- Leaders of Qatar, Egypt and the United States have invited Israel and Hamas to resume ceasefire talks on August 15 as regional tension grows amid an anticipated retaliatory strike over Israel’s assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah officials.
- “It is time to bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families,” Qatar, Egypt and the US said in a statement announcing the push for talks.
- Israel has accepted the invitation to attend the proposed talks in either Cairo or Doha, while Hamas has yet to respond.
- At least 15 people killed and 30 injured as Israeli military carries out multiple attacks on two schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in the east of Gaza City.
- At least 39,699 people have been killed and 91,722 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and more than 200 were taken captive.
- Question not if, but when’, says Israeli education minister on war with HezbollahIsraeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch has given a wide-ranging interview to Israel’s Maariv newspaper.In it, he says war with Hezbollah is both necessary and inevitable for the sake of Israel’s security.“The big question is not whether there will be war, but when and how,” Kisch told Maariv, noting that it will take place when Israel is ready politically and militarily.Asked whether the US was influencing Israel’s stance, Kisch noted that while the US is Israel’s “best friend”, the two states do not see eye to eye on everything and that Israel must ultimately act to protect its security.
- Mediating parties’ patience ‘running out’ amid bid to resume ceasefire talksAl Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara says the latest invitation extended to Israel and Hamas by mediating parties to resume ceasefire talks means “their patience is running out”.“It’s certainly the case for mediators Egypt and Qatar,” Bishara said.He also said among the key factors to consider is the possible escalation towards a full-blown war in the region, with Hezbollah and Iran threatening that they will respond to Israel.Watch below for more of his analysis:
- EU to send €43 million support package to PA: ReportThe European Union has committed €43 million ($46.9 million) to help the Palestinian Authority (PA) pay salaries and pensions in the occupied West Bank, reports Wafa news agency.The support will mainly benefit retirees and civil service employees in the health and education fields, according to Wafa.The PA’s financing needs are compounded by struggles to access some of its tax funds, which Israel collects on its behalf and transfers to it via Norway.In recent days, Israel has stopped sending the funds to Oslo in retaliation for its recognition of Palestinian statehood.
- )UKMTO reports two more attacks on ship off the coast of YemenUnited Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations says it received reports of two further attacks on a ship that has already reported two assaults since last night, about 45 nautical miles (about 83km) from al-Makha (Mocha), Yemen.It said that it was attacked by an uncrewed service vessel, which the ship’s security team fired on and destroyed, and that a missile landed in the sea close to the ship, without exploding or causing casualties.Earlier, we reported that the ship was targeted by attackers in fast boats who fired a rocket-propelled grenade.Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been participating in operations against commercial and military shipping like this one in the waters surrounding the country.They say these attacks are in sympathy with Palestinians in Gaza and that they will end once a ceasefire has been achieved.
- Child killed near Khan YounisTwo people, including a child, have been found killed in the town of Abasan, to the east of Khan Younis, report our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.Abasan is one of the areas near Khan Younis that Israel told residents to evacuate yesterday, warning its forces would soon begin “forceful” military operations.Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports eastern parts of Khan Younis have since faced mass bombardment.
- ‘It’s a pattern’: UNRWA official on Israeli attacks on schools in GazaJuliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, told US newspaper The Washington Post that Israel has hit 70 percent of the agency’s schools since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the majority of which were being used as shelters for displaced Palestinians at the time they were attacked.Her comments to the paper came after Israel attacked two more schools in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, killing at least 15 people and injuring about 30 others.Touma said that the Israeli army has started immediately releasing statements after such attacks, claiming that the buildings are being used by Hamas fighters and that attacking them is justified.“These are very serious claims,” she said. “We have no way to confirm or deny these claims, nor do we have the ability to investigate. What we do know is that every time these schools or buildings are hit, we’ve had civilians hit, women and children.”
Israel’s war on Gaza live: Mediators push ceasefire as Israel bombs schools
