US President Joe Biden held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, in which he stressed the need to close the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
According to the statement issued by the White House, the president “highlighted the urgency of closing the ceasefire and hostage release agreement and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles.”
In the call, both líderThey also addressed US efforts to defend Israel “against all threats from Iran and its allied terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, including current US defensive military deployments.”
A source close to the peace negotiations informed EFE that the mediating delegations from Egypt, Qatar and the United States postponed “until further notice” the round of negotiations, which was scheduled to begin this Wednesday in Cairo with the participation of the Israeli side. .
This decision comes after the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, left Doha this morning, the last stop of his ninth visit to the Middle East that has taken him to Israel, Egypt and Qatar to pressure the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to accept the mediators’ proposal launched last week in the Qatari capital.
The delay takes place at a time of maximum tension as the talks are at a standstill due to Israel’s new claims, which Hamas rejects, despite the fact that the mediating parties have insisted that they are making progress to close the existing gaps and achieve a truce.
New evacuation order
Thousands of people are back on the move after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reissued evacuation orders for parts of southern Gaza.
People left on foot or in donkey carts from the areas east of Deir al-Balah. Some were in private cars, loaded with their belongings, including mattresses and blankets, water and gas bottles. The streets are littered with leaflets dropped by the IDF reiterating the evacuation order.
The IDF has reduced Gaza’s humanitarian zone by 38%, with evacuation orders issued on July 22, July 27, August 16 and August 21.
It now amounts to 39 square kilometers, just over 10 percent of Gaza’s total area.
#Biden #urges #Netanyahu #accelerate #approval #Gaza #ceasefire
2024-08-23 16:45:15
