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Qatar, along with Egypt, are the key mediators in talks for a possible ceasefire deal to free the remaining hostages in Gaza.
AFP
The war in Gaza has entered its 112th day, and instability in the Middle East continues as fighting intensifies between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas militants in southern Gaza’s main city.
Washington, Israel’s main Western ally, is in an awkward position after a leaked recording purportedly revealed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of Qatar as a mediator in hostage talks.
Bill Burns, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is expected to meet negotiators to push for a hostage release deal as the U.S., along with mediators Qatar and Egypt, engage in intensive talks over a potential ceasefire-hostage agreement to free more than 130 abductees still in Hamas captivity.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is due to announce an order Friday in the high-stakes case filed by South Africa against Israel.
Amid rising fears of a wider conflict beyond the Israel-Hamas war, Israel’s economic minister Nir Barkat said Iran has become a “legitimate target” for missile strikes following attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting Israel and U.S. military assets in the region.
In the Israel-Lebanese border, Iranian-backed Hezbollah continues to fan the flames as it claimed early Friday that it attacked another Israeli military site.
Another Iran-backed militia, Yemen’s Houthi, also continues to disrupt Red Sea shipping activities. It has also been firing drones and missiles toward U.S.-owned ships and other vessels it claims are headed to Israeli ports.
Back in war-torn Gaza, Netanyahu refuses to bend to international pressure. His unyielding attitude draws from the bitter and decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict that reached a frenzied high on Oct. 7, when Hamas operatives raided Israel, murdering more than 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and abducting over 240 others.
