- Many dead after Israeli attack on Gaza school
While mediators are insistently pushing for an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, the bloodshed in the sealed-off coastal strip continues for now. In an Israeli air strike on a school in the city of Gaza, at least 100 people were killed, according to medical and security sources. Israel's army attacked the school, which was being used as a shelter for displaced persons, during the early morning Muslim prayer, the media office controlled by Hamas reported. According to the Israeli army, Hamas was using the building as a command center and a hiding place. None of the claims could be independently verified.
Before the attack, "numerous measures" were taken to minimize the risk to civilians, the Israeli army said in the early morning. The building was being used to plan and prepare attacks against Israeli troops and the state of Israel. Many of the victims were burned in the attack, the media office controlled by Hamas said.
Amid concerns about a possible Iranian and its allies' retaliatory strike after the killing of two leading figures of Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia against Israel, the US is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza. An escalation in the Middle East is "not in the interest of any party," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. In a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant, he reaffirmed the US's ironclad support but also stressed the "urgent need" for a ceasefire, a spokesperson said.
Russia bans its airlines from night flights over Israel
The aviation authority in Moscow has prohibited Russian airlines from flying in Israeli airspace for the coming nights, from 00:00 to 06:00 CET. The ban comes into effect today at dawn and is valid until 11:00 CET on August 16, according to a notice from the Russian aviation authority Rosawiazija. A reason was not given, but the context of a feared Iranian air strike on Israel is likely. Russia is a close ally of Iran and has recently supplied the country with additional air defense weapons.
A ceasefire in the ten-month-long Gaza conflict is seen as key to easing tensions in the Middle East. The US, Qatar, and Egypt, which are mediating the conflict, have urged both sides in a joint statement to reach an agreement. It is time to seal a ceasefire and an agreement on the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, US President Joe Biden wrote on the X platform. "There's no time to lose."
Blinken: Ceasefire in Gaza creates conditions for stability
In the statement signed by Biden, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Israel and Hamas were urged to resume talks on August 15 in Doha or Cairo "to close all remaining gaps and begin implementing the agreement without further delay." A ceasefire ensures the release of hostages, enables more humanitarian aid for the population, and creates "the conditions for broader regional stability," Blinken said, according to the spokesperson in the conversation with Galant.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced shortly after the publication of the joint statement by the mediators that Israel would send a delegation on Thursday. Netanyahu's right-wing coalition partner, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, subsequently described the deal demanded by the mediators on the platform X as a "dangerous trap". He called it a surrender agreement that the mediators were imposing on Israel, Smotrich raged. The US government promptly criticized this.
USA: Criticism from Israel's Finance Minister on Gaza Deal "Absurd"
Statements like Smotrich's are "outrageous and absurd," said John Kirby, communications director of the US National Security Council. Such statements are not only factually wrong but also endanger the lives of hostages and run counter to Israel's own security interests. US President Biden will "not allow extremists to run things out of control, including extremists in Israel who make these ridiculous accusations against the deal."
Smotrich essentially proposes that the war should continue without pause and without regard for the lives of hostages, said Kirby. "His arguments are completely false. They mislead the Israeli public." The agreement negotiated over months fully protects Israel's national security interests. Most leading figures of Hamas are now dead, the organized military structure of Hamas is destroyed, so Kirby. "Israel has now almost achieved all its main military goals, except for the explicit war goal of bringing the hostages home."
Report: Hamas Demands Release of Barghouti
An exchange of hostages in the hands of Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, as provided for in the deal, is not a surrender, Kirby emphasized. According to a report cited by an Israeli Arabic media outlet, Hamas is demanding the release of Marwan Barghouti, a Palestinian politician imprisoned in Israel, in the first phase of a planned agreement with Israel. He belongs to the rival party Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.
Barghouti was sentenced to five life sentences in Israel for murder in 2004. For his supporters, he is a freedom fighter, the "Wall Street Journal" reported last month. His popularity among Palestinians is based on his image as a promoter of violence against Israel, but also as a pragmatist who seeks a lasting peace agreement. The significance of Barghouti is shown in the demand by the rival Hamas to release him as part of an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, the newspaper reported, citing Arab mediators.
UNRWA General Commissioner Lamented the Scale of Destruction in Gaza
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre with over 1200 deaths that terrorist groups including Hamas carried out in Israel last October. According to the health authority controlled by Hamas, more than 39,600 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war. The number does not distinguish between civilians and fighters and cannot be independently verified.
In light of the high number of civilian casualties, dire humanitarian situation, and devastating destruction in Gaza, Israel faces strong international criticism. According to the UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, two out of three buildings in Gaza are now damaged or destroyed, citing recent data from the UN's satellite monitoring program. With each passing day of the conflict, the destruction of an entire community continues, Lazzarini lamented on Twitter.
The European Union, along with the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, have collectively urged both Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. This joint appeal is aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East and creating "the conditions for broader regional stability," as stated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Given the current situation, it's crucial for the European Union to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the Gaza conflict, considering its role in promoting peace and stability in the region.
