Kurdish militants in Iraq, Syria must lay down weapons, Erdogan’s party says

CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold consultations with security chiefs and ministers on Friday after an Israeli delegation returned from Cairo with no agreement on extending the Gaza ceasefire, two Israeli officials said.
A Hamas official confirmed that Israel had sought to extend the 42-day truce agreed as a first stage in the ceasefire agreement through the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins this weekend. But he said Hamas wanted to move on to negotiations over the second stage, opening the way to a permanent end to the war.
“We are committed to the agreement,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators asked for some time over the next few days to resolve the impasse over the ceasefire, which is due to expire on Saturday, the officials said.
The agreement reached last month halted 15 months of fighting, allowing the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and was meant to lead to subsequent talks to build on the truce.
Israeli officials have previously said Israel was ready to resume fighting in Gaza if all its remaining hostages are not returned.
However, Israel and Hamas remain far apart on key issues and each has accused the other of violating the ceasefire, casting doubt over the second phase of the deal meant to include releases of additional hostages and prisoners as well as steps toward a permanent end of the war.
There is no sign of agreement, either among or between Israelis and Palestinians, or between Western and Arab governments, over Gaza’s future. That uncertainty is complicating efforts to negotiate a lasting resolution.
Hamas called on Friday for the international community to press Israel to immediately enter the second phase without delay. It is unclear what will happen if the first phase ends on Saturday without a deal.
A senior official of the Palestinian Authority, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Varsen Aghabekian, also said on Friday that she would like the ceasefire phases to move ahead as originally planned.
“I doubt anyone in Gaza will want to go back to war,” she said in Geneva.
The Cairo talks are being mediated by Egypt and Qatar with US support. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday there were “pretty good talks going on.”
Asked whether the ceasefire deal would move into the second phase, Trump said: “Nobody really knows, but we’ll see what happens.”
The Gaza war is the latest confrontation in decades of conflict between Israel and Palestinians.
It began on Oct. 7, 2023, when fighters from the Islamist group Hamas stormed border defenses from Gaza and attacked Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
The Israeli military campaign in retaliation has killed more than 48,000 people, according to Palestinian authorities, while destroying large swathes of the tiny, crowded territory and leaving most of its 2 million inhabitants homeless.

CEASEFIRE
The ceasefire has mostly held during its first six weeks, although both sides have accused each other of breaches, particularly in the treatment of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, and in the handling of releases.
The United Nations has described images of both emaciated Israeli hostages and released Palestinian detainees as distressing, saying they reflected the dire conditions in which they were held.
Hamas has staged shows of strength during hostage releases, parading them in front of cameras. Israeli authorities have made released detainees wear clothes bearing pro-Israeli slogans.
Israel is now negotiating to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal by 42 days, according to the Egyptian security sources.
Israeli government officials said earlier this week that Israel would attempt to extend the initial phase with Hamas freeing three hostages a week in return for the release of Palestinian detainees.
Discussions on an end to the war are complicated by the lack of any agreement over basic questions such as how Gaza would be governed, how its security would be managed, how it could be rebuilt, and who would pay for that.
Trump proposed this month that the US should take over Gaza and redevelop it as a “Riviera of the Middle East” with its population displaced into Egypt and Jordan.
Arab countries have rejected that idea but have yet to announce their own plan.
European countries have also rejected the displacement of Palestinians and say they still support a two-state solution to the conflict.

ABU DHABI: Louvre Abu Dhabi is inviting visitors to experience the warmth and spirituality of Ramadan through a special program during the holy month that includes extended opening hours, immersive cultural talks and a diverse selection of pop-up dining options.

While the permanent galleries will continue to close at the usual time (8:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday), the “Kings and Queens of Africa,” a temporary exhibition running until May 25, will remain open until 1 a.m. throughout the month.

This gives visitors an additional opportunity to view the works in an exhibition the museum says reflects its commitment to the celebration of African artistic heritage, including “Projection of Harmony” by renowned South African artist Esther Mahlangu.

The museum, in collaboration with the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute, will also host a series of talks on the subject of Islamic philosophy. Scholars Taneli Kukkonen and Nader Bizri will delve into significant works of Islamic thought, drawing parallels between them and contemporary culture. The discussions will be accompanied by readings in the Hakawati style, an Arabic word that means “storyteller,” led by Lamya Tawfiq.

The first session, “Hayy Ibn Yaqzan and his Castaway Companions,” is on March 8. It will explore author Ibn Tufayl’s 12th-century masterpiece, which laid the foundations for the castaway genre and influenced classics such as Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel “Robinson Crusoe,” and the 2000 Tom Hanks film “Cast Away.”

The second talk, “The Brethren of Purity and the Enduring Legacy of Animal Fables” on March 15, will examine the influence of Islamic fables on animal-related storytelling traditions worldwide, from the ancient Greek “Aesop’s Fables” to 20th century works such as “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and “The Hundred and One Dalmatians.”

Visitors will also be able to sample offerings from a number of Ramadan-inspired food pop-ups provided by establishments such as Ethr Cafe, Sky Garden by Ethr Cafe, Aptitude, Fouquet’s, Art Lounge, and Toby’s Estate.

Families visiting the museum during Ramadan and Eid can also participate in interactive workshops, including a “Create Your Own Headdress” event on March 29 and 30.

Meanwhile, Louvre Abu Dhabi has launched season three of its podcast series, “Adventures at the Museum,” which is billed as taking listeners on a journey through art history, storytelling and adventure. New episodes are released every Thursday.