The Israel-Hamas war

The Israel-Hamas war|The negotiations
Biden called Netanyahu to talk about a truce

US President Joe Biden has spoken on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The aim was to emphasize the importance of reaching an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, writes Reuters.

The call comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Middle East and the latest ceasefire talks. So far, no agreement has been reached. Israel has approved the deal put forward by the US, but Biden said earlier this week that Hamas was "backing away", a statement Hamas later called "misleading".

According to Reuters, Biden and Netanyahu also spoke about US support for Israel, including about "all threats from Iran".

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Professor: Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire in Gaza, says Uriel Abulof, professor of political science at Tel Aviv University.

- The war benefits him. It is the only thing that can keep him in power, he says in an interview with the news agency TT.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which was followed by reports that Israel had accepted the ceasefire proposal. According to the newspaper Haaretz, Netanyahu later that day allegedly rejected several points in the proposal.

The political scientist does not believe that there will be any agreement between Israel and Hamas as long as Netanyahu is in power.
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Parents of the hostages spoke at the convention: "No political issue to bring our son home"

The parents of American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped by Hamas in Israel on October 7 last year, spoke at the Democratic convention in Chicago last night. In the speech, they appealed for the release of the hostages who remain in Gaza, AP writes.

- This is a political convention. But wanting our only son [...] at home is not a political issue. It's a humanitarian issue, said father Jon Polin.

Both Jon Polin and his wife Rachel Polin Goldberg wore stickers on their shirts with the number 320 to mark the number of days the hostages had been kidnapped. They said they had been "living on another planet" since the Hamas terror attack last year.

Their speech was met with both standing ovations and tears from the audience.

"Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you," said Rachel Polin Goldberg.
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The Israel-Hamas warThe attacks
Eleven killed in Israeli attack in northern Gaza

At least eleven people have died after an Israeli attack on an apartment building in the city of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, Reuters reports and refers to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Yesterday, nearly twenty people were killed in various attacks in Khan Yunis and Dayr al-Balah in the southern parts of the Gaza Strip. According to TT, Wednesday's attacks were carried out in Dayr al-Balah in an area where Israel's military has urged Palestinians to evacuate.

The UN has warned Israel that similar mass evacuation orders are forcing Palestinians into unsafe and overpopulated areas.