Mediators are urging Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire. The situation in the Middle East is escalating. The current situation in the news ticker.
Tel Aviv/Gaza/Tehran – Amid growing concerns about a conflagration in the Middle East, mediators in the difficult negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza war have used forceful language to urge Israel and the Islamist Hamas to reach an agreement. Both sides have been called upon to resume talks on August 15 in Doha or Cairo “in order to close all remaining gaps and begin implementing the agreement without further delay,” according to a statement signed by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden signed joint declaration.
It comes at a critical time when Iran and its allies such as Hamas are launching retaliatory strikes against Israel for the killing of two senior Hamas and Lebanese leaders. Hezbollahmilitia. The USA, as Israel’s most important ally, has, according to information from the Wall Street Journal warned that its newly elected government and economy could suffer a devastating blow if a major attack was launched against Israel. The warning was conveyed to Tehran both directly and through intermediaries, the newspaper quoted a US official as saying.
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US official on Israel-Hamas deal: No time to lose
“The United States has made it clear to Iran that the risk of major escalation in the event of a significant retaliatory attack against Israel is extremely high,” it said, without giving any details. The Israeli security cabinet met in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening to discuss the tense situation. “There is absolutely no legitimate basis for Iran to launch a military attack against Israel, which it continues to threaten,” said a senior US government official in Washington. The US is prepared for every eventuality.
The statement made by the mediators does not have anything to do directly with Iran and its threats, said the US official. But if Iran were to attack, there would be no prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza because they would be busy with other things. It is not as if the agreement will be ready for signature next Thursday. “There is still a lot to do. But we believe that what is left here can really be bridged and we really have no time to lose,” said the government official.
It is time to “provide immediate relief” to both the suffering population in Gaza and the hostages and their families, the mediators said in their statement. They have worked “tirelessly for many months to forge a framework agreement that is now on the table and for which only the details of implementation remain to be clarified,” the statement continued. “There is no more time to lose and no excuses for further delays.” They are ready, if necessary, to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a way “that meets the expectations of all parties.”
Israel sends delegation to Gaza negotiations
The Office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced after the release of the statement that Israel would send a delegation to a location yet to be determined on 15 August “in accordance with the proposal of the United States and the mediators” to “determine the details of the implementation of the framework agreement”. The hostages’ relatives’ forum thanked the three mediators and appealed, according to the Times of Israel to Netanyahu and his government to “show leadership” and reach an agreement “for the return of all hostages.” According to Israeli figures, Hamas still has 115 hostages in Gaza, but many of them are probably no longer alive.
After the killing of a military commander of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and a leader of the allied Hamas in Iran, the danger of a major war in the Middle East has increased significantly. Iran, Hezbollah and the Islamist Hamas have threatened retaliation against Israel. Hezbollah and Israel have been fighting daily since the beginning of the Gaza war. Numerous civilians have been killed, especially in Lebanon, but also in Israel. In addition, more than 350 Hezbollah members and Israeli soldiers were killed. Tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border have left their homes.
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