Ceasefire talks to resume next week, first polio case detected in Gaza

Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha paused on Friday, with negotiators to meet again next week seeking an agreement to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas and free the remaining hostages.

In a joint statement, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt said Washington had presented a new proposal that built on points of agreement over the past week, closing gaps in a way that could allow for the rapid implementation of a deal.

Mediators would keep working on the proposal, they said. "The path is now set for that outcome, saving lives, bringing relief to the people of Gaza, and de-escalating regional tensions," they said in the statement.

On Thursday, Israel and mediators began the latest round in months of talks to end the conflict in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Hamas was not directly involved but was kept briefed on the talks.

A senior Hamas official, Izzat al-Rishq, told Reuters that Israel "did not abide by what was agreed upon" in earlier talks, citing what mediators had told them.

Meanwhile, a Hamas source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua on Friday that the results of the latest Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha are not in line with U.S. President Joe Biden's proposal presented to Hamas in July.

Israel has insisted that peace will only be possible if Hamas is destroyed, while Hamas has said it will only accept a permanent ceasefire, not a temporary one.

Other difficulties have included deal sequencing, the number and identity of Palestinian prisoners to be released alongside Israeli hostages, control over the Gaza-Egypt border, and free movement for Palestinians inside Gaza.

On Friday, Israeli forces pounded targets across Gaza and issued new orders for people to leave areas it had previously designated as civilian safe zones, saying Hamas had used them to fire mortars and rockets at Israel.

As hundreds of families fled with salvaged belongings, the United Nations called for a week-long pause in fighting to allow for a polio vaccination campaign, with disease spreading among the displaced.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement it has detected the first confirmed case of polio in 25 years in the Gaza Strip.

Before the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023, the enclave had been polio-free for 25 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Earlier on Friday, the UN said it is set to launch a two-phase campaign to vaccinate more than 640,000 children in Gaza under the age of 10, starting at the end of August.

The WHO has already approved the release of 1.6 million doses of the polio vaccine, and the UN Children's Fund is coordinating delivery efforts and the cold chain equipment needed for storage, the UN said.

"But the challenges are grave," with health, water, and sanitation systems in Gaza decimated, most hospitals and primary care facilities not functional, and people constantly forced to run for safety, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday while appealing for a "polio pause" in the enclave.

The UN chief appealed to all parties to provide concrete assurances right away guaranteeing humanitarian pauses for the campaign. "The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire," said Guterres, adding, "But in any case, a polio pause is a must."

At present, the Israeli army's fighting in the Gaza Strip has ended, according to Israel's state-owned Kan TV news, which also said Israel can return and re-enter Gaza "when there is new intelligence," citing senior security officials.

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)