Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv to try to negotiate a rapprochement between the parties
▲ Three cases of polio caused by sewage have been detected in Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip, prompting the Palestinian Authority’s health minister to call for a ceasefire to allow vaccinations for children under 10 years of age.Photo Ap
AP, Reuters, Europa Press and AFP Deir
The newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, August 18, 2024, p. 21
Al-Balah., Yesterday’s bombings on Gaza left 18 dead, reported health authorities and an AP reporter who confirmed this information, while talks continue in the hope of reaching a ceasefire.
The attack hit a house and a warehouse serving as shelter for displaced people in Zawayda town in Deir al-Balah; the victims were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Among the dead was the owner of the house, a well-known businessman identified as Sami Jawad al Ejlah, who coordinated with the Israeli army the transport of meat and fish to Gaza.
Children and babies were sleeping in their beds when three missiles targeted their home”explained Abu Ahmed Hassan, a resident who suffered minor injuries in the attack. There is no military activity here.he said.
The attack killed Sami Jawad’s two wives, 11 of his children (aged between two and 22) and four other relatives, according to a list provided by the hospital.
The Israeli army said it hit terrorist infrastructures in central Gaza, from where missiles have been launched at the country in recent weeks.
In turn, on his X account, the Tel Aviv military spokesman published instructions in Arabic yesterday for the population of some areas in the center of the territory to evacuate to a designated humanitarian zone.
Reuters could not verify whether any part of Zawayda was among those ordered to evacuate and whether residents were aware of the Israeli military’s instructions.
Hamas called it delusion that an agreement with Israel is close, despite the cautious optimism expressed by the negotiators of that country.
Meanwhile, yesterday the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in Tel Aviv to try to help in the rapprochement between both parties and reach an agreement,
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in turn, warned that if a peaceful agreement is not reached soon, the entire region could be dragged into a wild and dangerous spiral of instability.
The president stressed the need to make joint efforts to seize the opportunity of negotiations and reach an agreement that will end the bloodshed and avoid the consequences of an escalation.Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmi said in a statement.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne met with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Cairo, part of a growing wave of diplomacy aimed at pushing for a deal between Israel and Hamas.
In a press conference with Abdelatty, Sejourne highlighted the work crucial Egypt’s role in mediation and progress towards a two-state solution, as well as France’s role in achieving stability in the Middle East, Egyptian public television Al Qahera reported.