TRANSCRIPT
As the Israeli military orders yet another evacuation order in Khan Younis, leaders in Egypt, Qatar and the U-S have invited the leaders of Hamas and Israel to resume ceasefire talks next week.
The three countries have taken on the role of mediators in indirect negotiations to end 10 months of devastating war in Gaza, with nearly 40,000 Palestinians killed - and renewed fears of further regional escalation.
Doha, Qatar, or Cairo have been proposed as the location for the talks.
Israel says it will send negotiators to the meeting, while Hamas is yet to respond to the invitation.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh says the United States remains focused on de-escalation.
“The Secretary and the Department remain intently focused on de-escalating tensions in the region and pushing for a cease fire as part of the hostage deal to end the war in Gaza.”
The joint statement by mediators say "there is no further time to waste, nor excuses" for further delay on finalising a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
They say "only the details" of carrying out a ceasefire and hostage release remain to be negotiated.
At least 40 people have been killed in the latest round of Israeli strikes on Gaza, with more than 18 Palestinians, including children, killed in strikes on two schools in the eastern regions of Gaza.
The Israeli military says it's strikes in Gaza City on the Abdel-Fattah Hamouda and Al-Zahra schools were targeting Hamas control centres.
A video obtained by Reuters shows a wounded child being treated inside a heavily damaged medical facility.
Standing beside him, one man says Israel treats all Palestinians as terrorists.
"These are your targets (Benjamin) Netanyahu? Children? God is our suffice and the best deputy. He was playing at Abdel Fattah School, he is an innocent child. They say we are terrorists, look what Netanyahu is doing, look at this Arab world. God is our suffice and the best deputy.”
The United Nations says almost half of Gaza's population are children, and estimates that at least 15,000 children have been killed by Israel since October 7.
UNICEF spokesman Salim Oweis says the children of Gaza need to be protected.
“Children shouldn't face that kind and that level of violence. Children should be protected. They should be treated well, and they should be given the opportunities that they need. Children really need now a ceasefire so they can grow and thrive.”
The continued attacks on densely populated areas came as Israel ordered Palestinians to evacuate Khan Younis again.
One of the displaced men fleeing, Ahmed Al-Farra says people don't know where to go.
"The situation is that the army called and warned us, and sent leaflets, so we left the area which was already full of displaced Gazans. Last time they warned us to leave and then they struck the houses, which were already partially destroyed, this time the house are fully destroyed. There are no homes to stay at.”
Elderly women in wheelchairs, sleeping children carried by their mothers, and others on donkey carts fled Khan Younis, with some saying they have fled several times.
One displaced woman, Umm Raed Abu Elyan, says everywhere in Gaza is destroyed.
"We are running from the fire, we are running with our children from fear. They said to go to humanitarian areas, but there is no safe place here in Gaza. It is all destroyed and damaged.”
On the diplomatic front, Israel has revoked the status of eight Norwegian diplomats based in Tel Aviv.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz says "there is a price for anti-Israel behaviour", citing Norway's recognition of Palestinian statehood - and its backing of an International Criminal Court case implicating Israeli leaders in alleged war crimes
Norway’s Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, called the action "an extreme act" that will have consequences on the bilateral relationship.
US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller says the move is not helpful.
“They (Norway) have long played an important role. And we think it's important that they continue to be able to play that role in talking both with the PA (Palestinian Authority) and with Israel. We don't think steps to prevent them from playing that role are particularly helpful. And we'll continue to engage with both countries. We always believe that diplomatic engagements are important. Diplomatic relationships are important, and we have seen that diplomatic relationship between Norway and Israel, have been important; and that it's been important that Norway be able to communicate with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. And we think that the productive role they can continue to play, and we would hope that they would be able to do so.”
In Iraq, security forces have arrested five people in connection with an attack this week at a military base in Iraq in which four U-S troops and a U-S contractor were wounded.
Sabrina Singh says three of the five injured individuals had been moved to a medical centre in Germany.
“So it was two rockets launched by what we believed to be an Iranian-backed Shia militia group that had that impacted al-Asad air base in Iraq. There was a third rocket that was intercepted before it impacted the base. In terms of how these rockets got through. Look, that's something that Centcom is going to review and is reviewing right now. We want to make sure that this doesn't happen again. And so Centcom is going to adjust and take the proper measures needed to protect our forces in the region.”
The United States says it has sent more US F-22 Raptors to the region to reinforce the security of its personnel.
Meanwhile, the United States says Iran will face significant consequences, if it attacks Israel.
Matthew Miller says such actions risk further escalation.
“As we've said for several days now, and it's been the focus of our diplomatic engagements is we continue to make clear to Iran that they should not escalate this conflict. They should not take any further escalatory steps, that those steps are not in their interests. They're not in the interests of the wider region. And that is a point we will continue to press in all of our diplomatic engagements in the region.”
