Gaza, 9 August 2024 (TDI): Israel has agreed to resume Gaza ceasefire talks on August 15 at the demand of the US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday, as regional tensions skyrocket over the war.
Gaza’s Hamas-controlled civil defense agency said that Israeli bombardment killed more than eighten people in strikes on two schools on Thursday, as Iran accused Israel of wanting to spread war in the Middle East.
After a week-long pause in November, the US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators have endeavored to ensure a second truce in the ten-month-old war sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the three countries’ leaders invited the warring parties to resume negotiations on August 15 in Doha or Cairo to close all remaining gaps and begin implementation of the deal without further delay.
A framework deal was now on the table, with only the details of implementation left to conclude, and the mediators were ready to present a final bridging proposal to resolve remaining issues, they said.
Netanyahu’s office said later Thursday that Israel would send a negotiating team on August 15 to the agreed place to conclude the details of implementing an agreement.
A prospective cessation of hostilities also involving the release of hostages held in Gaza and scaled-up assistance deliveries has centered around a phased agreement beginning with an initial truce.
Recent discussions have focused on a framework outlined by US President Joe Biden in late May which he stated had been proposed by Israel.
It’s not like the deal going to be ready to sign on Thursday. There’s still a substantial amount of work to do, a senior Biden administration official said of the negotiations that come after calls between Biden and the Egyptian and Qatari leaders this week.
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The announcement of the negotiations came after Hamas named Yahya Sinwar — the alleged mastermind of the October 7 attack.
Israeli Strikes
On the ground in Gaza, the Hamas-controlled civil defense agency said Israeli attacks hit Al-Zahra and Abdel Fattah Hamoud schools in Gaza City, killing more than eighteen people.
Senior agency official Mohammad Al-Mughayyir said that sixy people were wounded and more than fourty still missing.
