The intervention succeeded: Israel returns to the negotiating table

Israel decided this after the intervention of the US, Egypt, and Qatar, who warned both warring parties that "there is no more time to waste or make excuses" and further delay.

The small advance comes as fighting continues in the Gaza Strip, with at least 18 dead on Thursday in Israeli attacks on two schools by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, and amid fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.

"Following the proposal of the US and mediators, on August 15, Israel will send a delegation of negotiators to a location where the details of the concretization of the agreement will be agreed upon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced.

Washington, Cairo, and Doha called on the opposing sides to resume talks on August 15, saying the framework agreement "is now on the table and only the details of its implementation are missing".

"As mediators, we are ready, if necessary, to present a final proposal that could resolve the issues of implementation (of the agreement) in a way that meets the expectations of all parties," the text of the authorities of the US, Egypt, and Qatar reads.

Qatar has been involved in behind-the-scenes negotiations for months, with the support of Cairo and Washington, to try to reach a truce and an agreement on the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas from Israel and held in the Gaza Strip.

Prospects for a cessation of hostilities depend on a phased agreement, starting with a ceasefire.

The latest discussions were based on a framework laid out in late May by US President Joseph Biden, which he said was suggested by Israel.

"The time has come to conclude a ceasefire and an agreement for the release of hostages and prisoners," reads the text, according to which "there is no more time to lose nor any excuse for any of the parties to justify further delay."

This development comes after Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar, whom the Israeli authorities accuse of being one of the organizers of the attack that the Islamist movement launched on October 7 against Israel. This attitude raises fears that the difficult negotiations will become even more difficult.

Israel has vowed to "eliminate" Sinwar, who has not appeared in public since October 7.

Ten months into the war, all attempts at mediation have failed and the war, which according to Hamas has left almost 40,000 dead in the small besieged Palestinian territory, has exacerbated tensions in the Middle East between Iran and the armed groups it supports, and Israel on the other. sides.

Diplomatic efforts are continuing in all directions to avoid escalation across the region after Iran vowed retaliation for the July 31 killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which Tehran blamed on Israel and a day earlier Fouad Shukr, the military leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah, affiliated with Hamas, was killed in an Israeli attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut.