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Hamas says it’s reviewing an Israel cease-fire proposal as pressure for peace mounts

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A new proposal from Israel for a cease-fire in Gaza is reportedly being reviewed by senior Hamas officials on Saturday.

Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayva said the Palestinian militant group was evaluating Israel’s proposal, and “upon completion of its study, it will submit its response.”

According to the Associated Press, he gave no further details of Israel’s offer but said it was in response to a proposal from Hamas two weeks ago.

Hamas’ statement came hours after a high-level Egyptian delegation wrapped up a visit to Israel where it discussed a “new vision” for a prolonged cease-fire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss the developments.

It was not immediately clear whether Israel’s latest response to Hamas on a cease-fire was directly related to the Egyptian mediator’s visit to Tel Aviv on Friday.

The discussions between Egyptian and Israeli officials focused on the first stage of a multi-phase plan that would include a limited exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners, and the return of a significant number of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza “with minimum restrictions,” the Egyptian official said.

The mediators are working on a compromise that will answer most of both parties’ main demands, which could pave the way to continued negotiations with the goal of a larger deal to end the war, the official said.

Next week, Egypt’s foreign minister is expected to update international officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during a World Economic Forum meeting, Reuters reported.

Børge Brende, the WEF’s president, said at a news conference Saturday that the update will be part of talks between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and several international officials aimed at pushing for a peace agreement in Gaza.

“We do have the key players now in Riyadh and hopefully the discussions can lead into a process towards reconciliation and peace,” Brende said, adding that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis would be on the agenda of the WEF’s meeting.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the meetings alongside regional leaders including Qatar’s prime minister, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Oman’s crown prince and Bahraini officials, Brende said.

“There is now a bit of momentum for negotiations on the hostages and also a possible ceasefire,” Brende said.


Biden administration faces pressure over continued support for Israel

02:55

As the war drags on and casualties mount, there has been growing international pressure for Hamas and Israel to reach an agreement on a cease-fire and avert a possible Israeli attack on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the territory.

Israel has been insisting for months it plans a ground offensive into Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where it says many remaining Hamas militants are holed up, despite calls for restraint from the international community including Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States.

Egypt has cautioned an offensive into Rafah could have “catastrophic consequences” on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as on regional peace and security.

The Israeli military has massed dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in southern Israel close to Rafah and hit targets in the city in near-daily airstrikes.

Early Saturday, an Israeli airstrike hit a house in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, killing six people, including four children, according to officials at a local hospital.

The strike killed a man, his wife and their three sons, aged 12, 10 and 8, according to records of the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital’s morgue. A neighbor’s four-month-old girl was also killed, the records showed.

Five people were also killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza overnight when an Israeli strike hit a house, according to officials at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men in an exchange of fire at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said.

Violence in the West Bank has flared since the war started. Since then, 491 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the territory according to the Ramallah-based Health Ministry,

The Israeli army said the two men were killed after they opened fire from a vehicle at Israeli troops stationed at Salem checkpoint near the Palestinian city of Jenin.

The U.S. has been critical of Israeli policies in the West Bank and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is expected in Israel on Tuesday, has recently determined an army unit committed human rights abuses there before the war in Gaza.

But Blinken said in an undated letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, obtained by CBS News on Friday, that he is postponing a decision on blocking aid to the unit to give Israel more time to right the wrongdoing.

The information comes as Blinken weighs whether to recommend suspending U.S. aid to the unit under a federal measure known as the Leahy Law. The law prevents the U.S. from providing weapons or funds for military assistance to groups when there is credible information indicating the groups have violated human rights.


What it’s like to be an aid worker in Gaza

07:20

According to a source with knowledge of the letter, Johnson had demanded assurance from Blinken before he would put a long-delayed foreign aid package to a vote on the House floor. Blinken’s letter was delivered to Johnson last Saturday, the day the vote was to take place.

The U.S. has also been building a pier to deliver aid to Gaza through a new port, which an official said last week was on track to start operating by early May.

The Biden administration has stressed there will be no American boots on the ground for the mission. However, the BBC reported Saturday that the British government was considering deploying troops to drive the trucks to carry the aid to the shore, citing unidentified government sources. British officials declined to comment on the report.

Hamas sparked the war with its attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took some 250 people as hostages. Israel says the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Since then, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s air and ground offensive, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, around two-thirds of them children and women.

Israel has reported at least 260 of its soldiers killed since the start of ground operations in Gaza.



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Saturday Sessions: Marcus King performs “Save Me”

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Saturday Sessions: Marcus King performs “Save Me” – CBS News


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Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Marcus King started playing guitar at eight. As a teen, he formed his own band and started performing. Now, he’s releasing his third critically acclaimed solo album. The personal project focuses on mental health and was produced by the legendary Rick Rubin. From “Mood Swings,” here is Marcus King with “Save Me.”

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New documentary explores the private life of “Superman” icon Christopher Reeve

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Long before comic book characters dominated movie screens, actor Christopher Reeve made the world believes in superheroes with the 1978 classic “Superman.” 

Reeve died in 2004, nearly a decade after an accident re-shaped his life. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is using interviews with family and friends and never-before-seen home videos to explore his real-life heroism. 

Reeve started his career on the stage, studying at the prestigious Juilliard School and living with comedian Robin Williams. The pair had a friendship that was “more like a brotherhood,” said Reeve’s son Matthew. Reeve was in awe of Williams’ energy and versatility, Matthew Reeve said, but audiences quickly clued into Reeve’s own star power when he took on the role of the Man of Steel

Christopher Reeve in 'Superman'
Christopher Reeve as Superman in a scene from “Superman.” 

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To his children, though, he “was just dad,” Matthew Reeve said. The documentary explores how Matthew Reeve and his sister Alexandra Reeve Givens grew up watching their dad take the stage as Superman. “Super/Man” also reveals their heartbreak over their parents’ breakup and the joy they found when Reeve re-married. He tied the knot with Dana Reeve in 1992, and the pair welcomed another child, William Reeve, later that year.  

“Dana was sunshine,” Alexandra Reeve Givens recalled. “She just brought joy with her wherever she was and could find it even in the darkest moments.” 

Those dark moments came suddenly, when in 1995, a near-fatal horseback riding accident left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down. The documentary allows viewers to see, for the first time, what went on out of the public’s view. Reeve can be heard talking about how he “ruined (his) life and everybody else’s,” but in a touching moment, old friend Robin Williams is seen visiting him in the hospital.

“Robin showed him ‘Hey, you’re still you,'” Alexandra Reeve Givens said. “‘You still have this foundation of friendship and people around you, who adore you. And you’re going to find those fun moments in life again.'” 

That support from friends and family re-ignited Reeve’s legacy of activism. He made appearances at the Democratic National Convention and the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, about a year after the accident. Matthew Reeve said watching his father address his industry peers at the Oscars was “one of (his) most proud moments.”

“It was just a production for him to get out of bed every morning, let alone get across the country and go out in public for the first time,” Matthew Reeve said. “It was a big deal. It was a big deal to him, but it was also a big deal to the entire disability community. We stayed up in London till like three in the morning to watch that live. It’s a fond memory.”  

Actor Christopher Reeve (L), wife Dana (R) and com
Christopher Reeve (L), wife Dana (R) and comedian-actor Robin Williams (C) pose while at the Governor’s Ball after the 68th Annual Academy Awards 25 March in Los Angeles.

Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images


Reeve also went on to launch what would become the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing research into spiral cord injury and help individuals and families impacted by paralysis. It was his dad’s mission to find a cure, Matthew Reeve said, while his stepmother wanted to focus on improving the lives of paralyzed people and their families. The foundation and Reeve’s platform helped bring unprecedented attention and funding to spinal cord injury research. 

Reeve even kept acting and realized his lifelong dream of directing with the 1997 HBO movie “In the Gloaming.” Reeve died in 2004 from heart failure at 52.

“There is a huge amount of great actors and actresses out there, where their filmography might be amazing and what they achieve on a cultural level might be amazing, but have they actually achieved anything really as a human that moves the needle for our society?” said filmmaker Ian Bonhote, who made the documentary with Peter Ettedgui. “And Chris has done both things.” 

“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will open in theaters on Friday, Oct. 11. 



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How England’s most traditional meal is changing

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How England’s most traditional meal is changing – CBS News


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The British have enjoyed a Sunday roast for generations, but the tradition is changing. Chef Tom Kerridge, owner of the world’s only two Michelin-starred pub, explained the dish’s evolution – as well as what makes it so beloved.

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