Mourners gather around the body of a Palestinian killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza. Reuters
Mourners gather around the body of a Palestinian killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza. Reuters
Mourners gather around the body of a Palestinian killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza. Reuters
Mourners gather around the body of a Palestinian killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza. Reuters

Hamas says it is prepared to release all hostages in exchange for end of war


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Hamas said early on Friday that it is ready to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for an end to the war.

Hamas's chief negotiator, Khalil Al Hayya, added that the group would no longer agree to interim deals, a stance that Israel is unlikely to accept.

Hamas is ready to engage in "comprehensive package negotiations" to release all remaining hostages in return for an end to the Gaza war, the release of Palestinians jailed by Israel and the reconstruction of Gaza, Mr Al Hayya said in a televised speech.

"The partial agreements are being used by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation – even if the price is sacrificing all of their captives. We will not be part of enabling this policy," he added.

Israel is pressing for the release of 10 living hostages held by Hamas, which wants 1,231 Palestinian detainees to be freed from Israeli jails and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The enclave has been under complete blockade since early March.

Israel had proposed that Hamas disarm to secure a complete end to the war, a demand the group rejects.

A previous ceasefire and hostage release deal began on January 19 but collapsed two months later. Israel offered to extend the first phase, while Hamas insisted that negotiations be held for a second phase, as outlined by Joe Biden when he was US president.

Israel resumed intensive bombing of Gaza on March 18.

Hamas official Khalil Al Hayya attends a press conference in Beirut. Reuters
Hamas official Khalil Al Hayya attends a press conference in Beirut. Reuters

The UN said 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the offensive resumed, causing what it has described as the most severe humanitarian crisis since the war began with Hamas's attack on Israel in October 7, 2023.

In the background, Egyptian mediators have been working to revive the January ceasefire agreement that halted fighting in Gaza. However, little progress has been made.

The latest round of talks on Monday in Cairo to restore the ceasefire and free Israeli hostages ended with no apparent breakthrough.

Gaza's Health Ministry said on Sunday that at least 1,613 Palestinians had been killed since March 18, when the ceasefire collapsed, taking the overall death toll since the war began to more than 51,000. The war has also laid waste to most built-up areas in the enclave.

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AIR
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UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

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Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.

Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.

 

 

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Updated: April 18, 2025, 7:53 AM