US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged Hamas to swiftly accept an Israeli proposal for a truce in the Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group.

Hamas negotiators were expected to meet Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Monday to deliver a response to the phased truce proposal which Israel presented at the weekend.

"Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel," Blinken said at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

"The only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly," he said. "I'm hopeful that they will make the right decision."

A source briefed on the talks said Israel's proposal entailed a deal for the release of fewer than 40 of the roughly 130 hostages believed to be still held in Gaza in exchange for freeing Palestinians jailed in Israel.

A second phase of a truce would consist of a "period of sustained calm" - Israel's compromise response to a Hamas demand for a permanent ceasefire.

A total of 253 hostages were seized in a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which about 1,200 Israelis were also killed, according to Israeli counts.

Israel retaliated by imposing a total siege on Gaza and mounting an air and ground assault that has killed about 34,500 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Palestinians are suffering from severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine in a humanitarian crisis brought on by the offensive that has demolished much of the territory.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who was also in Riyadh for the WEF meeting, also described the Israeli proposal as "generous".

It included a 40-day pause in fighting and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners as well as Israeli hostages, he told a WEF audience.

"I hope Hamas do take this deal and frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying 'take that deal'," Cameron said.

Cameron is among several foreign ministers in Riyadh, including from the US, France, Jordan and Egypt, as part of a diplomatic push to bring an end to the Gaza war.

Blinken reiterated that the United States - Israel's main diplomatic supporter and weapons supplier - could not back an Israeli ground assault on Rafah if there was no plan to ensure that civilians would not be harmed.

More than a million displaced Gaza residents are crammed into Rafah, the enclave's southernmost city, having sought refuge there from Israeli bombardments. Israel says the last Hamas fighters are holed up there and it will open an offensive to root them out soon.

Iraq has repatriated hundreds more of its citizens linked to ISIS from a sprawling camp in northeastern Syria, Iraqi and Syrian officials said Monday.

Ali Jahangir, a spokesman for Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displaced, said the nearly 700 Iraqis, mostly women and children, arrived late Sunday at a camp near Iraq’s northern city of Mosul, where they will undergo a rehabilitation program with the help of international agencies in an effort to distance them from extremist ideology.

Despite an aggressive repatriation campaign by Baghdad, Iraqis remain the largest nationality among the nearly 43,000 residents of al-Hol camp which houses the wives, widows, children and other family members of IS militants. Syrians are the second-largest nationality. More than 6,000 people from 57 other countries are housed in a separate area known as the Annex.

“These are Iraqi citizens that we have to rehabilitate,” Jahangir said. “Leaving them at al-Hol camp means they are a time bomb that could threaten Iraq’s security.”

In 2014, ISIS declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria and attracted tens of thousands of supporters from around the world. The extremists were defeated by a US-led coalition in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Tens of thousands of people linked to the group were taken to al-Hol camp close to the Iraqi border.

The heavily guarded camp, overseen by the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, was once home to 73,000 people.

Sheikhmous Ahmad, a Kurdish official overseeing camps for displaced in northeastern Syria, said 187 families consisting of 697 Iraqis were repatriated Sunday. He said it was the 15th group to return home.

An SDF official, Siamand Ali, said the presence of foreigners at al-Hol and the smaller Roj camp are a burden on the force that also protects the facilities and raids IS sleeper cells that carry out deadly attacks in Syria.

“Repatriating them to their countries is a positive step and reduces the pressure on us,” Ali said, according to The AP.

The office of Iraq’s national security adviser said 7,556 citizens have been repatriated from al-Hol. Jahangir said they have no exact figures of how many Iraqis remain at the camp.

Hawar News, the news agency for the semiautonomous Kurdish areas in Syria, said the latest figures from al-Hol show 42,781 people there including 19,530 Iraqis, 16,779 Syrians and 6,461 from other nationalities. The agency says 11 residents have not been identified.

Last week, Kurdish-led authorities repatriated 50 women and children from al-Hol and Roj camps to Tajikistan.

The Hamas militant group's al Qassam Brigades said on Monday they had fired a salvo of missiles from south Lebanon at an Israeli military position.

Air raid sirens went off in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Qassam Brigades said in a statement that the Monday morning attack on the army command in northern Israel was in retaliation for “the massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza.”

Hamas has fired rockets from Lebanon on several occasions since the Israel-Hamas war started in October.

Iran is pushing Syria to act on strategic investments from agreements between them, aiming to repay Syria’s $50 billion debt.

Tehran is speeding up the process, which Damascus had hesitated on, seeing itself as crucial for Syria’s survival amid economic collapse.

Sources in Damascus confirm Iran’s long-standing pressure to implement these agreements, especially after President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit last May and the signing of a cooperation memorandum.

The focus is on getting these agreements into action.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Syria sees these agreements as unfair, giving Iran benefits while harming Syrian interests.

Syria feels deprived of financial support to bolster its economy because the main goal seems to be Iran reclaiming its debt.

As a result, Damascus hesitates to implement the agreements, hoping to use its economy as leverage to attract investment from Arab and Western nations.

Last August, a classified government document from the Iranian presidency was leaked to the media, revealing Iran spent $50 billion on the Syrian war over 10 years.

Iran considers this sum as "debts" it intends to reclaim through investments, including the transfer of phosphate, oil, and other resources to the Iranian government.

Iran plans to invest $947 million in eight projects to recoup about $18 billion over 50 years.

An economist in Damascus, who requested anonymity, explained that due to war damage, production in government-held areas is minimal, and Syria heavily relies on imports, especially with Russia occupied in Ukraine.

As a result, Syria is dependent on Iran, which controls the supply of oil, gas, and food, becoming Syria’s main lifeline.

As signs of progress in Damascus-Tehran agreements emerge, Syria's Minister of Communications and Technology, Iyad al-Khatib, announced that the trial call for the new cellular operator, “Wafa Telecom,” will happen in September, followed by its commercial launch.

Workers installing communication towers confirmed that many are set up to serve “Wafa Telecom,” reportedly backed by seven local Syrian companies. However, investigations found ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

“Most areas in Damascus now have these towers,” an installation worker, speaking under conditions of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Another source in Damascus mentioned speeding up the implementation of various agreements, including establishing a joint bank and enhancing trade deals.

To speed up these agreements, Iran appointed Hossein Akbari as its special ambassador to Damascus in April 2023. He’s been meeting with Syrian officials and engaging with state institutions and trade chambers, focusing on the economic aspects.

Local media reported that he met with three Syrian ministers separately on March 21. They discussed starting various joint industrial projects between the two countries.

Among the planned Iranian-Syrian projects is an agreement regarding a Syrian phosphate mine with a capacity of 1.05 billion tons. Iran is set to receive part of its claims from this mine over 50 years, investing $125 million within 3 years.

According to a leaked Iranian document, this contract has been active since 2018, with 2.05 million tons of phosphate extracted from the mine until February 2022.

Another contract involves the Homs “Field 21” oil field in central Syria, holding reserves of 100 million barrels. The 30-year contract execution began in 2020, with Iran investing $300 million to complete it within 5 years, aiming to settle Syria's $3.4 billion debt from this field.

There’s also a contract for “Field 12” in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria, spanning 30 years. With a $300 million investment over 5 years, Iran expects to earn $3 billion from it.

Additionally, Iran will establish and operate a mobile phone station in Syria, investing $222 million over three years, expecting an income of $1.5 billion. They’ll also receive a portion of the income from the Latakia port, with payments spread over 20 years.

Furthermore, there are contracts for investing in 5,000 hectares of agricultural land in Syria, covering $25 million of Syria’s debt to Iran over 25 years.

Moreover, a contract will establish a factory for producing powdered infant milk near the “Zahid” cattle facility in Tartus. Through this, $7 million of Syria’s debt to Iran is expected to be repaid over 25 years.

Israeli airstrikes on three houses in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed at least 22 Palestinians and wounded many others, medics said on Monday.

Israel has regularly carried out airstrikes on Rafah since the start of the war and has threatened to send in ground troops, saying Rafah is the last major Hamas stronghold in the coastal enclave. Over a million Palestinians have sought refuge in the city on the Egyptian border.

An assault on Rafah has been anticipated for weeks but foreign governments and the United Nations have expressed concern that such action could result in a humanitarian disaster given the number of displaced people crammed into the area.

The overnight strikes hit three family homes. The first killed 11 people, including four siblings aged 9 to 27, according to records at the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, where the bodies were taken. The second strike killed eight people, including a 33-year-old father and his 5-day-old boy, according to hospital records. The third strike killed three siblings, aged 23, 19 and 12.

The US military said on Sunday it had engaged five unmanned drones over the Red Sea that “presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region.”

US Central Command did not say in the statement if the drones were destroyed.

On Friday, Yemen's Houthi militias said they targeted a British oil ship travelling through the Red Sea. The group said the ship was targeted with naval missiles and was directly hit.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said on Thursday his forces also shot down an MQ-9 Reaper attack drone of the US military with a missile in the airspace of the Saada governorate, north Yemen.

Houthis continue attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea in a show of support for Palestinians fighting Israel in the Gaza war.

The United States and the United Kingdom conducted airstrikes on the Houthis to disrupt and degrade the capabilities the group uses to threaten global trade.

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reviewed on Sunday ongoing talks to secure the release of hostages together with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a statement issued by the White House said.

During a phone conversation, Biden reiterated to Netanyahu his clear position on a major Israeli operation in Rafah, the statement added.

The President then reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security following the successful defense against Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack earlier this month.

Biden and Netanyahu also discussed increases in the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza including through preparations to open new northern crossings starting this week, the White House statement said.

The US President stressed the need for this progress to be sustained and enhanced in full coordination with humanitarian organizations.

The talks came amid reports saying Israel has approved plans for an invasion of Rafah, but has expressed a willingness to call off or postpone the operation if Hamas releases Israeli hostages in exchange, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Under a new proposal by Egypt for de-escalation in Gaza, Hamas would back down from demands for a permanent ceasefire in the first phase, and accept to free nearly 30 Israeli detainees. The deal secures a day of calm in the Strip for every Israeli detainee released. It also has clear lines for a second phase.

The Jerusalem Post said Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen Herzi Halevi has approved plans for a “major operation” in Rafah following a meeting on Sunday with Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman and the other division and brigade commanders of the Southern Command.

The newspaper said Finkelman and 99th Division commander Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram held a situation assessment in the field on Friday, adding that new operational plans for continued fighting were approved.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) said it would resume operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday, a month after seven workers of the US-based charity were killed in an Israeli air strike.

Prior to halting operations, WCK had distributed more than 43 million meals in Gaza since October, representing by its own accounts 62% of all international NGO aid.

The charity said it had 276 trucks with the equivalent of almost 8 million meals ready to enter through the Rafah Crossing and will also send trucks into Gaza from Jordan.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire," said the charity's chief executive officer Erin Gore. "We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible."

The April 1 deaths triggered widespread condemnation and demands from Israel's allies, including the US, for an explanation.

Israel said its inquiries had found serious errors and breaches of procedure by its military, dismissing two senior officers and reprimanding senior commanders.

WCK is demanding an independent investigation.

Israel's six-month war against Hamas in Gaza followed an Oct. 7 attack by the armed group in southern Israel when more than 250 hostages were seized and some 1,200 people killed, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's offensive has killed more than 34,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say, and caused a humanitarian disaster for the enclave's more than 2 million inhabitants.

"We have been forced to make a decision: Stop feeding altogether during one of the worst hunger crises ever...Or keep feeding knowing that aid, aid workers and civilians are being intimidated and killed," Gore said.

"These are the hardest conversations, and we have considered all perspectives when deliberating. Ultimately, we decided we must keep feeding, continuing our mission of showing up to provide food to people during the toughest of times."

Israel has agreed to listen to US concerns and thoughts before it launches an invasion of the border city of Rafah in Gaza, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday.

Israel's military is poised to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah and assault Hamas hold-outs there, a senior Israeli defense official said on Wednesday, despite international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Washington has said it could not support a Rafah operation without an appropriate and credible humanitarian plan.

"They've assured us that they won't go into Rafah until we've had a chance to really share our perspectives and our concerns with them," Kirby told ABC.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to visit the region next week and Kirby said he would continue pressing for a temporary ceasefire that Washington wants to last for at least six weeks.

A Hamas delegation will visit Cairo on Monday for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire, a Hamas official told Reuters.

"What we're hoping is that after six weeks of a temporary ceasefire, we can maybe get something more enduring in place," said Kirby, who also noted that the number of aid trucks into the north of Gaza was starting to increase.

"The Israelis have started to meet the commitments that (US) President (Joe) Biden asked them to meet," he said.

Earlier this month Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza or Washington could rein in support for Israel in its war against Hamas.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday only the United States could stop Israel attacking the border city of Rafah in Gaza, adding that the assault, which he expects within days, could force much of the Palestinian population to flee the enclave.

"We call on the United States of America to ask Israel to not carry on the Rafah attack. America is the only country able to prevent Israel from committing this crime," Abbas told a special meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Israel, which has threatened for weeks to launch an all-out assault on the neighborhood saying its goal is to destroy Hamas' remaining battalions there, stepped up airstrikes on Rafah last week.

Western countries, including Israel's closest ally the United States, have pleaded with it to hold back from attacking the southern city, which abuts the Egyptian border and is sheltering more than a million Palestinians who fled Israel's seven-month long assault on much of the rest of Gaza.

"What will happen in the coming few days is what Israel will do with attacking Rafah because all the Palestinians from Gaza are gathered there," Abbas said, adding that only a "small strike" on Rafah would force the Palestinian population to flee the Gaza strip.

"The biggest catastrophe in the Palestinian people's history would then happen."

Abbas reiterated that he rejects the displacement of Palestinians into Jordan and Egypt and said he is concerned that once Israel completes its operations in Gaza, it will then attempt to force the Palestinian population out of the West Bank and into Jordan.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which Israel said 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have since been killed, according to the Gaza health ministry, and most of the population displaced.