Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at renewed cease-fire talks for the Israel-Hamas war, how Ukraine might be gaining from its incursion into Russia, and a deadly Brazilian plane crash.
Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.
Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.
‘No Further Time to Waste’
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar announced on Thursday that they are prepared to present a “final” cease-fire and hostage and prisoner release proposal next week to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. “There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay,” U.S. President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said in a joint statement.
Talks will be held on Aug. 15 in either the Qatari capital of Doha or the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The statement said the framework agreement now on the table is based on the “principles” that Biden laid out in his May 31 speech, which the United Nations Security Council has endorsed. The last step is to work out “the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties,” which the three leaders said they “are prepared to present a final bridging proposal” to resolve if necessary.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed on Thursday that he will send a delegation to the talks. But critics, reportedly including some of Netanyahu’s own security officials, allege that the prime minister is purposefully holding up negotiation efforts for political gain. Netanyahu has blamed Hamas for the lack of progress on securing a deal; however, he has repeatedly vowed to not stop the war until Hamas is completely destroyed and once presented a last-minute ultimatum that derailed a proposed framework nearly two weeks ago in Rome.
Hamas has not yet said if it will attend next Thursday’s talks. Even if the group agrees to go, though, it is unclear who will show up. Political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who had lived in exile in Doha since 2017, was Hamas’s key negotiator until a presumed Israeli attack in Tehran last Wednesday killed him. On Tuesday, Hamas announced that Yahya Sinwar, the group’s leader in the Gaza Strip, would now be in charge of the entire organization. But Sinwar has been in hiding since allegedly helping mastermind Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people; given the recent spate of Israeli assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, Sinwar coming out of hiding to lead negotiations seems unlikely.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops launched a new assault on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Friday to target Hamas fighters believed to still be operating there, including Sinwar. According to the Israeli military, warplanes hit 30 Hamas targets in the city. The operation has forced more than 60,000 Palestinians to evacuate parts of Khan Younis.
And fear of Iranian retaliation for Haniyeh’s death continues to loom over everything. Officials told the Wall Street Journal that such an attack could occur as early as this weekend. The United States warned Iran that its government and economy could suffer if Tehran were to launch a major assault on Israel. Last Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered more warships and aircraft to deploy to the Middle East to help defend Israel, with F-22 fighters arriving at a base in the region on Thursday. These weapons “represent one of many efforts to deter aggression, defend Israel and protect U.S. forces in the region,” Austin posted on X, while stressing the need for a cease-fire and the return of all hostages.
Today’s Most Read
What We’re Following
Territory grabs. Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region marked its fourth day on Friday, with locals reporting that Moscow bombed its own territory to try to push back Kyiv’s troops. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday that it will deploy new reinforcements to the area and declared a “federal-level” emergency in Kursk. This week’s operation has become the largest territorial grab on either side of the war since Kyiv’s successful counteroffensives in 2022.
Experts suggest that Ukraine’s attack could strengthen Kyiv’s leverage during future negotiations. “Already, Ukraine’s lightning foray into Russia undermines the widespread idea that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin holds all the cards to dictate the terms of a cease-fire,” analyst Andreas Umland argued in Foreign Policy. Others believe that Ukraine was hoping an offensive would relieve its embattled troops on the front lines by diverting Russia’s attention elsewhere.
However, the surprise incursion is not distracting Moscow entirely from its other aims. On Friday, a Russian missile hit a supermarket and post office in a Ukrainian town near the front-line Donetsk region. At least 14 people were killed and more than 40 others injured. “No situation on the battlefield can justify targeting civilians,” Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin posted on X.
Deadly crash. A Brazilian commercial plane carrying 61 people crashed on the outskirts of São Paulo on Friday, hitting at least one house. It is unclear what caused the flight—en route to São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport from Cascavel—to crash. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it “appears” that all 57 passengers and four crew members onboard were killed. There are no reports of casualties among people on the ground so far.
The crash comes less than a year after 12 people were killed during a plane crash in the Brazilian Amazon and another 14 people were killed during a plane crash in the Amazonas town of Barcelos.
Vienna terrorist plot investigation. Austrian authorities detained an 18-year-old Iraqi national late Thursday in connection to a suspected terrorist plot against Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which had shows scheduled at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Iraqi suspect had allegedly sworn allegiance to the Islamic State on Tuesday, and authorities said he ran in the same circles as the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian found with explosives and other weapons in his home. Thursday’s arrest “underscores the broad scope of the ongoing investigation,” the Austrian Interior Ministry said on Friday.
Swift canceled her three shows on Wednesday after Austrian police, with the help of U.S. intelligence, thwarted the alleged plot that authorities said aimed to kill “as many people as possible” at large gatherings, including Swift’s concerts. Two of the primary suspects detained on Wednesday possessed materials related to the Islamic State and al Qaeda, Austrian authorities said.
Maduro blocks X. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered a 10-day block on Thursday of the country’s access to the social media app X. He accused its owner, U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, of using the networking site to incite hate speech and promote political instability following Caracas’s disputed presidential election in late July. “Shame on Dictator Maduro,” Musk wrote on X following the vote.
Maduro claims that he won the election with nearly 52 percent of the vote, whereas the opposition has presented credible evidence from electronic voting machines showing its candidate, Edmundo González, won with about 70 percent of the vote. The United States has also publicly stated that González won; however, the Biden administration “has so far refrained from imposing new sanctions on Venezuela in the wake of the election, instead prioritizing diplomacy,” writes FP’s Catherine Osborn in Latin America Brief. Since the election, Maduro has arrested around 2,200 people to crack down on political dissidents. Rights group Victims Monitor reported that at least 23 people have been killed during anti-government protests thus far.
What in the World?
What happened on Monday in Bangladesh as a result of ongoing protests?
A. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina implemented martial law.B. Hasina resigned and fled the country.C. Protesters demanded new parliamentary elections.D. The army deployed tanks and soldiers to Dhaka.
Odds and Ends
The 2024 Paris Olympics will culminate this Sunday, ending a whirlwind of fun traditions, broken records, and fantastic memes. This year saw new sports in the spotlight, with breaking (or competitive breakdancing) finally making it to the Olympic arena after years of worldwide popularity. For the first time, athletes didn’t have to choose between parenting and competing as the Olympic Village provided contestants with a fully stocked, on-site nursery. And even kids got a chance to experience the Games with the Paris Toddler Olympics, which the U.S. basketball teams organized.
Not ready to say goodbye to sports diplomacy just yet? Check out FP’s coverage of this year’s Paris extravaganza.
And the Answer Is…
B. Hasina resigned and fled the country.
Hasina leaves chaos in her wake, with violent protests still ensnaring the country as an interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus works to reestablish order, Salil Tripathi writes.
To take the rest of FP’s weekly international news quiz, click here, or sign up to be alerted when a new one is published.
The post Mediators Push ‘Final’ Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire Proposal appeared first on Foreign Policy.
