Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas
CNN
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has asked if Hamas is acting in “good faith” over a proposed ceasefire and hostage deal. Hamas said it had shown “necessary positivity” to reach a deal but Blinken said the group wants amendments to the plan. Follow for live updates.
US President Joe Biden says he is not confident a ceasefire deal will be reached in Gaza soon. “No,” Biden said when asked if he was confident in a deal soon, which he said he discussed with world leaders at the G7 summit in Italy. More on the ceasefire proposal: The US-backed Israeli proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal appeared to be in limbo Thursday, with neither side yet publicly committing to the plan. Hamas has said it has shown “necessary positivity” after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken questioned whether the militant group was proceeding in good faith. Biden on Thursday called on Hamas to step up, saying, “Hamas has to move.” Amid continuing differences on the implementation of a deal to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, CNN analyst Barak Ravid reports that the Israeli government has decided not to send a delegation for further talks.
An Israeli airstrike on a multi-story building in northern Gaza killed at least 27 people, relief officials said, as the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in the area – where it is mounting a major offensive.
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Rights groups say journalist Reza Valizadeh has been detained, amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.
A female student stripped to her underwear outside her university in Iran in what some student and rights groups say was a protest against the country’s strict Islamic dress code.
Israel is at a “high level of readiness” for a response from Iran, an Israeli military source told CNN, as US officials visited the Middle East for a renewed push to resolve the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Follow live updates.