"Everyone Says Dhoni Is Best Captain, But Rohit…": Ashwin Hits Bullseye

India captain Rohit Sharma continues to remain absent from the national T20I side and has also taken a break from the ODI format for the series against South Africa. As fans remain hopeful of his return to white-ball cricket, there have been talks around his continuity as India’s skipper. Though India failed to win the ODI World Cup 2023 under Rohit’s leadership, the campaign for the hosts was far from a disappointing one. But, it’s also true that after MS Dhoni, no other Indian skipper has managed to crack the ICC code in the Indian team.

India’s veteran spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, analysing Rohit as a captain, a cricketer and a person, gave the most apt explanation of the respect the India skipper has in the dressing room.

“If you take a look at Indian cricket, everybody will be telling you that MS Dhoni is the best captain. (But), Rohit Sharma is an outstanding person, (and) he understands every single player in the team. He knows the likes and dislikes of each of us and has a great understanding. He puts in the effort to know each player personally,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Rohit walked the talk in the ODI World Cup, giving India splendid starts at the top in almost every match, including the final. But, it was the Australian team that emerged triumphant in the summit clash.

There were talks about Ashwin getting the nod in the final but that didn’t happen. The veteran off-spinner, however, was prepared to even cheer for the team from the bench.

“As far as I playing the final is concerned, the team combination and all is secondary. Firstly, it’s about empathy, (and) I keep stressing it a lot. It’s like standing in someone else’s shoes and looking at things from his/her perspective. Had I been in Rohit’s shoes, I would have thought 100 times about altering the (winning) combination. It was going alright for the team, so why rest a fast bowler for three spinners?,” Ashwin explained.

“Honestly, I understood Rohit Sharma’s thought process. Playing the final is big, (and) I was preparing for three days in the lead-up. At the same time, I was also prepared to cheer for the side and run in with energy drinks if I was not given the opportunity. I was mentally prepared for that as well,” Ashwin concluded.

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Often "Strongly" Disagreed With "Fierce Intellect" Henry Kissinger: Biden

Often 'Strongly' Disagreed With 'Fierce Intellect' Henry Kissinger: Biden

Henry Kissinger was arguably the most identifiable secretary of state of modern times.

Washington, United States:

President Joe Biden on Thursday lauded the “fierce intellect” of legendary late US diplomat Henry Kissinger, but highlighted in a brief statement that they often “strongly” disagreed with each other.

“Throughout our careers, we often disagreed. And often strongly,” Biden said in a statement that recalled Kissinger’s “fierce intellect and profound strategic focus.” Kissinger, a former secretary of state and White House advisor, died on Wednesday, aged 100.

Henry Kissinger, the relentlessly ambitious US diplomat whose unapologetic promotion of raw American power helped shape the post-World War II world, died Wednesday, his consulting firm said. He was 100.

Kissinger, arguably the most identifiable secretary of state of modern times, died at his home in Connecticut, announced Kissinger Associates, through which the late diplomat grew wealthy helping businesses for decades after his government career.

It said that Kissinger’s family would hold a private funeral, with a memorial service to take place later in New York, where Kissinger grew up after his Jewish family fled Nazi Germany.

The statement did not provide a cause of death. Kissinger had remained active even as a centenarian, traveling to China in July to meet President Xi Jinping.

China was one of Kissinger’s most lasting legacies. Hoping to shake up the Cold War fight against the Soviet Union, Kissinger secretly reached out to Beijing, culminating in a historic 1972 visit by president Richard Nixon and later the US establishment of relations with the isolated country, which has soared to become the world’s second-largest economy and a growing competitor with Washington.

While Kissinger was despised in much of the world, China’s foreign ministry on Thursday hailed the late US diplomat as an “old and good friend of the Chinese people.”

Kissinger “had long been concerned about and supported the development of China-US relations, visiting China more than a hundred times and making historic contributions to promote the normalization of China-US relations,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Fumio Kishida, prime minister of US ally Japan, credited Kissinger for his “significant contributions” to peace and stability in Asia, “including the normalization of diplomatic ties between the US and China.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Tunnelling Expert Praises Cooperation Of National Agencies In Rescue Op

Tunnelling Expert Praises Cooperation Of National Agencies In Rescue Op

Tunnelling expert Arnold Dix expressed gratitude for the safe rescue operation.

New Delhi:

Two days after relentless hard work, labour, and heartfelt prayers brought the 41 trapped men out of the Silkayara tunnel site in Uttarkashi, international tunnelling expert Arnold Dix appreciated the efforts of the rescue teams and said that the outcome would not have been possible without the cooperation of the national agencies.

Having cooperated and stayed in touch with the agencies throughout the rescue period, tunnelling expert Mr Dix said, “If they (National agencies) hadn’t cooperated the way they did, there’s no way we would have got this outcome. We were all one big team. 41 men, home safe, no one hurt, perfect.”

Arnold Dix also expressed gaiety at the successful rescue operation of all the workers trapped at the site and said, “I feel fantastic. I feel content. I am not in a rush to go anywhere. I am just feeling very relaxed and happy. I just traveled with the men who were rescued, and I am delighted.”

Meanwhile, all 41 workers rescued from the collapse site at Uttarkashi arrived at the Delhi airport on Thursday to head back to their families, all safe and healthy.

Rescued worker Gabbar Singh Negi spoke to ANI about the initial occurrence of the collapse incident and recalled the mishap, saying, “At first, when we got to know that this incident had happened, we were working at the front, and work was going on. It was morning around 5 am.”

“We had lost all our communication. Somehow, a worker contacted me on wireless and said that this kind of incident had happened. We thought it wasn’t a big issue at first. However, when we went and looked, we saw that the whole way was closed,” he added.

He further expressed gratitude for the safe rescue operation and said, “Uttarakhand is Devbhoomi, and the whole country has prayed for us all these days. It is because of the prayers and wishes of all our countrymen that today I stand before you all, safe and sound.”

Another rescued worker also spoke about the mishap and recalled, “At first, we were very worried. We started receiving food after 12 hours (inside the tunnel). I am all okay now. I would like to thank the government.”

Earlier, on Wednesday, the workers rescued from the Silkyara tunnel were brought to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, for further medical examination.

On November 12, a section of the tunnel, between 205 and 260 metres from the Silkyara side, collapsed. The workers, who were beyond the 260-metre mark at the time, were trapped, with their exit blocked.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Thursday that the people in India and across the world were praying to God for the success in the rescue operation in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel where 41 workers got trapped adding that the rescuers received God’s blessings to carry out the successful operation.

Following their safe evacuation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised the courage and patience of the trapped workers and their families, as well as the bravery and determination of the rescue personnel.

PM Modi said everyone involved in the rescue mission set an example of humanity and teamwork.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Matthew Perry's Stepfather Keith Morrison Breaks Silence 1 Month After Actor's Death. See Post

Matthew Perry's Stepfather Keith Morrison Breaks Silence 1 Month After Actor's Death. See Post

Matthew Perry died on October 28.

Matthew Perry’s stepfather, Canadian broadcaster Keith Morrison, has broken his social media silence and spoken out nearly a month after the ‘Friends’ actor’s death. Matthew Perry, who shot to fame for playing Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom ‘Friends’, was found dead at his Los Angeles home last month. He was 54 years old. His cause of death remains “deferred” after an initial postmortem showed no signs of meth or fentanyl in his system.

Now, a month after his stepson’s tragic death, Mr Morrison on Monday took to social media to honour the late actor. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Dateline correspondent encouraged people to donate to the Matthew Perry Foundation in celebration of Giving Tuesday. “This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch. But this year is different,” Mr Morrison wrote. “And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful,” he continued before including a link to the website for the Matthew Perry Foundation – a charity for those “struggling with the disease of addiction”. 

According to The Independent, the Matthew Perry Foundation was established by The National Philanthropic Trust after the actor’s death. Its aim is to help others struggling with the disease of addiction”, the website states. “It will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible,” it reads. 

Matthew Perry had been vocal about his battle with addiction. He wrote in his 2022 memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’, that he had spent about $9 million trying to get sober and once nearly died from consuming 55 Vicodin tablets and a quart of vodka. 

Also Read | Actor Shannen Doherty Says Cancer Has Spread to Her Bones: “I Don’t Want To Die”

The actor died on October 28 after the Los Angeles Police Department found him unresponsive in the hot tub at his LA home. His cause of death remains “deferred” after an initial postmortem showed no signs of meth or fentanyl in his system.

The actor’s ‘Friends’ co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc shared a touching tribute for Perry three weeks after his demise. 

US Says It's Taking Khalistani Terrorist's Foiled Murder Plot "Very Seriously"

US Says It's Taking Khalistani Terrorist's Foiled Murder Plot 'Very Seriously'

Washington:

The White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, stressed on Friday that the US continues to improve its strategic partnership with India. On the other side, he added that the US “takes this very seriously,” referring to the indictment by the US Department of Justice against an Indian in an alleged foiled assassination plot.

While speaking at a press briefing, Kirby said, “India remains a strategic partner, and we are going to continue to work to improve and strengthen that strategic partnership with India.”

Referring to the US Justice Department indictment of an Indian national in an alleged foiled assassination plot in the US, Kirby added, “At the same time, we take this very seriously. These allegations and this investigation, we take very seriously.”

He further said that we are glad to see that India is also taking it seriously by announcing their “own efforts to investigate this.”

“We have been clear that we want to see anybody that’s responsible for these alleged crimes to be held properly accountable…,” Kirby stressed.

The US Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate a US-based leader of the Sikh Separatist Movement and a citizen in New York.

The US Justice Department has claimed that an Indian government employee (named CC-1), who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to allegedly carry out the assassination of the Sikh Separatist, which was foiled by US authorities.

The US Justice Department claimed that Gupta, is an associate of CC-1, and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1. The indictment claims CC -1 directed the assassination plot from India.

Moreover, in a news briefing the MEA on Thursday said that a case filed against an individual in a US court and allegedly linking him to an Indian official is a “matter of concern” and is contrary to government policy.

“We cannot share any further information on such security matters. As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern. We have said and let me reiterate that this is contrary to government policy,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

“The nexus between organised crime, trafficking and gun running and extremists at an international level is a serious issue for law enforcement agencies and organisations to consider and it is precisely for that reason that a high-level committee has been constituted and we will obviously be guided by its results,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Matthew Perry's Stepfather Opens Up 1 Month After Actor's Death. See Post

Matthew Perry's Stepfather Keith Morrison Breaks Silence 1 Month After Actor's Death. See Post

Matthew Perry died on October 28.

Matthew Perry’s stepfather, Canadian broadcaster Keith Morrison, has broken his social media silence and spoken out nearly a month after the ‘Friends’ actor’s death. Matthew Perry, who shot to fame for playing Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom ‘Friends’, was found dead at his Los Angeles home last month. He was 54 years old. His cause of death remains “deferred” after an initial postmortem showed no signs of meth or fentanyl in his system.

Now, a month after his stepson’s tragic death, Mr Morrison on Monday took to social media to honour the late actor. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Dateline correspondent encouraged people to donate to the Matthew Perry Foundation in celebration of Giving Tuesday. “This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch. But this year is different,” Mr Morrison wrote. “And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful,” he continued before including a link to the website for the Matthew Perry Foundation – a charity for those “struggling with the disease of addiction”. 

According to The Independent, the Matthew Perry Foundation was established by The National Philanthropic Trust after the actor’s death. Its aim is to help others struggling with the disease of addiction”, the website states. “It will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible,” it reads. 

Matthew Perry had been vocal about his battle with addiction. He wrote in his 2022 memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’, that he had spent about $9 million trying to get sober and once nearly died from consuming 55 Vicodin tablets and a quart of vodka. 

Also Read | Actor Shannen Doherty Says Cancer Has Spread to Her Bones: “I Don’t Want To Die”

The actor died on October 28 after the Los Angeles Police Department found him unresponsive in the hot tub at his LA home. His cause of death remains “deferred” after an initial postmortem showed no signs of meth or fentanyl in his system.

The actor’s ‘Friends’ co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc shared a touching tribute for Perry three weeks after his demise. 

CM KCR Votes In Telangana Assembly Elections | Telangana News

BRS leader K Kavitha, KT Rama Rao, Revanth Reddy, and BJP President G Kishan Reddy, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi others also cast their votes.

Published Date – 04:19 PM, Thu – 30 November 23


CM KCR Votes In Telangana Assembly Elections | Telangana News


Hyderabad: KCR and his wife Shobha voted in Medak district, Chintamadaka polling station. BRS leader K Kavitha, KT Rama Rao, Revanth Reddy, and BJP President G Kishan Reddy, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi others also cast their votes.


 

Watch: Uganda Make History With T20 WC Qualification. Team Dance Is Viral

It was a historic moment for Uganda cricket team as they qualified for the T20 World Cup 2024 set to be held in the West Indies and the United States of America. Uganda booked their spot in the competition with a nine-wicket victory over Rwanda on Thursday and what followed was a spirited celebration from the team members and staff. In a video going viral on social media, the team members were seen dancing as a group and then posing for pictures. It will be joining Namibia as the second side to enter the main tournament from the Africa Qualifier. In the regional final of the Africa Qualifier, Uganda ensured a top-two finish with the victory over Rwanda, their fifth in six matches.

Batting first, Rwanda were all out for 65 in 18.5 overs. In reply, Uganda completed the formality in 8.1 overs while losing just one wicket.

Uganda will become the fifth African nation to play in the T20 World Cup.

On the other hand, Africa Qualifier favourite Zimbabwe failed to secure a berth. Zimbabwe are currently placed third in the regional final with six points, having won three of their five games.

After the results of the Africa Qualifier, the slots for the 20 participating teams have been filled.

The main tournament is set to take place between June 4-30 next year. The top two sides from each group make it to the Super 8 stage, followed by the semi-finals and the final.

The qualified teams for the 2024 T20 World Cup:USA, West Indies, Australia, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Nepal, Oman, Namibia and Uganda.

(With PTI inputs)

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Report: US gave Israel 70,000 weapons since 1950


US Air Force personnel unload a KC-135 Stratotanker at an undisclosed location, designated by the military as within the US Central Command “area of responsibility,” on Oct. 23, 2023.

New data has shed light on the extent of US military support for Israel’s war machine over the past seven decades.

A recent report shows that the United States provided Israel with over 70,000 weapons — aircraft, ground vehicles, missiles and bombs — via military aid between 1950 and 2022.  

Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign military financing, with most of that aid coming in the form of weapons grants, according to an Axios analysis of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Arms Transfers Database. The analysis was released on Wednesday.  

“I think it’s a safe assumption to say that US weapons are being used extensively in the current Israeli operations in Gaza,” Elias Yousif, a US arms transfer expert at the Stimson Center, told Time earlier this month.

So far this year, the report says that the US has provided Israel with at least 16 types of weapons. However, the type and number of weapons are not publically known due to the US secrecy about the shipments.

Experts have said these American weapons are likely being used extensively by Israeli forces against Palestinians in Gaza.

 Israel is the single largest recipient of US foreign aid since World War II.

Since the Nakba, the US has provided Israel with $260 billion in economic and military funding.

The report came amid a war that the Israeli regime has been waging against the people of Gaza since October 7, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 15,500 Palestinians. The regime has also intensified its attacks against the West Bank since the onset of the war.

How Mediator Qatar Brokered Truce Between Israel And Hamas

How Mediator Qatar Brokered Truce Between Israel And Hamas

Around 100 hostages have so far been released from Gaza

Doha:

As world leaders feted Qatar for brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas last week, its negotiators doubled down on their mediation efforts, fearful the ceasefire was about to collapse before it started.

The truce and the agreement for accompanying prisoner and hostage exchanges were loosely worded. The tiny Gulf state’s negotiators knew Israel and Hamas had yet to agree on when, or how, the ceasefire and the swap would begin, according to sources in Qatar, the Palestinian Territories and Egypt familiar with the high-stakes talks.

It was necessary to clarify all the points in the agreement and make sure they meant the same thing to Israel and Hamas, a source briefed on the negotiations said.

For example, the Israeli side had pledged to “park” tanks it was using inside the Gaza strip, but nobody had agreed on what that meant on the ground, said the source, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the talks.

One of Qatar’s lead negotiators, career diplomat Abdullah Al Sulaiti, was worried. “I thought we were going to lose it and that the agreement wouldn’t fly,” he said in an interview.

One of Qatar's lead negotiators Abdullah Al Sulaiti (R) works inside an operation room set up to coordinate the truce and release of hostages between Israel and Hamas, at the National Command Centre in Doha, Qatar November 26, 2023

One of Qatar’s lead negotiators Abdullah Al Sulaiti (R) works inside an operation room set up to coordinate the truce and release of hostages between Israel and Hamas, at the National Command Centre in Doha, Qatar November 26, 2023
Photo Credit: REUTERS

To remain focused, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had cleared his agenda, cancelling planned trips to Moscow and London, the source briefed on the negotiations said.

Inside one of his Doha offices on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 22, Sheikh Mohammed kicked off a new round of negotiations just hours after the truce had been unveiled, the source said.

In the prime minister’s main meeting were the Mossad chief, David Barnea, who had flown in from Israel for at least the third time since the beginning of the war, and a delegation of Egyptian intelligence officers. The Qataris used a separate room to call Hamas delegates who had remained in their villa office across town, the source said.

Qatar’s foreign ministry told reporters that Hamas and Israel negotiated in Doha until “the early morning” of Nov. 23 and agreed on a plan to implement the truce deal the next day.

This account reveals details of that crucial meeting, which ran for nine hours and is described here for the first time. It also offers a glimpse of the muscular approach used by Qatar to accelerate shuttle-style talks between what one official involved in the negotiations called “two parties that have zero level of confidence in each other.”

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US Department of State and the Hamas political office in Doha did not respond to detailed questions for this article. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which oversees Mossad, declined to comment.

Instead of simply passing on messages from one side to the other, the Qataris’ approach to mediation is to be proactive and throw their weight into negotiations, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter and Egyptian security sources.

Doha had already used such tactics to push for solutions to close the gaps in demands between Israel and Hamas, notably when negotiators tackled the sensitive issue of hostages ahead of the first truce announcement, the US official said.

At the start, the Netanyahu administration said it would not swap Palestinian prisoners held in Israel for hostages held in Gaza.

Hamas, which in 2011 had obtained the liberation of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel in exchange for the release of one Israeli soldier, made high demands, people familiar with the negotiations said.

The two sides eventually agreed on a ratio of three Palestinian prisoners for each civilian hostage.

Hostages held by Hamas being escorted by members of the International Red Cross, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, November 30, 2023

Hostages held by Hamas being escorted by members of the International Red Cross, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, November 30, 2023
Photo Credit: REUTERS

The key, the Qatari official involved in the negotiations said, was to amend what was being proposed by one side until it became acceptable by the other.

“We say ‘Listen, let’s have a second round of discussions with you before we send the proposal,'” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“If we decided to be like postmen and deliver letters only, I doubt that we would have finished this agreement.”

On Nov. 22, Qatari emissaries worked the phones and moved back and forth between different rooms, the source briefed on the negotiations said.

Qatari negotiators shepherded Israel and Hamas to agree on exactly where in Gaza Israeli tanks would be stationed during the truce. Similarly, they brokered an agreement on how Israeli soldiers would meet a Hamas demand to vacate Gaza hospitals, including Al Shifa, where they had taken positions, the source said.

The negotiators, some of whom have been involved in Israel-Hamas mediations since 2014, also needed to work out a crucial element: a safeguard mechanism designed to ensure that any small breach in the ceasefire would not cause it to collapse, he said.

They managed to get both sides to sign off on specific procedures they would have to follow in the event of an incident, reviewing detailed scenarios such as gunfire or tank movements, he said.

The mechanism was activated shortly after the truce came into force, when Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinians trying to move to northern Gaza, the source said.

About five hours into the meeting, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke on the phone with U.S. President Joe Biden and discussed the deal’s implementation, according to the White House readout of the call.

After the marathon session was over some hours later, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced the truce would come into force on Friday, Nov. 24 at 7 a.m. in Gaza.

As one of the very few countries with an open line of communication to both Israel and Hamas, gas-rich Qatar has emerged as the lead go-to negotiator in the weeks-long war that began with Hamas attack on Oct. 7. In addition to the U.S., Russia has also praised the role of its “Qatari friends.”

Qatar’s mediation has also elicited criticism in the West, with some U.S. and European politicians accusing the Gulf state of supporting a group, Hamas, they regard as a terrorist organization.

The ambivalence was on full display when Sheikh Tamim landed in Berlin last month: “State visit by the blood emir,” said an Oct. 12 banner headline on German newspaper Bild.

Qatari officials say they began hosting Hamas representatives in Doha in 2012 at Washington’s request, when the group’s political office was ousted from Syria. Israel vets all financial transfers Qatar makes to Palestinians in Gaza, Qatari sources have said.

Qatar’s personal connection to the Hamas group’s key figures is perhaps the most important factor behind Qatar’s ability to effectively negotiate in this conflict, said Mehran Kamrava, professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar.

“They say, ‘Look. We’ve provided an office and logistical support at tremendous reputational cost…We were the only ones who were there for you when you needed us and now is the time when you need to return the favour,'” he said.

Despite proximity to Hamas officials, Qatari negotiators did not speak directly to the group’s leaders in Gaza, but through its representatives based in Doha. The communication chain broke several times, at one point for two full consecutive days, during the month and a half of intense fighting that preceded the Nov. 24 truce, because of power outage or Israeli shutdown, the source briefed on the talks said.

Mossad often plays a diplomatic role in Israel’s dealings with Qatar, because the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations, a situation that one Western source in the Gulf said also slowed the process.

Netanyahu has sworn to annihilate Hamas, which rules Gaza, in response to the Oct. 7 rampage by the group, when Israel says gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages.

In response, Israel bombarded the territory for seven weeks and killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the coastal strip.

Since the pause in fighting began, around 100 hostages have been released from Gaza, including non-Israelis. Israel has released at least 210 Palestinians from its jails and allowed relief organizations to increase shipments of humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza.

But after seven days of truce, hostilities could resume as soon as Friday unless another extension is agreed.

Speaking to Reuters days after the ceasefire started, Al Sulaiti, the Qatari mediator, said the work was far from over.

“At the beginning I thought achieving an agreement would be the most difficult step,” said the civil servant who has been involved in Israel-Hamas mediations since 2014. “I’ve discovered that sustaining the agreement itself is equally challenging.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)