Hamas officials to visit Cairo for talks
At least 27 Palestinians, including numerous children and women, were killed in Israeli attacks on Rafah and Gaza City overnight.
Hamas officials are scheduled to travel to Egypt’s capital on Monday for a new round of ceasefire negotiations.
Equity firms General Atlantic and CVC are halting their multimillion-dollar investments in US fast food brands in Indonesia and Malaysia due to boycotts stemming from the Gaza war, reports the Financial Times.
Consumers in Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia are boycotting US brands like Starbucks, KFC, and Pizza Hut as part of a broader campaign against brands supporting Israel’s occupation of Palestine, alongside Washington’s backing of Israel.
General Atlantic paused the sale of its 20 percent stake in Starbucks operator Map Boga Adiperkasa in December, while CVC Capital Partners canceled the sale of its 21 percent stake in Malaysia’s QSR Brands, the operator of KFC and Pizza Hut, due to the boycotts.
In other news, the latest rockets launched into Israel from Lebanon are claimed to be from the Lebanon wing of Hamas. US special envoy Amos Hochstein is in Israel, mediating in the conflict and preparing to travel to Lebanon if a Gaza ceasefire is agreed upon.
US student protesters are demanding universities divest from corporations profiting from the Gaza war, sever academic ties with Israeli universities, end US military aid to Israel, and increase financial transparency about university investments. They also seek a Gaza ceasefire, the release of arrested students, and more.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Saudi Arabia for discussions on Gaza, urged Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and emphasized the need for greater defense integration among Gulf Arab allies due to Iran’s confrontation with Israel.
Regarding Gaza, Blinken said Israel has made “measurable progress” but urged further action to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, claims to have fired rockets from southern Lebanon at an Israeli military position.
