Israel has agreed to resume Gaza ceasefire talks nex week after calls from mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
Long-awaited ceasefire
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin called Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday to discuss US steps in the Middle East to protect Israel and the Gaza ceasefire, Austin said on social media X.
Austin posted:
The US F-22 Raptors that arrived in the region today represent one of many efforts to deter aggression, defend Israel and protect US forces in the region. I also stressed the importance of concluding a ceasefire deal in Gaza that releases the hostages.
The leaders of the US, Egypt and Qatar have jointly demanded that Israel and Hamas return to stalled Gaza war talks next week, saying on Thursday that “only the details” of a ceasefire and hostage release remained to be agreed. Their joint statement said:
Neither side can waste any more time and make excuses for further delay.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday it had accepted the invitation.
They also said they were ready to “present a final interim proposal that will resolve the remaining implementation issues in a way that meets the expectations of all parties.”
Mr. Netanyahu said Israeli negotiators would be present at the talks. His office said:
Following the offer from the United States and the mediators, Israel will send on August 15 the delegation of negotiators to the place to be determined, in order to finalise the details and implement the framework agreement.
Hamas had no immediate comment.
Escalating conflict
Mediators are trying to restart ceasefire talks amid growing fears of a wider conflict in the region involving Iran after the killing of senior Hamas and Hezbollah members.
A senior US administration official said there was no hope of an agreement being signed next week because serious issues remain to be resolved, including how hostages and prisoners will be exchanged. There is a need for movement on both sides, the official added. He said the statement was not meant to influence Iran, but warned that any escalation in the region would jeopardise hopes of reaching an agreement.
Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s mission to the UN said Iran seeks a “lasting ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of the occupiers from the territory” as well as “punishment of the aggressor” for the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
The attacks continue
An Israeli attack on two schools in Gaza City killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more in the Tuffah neighbourhood of the besieged enclave.
Abdel Fattah Hamoud and Al-Zahraa schools were destroyed, with many Palestinians missing and trapped under rubble, according to local civil defence groups still working to pull people out. Displaced Palestinians are taking shelter in schools, which were reportedly attacked without prior warning.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli forces stepped up airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, killing at least five Palestinians in a house in the centre of Gaza City. Another airstrike in the southern town of Khan Younis killed one person and injured others, medics said.
The Gaza war began on October 7 with a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people. Some 39,700 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, according to the enclave’s health authorities.
