US Fed proposes easing key banking rule

The US Federal Reserve released plans Wednesday to relax a key capital rule for major banks, a move they say can help facilitate Treasury market trading.The Fed board voted 5-2 to propose amendments on a measure introduced after the 2008 global financial crisis, that requires banks to hold a certain amount of capital relative to their assets.This was part of efforts to boost their stability.The measure, called the “enhanced supplementary leverage ratio,” calls for the country’s biggest banks to hold an extra layer of capital.Under the latest proposal, the capital requirement for holding companies is set to be lowered from its current five percent while banking subsidiaries will have their requirement reduced from six percent.The plan will face a 60-day window for public comment.The rule was initially set up as a “backstop,” said Fed Chair Jerome Powell at the board’s open meeting on Wednesday.But he added that banks have increased the amount of “relatively safe and low-risk assets” on their balance sheets over the past decade or so.”Based on this experience, it is prudent for us to reconsider our original approach,” he said.”We want to ensure that the leverage ratio does not become regularly binding and discourage banks from participating in low-risk activities, such as Treasury market intermediation,” Powell said.The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is also meeting Thursday about changes to the standard.Fed vice chair for supervision Michelle Bowman said that “the proposal will help to build resilience in US Treasury markets.”She argued that it reduces the chance of “market dysfunction and the need for the Federal Reserve to intervene in a future stress event.”But Fed governors Michael Barr and Adriana Kugler expressed reservations about the plan.Barr warned that the proposal significantly reduces bank capital, raising risks surrounding a major bank’s failure.Kugler, meanwhile, expressed doubt that benefits involving the Treasury market justified proposed reductions in capital requirements, “especially in light of the potential for elevated financial stability risk.”American Bankers Association president Rob Nichols called the proposal a key step towards boosting the financial system and “reducing bank funding costs.””We urge regulators to move as quickly as possible to finalize these much-needed reforms,” he added.

Nvidia hits fresh record while global stocks are mixed

Global stocks were mixed Wednesday as markets weighed lingering worries about the Iran-Israel conflict while Nvidia surged to a fresh all-time high on bullishness over artificial intelligence.Analysts cited not only concerns that the ceasefire between Iran and Israel could break down, but leaked US intelligence that said strikes had set back Tehran’s nuclear program by just a few months.”Maybe the US bombardment didn’t destroy the Iran nuclear program,” said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital Management, adding that that revelations about the Iran nuclear program suggested the Iran story is not a “new chapter.”The S&P 500 finished a choppy day flat, while the Dow edged lower and the Nasdaq advanced.”Investors are sort of catching their breath, since we had a very strong move on Monday and Tuesday,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment officer at CFRA Research. “Nvidia’s on everyone lips today.”The chip company shot up 4.3 percent to $154.31, giving it a market valuation of around $3.76 trillion — more valuable than Microsoft, Apple and other tech giants.The rise came as CEO Jensen Huang presented the company’s latest technologies at Nvidia’s annual meeting.Asian stock markets had closed higher earlier on Wednesday following rallies on Wall Street and in Europe the day before. But European stocks fell in Wednesday’s session.Oil prices, meanwhile advanced after two days of heavy losses following a US crude inventory report that showed a bigger than expected drawdown in inventory.The dollar continued to slide against the euro, with fewer benefits from the flight to safety due to unrest in the Middle East.While the Israel-Iran conflict has dominated global attention in recent days, markets are also shifting attention back to trade. Shares of FedEx fell 3.3 percent after the shipping company did not provide a full-year forecast, citing uncertainty about the global trade outlook and tariffs.Dozens of countries are locked in negotiations with Washington to clinch some sort of trade deal to mitigate the impact of US tariffs. Only Britain has been reached a deal, although Beijing and Washington have agreed to lower tariffs from the highest rates they imposed upon one another.- Key figures at around 2040 GMT -Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.8 percent at $67.68 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $64.92 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 42,982.43 (close)New York – S&P 500: FLAT at 6,092.16 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 19,973.55 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,718.75 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.8 percent at 7,558.16 (close) Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.6 percent at 23,498.33 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 38,942.07 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.2 percent at 24,474.67 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 3,455.97 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1656 from $1.1609 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3664 from $1.3615Dollar/yen: UP at 145.32 yen from 144.94 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 85.26 from 85.27 penceburs-jmb/des

Nvidia hits fresh record while global stocks are mixed

Global stocks were mixed Wednesday as markets weighed lingering worries about the Iran-Israel conflict while Nvidia surged to a fresh all-time high on bullishness over artificial intelligence.Analysts cited not only concerns that the ceasefire between Iran and Israel could break down, but leaked US intelligence that said strikes had set back Tehran’s nuclear program by just a few months.”Maybe the US bombardment didn’t destroy the Iran nuclear program,” said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital Management, adding that that revelations about the Iran nuclear program suggested the Iran story is not a “new chapter.”The S&P 500 finished a choppy day flat, while the Dow edged lower and the Nasdaq advanced.”Investors are sort of catching their breath, since we had a very strong move on Monday and Tuesday,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment officer at CFRA Research. “Nvidia’s on everyone lips today.”The chip company shot up 4.3 percent to $154.31, giving it a market valuation of around $3.76 trillion — more valuable than Microsoft, Apple and other tech giants.The rise came as CEO Jensen Huang presented the company’s latest technologies at Nvidia’s annual meeting.Asian stock markets had closed higher earlier on Wednesday following rallies on Wall Street and in Europe the day before. But European stocks fell in Wednesday’s session.Oil prices, meanwhile advanced after two days of heavy losses following a US crude inventory report that showed a bigger than expected drawdown in inventory.The dollar continued to slide against the euro, with fewer benefits from the flight to safety due to unrest in the Middle East.While the Israel-Iran conflict has dominated global attention in recent days, markets are also shifting attention back to trade. Shares of FedEx fell 3.3 percent after the shipping company did not provide a full-year forecast, citing uncertainty about the global trade outlook and tariffs.Dozens of countries are locked in negotiations with Washington to clinch some sort of trade deal to mitigate the impact of US tariffs. Only Britain has been reached a deal, although Beijing and Washington have agreed to lower tariffs from the highest rates they imposed upon one another.- Key figures at around 2040 GMT -Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.8 percent at $67.68 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $64.92 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 42,982.43 (close)New York – S&P 500: FLAT at 6,092.16 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 19,973.55 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,718.75 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.8 percent at 7,558.16 (close) Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.6 percent at 23,498.33 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 38,942.07 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.2 percent at 24,474.67 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 3,455.97 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1656 from $1.1609 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3664 from $1.3615Dollar/yen: UP at 145.32 yen from 144.94 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 85.26 from 85.27 penceburs-jmb/des

Victoire surprise du jeune Mamdani à la primaire démocrate à New York

Le candidat de l’aile gauche du Parti démocrate, Zohran Mamdani, arrive en tête mercredi de la primaire pour l’élection à la mairie de New York, créant la surprise contre le favori Andrew Cuomo après une campagne contre la vie chère et la promesse de taxer les hauts revenus. Le trentenaire encore quasiment inconnu il y a quelques mois, qui se revendique “progressiste et musulman”, a rattrapé jusqu’à 30 points de retard dans les sondages sur l’ancien gouverneur Andrew Cuomo, un centriste.”Nous avons marqué l’histoire”, a lancé à ses supporters Zohran Mamdani à ses partisans dans son fief du Queens, district populaire de la métropole américaine, un bastion démocrate d’environ 8,4 millions d’habitants.Ce résultat choc intervient alors que Donald Trump s’en prend régulièrement aux grandes villes, dirigées selon lui par des “démocrates d’extrême gauche”. “C’est enfin arrivé, les démocrates ont franchi la ligne. Zohran Mamdani est complétement un fou communiste (…) j’ai vu bien des gauchistes radicaux par le passé, mais ce dernier est un peu plus ridicule que les autres”, a-t-il écrit sur sa plateforme Truth Social.Mercredi, avec près de 95% de bulletins dépouillés, Zohran Mamdani menait la course avec plus de 43% des voix, contre 36% pour M. Cuomo, dans cette élection au mode de scrutin complexe, où les électeurs étaient appelés à classer cinq candidats par ordre de préférence. Comme aucun candidat ne dépasse les 50% des voix, le dépouillement se poursuivra dans une semaine pour comptabiliser les 2e, 3e choix et suivants jusqu’à désigner un vainqueur.Mais l’avantage de Zohran Mamdani semble quasi insurmontable, car le troisième dans la course, Brad Lander (11%), avait appelé ses électeurs à le choisir comme deuxième choix. Si sa victoire est confirmée, Zohran Mamdani, 33 ans et né en Ouganda, partira en pole position pour l’élection municipale de novembre dans la première ville américaine.- “Campagne impressionnante” Fils de l’historien de renom Mahmoud Mamdani, auteur de l’ouvrage “Saviors and survivors” sur la guerre au Darfour, et de la réalisatrice indo-américaine Mira Nair, connue pour “Salaam Bombay”, Zohran Mamdani avait été soutenu par des figures de gauche comme Bernie Sanders et Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.Et il a suscité l’enthousiasme d’une armée de jeunes bénévoles sur le terrain pour amplifier ses promesses contre la vie chère, dont la gratuité des bus, des crèches et le gel des loyers régulés, des mesures qu’il compte financer par une taxation sur les plus hauts revenus.”Vous avez affronté l’establishment politique, économique et médiatique, et vous l’avez battu”, a déclaré M. Sanders. “Les milliardaires et les lobbyistes ont déversé des millions contre vous et contre notre système de finances publiques. Et vous avez gagné”, a déclaré Mme Ocasio-Cortez, une flèche lancée en direction d’Andrew Cuomo, qui avait notamment reçu le soutien du milliardaire et ex-maire de New York Michael Bloomberg.L’ancien président Bill Clinton et des ténors démocrates de New York comme Chuck Schumer et Hakeem Jeffries ont salué “la campagne impressionnante” de Zohran Mamdani, même s’ils n’ont pas appelé à voter pour lui.- Les flèches à droite -Cette primaire avait des airs de référendum sur la personnalité démocrate qui pourra tenir tête à Donald Trump, président républicain dont le gouvernement multiplie les arrestations de migrants dans les grandes villes et dont des proches tiraient mercredi à boulets rouges sur le jeune démocrate de gauche.”Les démocrates changent la politique en changeant les électeurs”, a renchéri Stephen Miller, l’architecte de la politique antimigrants de Donald Trump, accusant “l’immigration incontrôlée” d’avoir “profondément transformé l’électorat new-yorkais” au profit de Zohran Mamdani.”Zohran Mamdani est trop extrême pour une ville déjà à fleur de peau,” a réagi Curtis Sliwa, le candidat républicain pour être maire de New York en novembre.New York mérite “un maire fier de se présenter en fonction de son bilan, et non (…) un maire qui n’a aucun bilan”, a lancé pour sa part le maire sortant Eric Adams, qui souffre d’un déficit d’image, accusé de se compromettre avec l’administration Trump en échange de l’enterrement de poursuites pour corruption.

Wall Street attentiste avant des données économiques américaines, Nvidia au plus haut

La Bourse de New York a terminé sans direction claire mercredi, adoptant une posture prudente en attendant la publication de données économiques aux Etats-Unis, tandis que le géant des semiconducteurs Nvidia a battu un nouveau record.Le Dow Jones a perdu 0,25%, l’indice Nasdaq a progressé de 0,31% et l’indice élargi S&P 500 a terminé à l’équilibre (-0,00%).”Les investisseurs reprennent en quelque sorte leur souffle, étant donné que nous avons connu un mouvement très fort lundi et mardi”, souligne auprès de l’AFP Sam Stovall, de CFRA.En début de semaine, la place américaine avait été portée par le soulagement concernant la guerre entre l’Iran et Israël, avec notamment la trêve débutée mardi.Désormais, les acteurs de marché “réévaluent” les informations de médias américains selon qui les frappes américaines contre l’Iran “n’ont peut-être pas été aussi réussies que ce qui avait été indiqué précédemment”, ajoute M. Stovall.”Peut-être que les bombardements américains n’ont pas détruit le programme nucléaire iranien”, contrairement à ce qui avait été annoncé, et par conséquent, “il ne semble pas que ce soit un nouveau chapitre en ce qui concerne l’Iran”, juge auprès de l’AFP Jack Ablin, de Cresset Capital.”Les droits de douane, le conflit iranien, les inquiétudes concernant les prix du pétrole se sont calmés et les investisseurs se concentrent désormais sur des questions plus terre-à-terre, comme les bénéfices”, souligne Sam Stovall.Le marché attend notamment la révision du PIB aux Etats-Unis pour le premier trimestre ainsi que l’indice d’inflation PCE, jauge préférée de la Réserve fédérale (Fed), vendredi.En attendant, les propos du patron de la banque centrale américaine Jerome Powell, qui était auditionné devant la Commission bancaire du Sénat mercredi, “n’ont rien ajouté à l’équation globale”, estime M. Stovall, car M. Powell a “répété que la Fed continuera à dépendre des données”.Dans ce contexte sur le marché obligataire, le rendement des emprunts d’État américains à 10 ans était pratiquement stable par rapport à la veille, à 4,29%A l’issue d’une session marquée par une absence de grand mouvement, le secteur technologique est parvenu à tirer son épingle du jeu, avec en figure de proue le géant des semiconducteurs Nvidia.L’entreprise (+4,33% à 154,31 dollars) a battu un nouveau record mercredi en atteignant une capitalisation de plus de 3.760 milliards de dollars, dépassant son précédent plus haut atteint en janvier.Ce bond lui permet de conforter sa place de première capitalisation boursière, reprise à Microsoft il y a quelques jours.Ailleurs à la cote, les groupes pétroliers britanniques, mais cotés à New York, BP et Shell ont connu un vif mouvement en milieu de séance après des informations du Wall Street Journal évoquant l’ouverture de “discussions préliminaires” dans l’optique d’une acquisition de BP par Shell.Ce dernier a ensuite démenti, assurant qu'”aucune discussion n’est en cours”. Shell a reculé de 0,98% à 69,44 dollars tandis que BP a pris 1,64% à 30,32 dollars.Le groupe américain de livraison de plis et de colis Fedex a été boudé (-3,27% à 222,00 dollars) malgré avoir dépassé ses prévisions et celles du consensus au quatrième trimestre de son exercice décalé grâce notamment à son plan de réduction des coûts.L’application de rencontres Bumble s’est elle envolée de 25,14% à 6,52 dollars après avoir annoncé le licenciement de 30% de ses effectifs (soit environ 240 personnes), ce qui permettrait au groupe d’économiser jusqu’à 40 millions de dollars par an.

Le suspect de l’attaque au Colorado visé par de nouveaux chefs d’accusation pour crime antisémite

L’auteur présumé de la récente attaque au Colorado contre un rassemblement pour la libération des otages israéliens à Gaza est visé par douze chefs d’accusation supplémentaire pour crime antisémite, a annoncé mercredi le ministère américain de la Justice.Le 1er juin, Mohammed Sabry Soliman, un Egyptien de 45 ans, a choqué les Etats-Unis en lançant des cocktails Molotov lors d’une marche organisée à Boulder (ouest), en soutien aux otages israéliens retenus par le mouvement palestinien Hamas dans la bande de Gaza depuis le 7 octobre 2023. L’attaque avait fait 15 blessés.Le gouvernement avait très rapidement annoncé le poursuivre pour “crime motivé par la haine”, afin de “faire passer le message qu’aucun acte d’antisémitisme ne sera toléré” aux Etats-Unis. M. Soliman, qui séjournait aux Etats-Unis de manière illégale car son visa avait expiré, est déjà poursuivi par plus d’une centaine de chefs d’accusation par la justice du Colorado et la justice fédérale américaine. Lors de son attaque, le suspect a crié “Libérez la Palestine”, a rappelé le ministère, en annonçant les douze chefs d’accusation fédéraux supplémentaires mercredi.Selon l’acte d’accusation, les enquêteurs ont trouvé un manifeste antisioniste dans sa voiture, qui décrivait Israël comme une “entité cancéreuse”.Lors d’un interrogatoire, le suspect a également estimé que “quiconque soutient l’existence d’Israël sur notre terre” est “sioniste”, et expliqué qu’il avait “décidé de se venger de ces gens”.Selon l’accusation, M. Soliman a visé le rassemblement de Boulder après avoir effectué des recherches sur Internet pour trouver des manifestations “sionistes”.L’attaque du Colorado a été brandie en exemple par Donald Trump pour justifier sa décision d’interdire aux ressortissants de 12 pays d’entrer aux Etats-Unis afin de “protéger” le pays de “terroristes étrangers”.Elle a eu lieu moins de deux semaines après la mort de deux employés de l’ambassade d’Israël, tués devant un musée juif à Washington par un suspect de 31 ans, qui a crié un slogan propalestinien lors de son arrestation.

Iran-Israel war: latest developments

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran was going “very well” and teased new nuclear talks with Tehran, as leaked US intelligence cast doubt on the damage done to the Islamic republic’s atomic programme.Here are the latest developments on the second day of the ceasefire:- Iran-US talks -Trump said that the United States would hold fresh nuclear negotiations with Iran, even after boasting that US strikes had crippled its atomic programme.He told reporters that Israel and Iran were “both tired, exhausted” after 12 days of war, going on to say that talks with Tehran were planned for “next week”.”We may sign an agreement. I don’t know,” he added. “I mean, they had a war, they fought, now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not.”Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had said on Tuesday his country was willing to return to negotiations, but would continue to “assert its legitimate rights” to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.- ‘Decades’ of damage -Trump insisted that US strikes had resulted in the “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, setting the country’s programme back by “decades”.”They’re not going to be building bombs for a long time,” said Trump, who added that the ceasefire since Tuesday was going “very well”.But US media had earlier cited people familiar with a preliminary US intelligence report as saying that weekend strikes did not fully eliminate Iran’s centrifuges or stockpile of enriched uranium.The US bombardments sealed off entrances to some facilities without destroying underground buildings, setting Iran’s nuclear programme back by several months, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency report.- ‘Significant hit’ -The Israeli military said it had delivered a blow to Iran’s nuclear programme, but added that it was “still early to assess the results of the operation”.”I believe we have delivered a significant hit to the nuclear programme, and I can also say that we have delayed it by several years,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised press conference.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hailed a “historic victory” in the 12-day conflict and vowed to thwart “any attempt” by Iran to rebuild its nuclear programme.- ‘Disgraceful’ -Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei branded NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s gushing note to Trump on the US strikes as “disgraceful, despicable and irresponsible”.While Iranian officials have yet to disclose the exact scale of the damage resulting from US and Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities, Baqaei told Al Jazeera English that they had been “badly damaged”.- Ground troops in Iran -Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said Wednesday that commandos had operated secretly inside Iran, “deep within enemy territory and created operational freedom of action for us” during the war.He was the first Israeli official to say publicly that Israeli soldiers had operated on the ground in the Islamic republic.The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, meanwhile, thanked the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for its help in “joint” operations during the war.He said the CIA “supported Mossad in making the right decisions”, spy chief David Barnea said.The extent of the purported help provided by the CIA is unknown.- Iran eases internet curbs -Iranian authorities announced the gradual easing of internet restrictions imposed during the war.”The communication network is gradually returning to its previous state,” said the Revolutionary Guards’ cybersecurity command in a statement carried by state media.The Islamic republic also reopened the airspace over its eastern half, transport ministry spokesman Majid Akhavan said, according to the official IRNA news agency.Flights in other parts of Iran, including the capital Tehran, “are not permitted until further notice”, Akhavan noted.- State funerals -Iran will hold state funerals on Saturday for senior military commanders and top scientists killed during the war.Hossein Salami, the Revolutionary Guards chief killed by Israel on the war’s first day on June 13, will be laid to rest in central Iran on Thursday.According to the Iranian health ministry, Israeli strikes during the war killed at least 627 civilians.Iran’s attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures.- Iran MPs on IAEA -Iranian lawmakers voted Wednesday in favour of suspending cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog.”The International Atomic Energy Agency, which refused to even marginally condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, put its international credibility up for auction,” Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, according to state TV.The decision still requires the approval of the Guardian Council, a body empowered to vet legislation.burs-ser/smw/kir

Trump sees ‘progress’ on Gaza, raising hopes for ceasefire

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that progress was being made to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, as a new ceasefire push began more than 20 months since the start of the conflict.”I think great progress is being made on Gaza,” Trump told reporters, adding that his special envoy Steve Witkoff had told him: “Gaza is very close.”He linked his optimism about imminent “very good news” to a ceasefire agreed on Tuesday between Israel and Hamas’s backer Iran to end their 12-day war.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing calls from opposition politicians, relatives of hostages being held in Gaza and even members of his ruling coalition to bring an end to the fighting, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.Key mediator Qatar announced Tuesday that it would launch a new push for a ceasefire, with Hamas on Wednesday saying talks had stepped up.”Our communications with the brother mediators in Egypt and Qatar have not stopped and have intensified in recent hours,” Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP.He cautioned, however, that the group had “not yet received any new proposals” to end the war.The Israeli government declined to comment on any new ceasefire talks beyond saying that efforts to return Israeli hostages in Gaza were ongoing “on the battlefield and via negotiations”.- ‘No clear purpose’ -Israel sent forces into Gaza to root out Iran-linked Hamas and rescue hostages after the group’s October 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 56,156 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.In one of the war’s deadliest incidents for the Israeli army, it said seven of its soldiers were killed on Tuesday in southern Gaza, taking its overall losses in the territory to 441.The latest losses led to rare criticism of the war effort by the leader of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, a partner in Netanyahu’s coalition government.”I still don’t understand why we are fighting there… Soldiers are getting killed all the time,” lawmaker Moshe Gafni told a hearing in the Israeli parliament on Wednesday.The slain soldiers were from the Israeli combat engineering corps and were conducting a reconnaissance mission in the Khan Yunis area when their vehicle was targeted with an explosive device, according to a military statement.At the funeral of 20-year-old Staff Sergeant Ronel Ben-Moshe in Rehovot south of Tel Aviv on Wednesday, inconsolable loved ones sobbed alongside babyfaced soldiers in uniform.One former comrade who served with Ben-Moshe in Gaza told AFP of the strain the war was putting on soldiers, saying it was time for it to end.”Me, I was unable to complete my military service. I was so bad off mentally that I was demobilised,” said the former soldier, who gave his name only as Ariel.”I have seen so many kids like me die. It’s time for it to stop.”The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main group representing relatives of captives held in Gaza, endorsed the call to end the war.”The war in Gaza has run its course, it is being conducted with no clear purpose and no concrete plan,” the group said in a statement.Of the 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the Hamas attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.Human rights groups say Gaza and its population of more than two million face famine-like conditions due to Israeli restrictions, with near-daily deaths of people queuing for food aid.- Gunfire near aid site – Gaza’s civil defence agency said Wednesday that Israeli fire killed another 35 people, including six who were waiting for aid.Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that a crowd of aid-seekers was hit by Israeli “bullets and tank shells” in an area of central Gaza where Palestinians have gathered each night in the hope of collecting rations.Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was “not aware of any incident this morning with casualties in the central Gaza Strip”.The United Nations on Tuesday condemned the “weaponisation of food” in Gaza, and slammed a US- and Israeli-backed body that has largely replaced established humanitarian organisations there.The privately run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was brought into the Palestinian territory at the end of May, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes, deaths and neutrality concerns.The GHF has denied that deadly incidents have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points.The Gaza health ministry says that since late May, nearly 550 people have been killed near aid centres while seeking scarce supplies. burs-cl/kir/smw