Gaza truce talks set to resume next week as Israel bombs two schools

Israel has agreed to resume Gaza ceasefire talks on Aug. 15 at the demand of U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday as its forces bombed 2 schools in Gaza City.

Gaza's Hamas-controlled civil defense agency said Israeli bombardment killed more than 18 people in strikes on two schools on Thursday, as Iran accused Israel of wanting to spread war in the Middle East.

After a week-long pause in November, U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators have endeavoured to secure a second truce in the 10-month-old war sparked by Hamas's unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the three countries' leaders invited the warring parties to resume talks on Aug. 15 in Doha or Cairo "to close all remaining gaps and commence implementation of the deal without further delay".

A framework agreement was "now on the table, with only the details of implementation" left to conclude, and the mediators were "prepared to present a final bridging proposal" to resolve remaining issues, they said.

Netanyahu's office said later Thursday Israel would send a negotiating team on Aug. 15 "to the agreed place to conclude the details of implementing a deal".

A prospective cessation of hostilities also involving the release of hostages held in Gaza and scaled-up aid deliveries has centred around a phased deal beginning with an initial truce.

Recent discussions have focused on a framework outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden in late May which he said had been proposed by Israel.

"It's not like the agreement's going to be ready to sign on Thursday. There's still a significant amount of work to do," a senior Biden administration official said of the talks that come...