- Lebanon experiences fatalities following Israeli air assault
While discussions for a truce in the Gaza conflict are ongoing this week, aiming for an accord, combat between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia persists in Lebanon. As per Lebanese authorities, at least ten individuals, including a woman and two kids, perished in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.
Israel's military declared that a Hezbollah militia weapons storage facility in the Nabatiya region was the aim of the airstrike. Furthermore, the military asserted that artillery fire was employed to neutralize potential threats in additional regions within southern Lebanon.
Lebanon: Syrian nationals among the deceased
Another five individuals sustained injuries in the Nabatiya incident, as per Lebanese authorities. Two of the injured are in critical condition. The majority of the casualties were Syrian nationals, as per the health ministry.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported on Saturday morning that a factory building was hit in the attack, where a Syrian family was presumed to be residing. Initially, it was reported that a residential building was struck.
Since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza ten months back, the Hezbollah militia, allies with Hamas, have almost daily targeted northern Israel from Lebanon. In retaliation, the Israeli military frequently strikes targets in the neighboring country.
Ministry: First polio case in Gaza Strip
A polio case has been documented in the war-torn Gaza Strip as per Palestinian authorities. A ten-month-old unvaccinated infant in Deir al-Balah, at the center of the territory, has been infected. The Ramallah health ministry announced the news, and tests in Amman, Jordan, confirmed the case.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres had previously urged for a ceasefire in the enclosed coastal strip to inoculate hundreds of thousands of children against polio. The virus is often transmitted through polluted water, and there is presently no cure for polio.
Biden Eager for Ceasefire
Although mediators in Doha, Qatar, failed to reach a ceasefire agreement on Friday, they described the discussions as constructive. A plan was presented that aims to bridge the remaining divide and align with the principles of the peace plan presented by US President Joe Biden in May, which Hamas is reluctant to renegotiate.
Another significant meeting is scheduled to take place in Egypt's capital, Cairo, before the end of the next week. Until then, negotiators will continue working to bridge remaining gaps.
Biden expressed optimism, stating, "We are closer than we have ever been" and "much closer than we were three days ago." US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel this weekend to continue "intensive diplomatic efforts" on the ground, a spokesperson for his department said. The objective is to finalize the agreement. "No one in the region should take actions to undermine this process," Biden warned in a statement.
According to Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, a truce could prevent further escalation in the region. Iran and Hezbollah had sworn retribution after the assassination of Hamas' external chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a Hezbollah military commander two weeks back. A violent response had been anticipated since then. Both Iran and Hezbollah, primarily funded by Iran, may refrain from a larger, potentially coordinated attack against Israel in the event of a ceasefire in Gaza.
Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after the negotiating round in Doha and in another call with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the White House announced. They are convinced that the process is in its final phase, a US government official said. They plan to meet again next week in Cairo "with the aim of finally concluding this process."
US Official: Negotiation Process Still Complex
The official stated that it remains a very challenging and complex task. Certain aspects of the proposed agreement are "discomforting," as is typical with any deal of this nature. He cited the exchange of "a significant number of Palestinian prisoners" from Israeli prisons for completely innocent individuals taken as hostages. The agreement is "imperfect," but reflects the principles outlined by US President Biden and supported by the UN Security Council.
Biden proposed a three-phase plan to end the Gaza war in May. In the first phase, a particular group of hostages would be released during a six-week ceasefire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. In the subsequent two phases, fighting would cease permanently, remaining hostages would be released, and reconstruction of the largely destroyed Gaza Strip would commence.
Hamas and other terrorists from Gaza attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostages. This massacre sparked the war. According to the health authority managed by Hamas, over 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then. This number does not distinguish between civilians and fighters and cannot be confirmed.
The following negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, led by mediators in Doha, Qatar, aim to align with the principles proposed by US President Joe Biden. The following day, Biden expressed optimism about a potential agreement, stating that progress had been made.
