Qatar said on Tuesday that neither the Israeli government nor the Palestinian militant organization Hamas have yet made a clear statement on the plan announced by US President Joe Biden to end the Gaza war.
"We have not yet seen a very clear position from the Israeli government on the principles outlined by Biden," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The "contradictory statements from Israeli ministers" did not make the Gulf state very confident about whether there was a unified position in Israel on the current proposal.
Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and Hamas for weeks to achieve a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas sources in the Lebanese capital Beirut said on Tuesday that Hamas would announce its response to the plan "in the coming hours or days."
The plan sets out three phases of de-escalation, principally featuring a truce that would become permanent and Israel's withdrawal from the Palestinian territory.
The European Union urged Israel and Hamas to accept the plan and gave its "full support to the comprehensive roadmap," a statement said.
"Too many civilian lives have been lost," it said.
"Peace and stability in the Middle East are in the interest of both peoples, of the region as a whole, as well as globally."
Biden refuses to be drawn on Netanyahu's position
Biden has declined to comment on speculation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be continuing the war in the Gaza Strip for his own political self-preservation.
Asked by a reporter whether Netanyahu was playing politics with the war Biden paused and answered: "I don't think so. He's trying to work out a serious problem he has."
In the interview with Time magazine, which was conducted last week but only published on Tuesday, Biden emphasized his support for Israel in the fight against Hamas.
"My major disagreement with Netanyahu is ... what happens after Gaza's over? What, what does it go back to? Do Israeli forces go back in?" Biden asked. Having consulted widely in the region, he said: "The answer is, if that's the case, it can't work."
Israeli minister calls for war with Hezbollah
Israel's far-right police and security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called for war with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.
"All Hezbollah strongholds must be burnt down and destroyed. War!" Ben-Gvir demanded in a video published on social media platform X.
It was unacceptable for parts of Israel to be attacked and people evacuated while peace prevailed in Lebanon, he said during a visit to Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. The town has been particularly affected by shelling from the neighbouring country.
Ben-Gvir complained that Hezbollah was burning large areas of Israel, a reference to several fires in the north of the country caused by rocket fire from Lebanon in recent days.
The EU was "increasingly concerned" about rising tensions at the border between Israel and Lebanon.
A statement cited "the ever-growing destruction and the forced displacement of civilians on both sides" of the border.
"Nobody stands to win from a broader regional conflict. A de-escalation of the situation would significantly contribute to the settlement of the broader conflict in the Middle East."
There have been daily military confrontations in the border area between Israel and Lebanon since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip almost eight months ago. There have been casualties on both sides.
Around 150,000 people in both countries have been evacuated or have left the combat zone.
On the ground in the Gaza Strip
Eight Hamas policemen have been killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-controlled media office in the Palestinian territory.
The airstrike on a police vehicle took place in Deir al-Balah in the centre of the coastal territory, the office said on Tuesday.
The information could not be independently verified.
Israel's army said that it was checking the reports.
New operation in al-Bureij in centre of Gaza Strip
The Israeli army has begun a new operation in the refugee neighbourhood of al-Bureij in the central part of the Gaza Strip, according to media reports.
In addition to the air force, ground troops are also involved, they said. The military had already been in the area at the beginning of the year, but withdrew again, the Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday.
Hamas is still strong in the densely populated area. Israel has set itself the goal of crushing the organization militarily.
The army announced on Tuesday that a Hamas facility in a school belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in al-Bureij had been attacked with a drone the previous night. The Islamists had planned numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers from there, it said.
The information could not be independently verified.
UN says desalination plants shut down
Vital desalination plants in the Gaza Strip have been shut down due to a lack of fuel for electricity generators, the UN said.
"People don't have near enough water," UNRWA posted on X. "Survival is a struggle. Families & children walk long distances in the heat for water. People need water to live - Israeli authorities must provide access NOW."
In April, Israel announced that a central water pipeline from Israel to the Gaza Strip had been repaired after it was damaged in the war.
"Children in #Gaza are going through an endless nightmare," read another post from UNRWA on Tuesday. "Bombardments, forced displacement, lack of food & water and no access to education are traumatizing an entire generation."
Background to the Gaza war
The war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre carried out by militants from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on October 7.
The militants murdered more than 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, 36,550 people have been killed so far and a further 82,959 injured.
These figures, which do not differentiate between fighters and civilians, cannot be independently verified at present.
