There is no big news on the Middle Eastern front in the latest attempt to reach the signature of an agreement between Hamas, allies and Israel. Despite the difficulty in reaching an agreement, yesterday in Qatar the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad met to discuss the agreements. In a note from the Iranian press agency we read: “Senior officials of the Palestinian resistance movements, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, met in the capital of Qatar to discuss the latest developments in Palestine, particularly the Gaza Strip. Hamas and Jihad are calling for the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza to reach an agreement with Israel.
The US State Department announced that on August 22, Blinken discussed with the Emir of Qatar the ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire agreement. Blinken stressed that the proposal to fill the gaps addresses them in a way that allows for the agreement to be implemented quickly. Blinken and the emir of Qatar stressed that no party in the region should undermine efforts to reach an agreement.
Blinken: “I have discussed with the emir of Qatar efforts to negotiate an agreement that would alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians and secure the release of the hostages.”
The leaders of the Shin Bet and Mossad have traveled to Cairo to try to reach agreements with the Egyptians on the Philadelphia and Rafah axis. According to CNN, CIA chief William Burns is expected to attend the negotiations in Cairo.
The US Navy has meanwhile installed the Starlink system on its ships; online images of the USS CVN 72 Abraham Lincoln. The Navy said that “this has revolutionized the maritime experience for sailors; The new system ensures reliable communication, improves morale and increases productivity.”
According to Israeli media, Hezbollah launched five rockets from Lebanon towards Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted and some were not. The target: a military base. The same media also states: “1,091 rockets fired from Lebanon towards ‘Israeli territories’ last month, a three-fold increase compared to the beginning of the year. 44 people killed in the clash with Lebanon, including 24 ‘civilians’, 19 officers and soldiers and one foreign worker. 271 ‘Israelis’ injured, including 141 soldiers and army officers since the clash with Hezbollah began.”
The news of the rescue of the crew of the oil tanker Sunion, damaged by the Houthis in the Red Sea, has been confirmed. The European task force in the Red Sea has evacuated the crew members to Djibouti, the tanker remains with 150 thousand tons of oil floating in sea.
And now a look at the situation between Israel – Hamas – Hezbollah updated as of 15:00 on August 24.
According to an IDF statement: “A Hamas cell that was planning to fire projectiles from the Tayr Harfa area in southern Lebanon towards Israeli territory was identified by IDF soldiers and eliminated by the IAF. IDF artillery struck to remove threats in the Chebaa area in southern Lebanon.”
The IDF specified that several projectiles fired from Lebanese territory crossed into northern Israel, most of which fell in open areas in the Upper Galilee and no injuries were reported. The IAF struck and eliminated Muhammad Mahmoud Negm, a senior member of Hezbollah’s Missile Unit in southern Lebanon, in the Aaita El Zot area. Also, IDF soldiers identified a Hezbollah member who fired rockets toward the Yiftah area on Friday morning while operating adjacent to a Hezbollah military facility in the Meiss El Jabal area. The IAF struck the Hezbollah member and the military facility. A third attacker was eliminated in Aitaroun, after firing rockets toward the Malkia area.
Sirens in action in Malkya, northern Israel, and Shtula.
The IDF has resumed operations in central and southern Gaza. According to an IDF statement, “dozens of Hamas members were reportedly killed during close-quarters fighting over the past day in the central and southern Gaza Strip.”
“Over the past day in the Khan Yunis area and the outskirts of Deir El Balah, IDF troops eliminated dozens of Hamas men and dismantled dozens of infrastructure sites. In the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah, Israeli troops eliminated numerous Hamas men who posed a threat to the troops.
Over the past day, the IAF struck approximately 30 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, including military facilities and positions, weapons depots and launch sites in the Khan Yunis area. Under the direction of IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on a Hamas command and control center embedded in a compound that previously served as the “Jaafer Ali Bin Abu Taleb” school in the Zeitoun area. Hamas used the compound to store large quantities of weapons and conduct activities against Israel in the area. The Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on Khan Yunis.
Al-Qassam Brigades in a statement said: “Our fighters are engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces that have penetrated south of the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, killing and wounding many, and a “Yasour” helicopter lands to evacuate them.”
Israeli media reported a difficult security incident in Gaza, apparently an army force was ambushed and helicopters evacuated many soldiers and officers to hospitals. Five helicopters reportedly landed in the Gaza Strip to evacuate the wounded. Initial reports say 3 soldiers were killed and six were wounded.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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