Israel announced this Thursday, October 24, the sending of a delegation to Qatar to negotiate an agreement on Gaza involving a release of hostages, Hamas saying it was open to talks on a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory devastated by more of a year of war. The last indirect negotiations under the aegis of mediators – Qatar, Egypt, United States – with a view to a ceasefire in Gaza associated with a release of hostages, took place in August and ended in a failure, like many previous attempts.
At the same time, Israel continues its offensive in Lebanon: new strikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut during the night from Thursday to Friday, and three journalists died in an Israeli raid in Hasbaya, in the southeast of the country, according to the Lebanese news agency Ani.
Information to remember:
⇒ Hamas ready for a truce if Israel commits to a ceasefire
⇒ New Israeli strikes in Lebanon
⇒ Paris Conference: a billion dollars for Lebanon and its army
07:20
Blinken to meet Lebanese Prime Minister in London on Friday
The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken will meet today in London with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss the Israeli offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, a State Department official announced Thursday evening. Blinken arrived in the British capital in the evening after a tour of the Middle East, his 11th since the start of the war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas on October 7, 2023, during which he insisted that Lebanese civilians be spared but without demanding an immediate cease-fire from Israel. He will meet separately with the foreign ministers of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, two key US partners in a post-war plan for Gaza, the State Department official said.
07:00
New Israeli strikes in Lebanon
New Israeli strikes targeted Lebanon overnight, killing three journalists, according to the Lebanese news agency Ani. It reported “the death of three journalists in an Israeli strike on Hasbaya”, specifying that “Israeli war planes carried out a raid at 3:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. Paris time) on the Lebanese-Syrian border.” . According to local media, the strike hit a hotel in Hasbaya, about fifty kilometers south of Beirut.
Late Thursday evening, other strikes targeted areas of the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Lebanese Hezbollah, according to images from AFPTV and the Lebanese national news agency Ani, after a call to evacuate people Israeli army. After the successive strikes, AFPTV images showed thick plumes of black smoke rising above different sectors of the southern suburbs. AFP journalists heard several explosions.
Earlier Thursday, twelve people including three children were also killed in Israeli strikes on the east of the country, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported.
06:45
Hamas ready for truce if Israel commits to ceasefire
Hamas has said it is ready for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza if Israel commits to a ceasefire and withdraws from the Gaza Strip, an official of the Palestinian Islamist movement announced to AFP this Thursday.
Hamas “has shown itself ready for a cessation of hostilities but Israel must commit to a ceasefire and a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, (allow) the return of displaced people, (accept) an agreement serious for an exchange” of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and “authorize the entry of humanitarian aid” into Gaza, said this official.
Furthermore, the head of the Israeli Mossad, David Barnea, will travel to Qatar this Sunday to discuss the resumption of negotiations for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin announced this Thursday Netanyahu.
06:40
Israeli army announces death of five soldiers in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army announced Thursday evening the death of five soldiers killed in fighting in southern Lebanon where it has been leading a ground offensive for several weeks against Hezbollah, a Lebanese Islamist movement supported by Iran.
The army said in a statement that the soldiers had “fallen in combat in southern Lebanon” on Wednesday, bringing to 27 the number of soldiers killed since the start of the operation in Lebanon on September 30, according to a report established by the AFP.
06:30
Paris Conference: a billion dollars for Lebanon and its army
The international community “was up to the financial challenge”, according to Paris. The conference for Lebanon, initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron, made it possible to raise a billion dollars for the Lebanese and their army, in the absence of diplomatic progress.
“We responded to the appeal launched by the United Nations by announcing substantial contributions, 800 million dollars to which are added significant contributions in kind,” welcomed the head of French diplomacy Jean-Noël Barrot. Some 200 million will be intended for the Lebanese army. Not counting aid in kind.