Palestinian PM resigns as Israelis, Hamas in Qatar for ceasefire talks

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh's government, according to the Palestinian News Agency Wafa.

Abbas has tasked Shtayyeh's government with temporarily continuing its duties until a new government is formed.

Shtayyeh said in a statement to cabinet that the next administration must take into account the new reality in Gaza, where fighting has raged for nearly five months.

He said the next stage would "require new governmental and political arrangements that take into account the emerging reality in the Gaza Strip, the national unity talks, and the urgent need for an inter-Palestinian consensus."

The UN wants to see a strengthened and empowered Palestinian government, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in response to the resignation of the government led by Shtayyeh.

"A strengthened, empowered Palestinian government that can administer the whole of the occupied Palestinian territory is critical as part of a path to achieving the establishment of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable Palestinian state, on the basis of the 1967 lines, of which Gaza is an integral part, which remains the only way to achieve a lasting peace," said the spokesman.

'Close in on a deal'

As the warring parties appeared to close in on a deal during negotiations in Qatar that also aim to broker the release of hostages, U.S. President Joe Biden expressed the hope that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for remaining hostages to be released can take effect by early next week, AP reports.

Israel and Hamas were present for proximity talks, which involves meeting mediators separately while in the same city, suggesting negotiations were further along than they had been since February 1, when Israel rejected Hamas' counter-offer for a four-and-a-half-month ceasefire, according to Reuters.

In public, both sides maintained far-reaching positions on what the ultimate goals of a truce should be, while blaming each other for holding up the talks, the Reuters report added.

Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas, said after meeting Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that his group had embraced mediators' efforts and accused Israel of stalling while Gazans dying under siege.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 29,782, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Monday.

"We will not allow the enemy to use negotiations as a cover for this crime," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel is ready for a deal and it is now up to Hamas to drop its demands, which he described as "outlandish" and "from another planet."

"Obviously, we want this deal if we can have it. It depends on Hamas. It's really now their decision," he told U.S. network Fox News. "They have to come down to reality."

Strikes continues on Red Sea

The U.S.-British coalition launched five airstrikes on Yemen's port city Hodeidah on Monday, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The strikes hit the area of Ras Issa in the al-Salif district, northwest of the city, according to local residents, the strikes hit a military base.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government announced Monday that it is scrambling to avert an environmental disaster in the Red Sea after the Houthi group attacked a cargo ship last week and caused it to take on water and leak oil.

Speaking at a press conference in Aden, Yemeni Minister of Water and Environment Tawfiq Al-Sharjabi warned that "the situation is deeply worrying, and authorities are taking every measure to deal with possible disasters as the 171-meter bulk carrier ship, identified as 'the Rubymar,' began leaking oil."

Al-Sharjabi said the British-owned, Belize-flagged bulk carrier was carrying thousands of tons of fertilizer and oil when it was damaged by two guided missiles launched by the Houthis on Feb. 18 while sailing through the Red Sea.

Its crew had been safely evacuated to Djibouti. However, the stricken vessel remains adrift with its dangerous cargo.

"We are racing against time to avoid an imminent environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden," he said.

The Houthis claimed they believed the ship was carrying weapons bound for Israel. However, the Yemeni government refuted the claim, saying the assault would harm Yemenis and offer no assistance to the Palestinians.

The Houthis have stepped up their attacks on international shipping since mid-November last year, saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who faced intense Israeli attacks.

(With input from agencies)