Friday, August 16, 2024
1900 GMT — The latest negotiations in Doha to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage deal have been the most productive in months, and negotiators will reconvene next week in Cairo hoping to conclude it, a senior Biden administration official said.
"It was consensus of all of the participants over the past 48 hours that there's really a new spirit here to drive it to a conclusion," the official said, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity.
He still cautioned that work remained to be done.
"This is a very difficult, complex deal."
The past two days in Doha were probably "the most constructive 48 hours" that the parties have had in months, the official said.
"The Israeli team that was here was empowered...We made a lot of progress in the number of issues that we've been working on," the official said.
1910 GMT — Egypt, US leaders discuss results of Doha talks for Gaza ceasefire
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi discussed with his US counterpart Joe Biden the outcome of negotiations in Doha aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
According to a statement by Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmad Fahmi, the Egyptian president received a phone call from Biden during which they discussed "the situations in the region and the efforts to restore the regional stability."
The two leaders "agreed on continuing and intensifying joint efforts in the upcoming days to reach a (ceasefire) deal," the statement said.
Al-Sisi stressed the continuation of Egyptian contacts with various parties in the region to urge “non-escalation and self-restraint, in light of the gravity of the situation in the Middle East.”
1830 GMT — Biden says Gaza ceasefire deal 'closer than we have ever been'
US President Joe Biden struck a hopeful note as negotiators seeking to hammer out the details of a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza and free remaining hostages departed the Qatari capital of Doha before reconvening next week in Egypt.
"We are closer than we've ever been. I don't want to jinx anything," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office. "We may have something, but we're not there yet. It's much, much closer than it was three days ago. So keep your fingers crossed."
1745 GMT — Blinken due in Israel on Saturday amid efforts to reach Gaza ceasefire
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel on Saturday to continue diplomatic efforts to conclude a Gaza ceasefire agreement that includes an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the State Department announced.
The visit comes after the US, Egypt and Qatar announced that they had presented Israel and Hamas with what they called a "bridging proposal" to further narrow "remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal."
1700 GMT — Hamas condemns Israel's new evacuation orders in Gaza as another attempt to 'genocide' Palestinians
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas condemned the Israeli army for issuing evacuation orders for Palestinians in the Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis areas of Gaza, calling it another attempt to intensify "collective punishment” and “genocide."
In a statement, Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq said that “forcing our people in northern Khan Younis and eastern Deir al-Balah to evacuate to so-called 'humanitarian and safe' zones is nothing more than another means to deepen the collective punishment and continue genocide that our people are enduring."
1645 GMT — Hezbollah claims targeting Israeli soldiers with rockets in northern Israel
Lebanese group Hezbollah said its fighters carried out a rocket attack targeting Israeli soldiers near the Jal al-Deir military site in northern Israel.
In a statement, the group said that it aimed Falaq rockets at Israeli troops stationed in the area, but did not provide more details.
Earlier, Hezbollah reported that it had also attacked Israeli soldiers near the Mitat outpost with missiles.
1435 GMT — Gaza ceasefire talks to resume next week in Cairo
Senior officials from Egypt, Qatar and the US will meet again in Cairo before the end of next week, hoping to reach an agreement to end Israel's brutal war in Gaza, a joint statement said.
The statement said that talks were serious, constructive, and held in a positive atmosphere.
The negotiators insisted that what has been discussed is in line with 'principles set by US President Biden' on May 31 that called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages.
Mediators will work over the coming days on details of the Gaza ceasefire proposal, according to the statement, hoping to reach an agreement based on terms decided on Friday.
However, a Hamas official said the information shared with the resistance group about the outcome of the ceasefire talks doesn't match with what was agreed upon in the Biden proposal.
1440 GMT — UK foreign secretary voices optimism over possible Gaza deal
The British foreign secretary said he is pleased that the first day of Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha has gone well, expressing hope that the parties may be "on the cusp of a deal."
Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem, David Lammy stressed that the time for a deal in Gaza is "now."
"I am pleased that the reports out of Qatar suggest that the first day of hostage talks has gone well, and it has been important to listen to ministers here in Israel, and hear too from them that they hope that we are on the cusp of a deal," he noted.
1230 GMT — Another Hezbollah fighter killed in border clashes with Israel
Another Hezbollah fighter was killed in clashes with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, the group said.
Hezbollah identified the slain fighter as Ibrahim Shawqi Salama, 40, from the town of Blida in southern Lebanon.
This new fatality brings the death toll of the Lebanese group Hezbollah in these confrontations to 412 since Oct. 8, according to an Anadolu tally.
0845 GMT — Qatar says Gaza ceasefire mediation talks at critical stage
Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said mediation negotiations to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza have reached a critical point in talks with his caretaker Iranian counterpart Ali Bagheri Kani, who emphasised the need to pressure Israel to stop the "genocide" of Palestinians.
“In a phone conversation initiated by Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, we discussed the latest regarding the Zionist regime's crimes in Gaza and the ways to halt them,” Kani said in a statement following Friday’s talks.
Kani said they discussed the ongoing negotiations in Doha aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas.
“Al Thani referred to the meeting hosted by Qatar regarding the ceasefire negotiations, describing the o utcomes of this stage of the talks as crucial,” said the Iranian official.
0842 GMT — Malaysia rescues 127 Palestinians from Gaza
Malaysia successfully evacuated 127 Palestinians from Gaza, bringing them to safety in the Southeast Asian nation.
The group, which includes men, women, and children, arrived at Subang Air Base aboard a Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft.
This rescue mission was initiated by Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who announced the operation during a solidarity rally for Palestine in Kuala Lumpur on August 4.
0742 GMT — Israeli army orders new evacuations in Gaza
The Israeli army has issued fresh evacuation orders for residents of several areas of central and southern Gaza that were classified as “humanitarian safe zones” by the army.
In a statement, the Israeli army ordered residents of neighbourhoods north of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and neighbourhoods in eastern Deir al-Balah in central Gaza to evacuate the areas.
4:20 GMT — Gaza truce must involve 'complete' Israeli withdrawal — Hamas
Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said any Gaza ceasefire deal must involve the total withdrawal of Israeli invading troops from the Palestinian territory.
"Any agreement must achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, a complete (Israeli) withdrawal from Gaza, (and) the return of the displaced," Hamas official Hossam Badran said in a statement after truce talks resumed in Doha.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt met with an Israeli delegation in Qatar as the Palestinian death toll from the 10-month Israeli war surpassed 40,000.
03:50 GMT — Mediators concluded 'constructive' day of discussions on ceasefire
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States had concluded a "constructive" day of discussions on a potential Gaza ceasefire deal and talks will resume on Friday, a US official said.
Meanwhile, Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said that the ceasefire-hostage talks will continue on Friday.
The spokesperson added in a statement that the efforts of the mediators are ongoing to move forward in endeavors to reach a ceasefire that would facilitate the release of hostages and enable the entry of the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
03:20 GMT — Dozens of illegal Israeli settlers attack West Bank village, killing a Palestinian
Dozens of illegal Israeli settlers, some wearing masks, have attacked a Palestinian village near the city of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, burning cars and killing at least one person, authorities said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said one Palestinian was killed and another critically wounded by Israeli settlers' gunfire during the incident in the village of Jit, the latest in a series of attacks by violent Zionist settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Footage shared on social media showed cars and houses on fire following the attacks.
02:45 GMT — UN believes 40,000 death toll may be 'undercount'
The UN has emphasised that the death toll in the Gaza "is an approximation," and the number may be "an undercount."
Asked about UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk's statement on the death toll officially exceeding 40,000, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters at a news conference that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres shares Turk’s concerns.
"Given the large number and disturbing number of people who remain unaccounted for, who may be trapped or dead under the rubble, this number may, if anything, be an undercount."
02:00 GMT — US colleges brace for a resurgence in activism against Gaza war
As students return to colleges across the United States, administrators are bracing for a resurgence in activism against the war in Gaza, and some schools are adopting rules to limit the kind of protests that swept campuses last spring.
While the summer break provided a respite in student demonstrations against the Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, it also gave both student protesters and higher education officials a chance to regroup and strategise for the fall semester.
The stakes remain high. At Columbia University, President Minouche Shafik resigned on Wednesday after coming under heavy scrutiny for her handling of the pro-Palestine demonstrations at the campus in New York City, where the wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments began last spring.
For our live updates from Thursday, August 15, 2024, click here.
