in Parliament. PKR was meant to be the conscience of Pakatan Harapan. It carried the burden of hope, of idealism, of unfulfilled promises. Its weakening signals not just the end of a party, but the erosion of a reform project many Malaysians hung their futures on. When PKR withers, it leaves behind a vacuum. And in Malaysian politics, nature abhors a vacuum.


The decline, as Hunter lays out, is not mysterious. It’s a textbook case of power corrupting, idealism curdling, and leaders mistaking survival for principle.


Anwar’s early moves — particularly elevating Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as deputy and stacking GLC boards with familiar faces — telegraphed a grim message to party loyalists: the old rules still apply.


Worse, it exposed Anwar’s leadership as transactional, not transformational. The reduction of Najib Razak’s prison sentence signaled to the public what they had long suspected: that the high rhetoric of reformasi was expendable currency in the marketplace of political expediency.


The economic pressures — spiraling costs of living, stagnant wages, hollow job growth — only deepened public disenchantment. Anwar’s government has neither the populist touch of Najib’s BR1M era nor the moral high ground of his pre-2022 campaign. What’s left is a Madani administration that speaks of inclusion while presiding over rising ethnic insecurities, legal regressions, and elite impunity.


If Murray Hunter is right — and the party is shedding branches and members in droves — it sets up a deeply unstable political horizon. Anwar, increasingly isolated, risks becoming Malaysia’s Theresa May: a leader fated to cling on not because of strength but because no one else wants to hold the crumbling facade.



The Sabah state elections later this year could be an early warning siren. Deputy president Nurul Izzah’s claim that PKR will win 13 seats rings more desperate than defiant. And should Anwar’s pending legal entanglements resurface — particularly the Yusoff Rawther case — it would add fuel to an already combustible political climate.


The collapse of PKR would also leave Pakatan Harapan badly exposed. The DAP, still solid in urban Chinese-majority seats, has little appetite to lead a multiethnic coalition alone. Amanah is too minor, and the professional-class Malay voters are unlikely to rally behind UMNO or PAS in a post-PKR scenario.


This is how political vacuums birth reactionary populism. If the reformasi generation leaves the field disillusioned, who takes their place? In Malaysia, where politics abhors both an honest man and an empty chair, the answer is rarely good.



For years, Anwar Ibrahim’s critics argued he wanted to be prime minister more than he wanted to govern. The events of the past year suggest they were right.


The tragedy is that a generation’s hope for a better Malaysia may well be the collateral damage of that ambition.


We are, yet again, watching a political fable unravel. The consequences will not be limited to PKR or Anwar Ibrahim’s legacy. It will reverberate through the country’s social fabric, its economy, and its already frayed sense of national purpose.


Malaysia doesn’t just need a new leader. It needs a new idea.

***

kt comments:

O Anwar, you're a sad disappointment for many of us, your supporters.

Trump administration sues California over egg prices and blames animal welfare laws

Trump administration sues California over egg prices and blames animal welfare laws

The Trump administration is suing California over its animal welfare laws, claiming they unconstitutionally raised egg prices

Steve Karnowski
Friday 11 July 2025 21:07 BST


Trump administration sues California over egg prices and blames animal welfare laws



The Trump administration is suing the state of California to block animal welfare laws that it says unconstitutionally helped send egg prices soaring. But a group that spearheaded the requirements pushed back, blaming bird flu for the hit to consumers' pocketbooks.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California on Wednesday, challenges voter initiatives that passed in 2018 and 2008. They require that all eggs sold in California come from cage-free hens.

The Trump administration says the law imposes burdensome red tape on the production of eggs and egg products across the country because of the state's outsize role in the national economy.

“It is one thing if California passes laws that affects its own State, it is another when those laws affect other States in violation of the U.S. Constitution,” U.S. Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a statement Thursday. "Thankfully, President Trump is standing up against this overreach.”

Trump's staff are all scared of him

Egg prices soared last year and earlier this year due in large part to bird flu, which has forced producers to destroy nearly 175 million birds since early 2022. But prices have come down sharply recently. While the Trump administration claims credit for that, seasonal factors are also important. Avian influenza, which is spread by wild birds, tends to spike during the spring and fall migrations and drop in summer.

M’sian Man Breaks Wife’s Bones For Going Out To Buy Vegetables

Weirdkaya:

M’sian Man Breaks Wife’s Bones For Going Out To Buy Vegetables

He was angry that she did so behind his back.

Sarah Yeoh

July 12, 2025

Cover image via China PressCanva


A man pleaded guilty to a charge of causing grievous harm to his wife at the Melaka magistrate’s court yesterday (Jul 11), which led to several of her bones getting broken.

The accused, See Yong Fei, pleaded guilty following an earlier change of plea during the case’s mention, reported NST.

Beat wife for buying vegetables without permission

According to the English daily, the assault took place at a residence in Taman Desa Bertam on May 7, 2024.


Based on the facts of the case, See’s wife had left the house to buy vegetables at the market without getting his consent. It was also reported that See disapproved of her hanging out with others.

For illustration purposes only. Photo via Canva


After discovering that she had left the house behind his back, See unleashed his fury on his wife by punching her arms and kicking her back, causing several of her bones to be fractured.

See then confined his wife to the house but she managed to seek help from a friend and eventually escaped while he was at work.


See’s wife was taken to the police station by the friend to lodge a report before going to the Melaka Hospital for treatment.

Jailed 1 day & fined RM6,000

See was charged under Section 325 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison term of seven years and a fine upon conviction.

Photo via MalaysiaGazette


Deputy public prosecutor Syaza Nur Sharif urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence, which took into account the extent of injuries sustained by See’s wife.

See’s lawyer Kelvinder Singh Sidhu pleaded for the minimum jail term and fine, stating See currently supports five young children and earns RM3,000 monthly as a contractor.

He added that this was See’s first offence and that he also had to care for his ailing father, noting that his wife no longer lives with him following the assault.

Magistrate Sharda Sheinha Mohd Suleiman sentenced See to a day in jail and a RM6,000 fine.

***

kt remarks:

He got away too lightly. Should have his own bones broken.

‘Why did you cutoff?’: Air India pilots’ final words revealed as probe finds fuel switches moved before crash that killed 260

‘Why did you cutoff?’: Air India pilots’ final words revealed as probe finds fuel switches moved before crash that killed 260



An investigation team inspects the wreckage of Air India flight 171 a day after it crashed in a residential area near the airport, in Ahmedabad June 13, 2025. — AFP pic

Saturday, 12 Jul 2025 9:21 AM MYT



NEW DELHI, July 12 — Fuel control switches to the engines of an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 260 people, were moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position moments before impact, a preliminary investigation report said early today.

The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not.


The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed from Ahmedabad in western India to London when it crashed, killing all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground.

In its 15-page report, the investigation bureau said that once the aircraft achieved its top recorded speed, “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec”.


“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” it said.


The aircraft quickly began to lose altitude.

The switches then returned to the “RUN” position and the engines appeared to be gathering power, but “one of the pilots transmitted ‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY’”, the report said.


Air traffic controllers asked the pilots what was wrong, but then saw the plane crashing and called emergency personnel to the scene.

Investigation ongoing

Earlier this week, specialist website The Air Current, citing multiple sources familiar with the probe, reported it had “narrowed its focus to the movement of the engine fuel switches”, while noting that full analysis will “take months — if not longer”.

It added that “the focus of the investigators could change during that time”.

The Indian agency’s report said that the US Federal Aviation Administration had issued an information bulletin in 2018 about “the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature”.

Though the concern was not considered an “unsafe condition” that would warrant a more serious directive, Air India told investigators it did not carry out suggested inspections as they were “advisory and not mandatory”.

Air India was compliant with all airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins on the aircraft, the report said.

The investigations bureau said there were “no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers”, suggesting no technical issues with the engines (GE) or the aircraft (Boeing).

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bureau said the investigation was ongoing, and that additional evidence and information has been “sought from the stakeholders”.

The UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) stipulates that states heading investigation must submit a preliminary report within 30 days of an accident.

US and British air accident investigators have taken part in the probe.

The plane was carrying 230 passengers — 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian — along with 12 crew members.

Dozens of people on the ground were injured.

One passenger miraculously survived, a British citizen who was seen walking out of the wreckage of the crash, and who has since been discharged from hospital.

Health officials in the Indian state of Gujarat initially said at least 279 people were killed, but forensic scientists reduced the figure after multiple scattered and badly burnt remains were identified. — AFP

***

kt comments:

Aircraft control designs???

UN slams Israel as 10 more Palestinians killed seeking aid in Gaza, nearly 800 deaths at relief sites since May

UN slams Israel as 10 more Palestinians killed seeking aid in Gaza, nearly 800 deaths at relief sites since May



Palestinians walk to collect aid supplies from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. — Reuters pic

Saturday, 12 Jul 2025 9:27 AM MYT

Frigg you Shailoks, these were only teenagers, kids that you slaughtered, you MFers



JERUSALEM, July 12 — Ten Palestinians were reported killed yesterday while waiting for rations in Gaza, adding to nearly 800 similar deaths in the last six weeks, according to the UN, with Israel’s army saying it issued new instructions to troops following repeated reports of fatalities.

Friday’s reported violence came as negotiators from Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas were locked in indirect talks in Qatar to try to agree on a temporary ceasefire in the more than 21-month conflict.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he hoped a deal for a 60-day pause in the war could be struck in the coming days, and that he would then be ready to negotiate a more permanent end to hostilities.

Hamas has said the free flow of aid is a main sticking point in the talks, with Gaza’s more than two million residents facing a dire humanitarian crisis of hunger and disease amid the grinding conflict.


Israel began easing a more than two-month total blockade of aid in late May. Since then, a new US- and Israel-backed organisation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has effectively sidelined the territory’s vast UN-led aid delivery network.


There are frequent reports of Israeli forces firing on people seeking aid, with Gaza’s civil defence agency saying 10 Palestinians were killed Friday while waiting at a distribution point near the southern city of Rafah.

‘Unacceptable’

The UN, which refuses to cooperate with GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives, said Friday that 798 people have been killed seeking aid between late May and July 7, including 615 “in the vicinity of the GHF sites”.

“Where people are lining up for essential supplies such as food and medicine, and where... they have a choice between being shot or being fed, this is unacceptable,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.

Israel’s military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday’s deaths, but has previously accused militants of firing at civilians in the vicinity of aid centres.

Asked about the UN figures, the military said it had worked to minimise “possible friction” between aid seekers and soldiers, and that it conducted “thorough examinations” of incidents in which “harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported”.

“Instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned,” it added in a statement.

GHF called the UN report “false and misleading”, claiming that “most deadly attacks on aid sites have been linked to UN convoys”.

Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence agency, told AFP that Israeli forces killed 45 people overall in the territory on Friday.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties.


Truce talks

In Gaza’s south, a witness said Israeli tanks were seen near Khan Yunis, reporting “intense gunfire, intermittent air strikes, artillery shelling, and ongoing bulldozing and destruction of displacement camps and agricultural land”.

Israel’s military said troops were operating in the area against “terrorist infrastructure sites, both above and below ground”.

Hamas has said that as part of a potential truce deal it was willing to release 10 of the hostages taken during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the Gaza war.

Netanyahu, who is under pressure to end the war after mounting military losses, said that would leave 10 living hostages still in captivity.

“I hope we can complete it in a few days,” he said of the initial ceasefire agreement and hostage release in an interview with US outlet Newsmax.

“We’ll probably have a 60-day ceasefire, get the first batch out, then use the 60-day ceasefire to negotiate an end to this.”

Netanyahu has said that a key condition of any deal is that Hamas first gives up its weapons and its hold on Gaza, warning that failure to do so on Israel’s terms would lead to further conflict.

Another issue holding up a deal is disagreement on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said.

Hamas has said it wants “real guarantees” for a lasting truce and Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, and that it opposes any Israeli moves to push Palestinians into “isolated enclaves”.

The group’s 2023 attack on Israel led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Out of 251 hostages seized in the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

At least 57,823 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. — AFP

***

kt comments:

The Shailoks are genocidal murderers, which we all know, BUT where are those so-called Christian Europeans and Wankees (Yes we do know which European nations have been the sincere exceptions).

Your Jesus Christ has been so ashamed of you friggers that he won't be making his Second Coming because of your callous cruel indifference and disregard for the Shailok-genocide.