Truce talks in limbo as Israel pounds Gaza

Palestinian children sit on a whindow sill at the Asdaa central prison facility which has become a shelter for displaced people in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on August 14, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas.

Efforts to end the war in Gaza have hit a roadblock as Hamas announced it will not participate in ceasefire talks scheduled for Aug. 15, while Israel continues its deadly operations.

The Palestinian militant group said it would not send negotiators to the upcoming truce talks. Instead, it called on mediators to present a plan based on previous negotiations.

"The movement calls on the mediators to present a plan to implement what was agreed upon by the movement on July 2, 2024, based on [U.S. President Joe] Biden's vision and the U.N. Security Council resolution," Hamas said in a statement.

"The mediators should enforce this on the occupation instead of pursuing further rounds of negotiations or new proposals that would provide cover for the occupation's aggression and grant it more time to continue its genocide against our people."

Several Hamas officials confirmed their intention to abstain from the upcoming talks to various media outlets.

The statement from Hamas comes amid reports that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his planned trip to the Middle East. Blinken was scheduled to depart on Aug. 13, but Axios reported that the trip was delayed due to "uncertainty about the situation."

Iran and its allies blamed Israel for the July 31 killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran during a visit for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not commented.

The West has urged Iran to stand down its threat to avenge his...