Skip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know US envoy Amos Hochstein says an end to fighting in Lebanon was ‘within our grasp’ UNICEF reports over 200 children killed in Lebanon in the last two months This is a roundup of the latest developments from the conflicts in the Middle East on November 19, 2024:
Skip next section End to war in Lebanon ‘within our grasp,’ US envoy saysNovember 19, 2024
End to war in Lebanon ‘within our grasp,’ US envoy saysAmos Hochstein, the US special envoy who arrived in Beirut for cease-fire talks on Tuesday, expressed optimism after talking to representatives of the Lebanese government and Hezbollah.
He said he had had “very constructive talks” with the Lebanese parliamentary speaker, Nabih Berri, who has been mediating for the Iran-back group.
Hochstein said there was a “real opportunity” to end the conflict in Lebanon, which has intensified since September following months of cross-border strikes by both sides.
“This is a moment of decision-making. I am here in Beirut to facilitate that decision but it’s ultimately the decision of the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict. It is now within our grasp,” the US envoy told reporters after the meeting.
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Skip next section Qatar: Hamas office in Doha not permanently closedNovember 19, 2024
Qatar: Hamas office in Doha not permanently closedQatar confirmed on Tuesday that Hamas was no longer using its office in Doha — where its political wing had been based — but that the office had not been permanently closed.
“The leaders of Hamas that are within the negotiating team are now not in Doha,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said, adding: “The decision to … close down the office permanently, is a decision that you will hear about from us directly.”
Qatar had been hosting Hamas while also playing the role of one of the key mediators between the group, labeled a terror organization by the United States, Germany and others, and Israel.
However, the Gulf state suspended its mediation efforts amid a lack of progress on cease-fire talks.
Qatar suspends Israel-Hamas mediation effortsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Skip next section UN says over 200 children killed in Lebanon in under two monthsNovember 19, 2024
UN says over 200 children killed in Lebanon in under two monthsMore than 200 children have been killed and 1,100 injured in Lebanon since Israel stepped up its attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, a spokesperson for the UN’s children’s agency UNICEF said on Tuesday
“Despite more than 200 children killed in Lebanon in less than two months, a disconcerting pattern has emerged: Their deaths are met with inertia from those able to stop this violence,” James Elder told reporters in Geneva.
“Over the last two months in Lebanon, an average of three children have been killed every single day,” he said.
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Skip next section US envoy arrives in Lebanon as truce talks continueNovember 19, 2024
US envoy arrives in Lebanon as truce talks continueUS special envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday and was set to continue talks with Lebanese government officials as well as a lawmaker close to Hezbollah.
A draft truce deal, which reportedly has received positive responses from the Lebanese government and Hezbollah, aims to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has left thousands dead and caused widespread destruction in the already crisis-hit Lebanon.
France and the United States have spearheaded the push to achieve a cease-fire, with Washington keen to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. The resolution obliges all armed groups apart from the Lebanese military and UN peacekeepers to leave the region along the border with Israel.
In Lebanon, the talks have been conducted with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri who has been leading negotiations on behalf of Hezbollah.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday that the draft had been discussed with Lebanese and Israeli officials, saying that: “Both sides have reacted to the proposals that we have put forward.”
However, also on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah even if a cease-fire deal was reached.
Hezbollah is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the US and several Sunni Arab states. At the same time, Israel has been accused of genocide and war crimes for its operations in Gaza by several international organizations including a UN committee, with Netanyahu being investigated by the International Criminal Court. Israel has repeatedly rejected the accusations.
In Lebanon, thousands of children suffer in Israeli strikesTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Skip next section Top headlines from MondayNovember 19, 2024
Top headlines from MondayIsrael has continued its strikes in central Beirut, with an attack on Monday killing five people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The strikes on central Beirut have become more frequent following weeks of bombardments against southern neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital where Hezbollah is strongest.
The Iran-backed group also continued its strikes against Israel on Monday, firing around 100 rockets into northern Israel, killing a woman in the town of Shfaram, just east of Haifa.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the Health Ministry said that some 43,922 people, mostly civilians, had been killed in the Hamas-run enclave since October 7, 2023. The UN considers the figures reliable while other sources have suggested the death toll is likely to be much higher. The war in Gaza began after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel that killed some 1,200 people.
Members of the G20, who are meeting for a summit in Brazil, issued a joint statement on Monday calling for “comprehensive” cease-fires in both Lebanon and Gaza.
Gaza: Israeli strikes kill dozens in civilian areasTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
ab/sms (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)
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