CONFLICTSMIDDLE EAST
Israel-Hamas war: US says ‘gaps narrowing’ in truce talks
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Washington’s top diplomat said there was progress in talks for a Gaza cease-fire, while the defense chief urged Israel to reconsider the planned Rafah ground operation. DW rounds up the latest.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia March 20, 2024
Blinken is on his sixth Middle East tour since the war beganImage: Saudi Press Agency/REUTERS
Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken struck a hopeful tone in an interview with Saudi media outlet Al-Hadath, saying that an agreement on a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages “is very much possible.”
Blinken’s remarks came as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raised with his Israeli counterpart the “need to consider alternatives” to a planned Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel said it killed 140 “terrorists” so far in its operation in and around al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City in the strip’s north.
Here is a roundup of developments in the Israel-Hamas war on Thursday, March 21:
Skip next section US says cease-fire agreement ‘very much possible’
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US says cease-fire agreement ‘very much possible’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reported progress in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release.
The indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar, have been ongoing for several weeks.
The mediators had worked with Israel to put a “strong proposal,” which Hamas rejected but negotiations on other demands are in the works.
“The gaps are narrowing, and I think an agreement is very much possible,” Blinken said in an interview Wednesday with the Al-Hadath network in Saudi Arabia
Blinken made the remarks while on his sixth Middle East tour since the war started on October 7.
He is due in Egypt on Thursday, and then in Israel on Friday.
Blinken arrives in Middle East for cease-fire talks
03:55
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Skip next section Red Crescent: 4 killed in Israeli operation in West Bank
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Red Crescent: 4 killed in Israeli operation in West Bank
The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said that four people were killed in an Israeli operation in the built-up Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli military had said it launched an airstrike that killed two Palestinian militants during a raid in the West Bank. Israel said the two posed a threat to its forces in Nur Shams.
https://p.dw.com/p/4dxa9
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Skip next section US sees ‘need’ for Israel to reconsider Rafah offensive
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US sees ‘need’ for Israel to reconsider Rafah offensive
The US Defense Department has said in a statement that Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin spoke with Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and “raised the need” to consider alternatives to a ground offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.
Still, Austin reiterated “the shared goal of defeating Hamas” in the phone call with Gallant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with a Rafah offensive but said that the preparations for such an operation would still take some time.
In recent weeks, Washington has raised concerns over the planned Israeli ground offensive on Rafah, where UN agencies say some 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering after fleeing different parts of the territory since October 7.
Netanyahu vows to press ahead with Rafah operation
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Skip next section IDF says 140 ‘terrorists’ killed around al-Shifa hospital
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IDF says 140 ‘terrorists’ killed around al-Shifa hospital
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that it was continuing its “precise operational activity in the Shifa hospital” that started on Monday.
“Over the past day, more than 50 terrorists were eliminated during exchanges of fire, and terrorist infrastructure and weapons storage facilities were located. Since the start of the operation, over 140 terrorists have been eliminated in the area of the hospital,” it said.
The Al-Shifa hospital was once Gaza’s largest health facility and has become a shelter for many Palestinians fleeing fighting zones since October 7.
The IDF first launched a raid on the hospital in November, when it said it discovered tunnels that it alleged were used by Hamas.
On Monday, civilians were urged to leave the area surrounding the hospital, with Israeli flyers dropping on them with calls to evacuate the “dangerous combat zone.”
IDF had raided Shifa hospital before: Journalist Sami Sockol
03:01
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Skip next section Blinken: US circulated UN draft resolution on Gaza truce
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Blinken: US circulated UN draft resolution on Gaza truce
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with Saudi media outlet Al Hadath that Washington had circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire linked to the release of hostages” in Gaza.
“Well, in fact, we actually have a resolution that we put forward right now that’s before the United Nations Security Council that does call for an immediate cease-fire tied to the release of hostages, and we hope very much that countries will support that,” Blinken said.
“I think that would send a strong message, a strong signal,” he added.
The United States, a key Israel supporter, has vetoed several UN Security Council votes on resolutions regarding the monthslong war. In Februrary, it vetoed a proposal by Algeria because of the use of the term “immediate” in the text.
But with the humanitarian crisis deepening in Gaza, the US has upped the pressure on Israel, calling for a pause in fighting and rejecting a planned Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city where 1.5 million people are believed to be sheltering after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the strip.
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Skip next section More DW coverage of the Israel-Hamas war
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More DW coverage of the Israel-Hamas war
Israel has come under increased criticism in recent weeks over food shortages in Gaza, with the UN human rights office saying Israeli restrictions on aid could be seen as using starvation as a “weapon of war.” Israel denies the allegation, and says the blame lies with the militant group, Hamas.
Hunger in Gaza reaches catastrophic levels
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Reports have indicated that Marwan Issa, a high-ranking official in Hamas, was killed in a recent Israeli airstrike. DW takes a look at Issa and other known leaders of the group.
fb/rc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
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