Israel agreed on Thursday to resume talks on August 15 for a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages by Hamas, after intervention by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, which warned the two belligerents that there was “no more time to lose and no excuses” for further delays.
Key information to remember
⇒ Israel agrees to resume talks
⇒ A “strategic” error by Israel according to Saudi Arabia
⇒ US fighter jets in the Middle East
Israel agrees to resume talks
“Following the proposal of the United States and the mediators, Israel will send a delegation of negotiators on August 15 to the place to be agreed to conclude the details of concretizing an agreement,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a statement on Thursday evening.
“There is no more time to lose”
Earlier, Washington, Cairo and Doha had invited the opposing parties to resume their discussions on August 15, indicating that a framework agreement was “now on the table, and that only the details of its implementation were missing.”
“As mediators we stand ready, if necessary, to present a final proposal that could resolve the implementation issues (of an agreement) in a way that meets the expectations of all parties,” the statement added. The latest talks were based on a framework outlined by President Joe Biden in late May, which he said had been proposed by Israel. The latest proposal for a framework agreement “is based on the principles” previously outlined by Biden, the statement said.
“Now is the time to reach a ceasefire and an agreement to release hostages and prisoners,” the text continued, saying that “there is no more time to waste and no excuses for either side to justify further delay.” “It’s not like the deal is going to be ready to sign on Thursday. There’s still a lot of work to do,” a senior Biden administration official said of the talks that follow calls between Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar this week.
A “strategic” error according to Saudi Arabia
Israel made a “strategic mistake” that will “cost it dearly” by killing Ismail Haniyeh, Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said in an interview with AFP in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Ali Bagheri accused Israel, which has not commented on Ismail Haniyeh’s death, of wanting to “extend tension, war and conflict to other countries.”
US fighter jets in the Middle East
The U.S. military said F-22 stealth fighter jets arrived in the Middle East on Thursday, after announcing last week a boost to its military presence in the region.
Population urged to evacuate several areas of Khan Younes
In Gaza City, Israeli strikes on two schools “killed more than 18 citizens” on Thursday, according to Civil Defense spokesman Mohammad al-Moughayyir, who added that 60 other people were injured and more than 40 were missing.
The Israeli army said the schools were “used by terrorists and Hamas commanders, from where they planned and carried out attacks.” On Thursday, the army again called on the population to evacuate several areas of Khan Younis, the large city in the south of the territory destroyed by several months of fighting. This call concerns neighborhoods from which “rockets were fired,” according to the army. The Civil Defense indicated that five bodies were found in a bombed house in Khan Younis.