War on Gaza: Israel advances into Khan Younis after mediators call for ceasefire summit
The Israeli military has launched a new ground offensive in Khan Younis hours after the leaders of the United States, Qatar and Egypt called for a Gaza ceasefire summit.
In a joint statement on Thursday evening, the three mediators urged Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement to come to the table on 15 August to finalise the details of the proposed deal.
By Friday morning, the Israeli military announced it had sent troops into Khan Younis after heavy air strikes pounded the southern Gaza Strip city and its surroundings a day earlier.
Dozens of Palestinians were killed and wounded on Thursday, according to initial media reports. The Palestinian health ministry has yet to release the daily death toll.
The Israeli military issued displacement orders for residents of eastern Khan Younis ahead of the offensive, forcing thousands of families to flee their homes once again.
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This marks the third ground offensive launched by the Israeli military in Khan Younis since the war began on October 7.
The first offensive lasted four months, from January to April, while the second offensive was waged over a week in July.
The months-long invasion and bombing of Gaza have devastated most homes, hospitals and civilian infrastructure in Khan Younis.
Israel's new offensive was announced shortly after its government confirmed it would send a delegation to the summit proposed by the US, Qatar and Egypt.
The three countries, suggesting that the summit could take place in Doha or Cairo, said the time has come to finalise the framework agreement on the table.
“It is time to bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families. The time has come to conclude the ceasefire and hostages and detainees release deal,” the three countries said in the joint statement.
“No more time should be wasted, and there should be no excuses by any party for further postponement.”
Israeli reaction
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will send a negotiation team to the talks to “finalise the details for implementing the framework agreement”.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
According to Axios, a source familiar with the negotiations described the summit as a "Hail Mary" effort by the Biden administration to prevent a regional war after the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut last week.
Israel has been bracing for possible retaliation from Iran and Hezbollah in response to the killings, raising fears of all-out war.
A US official told reporters that mediators do not expect a deal to be struck in the planned summit, marking it as the beginning of the end, according to Axios.
Ceasefire talks have stalled in recent months due to changing demands by Netanyahu, according to Israeli media.
The killing of Haniyeh has also cooled talks further.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the call for a summit next week as a “dangerous trap” and urged Netanyahu not to shift his position.
Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionist Party in Netantyhu's government, had previously threatened to quit the coalition and cause it to collapse if a deal is struck with Hamas to end the war.
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