The talks between the four countries lauded the first stage of the truce, including expanded humanitarian assistance, return of captives, force withdrawals and reduction in hostilities.
The United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye have urged the parties to the Gaza ceasefire to honour their commitments and show restraint, the chief US envoy says after talks in the US city of Miami.
Senior officials from the four mediator countries met Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, on Friday to review the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on October 10, according to a joint statement released on Saturday.
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The meeting was held against the backdrop of ongoing Israeli attacks on the enclave. The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza said that six people were killed on Friday when an Israeli strike hit a school housing displaced people, raising the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect to about 400.
“We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President’s [Trump’s] 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements,” Witkoff said in a statement posted on X.
First phase of truce
Saturday’s statement cited progress yielded in the first stage of the peace agreement, including expanded humanitarian assistance, the return of captives’ bodies, partial force withdrawals and a reduction in hostilities.
It called for “the near-term establishment and operationalisation” of a transitional administration, which is due to happen in the second phase of the agreement, and said that consultations would continue in the coming weeks over its implementation.
Under the truce deal’s terms, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that countries would contribute troops for the stabilisation force, but also urged the disarmament of Hamas, warning the process would unravel unless that happened.
Hamas statement
A meeting was also held between Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin in Istanbul on Saturday.
In a statement from Hamas after the meeting, the group said it was committed to abiding by the ceasefire agreement, despite Israeli violations.
“The delegation stressed the urgent need to halt these continuous violations,” the statement added.
“The delegation also reviewed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip with the onset of winter, emphasising the critical priority of urgently bringing in tents, caravans, and heavy equipment to save our people from death by cold and drowning, given the destruction of infrastructure and homes.”
Winter storms have been worsening the conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, as aid agencies warn that Israeli restrictions are preventing lifesaving assistance from reaching people across the besieged enclave.
Bodies recovered, Israeli strikes continue
On Saturday, an Israeli air strike targeted two people in northern Gaza, according to a statement from the military, which alleged that they “posed an immediate threat” to Israeli troops after crossing the so-called yellow line, which separates areas under Israeli army control from those where Palestinians are permitted to move.
No details were yet available on whether the two people were killed or injured.
Gaza’s Civil Defence on Saturday also said it recovered the bodies of 94 Palestinians from the rubble in the enclave.
The bodies were retrieved in central Gaza City and transferred to the forensic department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex to arrange their burial in the Martyrs’ Cemetery in the central city of Deir el-Balah, according to a statement from the Civil Defence.
Thousands of Palestinians are believed to still be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza.
The Israeli army has killed more than 70,700 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 others since it began its genocidal war on the enclave in October 2023.
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![Trump says US will blockade strait of Hormuz as Iran peace talks failDonald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to take control of the strategic waterway from Iran in the aftermath of failed peace negotiations between the countries in Pakistan.The US president also threatened to bomb Iran’s water treatment facilities as well as its power plants and bridges, repeating an earlier threat, if Tehran did not agree to abandon its nuclear weapons programme – the key sticking point between the two sides.Trump’s surprise announcement of a blockade came after 21 hours of face-to-face peace negotiations between the US and Iran in Islamabad collapsed on Sunday morning.JD Vance, the vice-president and head of the US team, said Iran had refused to give up the possibility of developing nuclear weapons, while the Iranian delegates said Washington needed to do more to win their trust.Risking another increase in oil prices, Trump said he had instructed the US navy to begin “blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the strait of Hormuz” – and accused Iran of extortion with its own scheme of charging tolls to tankers.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by declaring that if any warships approached the strait to enforce a blockade – usually considered an act of war – it would be considered a breach of the current ceasefire and would be strongly dealt with. They insisted the strait remained under Iranian control.Two US destroyers nevertheless crossed and recrossed the strait without incident on Saturday, although Iranian media said they had been threatened as they left. It was the start of a broader mine clearance mission, the US military said.JD Vance (right) led the US delegation that also included the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff (centre), and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/APThe president added that US warships would “seek and interdict every vessel” that had paid Iran since the start of the conflict and begin de-mining the central section of the strait, previously declared a “hazardous area” by Tehran, although it is unclear how many mines have actually been laid.About 100 tankers have transited the strait since the US and Israel started bombing Iran, paying up to $2m each time for passage. Many were bound for China and India, carrying Iranian oil products, and chasing them down could complicate relations between the US and the importing.The US and Iranian delegations left Pakistan soon after the talks ended. Vance said he had spoken with Donald Trump at least half a dozen times during the talks, held during a 14-day ceasefire announced by the US, Israel and Iran overnight on 7 and 8 April.“We need to see an affirmative commitment that [Iran] will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, who had led Tehran’s negotiators, said that, although he and his colleagues had offered “constructive initiatives”, the US had been “unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations”.Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said “excessive” US demands had hindered reaching an agreement, but the foreign ministry said more time was needed. “Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei said, according to the state broadcaster IRIB.Pakistani mediators called on the US and Iran to refrain from renewing hostilities and said they would try to arrange a fresh round of talks. “It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire,” said Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar.Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (centre, left) met Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif (centre, right), in Islamabad before the talks. Photograph: Iranian Foreign Ministry/EPAVance was accompanied by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. They met Ghalibaf and the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, for several negotiating sessions at the Serena hotel in Islamabad, with Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Asim Munir, also present.Iran’s delegation arrived on Friday dressed in black in mourning for the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others killed in the war. They carried shoes and bags of children killed during the bombing of a school next to a military compound, the Iranian government said.A Pakistani source said the discussions, the highest level direct contact between the US and Iran since 1979, were unpredictable in tone. “There were mood swings from the two sides, and the temperature went up and down during the meeting,” a Pakistani source said after the first round.In a subsequent Fox News interview, Trump threatened to restart the bombing of Iran if a deal could not be agreed, and threatened to target the country’s water supply as well as its bridges and power generation.Trump said: “The only thing left, really, is their water, which would be very devastating to hit. I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinisation plans, their electric generating plants, which are very easy to hit.”The president was also asked if gas and oil prices might be lower by the US midterms in November, an indication that attacking Iran was not an economic mistake. Prices “could be the same or maybe a little bit higher,” a non-committal Trump replied.At least 11 were also reported killed in southern Lebanon by the country’s state news service, after at least 30 Israeli strikes in the region. Pope Leo XIV called for a ceasefire after his Sunday prayers, and said he felt “closer than ever” to the country’s people.The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran six weeks ago, has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,020 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. It has caused lasting damage to infrastructure in half a dozen Middle Eastern countries.#Trump #blockade #strait #Hormuz #Iran #peace #talks #fail](https://wp.fifu.app/wolfnewss.com/aHR0cHM6Ly9pLmd1aW0uY28udWsvaW1nL21lZGlhLzkxOTk4MDYwMDRiMzY2MjU4MjdhNDg1MmU2N2M3MzIxMjM2YmU2MjQvNjc1XzBfNjc0OF81Mzk5L21hc3Rlci82NzQ4LmpwZz93aWR0aD0xMjAwJmhlaWdodD02MzAmcXVhbGl0eT04NSZhdXRvPWZvcm1hdCZmaXQ9Y3JvcCZwcmVjcm9wPTQwOjIxLG9mZnNldC14NTAsb2Zmc2V0LXkwJm92ZXJsYXktYWxpZ249Ym90dG9tJTJDbGVmdCZvdmVybGF5LXdpZHRoPTEwMHAmb3ZlcmxheS1iYXNlNjQ9TDJsdFp5OXpkR0YwYVdNdmIzWmxjbXhoZVhNdmRHY3RaR1ZtWVhWc2RDNXdibWMmZW5hYmxlPXVwc2NhbGUmcz0yMjUyY2Q5OGYwZjFhNjEzZjk0NzExMmRiMjZmOTEwNw/c0caa5b41387/trump-says-us-will-blockade-strait-of-hormuz-as-iran-peace-talks-faildonald-trump-has-said-the-us-will-begin-blockading-the-strait-of-hormuz-in-an-attempt-to-take-control-of-the-strategic-waterway-fro.webp?w=0&h=0&c=0&p=127485 "Trump says US will blockade strait of Hormuz as Iran peace talks failDonald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to take control of the strategic waterway from Iran in the aftermath of failed peace negotiations between the countries in Pakistan.The US president also threatened to bomb Iran’s water treatment facilities as well as its power plants and bridges, repeating an earlier threat, if Tehran did not agree to abandon its nuclear weapons programme – the key sticking point between the two sides.Trump’s surprise announcement of a blockade came after 21 hours of face-to-face peace negotiations between the US and Iran in Islamabad collapsed on Sunday morning.JD Vance, the vice-president and head of the US team, said Iran had refused to give up the possibility of developing nuclear weapons, while the Iranian delegates said Washington needed to do more to win their trust.Risking another increase in oil prices, Trump said he had instructed the US navy to begin “blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the strait of Hormuz” – and accused Iran of extortion with its own scheme of charging tolls to tankers.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by declaring that if any warships approached the strait to enforce a blockade – usually considered an act of war – it would be considered a breach of the current ceasefire and would be strongly dealt with. They insisted the strait remained under Iranian control.Two US destroyers nevertheless crossed and recrossed the strait without incident on Saturday, although Iranian media said they had been threatened as they left. It was the start of a broader mine clearance mission, the US military said.JD Vance (right) led the US delegation that also included the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff (centre), and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/APThe president added that US warships would “seek and interdict every vessel” that had paid Iran since the start of the conflict and begin de-mining the central section of the strait, previously declared a “hazardous area” by Tehran, although it is unclear how many mines have actually been laid.About 100 tankers have transited the strait since the US and Israel started bombing Iran, paying up to $2m each time for passage. Many were bound for China and India, carrying Iranian oil products, and chasing them down could complicate relations between the US and the importing.The US and Iranian delegations left Pakistan soon after the talks ended. Vance said he had spoken with Donald Trump at least half a dozen times during the talks, held during a 14-day ceasefire announced by the US, Israel and Iran overnight on 7 and 8 April.“We need to see an affirmative commitment that [Iran] will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, who had led Tehran’s negotiators, said that, although he and his colleagues had offered “constructive initiatives”, the US had been “unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations”.Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said “excessive” US demands had hindered reaching an agreement, but the foreign ministry said more time was needed. “Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei said, according to the state broadcaster IRIB.Pakistani mediators called on the US and Iran to refrain from renewing hostilities and said they would try to arrange a fresh round of talks. “It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire,” said Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar.Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (centre, left) met Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif (centre, right), in Islamabad before the talks. Photograph: Iranian Foreign Ministry/EPAVance was accompanied by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. They met Ghalibaf and the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, for several negotiating sessions at the Serena hotel in Islamabad, with Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Asim Munir, also present.Iran’s delegation arrived on Friday dressed in black in mourning for the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others killed in the war. They carried shoes and bags of children killed during the bombing of a school next to a military compound, the Iranian government said.A Pakistani source said the discussions, the highest level direct contact between the US and Iran since 1979, were unpredictable in tone. “There were mood swings from the two sides, and the temperature went up and down during the meeting,” a Pakistani source said after the first round.In a subsequent Fox News interview, Trump threatened to restart the bombing of Iran if a deal could not be agreed, and threatened to target the country’s water supply as well as its bridges and power generation.Trump said: “The only thing left, really, is their water, which would be very devastating to hit. I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinisation plans, their electric generating plants, which are very easy to hit.”The president was also asked if gas and oil prices might be lower by the US midterms in November, an indication that attacking Iran was not an economic mistake. Prices “could be the same or maybe a little bit higher,” a non-committal Trump replied.At least 11 were also reported killed in southern Lebanon by the country’s state news service, after at least 30 Israeli strikes in the region. Pope Leo XIV called for a ceasefire after his Sunday prayers, and said he felt “closer than ever” to the country’s people.The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran six weeks ago, has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,020 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. It has caused lasting damage to infrastructure in half a dozen Middle Eastern countries.#Trump #blockade #strait #Hormuz #Iran #peace #talks #fail")
![Iran will play World Cup games in the US, not Mexico: President SheinbaumMexican President Sheinbaum says FIFA will not relocate Iran’s fixtures from US despite repeated requests.Published On 12 Apr 202612 Apr 2026FIFA has turned down Iran’s request to relocate its World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico, citing logistical impediments, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirms.Iran’s Football Federation (FFIRI) asked the sport’s global governing body to move its games out of the US last month, but FIFA said all World Cup fixtures will go ahead as scheduled, dismissing the possibility of Mexico hosting the Iranian team.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listSheinbaum reiterated FIFA’s stance on Friday, saying the matches will be played in the US as planned.“FIFA ultimately decided that the matches cannot be moved from their original venues,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference in Mexico City.“It [relocation] would make logistics too complicated, and this decision was taken by FIFA,” she said.FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on confirmation of host venues for Iran’s games.The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 168 people at a girls school on the first day.Tehran responded by striking Israeli and US military bases in the Middle East with missiles and drones.A Pakistan-mediated ceasefire brought the attacks to a halt on Wednesday in Iran and the Gulf, but Israel has continued to pound parts of Lebanon.Iran was among the first countries to qualify for the World Cup, racing to book their spot from the Asian confederation.Team Melli are in Group G of the tournament with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand and are scheduled to play all of their group games on the US West Coast, two in Los Angeles (June 15 and 21) and one in Seattle (June 26).Mexico, which is cohosting the World Cup with the US and Canada, had shown willingness to host Iran’s fixtures, but Sheinbaum’s recent comments have reaffirmed the stance of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who met Iranian football players, coaches and officials in Turkiye on March 31.“The matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw,” Infantino said on the sidelines of Iran’s friendly match against Costa Rica.Infantino also quelled concerns that Iran would not feature at the next edition of the World Cup at all after FFIRI President Mehdi Taj said Iran would “boycott” the games in the US.“Iran will be at the World Cup. … That’s why we’re here,” Infantino said in Mexico.“I’ve seen the team, I’ve spoken to the players and the coach, so everything is fine,” added Infantino, whose attendance at the friendly was unannounced.Last month, the FFIRI expressed fears over its players’ safety and security in the US after President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post that it would not be appropriate for Iran to participate in the World Cup “for their own life and safety”.“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Taj said in response to Trump.Both countries have since exchanged indirect verbal blows on the issue with the latest comments coming from Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, who indicated that his country’s participation in the World Cup will be uncertain unless FIFA relocates its fixtures.#Iran #play #World #Cup #games #Mexico #President #SheinbaumNews, Sport, Football, US-Israel war on Iran, World Cup 2026, Iran, Latin America, Mexico, Middle East, United States, US & Canada](https://i1.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2024-02-03T113745Z_2071810696_UP1EK230WAW91_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ASIANCUP-IRN-JPN-REPORT-1772629382.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440&ssl=1 "Iran will play World Cup games in the US, not Mexico: President SheinbaumMexican President Sheinbaum says FIFA will not relocate Iran’s fixtures from US despite repeated requests.Published On 12 Apr 202612 Apr 2026FIFA has turned down Iran’s request to relocate its World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico, citing logistical impediments, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirms.Iran’s Football Federation (FFIRI) asked the sport’s global governing body to move its games out of the US last month, but FIFA said all World Cup fixtures will go ahead as scheduled, dismissing the possibility of Mexico hosting the Iranian team.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listSheinbaum reiterated FIFA’s stance on Friday, saying the matches will be played in the US as planned.“FIFA ultimately decided that the matches cannot be moved from their original venues,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference in Mexico City.“It [relocation] would make logistics too complicated, and this decision was taken by FIFA,” she said.FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on confirmation of host venues for Iran’s games.The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 168 people at a girls school on the first day.Tehran responded by striking Israeli and US military bases in the Middle East with missiles and drones.A Pakistan-mediated ceasefire brought the attacks to a halt on Wednesday in Iran and the Gulf, but Israel has continued to pound parts of Lebanon.Iran was among the first countries to qualify for the World Cup, racing to book their spot from the Asian confederation.Team Melli are in Group G of the tournament with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand and are scheduled to play all of their group games on the US West Coast, two in Los Angeles (June 15 and 21) and one in Seattle (June 26).Mexico, which is cohosting the World Cup with the US and Canada, had shown willingness to host Iran’s fixtures, but Sheinbaum’s recent comments have reaffirmed the stance of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who met Iranian football players, coaches and officials in Turkiye on March 31.“The matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw,” Infantino said on the sidelines of Iran’s friendly match against Costa Rica.Infantino also quelled concerns that Iran would not feature at the next edition of the World Cup at all after FFIRI President Mehdi Taj said Iran would “boycott” the games in the US.“Iran will be at the World Cup. … That’s why we’re here,” Infantino said in Mexico.“I’ve seen the team, I’ve spoken to the players and the coach, so everything is fine,” added Infantino, whose attendance at the friendly was unannounced.Last month, the FFIRI expressed fears over its players’ safety and security in the US after President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post that it would not be appropriate for Iran to participate in the World Cup “for their own life and safety”.“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Taj said in response to Trump.Both countries have since exchanged indirect verbal blows on the issue with the latest comments coming from Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, who indicated that his country’s participation in the World Cup will be uncertain unless FIFA relocates its fixtures.#Iran #play #World #Cup #games #Mexico #President #SheinbaumNews, Sport, Football, US-Israel war on Iran, World Cup 2026, Iran, Latin America, Mexico, Middle East, United States, US & Canada")
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