Western and Arab officials are gathering in Paris to find ways to provide aid to civilians in Gaza
Paris (AP): Officials from Western and Arab nations, the United Nations and nongovernmental organisations are gathering Thursday in Paris for a conference on how to provide aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip during Israel's war with Hamas, including proposals for a humanitarian maritime corridor and floating field hospitals.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has called for a "humanitarian pause" in the war, wants the conference to address the besieged Palestinian enclave's growing needs including food, water, health supplies, electricity and fuel.
Over 50 nations are expected to attend including several European countries, the United States and regional powers like Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf countries, the French presidency said. Also attending is Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
Israeli authorities won't participate in Thursday's conference, the Elysee said.
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the UN's top aid official and the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross are expected to provide details about urgent needs in the Gaza Strip.
More than 1.5 million people or about 70 per cent of Gaza's population have fled their homes, and an estimated USD 1.2 billion is needed to respond to the crisis in Palestinian areas.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides will present his plan for a humanitarian sea corridor to Gaza which he has said aims for a "sustained, secure high-volume flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza in the immediate, medium and long term." Ships would deliver the aid from Cyprus' main port of Limassol, some 255 miles away (410 kilometres.)
French officials said they are also considering evacuating injured people onto hospital ships in the Mediterranean off the Gaza coast. Paris sent a helicopter carrier off the Cyprus coast and is preparing another with medical capacities on board for that purpose.
Thursday's discussions will also include financial support and other ways to help Gaza's civilians.
France is expected to announce some additional funding. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, Paris has provided an additional 20 million euros (USD 21.4 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza, through the UN and other partners and sent 54 tons of aid via three flights to Egypt.
On Tuesday, the German government said it will provide 20 million euros in new funding, in addition to releasing 71 million euros already earmarked for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees following a review it launched after the Hamas attack.
European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also attending the conference. The 27-nation bloc is the world's top aid supplier to the Palestinians. It has sent almost 78 million euros this year.
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'Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane...': Tharoor takes dig at failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan
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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a swipe at the "failed" US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan with an Urdu couplet, saying only god knows now what will happen.
"Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane; Na woh mane, na ye mane (only god knows what will happen now as both sides did not agree)," Tharoor said on X, tagging a post-talks video clip of US Vice President J D Vance, who led the American delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad.
The United States and Iran failed to reach a peace deal at their historic 21-hour talks in Pakistan, leaving the fate of a tenuous two-week ceasefire in doubt, with both sides attempting to hold each other responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.
अब क्या होगा, ये रब जाने
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 13, 2026
ना वो माने, ना ये माने https://t.co/DYrXpa7C8h
Vance said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Tehran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions".
Trump said the US Navy will actively interdict any vessel in international waters found to have paid tolls to Iran for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiation team, said it is for the US to decide whether it can "earn our trust or not".
The Iranian foreign ministry, without elaborating, said the US side resorted to "excessive" and "illegal demands".
The failure to reach an agreement has dimmed the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy marke
