United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is “very confident” that he will strike a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting the White House.

The pair are expected to address a joint press conference shortly.

Netanyahu also apologised to his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani for an Israeli airstrike in Doha during a telephone call from the White House on Monday, a source close to Netanyahu told Reuters.

A Qatari technical team is also at the White House, according to a separate source briefed on the talks. Meanwhile, a diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu voiced regret for the violation of Qatari sovereignty and the death of a Qatari security guard.

Ahead of formal consultations, Trump had told his guests: “We have to get the hostages back … This is the group that can do it, more than any other group in the world … so it’s an honour to be with you.”

Trump had also emphasised the urgency of ending the conflict: “We had 32 meetings here, this is the one that’s very important because we’re gonna end something that should’ve probably never started.”

According to reports from Israel’s Channel 12 and US-based Axios, President Trump’s plan envisions an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, both alive and deceased; phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Governance excluding Hamas but incorporating the Palestinian Authority; deployment of Arab and Muslim peacekeepers to secure Gaza and facilitate Israel’s withdrawal; and internationally supported reconstruction and transition programmes funded by regional contributors.

These details were reportedly shared with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though Israel did not draft the plan, a Dawn report said.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a TV interview that Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas are “very close” to reaching an agreement on a framework deal to end Israel’s bombardment in Gaza and ensure lasting peace in the Middle East.

Leavitt, speaking on Fox News’ ‘Fox and Friends’ programme, said Trump would discuss a 21-point peace plan with Netanyahu at the White House later today.

“Trump will speak to leaders in Qatar, who have served as intermediaries with Hamas,” she said.

“To reach a reasonable deal for both sides, both sides have to give up a little bit and might leave the table a little bit unhappy, but that is ultimately how we are going to end this conflict,” Leavitt added.

PM Shehbaz welcomes Gaza plan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed US President Donald Trump’s plan to bring the Israeli invasion of Gaza to an end.

His statement came in a post on X as the US president greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for talks on the US-led peace plan. Before the meeting, Trump had told reporters he was “very confident” that there would be peace in Gaza.

Asked if all parties were on board with his 21-point plan, he repeated, “very confident”.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz posted on X: “I welcome President Trump’s 20-point [sic] plan to ensure an end to the war in Gaza.

“I am also convinced that durable peace between the Palestinian people and Israel would be essential in bringing political stability and economic growth to the region,” the PM wrote.

He added, “It is also my firm belief that President Trump is fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary to make this extremely important and urgent understanding to become a reality.”

PM Shehbaz also lauded “Trump’s leadership and [his] special envoy Steve Witkoff for their efforts in bringing an end to the nearly two-year-long conflict”.

“I also strongly believe that the implementation of the two-state proposal is essential to ensure lasting peace in the region,” he added.

Earlier in the day, he also spoke to Pakistani journalists in London, where he spoke about Trump’s meeting with Muslims leaders on Gaza in New York last week.

The meeting on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly had brought together leaders from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, and Indonesia.

During his interaction with journalists in London today, PM Shehbaz “a very constructive discussion took place” at the meeting. He added, “As a result of that meeting, very soon, a positive result may come that in the Gaza war, there may be a ceasefire.”

In less than two years, Israel’s onslaught on Gaza has killed at least 65,549 people and wounded 167,518, besides displacing millions from their areas. Earlier this month, UN investigators said that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza in a bid to “destroy the Palestinians”, accusing Israel’s prime minister and other top officials of incitement.

A huge communications blackout hit Afghanistan on Monday, weeks after Taliban authorities began severing fibre optic connections in multiple provinces to prevent “vice”.

“A nationwide telecoms blackout is now in effect,” said Netblocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance.

“We’re now observing national connectivity at 14 percent of ordinary levels.”

 The watchdog said the incident “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service”.

AFP lost contact with its bureau in the capital Kabul around 6:15pm (6:45 pm PKT), including mobile phone service.

Afhanistan’s Taliban authorities began a crackdown on internet access earlier this month, severing connections in multiple provinces.

The move, ordered by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, effectively shut down high-speed internet in several regions.

Fibre optic internet was completely banned in northern Balkh province on the leader’s orders, provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said on September 16.

“This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” he wrote on social media.

At the time, AFP correspondents reported the same restrictions in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, as well as in Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar and Uruzgan in the south.

Over the past several weeks, internet connections have been extremely slow or intermitant.

In 2024, Kabul had touted the 9,350-kilometre fibre optic network — largely built by former US-backed governments — as a “priority” to bring the country closer to the rest of the world and lift it out of poverty.

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have instituted numerous restrictions in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law.

• Government evacuates more than 28,500 people before typhoon hit.
• Bualoi damages over 44,000 homes, inundate nearly 6,000 hectares.
• Rainfall of 500mm (20 inches) forecast in several areas from Sunday.
  

Typhoon Bualoi tore through Vietnam’s coast on Monday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 46, the government said, while accompanying strong winds and rains damaged homes, snapped power links, and flooded roads.

Bualoi weakened into a depression heading for Laos after having made landfall early on Monday, and had whipped up waves as much as eight metres (26 ft) high as it moved along the northern central coast, the national weather agency said.

Among the missing are fishermen whose boats were washed away off the province of Quang Tri, while another fishing boat lost contact, the government’s disaster management agency said.

“I stayed awake the whole night, fearing the door would be pulled off by strong winds,” said Ho Van Quynh of Nghe An province.

Trying to protect homes

His neighbours said they spent the night trying to protect their homes after their apartment building lost power.

“I’ve witnessed many storms, and this is one of the strongest,” said 45-year-old Nguyen Tuan Vinh.

The government evacuated more than 28,500 people before the typhoon hit, while hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled by the closure of four airports in central provinces.

Strong winds killed nine people and injured seven in the province of Ninh Binh, the Vietnam News Agency said.

One person died in floodwaters in Hue city, and a falling tree killed another in Thanh Hoa province, the disaster management agency said.

Bualoi has damaged more than 44,000 homes, inundated nearly 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) of rice and other crops, and cut access to several areas, the government said.

No major industrial damage reported

It mentioned no major damage to industrial properties, though large factories in or near the typhoon’s path included some owned by Foxconn, Formosa Plastics, Luxshare, and Vinfast.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered the defence and public security ministries to urgently send troops and policemen to help tackle the storm’s aftermath.

The cyclone has triggered heavy rains across most of Vietnam since Saturday, prompting authorities to warn of a high risk of severe floods and landslides.

Water rose to alarming levels in rivers and reservoirs in the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Thanh Hoa, the government said, with tens of thousands of families also hit by power blackouts.

Rainfall of 500mm (20 inches) was forecast in several areas over the period from Sunday night through Tuesday, weather authorities said.

With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to typhoons that often form east of the Philippines, where Bualoi killed at least 10 people last week.