Netanyahu says Israel to begin Gaza ceasefire negotiations to end war, release hostages

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In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israel will begin ceasefire negotiations aimed at releasing all hostages and ending the Gaza war on conditions acceptable to Israel.

Addressing Israeli commanders and troops in Gaza on Thursday, Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed the authorization for an expansion of military operations aimed at seizing Gaza City.

He also announced the initiation of new "immediate" ceasefire negotiations with Hamas.

Netanyahu said these negotiations aim to achieve "an end to the war and the release of all our hostages," but he insisted that the terms must be acceptable to Israel.

While Hamas has proposed a 60-day ceasefire along with a prisoner exchange, Israel's conditions remain the complete disarmament of Hamas and the end of its military control over Gaza.

Netanyahu highlighted a dual-track strategy of both military pressure and diplomatic dialogue, evidenced by the mobilization of 60,000 reservists and the planned ground offensive to seize Gaza City.

The Israeli military has warned medical officials and international organizations to prepare for evacuation of nearly one million residents of Gaza City ahead of the new ground operations.

In Italy, a Ukrainian man has been arrested in connection with the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions.

Italian police arrested Serhii K., a 49-year-old Ukrainian, at a holiday bungalow near Rimini in central Italy in the early hours of Thursday.

The arrest was executed under a warrant issued by German prosecutors.

They accuse Serhii K. of being one of the masterminds of the sabotage in 2022 of the Nord Stream pipelines that carry energy under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.

The operation to destroy the pipelines was carried out from a yacht, with a team that included divers and support operatives.

This is the first arrest in a case that Swedish and Danish authorities had closed in 2024 without resolution.

German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig commended the operation and reaffirmed Germany's commitment to the rule of law, distancing this case from its unwavering support for Ukraine.

Egypt has successfully retrieved a collection of 2,000-year-old artifacts from the seabed of Abu Qir Bay, off the coast of Alexandria.

The find includes a headless statue, a sphinx, Roman coins, and a carved priestly figure, which archaeological evidence suggests could be remains from an extension of the ancient city of Canopus.

The site also revealed limestone building remains, including residential structures and places of worship.

Egypt's Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi emphasized that the lifting operation followed a 2001 UNESCO agreement,

raising only select artifacts to preserve the broader underwater heritage. Choi Chi-hee, Arirang News.