Iran leader speech
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution states that the insistence of certain bullying powers on negotiations is not aimed at resolving issues, but rather at imposing their expectations and will. In a meeting with high-ranking Iranian officials, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said that these bullying powers create a commotion and instigate chaos if Tehran does not agree to negotiate. However, he emphasized that the Islamic Republic will categorically not accept the demands of those bullying powers. He asserted that there is no alternative to confronting such nonsense and bullying. Ayatollah Khamenei also addressed the failure of European powers to uphold their commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement. He said their claims that Tehran did not fulfill its obligations under the deal are irrational.
Israeli captives’ plea
A group of recently released Israeli captives have called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fully implement the Gaza ceasefire deal. 56 freed captives in a letter warned Netanyahu that returning to war would endanger the lives of the remaining Israelis held in Gaza. Their plea comes a day after the military wing of Hamas released a video of an Israeli soldier urging the Israeli regime to begin the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, calling it the only way to secure their release. The first phase ended on March 1 after six weeks of exchanging Israeli captives for Palestinian abductees.
Support for Gaza reconstruction
Four European countries express their support for the Arab League’s counter-proposal regarding Gaza, which challenges US President Donald Trump's plan to take control of the strip and displace Palestinians. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and the UK emphasized that the Arab League’s plan offers a realistic pathway for Gaza's reconstruction. The European foreign ministers said the plan aims to improve catastrophic living conditions faced by Palestinians in Gaza. Arab leaders on Tuesday approved Egypt's postwar plan for the Gaza Strip, countering the Trump plan to depopulate the territory and redevelop it as a beach destination. The 53-billion-dollar plan, endorsed at a summit in Cairo, would allow Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians to remain in the Strip.