Live Updates: Mediators invite Israel, Hamas to resume Gaza truce talks

Friday, August 9, 2024

04:20 GMT — Mediators invite Israel, Hamas to resume Gaza truce talks

Qatari, Egyptian, and US leaders have called on Israel and Hamas to resume urgent talks on August 15, either in Doha or Cairo, to bridge all remaining gaps in the proposed Gaza ceasefire agreement and start implementing it without any delay, the three countries said in a joint statement.

"It is the time to conclude a ceasefire agreement and release hostages and prisoners," the statement added.

"A framework agreement is now on the table with only the details of implementation left to conclude," they said, adding that they are "prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties."

03:52 GMT — Israel kills at least 60 Palestinians in 24 hours

Israeli military has killed at least 60 Palestinians and wounded hundreds in various parts of besieged Gaza in the last 24 hours.

Mahmud Basal, Spokesperson of the Civil Defense Unit in Gaza, stated in his statement that a Palestinian was killed as a result of the Israeli army bombing the house belonging to the Reyyan family in the north of Gaza.

Palestinian officials said that 26 Palestinians were killed in the attacks carried out by the Israeli army's artillery units in the north of Gaza and Gaza City.

03:30 GMT — Hamas says Smotrich's starvation call is 'explicit embrace of genocide policy'

Hamas has said that far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's call to starve two million Palestinians in besieged Gaza is an "explicit embrace of a policy of genocide."

"The statement by the Nazi Smotrich, where he claimed that starving two million Palestinians in Gaza is 'justified and moral,' is a blatant admission of the occupation's premeditated intent and its actual adoption of a genocidal policy in Gaza," Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas' political bureau, said in a statement.

"Typically, criminals hide their crimes, but we are dealing with a brazen enemy who openly boasts about his heinous acts," he said.

For our live updates from Thursday, August 8, 2024, click here.