Mediators to the Gaza War cease-fire talks said Friday the two-day talks wrapped up and they aim to reconvene in Cairo next week to seal a deal to stop the fighting.

In a statement Friday, the United States, Egypt and Qatar said talks were constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere. They presented both parties with a proposal and hope to continue working on the details of the implementation in the coming days.

The new round of talks began Thursday and were aimed at halting the 10-month war and securing the release of scores of hostages, with a potential deal seen as the best hope of heading off an even larger regional conflict. Hamas, which didn’t participate directly in the talks, accuses Israel of adding new demands to a previous proposal that had U.S. and international support and to which Hamas had agreed in principle.

Both sides have agreed in principle to the plan President Joe Biden announced on May 31. But Hamas has proposed amendments and Israel has suggested clarifications, leading each side to accuse the other of trying to tank a deal.

Hamas has rejected Israel’s demands, which include a lasting military presence along the border with Egypt and a line bisecting Gaza where it would search Palestinians returning to their homes to root out militants.

On Friday mediators said it presented a bridging proposal to both parties consistent with the plan laid out by Biden. This proposal builds on areas of agreement and bridges remaining gaps, that allow for a swift implementation of the deal.

U.S. President Biden sounded optimistic, saying, “We are closer than we’ve ever been” to an agreement.

The new push for an end to the Israel-Hamas war came as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbed past 40,000, according to Gaza health authorities, and fears remained high that Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon would attack Israel in retaliation for the killings of top militant leaders.

International mediators believe the best hope for calming tensions would be a deal between Israel and Hamas to halt the fighting and secure the release of Israeli hostages.

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Here’s the latest:

Mediators are preparing for implementation of Gaza cease-fire and hostage-swap deal, U.S. official says

WASHINGTON — A U.S. official said Friday that mediators are preparing for the implementation of a Gaza cease-fire and hostage-swap deal to end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war before a final agreement is set.

The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the proposal currently on the table basically bridges every gap between Israel and Hamas.

A new “implementation cell” was being established in Cairo, which would focus on the deal’s logistics, including for releasing the hostages, providing humanitarian aid for Gaza and monitoring that the terms of the deal are met, the official said.

The comments come after mediators expressed hope for an imminent deal. They said two days of talks had wrapped up in Qatar and that they plan to reconvene in Cairo next week to seal an agreement to stop the fighting.

— Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani

World Health Organization calls for 7-day pause in war to allow for polio vaccination campaign

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. health and children’s agencies are calling for seven-day pauses in the war in Gaza starting at the end of August to vaccinate 640,000 Palestinian children against polio following the discovery of its virus in wastewater in two major cities last month.

The World Health Organization said in a statement Friday that the vaccination campaign will have two rounds, with the second in September. In each, children under the age of 10 will be given two drops of the oral vaccine against type 2 of the polio virus, it said.

WHO said a variant of type 2 was discovered in mid-July in wastewater samples from southern Khan Younis and central Deir al-Balah, and linked to a variant of the polio virus last detected in Egypt in 2023.

In a major worry, WHO said three children in Gaza have already been found with “acute flaccid paralysis” — the onset of weakness or paralysis with reduced muscle tone which is a common symptom of polio. “Their stool samples have been sent for testing to the Jordan National Polio Laboratory,” the Geneva-based U.N. agency said.

WHO said over 1.6 million doses of the polio vaccine, and equipment to keep the vaccines cold, are expected to transit through Ben Gurion Airport in Israel before arriving in the Gaza Strip by the end of August, in time for the start of the vaccination campaign.

During each round of the campaign, WHO said at least 95% of children need to be vaccinated to prevent the spread of polio and reduce the risk of its re-emergence.

“The Gaza Strip has been polio-free for the last 25 years,” WHO said, but the humanitarian community has warned of the re-emergence of polio since Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7.

“A cease-fire is the only way to ensure public health security in the Gaza Strip and the region,” WHO said.

U.S. Secretary of State will head to Israel to boost efforts for cease-fire deal

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Israel on Saturday to boost efforts to reach a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.

As two days of talks wrapped up in Qatar, the State Department said Friday that Blinken would travel to the Middle East to “continue intensive diplomatic efforts” to finalize a U.S. proposal bridging the remaining gaps between both sides.

A statement from the mediators — Qatar, the United States and Egypt — said teams will keep working in the coming days on how to implement specific measures.

Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden seemed optimistic, saying, “We are closer than we’ve ever been” to an agreement but noting “we’re not there yet.”

This would be Blinken’s ninth trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, with his last being in June.

United Nations chief calls for a ‘Polio Pause’ in war in Gaza to vaccinate children

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief is calling for a “Polio Pause” in the war in Gaza to vaccinate 640,000 children, saying the recent detection of the polio virus in wastewater in two major cities is putting youngsters at risk of the potentially crippling disease.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Friday the United Nations is “poised to launch a vital polio vaccine campaign” for children under the age of 10 to prevent and contain the spread of the polio virus.

He gave no time frame on when a pause would start and how long it would last.

Polio is caused by a virus that mainly affects nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord, and in its most severe form causes paralysis, breathing trouble and death.

Guterres said the virus’ detection in wastewater samples in southern Khan Younis and central Deir al-Balah means it is now circulating in Gaza.

If left unchecked, he said, the polio virus “would have a disastrous effect not only for Palestinian children in Gaza, but also in neighboring countries and the region.”

The U.N. World Health Organization has approved the release of 1.6 million doses of the polio vaccine.

Guterres said a successful campaign will require the transport of vaccines and equipment for their cold storage, the entry of polio experts to Gaza, fuel for health teams, reliable internet and phone services to tell communities about the campaign, and more cash to pay health workers.

“And, above all, a successful polio vaccination campaign needs safety” for health workers, for children and their families to get to vaccination sites and for those facilities to be protected from bombings, he said.

Guterres appealed to all combatants “to provide concrete assurances right away guaranteeing humanitarian pauses for the campaign.”

“Let’s be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian cease-fire,” the U.N. chief said. “But in any case, a Polio Pause is a must.”

President Joe Biden says he is optimistic about prospects for cease-fire and hostage release

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden was optimistic Friday about the prospects for a cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, saying “We are closer than we’ve ever been” to an agreement.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after two days of talks wrapped up in Doha with an agreement to continue negotiations next week, Biden said “I don’t want to jinx anything” but that a cease-fire was “Much, much closer than it was three days ago.”

It would not be the first time in the 10-month-old war that Biden has expressed optimism that an agreement could be reached, only for talks between the parties to break down.

“We may have something,” Biden said Friday. “But we’re not there yet.”

Mediators say latest proposal bridges gaps between both sides' positions, urging there is no time to waste

BEIRUT — A statement from mediators — Qatar, the United States and Egypt — said U.S. officials had presented a proposal that would bridge the gaps remaining between both sides’ positions. Teams will continue working in the coming days on how to implement the specifics of the proposal, they said, including arrangements to implement the agreement’s extensive humanitarian provisions, as well as specifics relating to hostages and detainees.

“Senior officials from our governments will reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week with the aim to conclude the deal under the terms put forward today,” the statement said.

Hamas quickly cast doubt on whether an agreement was within reach.

In a statement, the militant group said the latest proposal diverged significantly from the previous iteration they had agreed to in principle, implying they were not disposed to accept it.

The joint statement from Egypt, Qatar and the United States did not mention the remaining gaps but some of the key issues have been Hamas’ demand of a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a permanent cease-fire agreement before the militant group releases all male members of the Israeli military it is holding. It was not immediately clear if Israel has accepted to withdraw from the strategic Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt that Israel captured in May.

“There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay,” the joint statement said. “It is time to release the hostages and detainees, begin the cease-fire, and implement this agreement.”

The Israeli military asks civilians in northern Khan Younis and eastern Deir al-Balah to evacuate

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military on Friday dropped leaflets asking civilians to evacuate from areas in northern Khan Younis and eastern Deir al-Balah, saying forces plan to respond to rocket fire that targeted Israel.

New evacuation orders are targeting areas that were previously designated as humanitarian zones, including al-Qarara, Muwasi, al-Galaa, Hamd City, and al-Nasr.

“Due to significant acts of terrorism, the exploitation of the Humanitarian Area for terrorist activities, and the firing of rockets and mortars toward the State of Israel in the north of Khan Yunis, remaining in this area has become dangerous. Therefore, at this time the Humanitarian Area will be adjusted,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on social media.

The IDF said that it asked resident to evacuate by rolling out flyers, SMS messages, phone calls, Arabic broadcasts, and recorded voice messages.

“Once again, fear spreads as families have nowhere to go. People remain trapped in an endless nightmare of death and destruction on a staggering scale,” said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees of the new evacuation orders.

Earlier this month, the IDF ordered a mass evacuation in large areas around Khan Younis, Gaza’s second largest city that has previously suffered widespread destruction during air and ground operations earlier this year.

Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to heavily destroyed areas of Gaza where they launched operations against Hamas and other militants since the start of the 10-month-old war.

Egyptian foreign minister says immediate cease-fire in Gaza is needed to prevent a wider regional war

BEIRUT — Egypt’s foreign minister said Friday that an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip is needed to stop an escalation that could push the region into a wider war.

Badr Abdelaty’s comments in Beirut came as officials from Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the U.S. were holding talks in the Qatari capital of Doha in an attempt to end the war in Gaza.

“We confirm the importance of stopping the escalation and that the region does not slide to a comprehensive regional war,” Abdelaty told reporters after meeting with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a key ally of Hezbollah.

“Egypt is exerting all possible efforts, as you know, to stop the escalation and to work to reach as much as possible an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip,” Abdelaty said.

He said the details of the cease-fire deal are known but there must be a will to reach this deal in what “leads to a cease-fire and the release of all (Israeli) hostages and Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.”

Abdelaty said Egypt insists on the reactivation of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip that was captured by Israeli troops in early May. He also said that Egypt wants Israel to withdraw from the strategic Philadelphi Corridor.

Tension has been rising in the Middle East following the killing of a top military official of the militant Hezbollah group in Beirut and of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran and Hezbollah blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s death and have vowed to retaliate.

Hezbollah video shows missiles apparently ready to be fired from underground tunnel

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group released a video Friday showing an underground tunnel in which trucks were carrying long-range missiles.

The release of the video, with English and Hebrew subtitles, comes as Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for a July 30 Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed the group’s top military commander, Fouad Shukur.

The release also comes as officials from Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the U.S. are holding talks in Qatar in another attempt to reach a deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

The video showed what it said is a storage place where several trucks, each carrying six missiles, were driving through a tunnel to a place where an overhead metal gate opened, appearing to show that they were ready to be fired.

Hezbollah has tens of thousands of rockets and missiles of different types and ranges that it says can hit anywhere in Israel. It also has used military drones in recent months.

Hezbollah started attacking Israeli military posts on Oct. 8, a day after a Hamas-led attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. The group says it will only stop when Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip ends.

Norway will close its representative office in the West Bank

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norway will close its representative office in the Palestinian territories “until further notice” following a decision by Israel to revoke the accreditation of Norwegian diplomats working there, the foreign minister said Friday.

Norway considers the early August decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to be “extreme and unreasonable,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said as he announced the closure of the Representative Office in the West Bank town of Al Ram, nearly 30 years after it opened in 1995.

“This decision seeks to target the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority and all those who defend international law, the two-state solution and the Palestinians’ legitimate right to self-determination,” Barth Eide said. Norway “will do our utmost to ensure that this does not affect our work for Palestine and for a viable Palestinian state.”

In May, Norway — together with Spain and Ireland — announced they would recognize a Palestinian state.

Cease-fire talks set to enter Day 2 in Doha

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al Ansari said the cease-fire talks are still ongoing and will resume Friday.

In a statement carried by the Qatari News Agency, he said “the mediators are resolute in their commitment to move forward in their endeavors to reach a cease-fire in (Gaza) that would facilitate the release of hostages and enable the entry of the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid” into the territory.