The negotiations with a view to reaching a truce in the Gaza Strip continue in Doha (Qatar), Friday, August 16. The Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators “remain firmly committed to continuing their efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that would facilitate the release of the hostages and allow the entry into Gaza of the largest possible amount of humanitarian assistance”explained the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
CIA Director William Burns and the heads of Israel’s foreign (Mossad) and domestic (Shin Beth) intelligence services are present at the talks. Hamas is not taking part, but one of its leaders, Osama Hamdan, told AFP on Thursday evening that the movement had informed the mediators in Doha of its position. Follow our live stream.
Hamas sets conditions for a truce. The Palestinian terrorist movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, reaffirmed on Thursday evening that a ceasefire in this territory must be accompanied by a withdrawal “complete” of the Israeli armed forces. “Any agreement must lead to a comprehensive ceasefire, a withdrawal (Israeli) complete from Gaza, (And) on the return of displaced persons”, said a senior Hamas official, Hossam Badran.
Outrage after deadly settler attack in occupied West Bank A 23-year-old Palestinian was shot dead, while another was seriously injured by a gunshot to the chest, in Jit.Israeli President Isaac Herzog has denounced a “pogrom”while the United States has raised the issue of “unacceptable attacks” from Israeli settlers.
The head of French diplomacy expected in Israel. The day after his trip to Lebanon, Stéphane Sejourné will also visit the Palestinian territories. The Minister of Foreign Affairs wants to call for de-escalation in the region and bringing a “diplomatic message” during his trip to the Middle East.
More than 40,000 dead in Gaza. Hamas’s Health Ministry said the war in the enclave had killed 40,005 people since October 7, without providing details on the number of civilians and fighters killed. This figure is impossible to verify from an independent source, as are those of the Israeli army, which claims to have “eliminated more than 17,000 terrorists” in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.