Hamas is being pressured to resume negotiations. Cyprus is offering help with evacuations. All developments in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
2.45 am: The leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas on Thursday (local time) to hold a new round of negotiations on August 15. The three countries, which are playing a mediating role in reaching an agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, suggested in a joint statement that the talks could take place either in Doha or Cairo. “
A framework agreement is now on the table and only the details of its implementation remain to be worked out,” they said, adding: “There is no time to lose and no excuses from any side for further delays. It is time to release the hostages, start the ceasefire and implement this agreement.” The leaders also offered to present a final stopgap proposal to resolve the remaining problems that have so far prevented either Israel or Hamas from agreeing to the agreement.
1.55 am: Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant has addressed the population of the neighboring country in an unusual message in light of the conflict with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. “If Hezbollah continues its aggression, Israel will fight it with all its might,” warned Galant. Israel strives “for peace, prosperity and stability on both sides of the northern border. That is why we will not allow the Hezbollah militia to destabilize the border and the region,” he said, quoting an Arabic proverb: “He who plays with fire must expect destruction.”
10.18 pm: The US and EU have criticised Israel’s decision to strip Norway’s envoy to the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank of diplomatic status. Norway has long played an important role in dialogue with the Palestinian Authority and Israel, says US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. Steps to hinder Norway in this role “are not helpful”, he adds.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemns Israel’s “unjustified” decision. Israel’s actions “contradict the spirit of the Oslo Accords and disproportionately disrupt normal relations and cooperation with the Palestinian Authority,” Borrell adds.
The Oslo Accords, signed in the 1990s, included, among other things, a gradual withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories. The first agreement was the first peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians. But even one of the architects of the agreements, former Norwegian State Secretary Jan Egeland, declared them null and void last November in light of the Gaza war.
17:07: According to Palestinian sources, at least 15 people were killed in Israeli attacks on two schools in the city of Gaza. Dozens more were injured, according to Gaza health services. The information could not be independently verified. The Israeli army confirmed the attacks on the schools. They were targeted by terrorists from the Islamist Hamas, who had command centers in the area around the two schools.
After the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, schools in the sealed-off coastal area were suspended. Most schools now serve as emergency accommodation for war refugees. Around 85 percent of the population of the Gaza Strip has been forced to flee as a result of the war. Hamas, in turn, often uses schools and hospitals to set up command centers and store weapons.
3.22pm: The Foreign Office has called on all Germans still remaining in Lebanon to leave immediately. A statement says that an evacuation may not be feasible. Read more about it here.
2.50 p.m.: Israel is withdrawing the diplomatic status of eight Norwegian representatives. The diplomats are stationed in the Norwegian embassy in Israel, but are responsible for contacts with the Palestinian Authority, according to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. In May, Norway, Spain and Ireland decided to recognize a Palestinian state.
