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Netanyahu Announces Readiness For Gaza ‘Temporary Ceasefire’

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Netanyahu says ready for Gaza ‘temporary ceasefire’
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he was open to a “temporary ceasefire” in Gaza, as international pressure intensified over Israel’s renewed offensive and aid blockade in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

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If there is an option for a temporary ceasefire to free hostages, we’ll be ready,” Netanyahu said, noting that at least 20 hostages were confirmed alive.

But he added the Israeli military aimed to bring all of Gaza under its control by the end of its current operation.

We must avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action,” he said.

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His remarks came hours after Israeli troops fired what the army called “warning shots” near a delegation of foreign diplomats visiting the occupied West Bank, triggering global condemnation and fresh diplomatic tension.

READ ALSO:Britain, Canada, France Warn Israel Over ‘Egregious Actions’ In Gaza

The Palestinian foreign ministry accused Israeli forces of “deliberately targeting by live fire an accredited diplomatic delegation” near the flashpoint city of Jenin.

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A European diplomat said the group had travelled to the area to witness the destruction caused by months of Israeli military raids.

The Israeli army said “the delegation deviated from the approved route” and entered a restricted zone.

Troops opened fire to steer the group away, it said, adding no injuries were reported and expressing regret for the “inconvenience caused”.

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– ‘Unbearable’ –
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called on Israel to investigate the shooting and to hold those responsible “accountable”.

The incident came as anger mounted over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Palestinians are scrambling for basic supplies after weeks of near-total isolation.

Palestinian rescue teams said overnight Israeli strikes had killed at least 19 people, including a week-old baby.

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READ ALSO: Gaza Talks: Pick A Side Between Us Or Hamas — Israeli PM Tells Qatar

A two-month total blockade was only partially eased this week, with aid allowed into the territory for the first time since March 2, a move leading to critical food and medicine shortages.

Israel said 100 trucks with aid entered Gaza on Wednesday, following 93 the day before which the United Nations has said had been held up.

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Humanitarian groups have said that the amount falls far short of what is required to ease the crisis.

Umm Talal al-Masri, 53, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza City, described the situation as “unbearable”.

“No one is distributing anything to us. Everyone is waiting for aid, but we haven’t received anything,” she said.

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“We’re grinding lentils and pasta to make some loaves of bread, and we barely manage to prepare one meal a day.”

READ ALSO:‘I’m Deeply Pained,’ Pope Leo XIV Emotionally Begs World Leaders To End Wars In Ukraine, Gaza

The army stepped up its offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.

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Israel has faced massive pressure, including from traditional allies, to halt its expanded offensive and allow aid into Gaza.

Kallas said “a strong majority” of EU foreign ministers backed the move to review its trade cooperation with Israel.

– ‘Reckless act’ –
Sweden said it would press the 27-nation bloc to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers, while Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador.

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Pope Leo XIV described the situation in Gaza as “worrying and painful” and called for “the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid”.

READ ALSO: Hamas To Return Bodies Of Four Israeli Hostages Amid Ceasefire Deal

Israel’s foreign ministry has said the EU action “reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing”.

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Germany defended a key EU-Israel cooperation deal as “an important forum that we must use in order to discuss critical questions” over the situation in Gaza.

In Gaza, Israel resumed its operations across the territory on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.

Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

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Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.

Gaza’s health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,509 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,655.

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Putin Says Will Speak With Trump On Phone Today

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he would speak with US counterpart Donald Trump on the phone Thursday, their first publicly announced call in over two weeks.

The two have been in regular contact since Trump took office in January and have discussed issues like the Ukraine conflict and economic cooperation.

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Putin did not say what the two would discuss in Thursday’s call.

READ ALSO:Putin Rolls Out Conditions To End Russia-Ukraine War

“I will talk to the US president today,” the Russian leader told the media during a visit to an exhibition centre in Moscow.

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Trump confirmed the call on Truth Social, saying it would start at 10.00am (1400 GMT).

The two leaders have praised each other in recent weeks, despite Moscow’s ongoing assault on Ukraine.

Putin said last week that he had “great respect” for Trump and that US ties were improving. Trump said Putin’s statements were “very nice”.

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NAFDAC Warns Against Use Of Excess Hydroquinone In Cosmetics

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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned users of bleaching creams to refrain from using products containing excessive hydroquinone to safeguard their health.

NAFDAC Bauchi State Coordinator, Mr Hamis Yahaya, advised in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Tuesday.

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Hydroquinone is a skin-lightening agent used to treat hyperpigmentation, such as melasma and age spots.

READ ALSO: NAFDAC Alerts Public To Fake Antimalarial, Aflotin

Yahaya said that the approved quantity of the chemical substance in cosmetics was only two per cent.

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According to him, NAFDAC conducts checks on market products to ensure public health and safety.

The black colour provides natural protection against harmful radiation due to melanin content.

READ ALSO: Trump Says Will ‘Take A Look’ At Deporting Musk

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“Applying creams with hydroquinone contents more than two per cent is harmful. Mixing creams by non-experts is wrong.

“Hydroquinone affects the health of the users gradually, including causing cancer,” he said.

Yahaya urged the media to raise awareness about the dangers of cosmetics that could endanger consumer lives.

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AU Helicopter Crashes In Somali Capital – State Media

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An African Union helicopter crashed Wednesday at the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu with eight people onboard, state media said.

The aircraft was part of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), tasked with fighting the Al-Shabaab militant group.

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The state media agency Sonna said the AUSSOM helicopter, carrying eight people, “crashed during landing at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde Airport this morning after departing Balidoogle”.

READ ALSO:Man Jailed Seven Years For N11.4m Enugu Land Fraud

The fire has been contained, and authorities are assessing the situation,” it said in a post on X.

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Sonna quoted the country’s civil aviation authorities as saying that “flight operations remain normal”.

There were no further details given, but unverified clips and images shared online showed a plume of black smoke over the city.

The AUSSOM mission faces funding difficulties, even as fears of an Al-Shabaab resurgence are stoked by attacks in the Horn of Africa nation.

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