Israel weighing US ceasefire proposal tied to hostage release, official says
Israel is weighing a US-brokered ceasefire plan that would halt its Gaza offensive and secure the release of hostages. The proposal, presented as President Donald Trump’s initiative, was also delivered to Hamas over the weekend, Xinhua reported.
Under the plan, all 48 hostages still in Gaza would be freed on the first day of the truce in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Broader peace talks would then begin under Trump’s mediation.
Hamas signaled readiness to negotiate but demanded an end to the war, a full Israeli withdrawal, and a transitional Palestinian administration in Gaza. Families of hostages urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support the deal.
Trump said Israel had already accepted his terms and warned Hamas of consequences if it refused. Gaza health officials say more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, according to Xinhua.
British police arrest nearly 900 at pro-Palestine London protest
Police arrested almost 900 people at a demonstration in support of Palestine Action in the United Kingdom, in the latest round of detentions of its supporters since the pro-Palestinian group was banned by the government as a “terrorist” organisation, Aljazeera reported.
Police arrested 857 people for showing support for a proscribed group, while 33 people were arrested for other offences, including 17 for assaults on police officers, the Metropolitan police said on Sunday, according to Aljazeera.
Defend Our Juries, the organising campaign, estimated 1,500 people joined the London demonstration on Saturday, assembling with placards stating “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”.
Bangladesh battles rising tide of dengue and chikungunya
Bangladesh faces a fast-worsening public health crisis as the mosquito-borne diseases dengue and chikungunya spread side by side, overwhelming hospitals and heightening fears of an even bigger outbreak in the weeks ahead, Reuters reported.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services, the country has recorded more than 33,800 dengue cases and 132 deaths in 2025. In the first week of September, at least 10 people died and more than 1,500 were admitted to hospitals with fever.
Chikungunya, absent for years, is making a forceful return, according to Reuters.
Thousands throng Jerusalem to press Netanyahu to agree deal to free hostages
More than 15,000 people have taken to the streets in Israel to call for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip and urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a deal to free the remaining hostages, BBC reported.
Families and supporters of the hostages still being held by Hamas thronged Jerusalem's Paris Square, with others gathering in Tel Aviv.
Of the 48 hostages still being held in Gaza, as many as 20 are believed to be alive.
Israel has yet to formally respond to a deal that would see the release of some hostages, but has previously demanded the return of all the hostages in any agreement. Netanyahu insists total victory over Hamas will bring the hostages home, according to BBC.
