August 22 :
The White House reported that U.S. President Joe Biden on Aug. 21 stressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the need of closing a deal for a truce in Gaza and the release of captives; Israel and Hamas insisted adamantly on their demands. Following reports of at least 50 Palestinians dead by Israeli bombings over a 24-hour period, the leaders' call included Vice President Kamala Harris as well.
A White House statement said Biden underlined to Netanyahu "the urgency of bringing the truce and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles." Expecting to meet in Cairo this weekend, U.S., Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari diplomats have labored months to heal divisions between Israel and Hamas.
On Aug. 21, however, Israel and Hamas kept to their demands. "Israel will insist on the achievement of all of its objectives for the war, as they have been defined by the Security Cabinet, including that Gaza never again constitutes a security threat on Israel," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. Denying an Israeli television story, it said Israel had not agreed to remove its desire to maintain troops in the Philadelphi Corridor, the border area between Gaza and Egypt, an issue that has been a significant sticking point.
Reiterating important Hamas demands, a statement issued by the organization claimed senior officials, meeting with the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad regarding development in the negotiations, These comprise a complete Israeli evacuation, a termination of Israel's Gaza operation, and an agreement whereby Israeli captives would be traded for Palestinian detainees kept by Israel.
Biden's call to Netanyahu followed a whirl trip to the area by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that concluded on Aug. 20 without generating a breakthrough in the ten-month-old conflict. Within Gaza proper, the Israeli military claimed that jets struck over thirty targets around the enclave, including an observation post, launch sites, and tunnels.
Troops claimed to have killed several armed rebels and taken weaponry including automatic rifles, grenades, and explosives. Gaza's Civil Emergency Service reported that the Israeli force struck a school and a nearby residence in Gaza City, killing at least four people and injuring fifteen others, including several children.
In a statement, the Israeli military claimed to have struck Hamas fighters functioning at a command center within a facility once used for schooling. It accused Hamas of still running from civilian facilities and regions, a charge Gaza's main Islamist militant group disputes.
Commenting on Israel's attack on the UN-run school, Philippe Lazzarini, chief of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, said on X on "children reported killed and injured. A few were charred to death. "Gaza is no place for youngsters these days. They are the first victims of this ruthless conflict, he said. " A ceasefire is beyond overdue."
Medics said that an Israeli bombardment killed seven Palestinians at a tent campsite for displaced persons in the southern Gaza Strip village of Bani Suhaila, close to Khan Younis. In the highly packed Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians uprooted by the fighting have sought refuge, the Israeli military issued fresh evacuation orders.
Tank fire with at least one person dead and others injured by machine gun fire shortly followed the orders the military said were necessary to clear people from what had become "a dangerous combat zone". Medics and neighbors reported. Palestinian medical officials claim that Israel's military operation in Gaza since October has claimed over 40,000 lives. According to Israeli estimates, the war started on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked military installations and Israeli towns, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping approximately 250 captives.
The thus far futile wait for a ceasefire deal intensified the suffering of civilians in Deir Al-Balah, who were on the move once more in search of escape from combat. "We might sadly pass before the end of this battle is seen. All peace negotiations are lies," 55-year-old Aburakan, who has had to flee five times since October because to Israeli attacks, told Reuters via a messaging app.
Since the beginning of the Israeli campaign, most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been repeatedly displaced. Regular reports of Israeli attack deaths have come from even regions declared safe zones.
