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Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, united in Doha today, demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire and urgent aid delivery. Their joint statement warned of Gaza's escalating crisis while stressing the Palestinian cause's "centrality" to Arab nations.

The leaders pushed for Palestinian reconciliation, backing Egypt's reconstruction plan endorsed by the Arab League. "The two sides... stressed the importance of continuing joint efforts to achieve an immediate and sustainable ceasefire," their declaration stated, vowing to alleviate Palestinians' suffering.

Sudan has denied reports that it sought normalisation meetings with Israel in exchange for political support, Foreign Minister Ali Youssef al-Sharif told Middle East Eye over the weekend.

Earlier this month, Sudanese news outlet al-Rakoba reported that Lieutenant General al-Sadiq Ismail, the personal envoy to Sudan's military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, made a secret visit to Tel Aviv to discuss normalisation efforts with Israel.

Although Sudan signed the Abraham Accords in 2021, the formal signing of a peace treaty was postponed due to internal crises, including a coup against the democratically elected government and the ongoing civil war between Burhan and his rival, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti.

According to the report, the envoy's visit aimed to coordinate with Israeli officials on presenting Burhan in a favourable light to the new US administration and to address rising tensions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Burhan and the Sudanese army.

The envoy reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Burhan wanted to finalise the normalisation process with Israel and secure Sudan’s inclusion in the Abraham Accords in exchange for Israeli support.

Read more: Sudan denies seeking Israel ties for Trump support

Israeli forces have deployed military vehicles and launched a series of raids in Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency is reporting.

The agency said, citing eyewitnesses, that Israeli soldiers stormed the Fawaz Mall southeast of the city, detaining customers and employees.

A new checkpoint was also set up, where young Palestinian men were stopped and searched, although not detentions have been reported.

In the city centre, four military vehicles blocked the road leading to Thabet Thabet Government Hospital, while Israeli forces raided a local cafe.

In Tulkarm refugee camp, Israeli soldiers stormed homes in the al-Matar neighbourhood, forcing families to flee.

Meanwhile in Nur Shams camp, Jabal al-Salihin residents were expelled from their homes amid house raids.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas emphasised the urgent need for a ceasefire and the swift delivery of aid to Gaza during a call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Wafa news agency is reporting.

The two also discussed the Palestinian Authority's resumption of full resp0nsibility in Gaza.

They also emphasised the importance of implementing the Arab plan for the Strip's recovery and reconstruction, with Abbas firmly rejecting the displacement of Palestinian people from Gaza, the occupied West Bank, or East Jerusalem.

Both leaders reiterated the importance of advancing a two-state solution based on international legitimacy and preparing for the upcoming international peace conference scheduled for June.

Wafa news agency is reporting that six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a house in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, in the north of the Strip.

Al Jazeera previously reported that three Palestinians were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli shelling targeting the neighbourhood.

Israel has the right to defend itself, but its current actions go beyond proportionate self-defence, Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, told reporters on Monday.

Reporting by Reuters

The Qatari al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper has quoted Egyptian sources as saying that the Hamas delegation has left Cairo without reaching any agreement on the Gaza ceasefire, but has agreed to continue the talks.

It also said that Hamas has agreed to release nine living captives, with the US putting pressure on the organisation to increase this number.

Earlier, a Hamas delegation had arrived in Cairo to engage in talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators related to resuming negotiations on the Gaza ceasefire, which was broken by Israel last month.

A senior Hamas official has said on Monday that the group is willing to free all the Israeli captives in return for what he described as a “serious prisoner swap” and a guaranteed end to the war.

 “We are ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for a serious prisoner swap deal, an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the entry of humanitarian aid,” Taher al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, was quoted as saying to AFP.

Hamas is currently engaged in talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, and said it is dealing with the negotiations in a “positive and responsible” way.

Al-Nunu, however, blamed Israel for hindering the progress towards the truce.

“The issue is not the number of captives, but rather that the occupation is reneging on its commitments, blocking the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and continuing the war,” he said.

“Hamas has therefore stressed the need for guarantees to compel the occupation (Israel) to uphold the agreement,” he added.

Earlier, sources have told the Saudi news channel al-Arabiya that the US would put pressure on Israel to agree on a new proposal to the ceasefire.

Under the deal, Hamas would release 10 living captives in exchange for US guarantees that Israel would enter negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire.

Last month, Israel broke a ceasefire which took effect on 19 January and included multiple exchanges for Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners. Israel then resumed its military operation in Gaza, relentlessly bombing the entire enclave.

A young Palestinian has been arrested by Israeli troops on Monday after it raided the Jenin Governmental Hospital, located in the occupied West Bank.

According to al-Jazeera, the Israeli soldiers raided the facility in front of a number of medical staff, civilians and patients. Earlier, Wafa news agency reported that a staff member at the hospital was detained and then released shortly afterwards.

Since January, Israeli violence has risen in the occupied West Bank, specifically in Jenin and its refugee camp against Palestinians, with reports suggesting that at least 36 people have been killed, and several wounded and arrested in the ongoing violence.

At least three Palestinians were killed and several others wounded after an Israeli shelling  in Gaza's Tuffah neighbourhood situated in the north of the enclave, al-Jazeera reported.

More casualties are being claimed by Israeli forces as they advance in areas in southern Gaza.

In a separate incident, al-Jazeera has reported that several people have been wounded in Israeli bombings on the al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, and another two were injured in Rafah after an Israeli attack.

Nine Palestinian prisoners who were released from Israeli military prisons have arrived on Monday at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.

The prisoners were handed over by Israeli authorities to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), according to al-Jazeera.

Since 7 October, thousands of Palestinians have been arbitrarily arrested from Gaza and many are held under arrest without charges.

Israeli troops have conducted a series of early morning raids in the occupied West Bank, according to Wafa news agency.

It reported that two people were arrested in the town of al-Yamoun, west of Jenin, while two more young men were taken from the town of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus.

In a separate raid, a young man was arrested from the Askar al-Jadid refugee camp in East of Nablus, and another Palestinian was arrested in Beit Jala city, west of Bethlehem, after his family home was raided.

At least five Palestinians were killed and several others injured after Israeli forces bombed a house in the town of Khuza’a in Khan Younis, located in the south of Gaza, according to Wafa news agency.

The casualties were transferred to the European Hospital, according to medical sources.

In another incident, a fisherman was injured by Israeli gunfire off the coast of Rafah, while Israeli troops detonated more residential homes in the northern areas of Rafah.

The European Union will increase its financial support for the Palestinian Authority with a three-year package worth around $1.8bn, the European Commissioner responsible for the Middle East told Reuters in an interview.

Dubravka Suica, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, said the financial support would go hand in hand with reforms of the Palestinian Authority, which has been accused by critics of corruption and bad governance.

Reporting by Reuters

Saudi news channel Al-Arabiya is quoting sources as saying that the US will press Israel to accept a new proposal for the ceasefire in Gaza.

It also reported that Hamas has agreed to increase the number of Israeli captives, which will be included in a deal that is expected to be carried out in two phases, and that the group will provide information on the condition of each captive prior to the implementation of the deal.

A meeting is currently being held in Cairo between Hamas and an Egyptian and Qatari delegation to discuss the ceasefire deal, which was broken by Israel in March. Israel demands to have 11 living captives released, where as Hamas insists that Israel commits to ending the war, rejecting any partial deal that allows the resumption of military attacks against Palestinians.

On Sunday, Palestinian sources familiar with the talks involving the Hamas delegation currently in Cairo told Haaretz that Egypt and Qatar are working with the United States to ensure that the implementation of another phase of the truce will be accompanied by continued talks to end the war.

According to sources, Egypt has proposed that Hamas disarm its weapons under Egyptian supervision to provide security guarantees to Israel after implementing the agreement. However, Hamas has not publicly confirmed receiving such a proposal.