Palestinians are fleeing large areas around Khan Younis in southern Gaza where the Israeli military began a new assault after ordering another mass evacuation.
Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis, suffered widespread destruction during air and ground operations earlier in the year. The enclave faces a severe humanitarian crisis with Israeli restrictions on aid and ongoing fighting limiting access to food, medical supplies and clean water. The Health Ministry in Gaza says the death toll in the territory is nearing 40,000 in the 10 months since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Regional tensions have soared since Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed July 31 in Iran by a presumed Israeli strike. Retaliation has been expected.
World leaders are pushing for a cease-fire in Gaza. Late Thursday, Israel confirmed it will send negotiators for indirect discussions with Hamas in response to a proposal by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to resume stalled cease-fire talks on Aug. 15.
Here’s the latest:
UNITED NATIONS — Asked whether Iran would delay its highly anticipated retaliation until after the next round of cease-fire talks called for Aug. 15, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said it hoped that Tehran’s response “will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential cease-fire.”
“Our priority is to establish a lasting cease-fire in Gaza; any agreement accepted by Hamas will also be recognized by us,” the U.N. mission said, stressing that Iran had “the legitimate right to self-defense — a matter totally unrelated to the Gaza ceasefire.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. national security adviser John Kirby told reporters Friday that Senior Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich’s criticism of the latest proposed cease-fire deal is “dead wrong.”
“Smotrich essentially suggests that the war ought to go on indefinitely without pause and with the lives of the hostages of no real concern at all,” Kirby said. Smotrich voiced opposition to the deal and said the terms would amount to an Israeli surrender.
“The views expressed by Mr. Smotrich would in fact sacrifice the lives of Israeli hostages, his own countrymen, and American hostages as well,” Kirby said.
Kirby said U.S. President Joe Biden “won’t allow extremists to blow things off course, including extremists in Israel, making these ridiculous charges against the deal.”
The far-right minister this week suggested that the starvation of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians “might be just and moral” until hostages captured in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel are returned home.
His comments drew condemnation from Israel’s Western allies.
BEIRUT — The military wing of Hamas has paid allegiance to the group’s new leader, Yahya Sinwar, who was chosen earlier this week.
In a statement posted online, spokesman Abu Obaida added that the Qassam Brigades is ready to carry out all of Sinwar’s decisions.
He added that choosing Sinwar to replace “our martyred leader Ismail Haniyeh shows that Hamas is coherent and strong.”
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