Israel launches new assault into Gaza as mediators push for ceasefire

Israeli troops launched a new assault Friday into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, targeting Hamas fighters who the military claims still operate there despite repeated offensives, as American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators renewed their push for Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal.

UN humanitarians and their partners on Friday estimated at least 60,000 Gazans may have moved toward western Khan Younis following the latest Israeli evacuation order.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the latest evacuation order for residents in central and eastern parts of Khan Younis on Thursday followed two orders on Wednesday for people in parts of northern Gaza to evacuate.

OCHA said nearly 43 square kilometers of northern and southern Gaza were under evacuation orders this week.

It's at least the third time that Israeli forces have launched a major incursion into Khan Younis, where Israeli and American officials have said they believe Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' newly named top leader and one of the architects of the October 7 attack on Israel, could be hiding. Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, pledged allegiance to Sinwar as its new leader and promised to carry out his decisions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed Thursday that it would send negotiators to talks that mediators have called for on August 15, to be held in either Qatar's capital of Doha or Egypt's capital of Cairo.

Meanwhile, a top Iranian military commander said Tehran considered avenging the assassination of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh as its duty, the official news agency IRNA reported on Friday.

Esmaeil Qa'ani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, made the remarks in a letter congratulating Yahya Sinwar on his appointment as Hamas politburo chief and extending condolences for Haniyeh's death, according to the report.

"We consider it our duty to avenge the blood of Haniyeh," who was killed in a "bitter" incident in Iran, Qa'ani noted.

Qa'ani said the "heroic struggle" of the resistance groups would further intensify the impact of the punishment.

With tensions running high along the Israel-Lebanon border, a Hamas leader and his companion were killed on Friday in an Israeli air strike on their car in southern Lebanon, said Lebanese military sources.

The military sources, who spoke anonymously, said that an Israeli drone fired two air-to-ground missiles at a Chevrolet four-wheel-drive vehicle at the eastern entrance of Sidon, deep in southern Lebanon, killing Samer al-Hajj, a leader of Hamas, and another individual whose identity remains unknown.

Tensions are high in Lebanon following Israel's killing of a Hezbollah senior military commander Fouad Shokor last week. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has threatened retaliation.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib urged Western countries on Friday to pressure Israel to stop its aggression and reduce the escalation in Lebanon, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants.

Bou Habib made these remarks during a phone call with his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon and the region.

He emphasized the necessity of halting the Israeli aggression on Gaza, describing it as the key to calming the situation in southern Lebanon, stopping Israeli attacks, and preventing the conflict from escalating into a comprehensive regional war.

For his part, the Brazilian foreign minister stated that "Israel seeks to escalate with Lebanon and Iran because it does not want to reach a ceasefire in Gaza."

"Brazil will continue to work and consult closely with the Lebanese government to achieve a ceasefire in southern Lebanon," he added.

A state of anticipation and caution prevails in Lebanon following Israel's killing of Hezbollah senior military commander Fouad Shokor.

Also on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed France's support for a ceasefire in Gaza aimed at freeing all hostages, protecting Gazans, and delivering large-scale humanitarian aid, the Elysee Palace said.

Macron made these remarks during telephone conversations on Thursday and Friday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

During the phone discussions, Macron and the two Arab leaders agreed to continue working toward a lasting and credible solution to the crisis, based on the two-state solution.

The French leader reiterated France's commitment to collaborating with its partners in the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the international community to define a political framework that would restore peace and security to the region.

(With input from agencies)