Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Russia’s Putin says he will speak to U.S. President Donald Trump later on Thursday
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was going to speak to U.S. President Donald Trump later in the day. It will be the sixth publicly known conversation between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January.
MOSCOW, July 3 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was going to speak to U.S. President Donald Trump later in the day.
It will be the sixth publicly known conversation between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January and comes amid so far unsuccessful U.S. efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine.
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The two men last spoke on June 14, in a call mostly focused on Iran.
Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan/Anastasia Teterevleva; Editing by Andrew Osborn
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UK’s Reeves says she is getting on with her ‘tough’ job
“I’m proud of what I’ve done,” says Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron: “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done. I’m proud to be part of the British team” “We’re going to continue to work together,” says Cameron. “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he adds. “It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll get through it.” “We have a long way to go,” he says. “This is not the end of the world,” says the PM. “There’s a long road ahead of us. We’ll get there”
Reeves says “totally” up for the job after personal issue
PM Starmer says working in lockstep with Reeves
LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) – British finance minister Rachel Reeves said on Thursday that she was determined to get on with her job despite its tough moments, a day after she appeared in tears in parliament , sparking fears about her future in the job and triggering a market selloff.
Smiling and looking relaxed, Reeves appeared alongside Prime Minister Keir Starmer and spoke briefly at an event to launch the government’s plans for the state-run health service, before addressing Wednesday’s events in a media clip.
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“Clearly I was upset yesterday and everyone could see that. It was a personal issue and I’m not going to go into the details of that,” Reeves said, adding being finance minister was “tough” but she was “totally” up for the job.
“People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday, and today is a new day, and I’m just cracking on with the job… This is the job that I’ve always wanted to do.”
Starmer gave his full support to Reeves after she was visibly upset during a prime ministerial question session in parliament.
Reeves’ tearful appearance came after a bruising week for the government when it was forced to abandon key planks of planned welfare reform, which blew a hole in her budget plans and threatened to undermine her fiscal rules.
British borrowing costs rose and the pound fell as the weekly question-and-answer session unfolded on TV, with market analysts saying the moves reflected concern that Reeves could be replaced and the government thrown into further turmoil.
In her appearance on Thursday, Reeves restated that the government had fixed the foundations of the economy and credited Starmer with their election win one year ago, and told reporters she was “proud of what I’ve delivered”.
Starmer said it was “fantastic” that Reeves was at the event and that he had “every faith in my chancellor,” saying she had made important decisions and would be in the job for many years to come.
“We are working in lockstep and we will continue to do so for a very long time,” he said. “That is a good thing for the government, it is a good thing for the country.”
Starmer – who initially hadn’t explicitly backed Reeves when asked about her future during the parliamentary exchange – said he didn’t realise Reeves had been crying, as Prime Minister’s Questions is “pretty wild”.
Reeves also played down Starmer’s initial reaction, saying: “I think people can see that Keir and me are a team.”
Reporting by William James, Muvija M, Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskill; writing by Alistair Smout; Editing by Kate Holton
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Hamas warns Palestinians against cooperating with U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza warns residents not to assist U.S.-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Interior ministry says deadly incidents near its food distribution sites endangered hungry Gazans. U.N. says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking handouts of aid. More than 170 international humanitarian groups call on governments to press Israel to end use of the GHF to deliver aid and return to letting in aid mainly through U-N.-run channels.
“It is strictly forbidden to deal with, work for, or provide any form of assistance or cover to the American organization (GHF) or its local or foreign agents,” an interior ministry statement said.
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“Legal action will be taken against anyone proven to be involved in cooperation with this organization, including the imposition of the maximum penalties stipulated in the applicable national laws,” it added, without giving further details.
The GHF did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The organisation has previously said Hamas fabricated accusations against it. In a post on social media platform X late on Wednesday it accused the militant group of: “a deliberate campaign to prevent aid from flowing to the people of Gaza outside of Hamas control.”
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of deliveries which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral.
Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking handouts of aid.
A senior U.N. official said on Sunday that the majority of people killed were trying to reach aid distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Israel’s military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians had been harmed near the distribution centres and that its forces had been issued with new instructions following what it called “lessons learned.”
Israel has said its forces operate near the centres in order to prevent the aid from falling into the hands of militants, which Hamas denies.
More than 170 international humanitarian groups signed a letter this week calling on governments to press Israel to end use of the GHF to deliver aid and return to letting in aid mainly through U.N.-run channels.
The GHF has said it has delivered more than 52 million meals to hungry Palestinians in five weeks, while other humanitarian groups had “nearly all of their aid looted.”
Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Charlotte Greenfield and Philippa Fletcher
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Major Gulf Shares rise as steady PMIs signal growth
Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index (.TASI) rose 1%, hitting a more than one-month high. President Donald Trump signed a deal with Vietnam on Wednesday, imposing a 20% tariff on exports to the U.S. BlackRock Inc. (BLK.N) in talks with Aramco to divest its stake in the leasing rights of a natural gas pipeline network, potentially worth billions of dollars.
July 3 (Reuters) – Major Gulf stock markets rebounded on Thursday, supported by steady non-oil private sector growth and investor optimism around global trade deals following a U.S.-Vietnam agreement ahead of the July 9 tariff deadline
President Donald Trump signed a deal with Vietnam on Wednesday, imposing a 20% tariff on exports to the U.S., lower than the threatened 46% and giving markets reason to hope the impact of the tariffs may be less severe than had been expected for many countries.
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Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index (.TASI) , opens new tab rose 1%, hitting a more than one-month high, with almost all of its constituents posting gains.
BlackRock Inc. (BLK.N) , opens new tab was in talks with Aramco to divest its stake in the leasing rights of a natural gas pipeline network, potentially worth billions of dollars, Bloomberg reported. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
The positive momentum was supported by a healthy domestic outlook, as Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector expanded at its fastest pace in three months in June, a survey showed on Thursday.
The seasonally adjusted Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to a three-month high of 57.2 from May’s 55.8, putting it further above the 50-point line denoting growth.
The UAE’s non-oil private sector grew steadily in June even as regional tensions weighed on demand, and companies ramped up output to tackle backlogs, a survey showed on Thursday.
Reporting by Amna Mariyam and Manzer Hussain in Bengaluru; editing by Barbara Lewis
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Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas. Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire deal and hostage deal appeared high. Hamas is seeking clear guarantees that the ceasefire will eventually lead to the war’s end, a source close to the group said. Egyptian and Qatari mediators are working to secure U.S and international guarantees that talks on ending the war would continue. The proposal includes the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, while displacing most of the population of more than 2 million.
Item 1 of 4 Palestinians inspect the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Summary Truce efforts gathered pace after Israel-Iran ceasefire
Netanyahu due in Washington on Monday
US says Israel accepted conditions for ceasefire
Egypt and Qatar trying to help broker deal
CAIRO/GAZA, July 3 (Reuters) – Hamas is seeking guarantees that a new U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza would lead to the war’s end, a source close to the militant group said on Thursday, as medics said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed scores more people.
Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire deal and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began.
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Efforts for a Gaza truce have gathered steam after the U.S. secured a ceasefire to end a 12-day aerial conflict between Israel and Iran, but on the ground in Gaza intensified Israeli strikes continued unabated , killing at least 59 people on Thursday, according to health authorities in the territory.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war.
Hamas is seeking clear guarantees that the ceasefire will eventually lead to the war’s end, the source close to the group said. Two Israeli officials said those details were still being worked out.
Ending the war has been the main sticking point in repeated rounds of failed negotiations.
Egyptian security sources said Egyptian and Qatari mediators were working to secure U.S. and international guarantees that talks on ending the war would continue as a way of convincing Hamas to accept the two-month truce proposal.
A separate source familiar with the matter said that Israel was expecting Hamas’ response by Friday and that if it was positive, an Israeli delegation would join indirect talks to cement the deal.
The proposal includes the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, sources say. Of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.
A senior Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said preparations were in place to approve a ceasefire deal even as the premier heads to Washington to meet Trump on Monday.
‘READINESS TO ADVANCE’
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who sits on Netanyahu’s security cabinet, told news website Ynet that there was “definitely readiness to advance a deal.”
In Gaza, however, there was little sign of relief. According to medics at Nasser hospital, at least 20 people were killed by Israeli fire en route to an aid distribution site.
Further north, at least 17 people were killed in an Israeli strike at a school in Gaza City, according to medics. The Israeli military said it targeted a key Hamas gunman operating there and that it took precautions to reduce risk to civilians.
“Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning. We don’t know what happened,” one witness, Wafaa Al-Arqan, who was among the people sheltering there, told Reuters. “What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?”
The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, while displacing most of the population of more than 2 million, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins.
Israel says it won’t end the war while Hamas is still armed and ruling Gaza. Hamas, severely weakened , says it won’t lay down its weapons but is willing to release all the hostages still in Gaza if Israel ends the war.
Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Ahmed Salaby in Cairo; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson
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