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Middle East conflict

Hamas says not enough hostages in Gaza for release within truce deal

It is noted that the deal includes a six-week pause in hostilities, the release of 40 remaining hostages, including all women, as well as ill and elderly men

NEW YORK, April 10. /TASS/. The Palestinian radical Hamas movement has told international mediators that it does not have 40 hostages in the Gaza Strip to release as part of the proposed truce agreement with Israel, CNN reported citing sources.

According to them, Hamas told Qatar and Egypt that "it does not have 40 living hostages who match those criteria for release."

CNN noted that the deal includes a six-week pause in hostilities, the release of 40 remaining hostages, including all women, as well as ill and elderly men. In exchange, hundreds of Palestinians will be released from Israeli prisons.

CNN also points out that Hamas’ inability or reluctance to tell Israel which hostages will be released alive is a serious obstacle to any potential ceasefire agreement. According to an Israeli official, since Hamas is unable to release 40 Israelis including elderly and women, the Jewish state insists that the movement release young military members.

New deal

Earlier, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel, citing sources, said that the talks’ participants gave the parties to the conflict a new proposal on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which should be implemented in three steps. The first step involves Hamas releasing 40 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of 900 Palestinian prisoners, including 100 sentenced to life in prison. According to the channel’s sources, other points of the potential agreement on a ceasefire include bringing back displaced persons to the northern part of the enclave, and the daily passage of 500 lorries carrying humanitarian aid.

Besides, the mediators proposed to create a safe zone around the major roads of the Gaza Strip - the Salah al-Din and Al Rashid roads, which connect the north and the south of the enclave. The new proposal points out that Israeli forces should keep a distance of 500 meters from the roads, by which the displaced persons will be able to come back to the northern Gaza Strip.

Another round of ceasefire talks in Gaza began on April 7. Early Monday morning, Al-Qahera Al-Ekhbariya TV reported that the sides had made significant progress in the talks, reaching consensus on a number of contentious issues.

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The UN Secretary-General urged world leaders to join the Ottawa Convention

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Ukraine abandons Selidovo, laying mines in wells — security services

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Russian national Nikita Zhuravel sentenced to 14 years in prison for high treason

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No int’l restrictions on deployment of Oreshnik systems — senior Russian diplomat

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West beginning to realize only part of Ukraine will remain — Lavrov

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London intensifies anti-Russian campaign in face of impending ‘Ukrainian project’ failure

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Russian armed forces defeat Ukrainian assault Battalion Shkval in DPR

Kiev forces lost over 440 troops in battlegroup group West responsibility zone

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The Russian foreign minister noted that American companies had already bought up most of the fertile land

Europe resumes talks of troop deployment to Ukraine — newspaper

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According to Zaluzhny, European countries lack munitions to shoot down air bombs

Putin appoints envoy for international criminal and legal cooperation

Ilya Rogachev is the first person to ever hold this office

Russia’s launch of new missile illustrated assured retaliation capability, lawmaker says

Andrey Kartapolov also noted that the enemy currently has no defenses against the Oreshnik.

Russia places latest Nebo-T radars on combat alert in Volga area and Urals

They arrived for the troops of Russia’s Central Military District in January 2022

France, UK may deploy troops to Ukraine following ceasefire — expert

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Turkey to investigate causes of Russian Superjet emergency at Antalya airport

The Turkish side will also provide information on the progress of the investigation

Ukrainian army mercenaries from Colombia linked to US-controlled drug cartels — expert

Commenting on the motivation of Colombian fighters to join the hostilities in Ukraine, Alexander Stepanov explained that it is linked to the situation in the South American drug trafficking market

FACTBOX: Cargo aircraft crashes into apartment building in Vilnius, Lithuania

Twelve local residents have been evacuated from the scene

Denmark, its neighbors hold talks with China about damaged cables under Baltic Sea-report

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US State Department says 10,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia’s Kursk Region

They "could enter combat in the coming days," Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman said

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According to Russian security council deputy chairman, this primarily concerns drones

Romanian presidential candidate vows to end military aid to Ukraine

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Defense contractor delivers new batch of Su-34 bombers to Russia’s Aerospace Forces

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Potential deployment of intermediate-range missiles depends on US moves — Russian diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov stressed that "any escalation scenarios, if they start to materialize, will be a direct consequence of the reckless" and "inhumane policy that is pursued by Washington and leading European countries"

Europe's 'hotheads' for sending troops to Ukraine, but there is no unity — Kremlin

"Earlier, of course, such ideas were heard from different European capitals, but various counterarguments were also voiced not in favor of this idea," Dmitry Peskov noted

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The decisions will be made in response to these applications in the near future

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Russian diplomat doesn’t rule out missile deployment in Asia as response to US’ actions

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Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, November 25th

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US did not contact Russia after use of Oreshnik missile — Deputy Foreign Minister

In his televised address to the nation on November 21, Putin stated that the United States and its NATO allies had authorized the use of long-range high-precision weapons before US and British missiles struck Russian military facilities in the bordering regions of Kursk and Bryansk

Rome plans to arrange Ukraine conference with Russia's participation

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The firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to the adjacent building, where freon is stored

Gazprom’s IFRS net profit up threefold in H1 2024 — report

Gazprom’s revenues surged from 4.114 trillion rubles ($44.7 bln) a year earlier to 5.088 trillion rubles ($55.3 bln)

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Kremlin refrains from predicting outcome of Romanian elections

Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia is well aware of Romania’s current government’s policy

Russian official describes OPCW note on use of chemicals in Ukraine as absurd

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The US was notified automatically 30 minutes before the launch by Russia's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center

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Diplomat mocks US Senator for talking about invading Netherlands

Maria Zakharova quoted the US Senator, who called the ICC a "Kangaroo court" and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan a "deranged fanatic"

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Independent candidate Georgescu leading first round of presidential election in Romania

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Fire at Tupras oil refinery extinguished

No one was injured in the fire, the company said in a press release

US-led coalition aircraft violate Syrian airspace 16 times in past day

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Moscow to announce new Russian ambassador to US after relevant decree is signed — Kremlin

Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Anatoly Antonov from the office of Ambassador of Russia to the United States

German activists demand compensation from Ukraine for Nord Stream explosion

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Moscow doing everything to bring Russian citizens back home — Kremlin spokesman

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No existing missile defense system can counter Oreshnik — US expert

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US 'stains' reputation by vetoing UNSC resolution on Middle East — Russian diplomat

Russia "will continue insisting on the most resolute measures to stop the bloodshed in Gaza," Dmitry Polyansky added

Russian forces pound Ukrainian military airfields, energy sites over day — top brass

It is specified that the Ukrainian army’s losses in the area of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup North in the Kharkov Region over the past 24 hours amounted to 30 personnel, two armored combat vehicles and four motor vehicles

Russia may soon push Kiev troops out of Kursk Region — Ukrainian battalion commander

It is noted that Russia has about three times as many men as the Ukrainians in the Kursk Region and six times as many explosive drones

Georgescu wins first round of Romania’s presidential vote as ballot tally ends

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who leads the Social Democratic Party, ended up third with 19.15% of the vote

T-90M tank shows itself as best in the world in real fight — Medvedev

Many experts believe this is the best tank of our time, compared to Western counterparts in particular, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council said

Iran ready to stop enriching uranium — Reuters

Tehran has also agreed to consider allowing four more IAEA inspectors to work in Iran, the news agency noted

Large number of Ukrainians to lose mobilization exemption after February 28 — deputy

In recent months, the number of Ukrainian employees with exemptions from military service has increased from 900,000 to 1.6 million

Warehouse catches fire in southern Moscow, over 2,500 square meters on fire

According to the emergency response services, the fire is spreading rapidly

FACTBOX: What is known about Russian flight incident at Antalya Airport

A Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 operated by the Azimuth airline caught fire as the plane landed at Antalya Airport on Sunday, TASS has compiled the key facts about the situation

Gazprom, Moldova plan to continue discussing gas supplies from January 1, Moldova's debt

The company also noted that Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller and Moldovan Energy Minister Victor Parlicov discussed cooperation in the gas sector at a working meeting

NATO spies study damage from Oreshnik at Yuzhmash — expert

Alexander Stepanov emphasized that both Kiev and its Western allies are closely scrutinizing the consequences of the strike on the plant

Restrictions under New START treaty don’t apply to Oreshnik missile — Russian diplomat

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FMBA plans to roll out new cancer vaccine in 2025

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Russia’s Medvedev warns Europe could face 'catastrophic damage' from Oreshnik missile

The Russian Security Council deputy chairman also commented on Vladimir Zelensky’s "resilience plan"

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Senior envoy sees Putin’s statement as signal of Russia’s readiness for military responses

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Kremlin doesn’t see Trump’s future term through ‘rose-colored glasses’ — spokesman

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Ukrainian strikes inside Russia impossible without Western support — newspaper

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US, European officials suggest returning nukes to Ukraine — NYT

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Zelensky shook up by Russia’s response to permission to attack it — Lavrov

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Ukrainian officer says 90% of fellow servicemen have no desire to fight

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