Benjamin Netanyahu

Hamas's top negotiator urged the US to put real pressure on Israel for a Gaza ceasefire deal, as he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of turning away from a ceasefire in the blockaded Palestinian enclave, while hostage families called on Washington to bypass Israel and deal directly with Hamas. "If the US administration and its president (Joe) Biden really want to reach a ceasefire and complete a prisoner exchange agreement, they must abandon their blind bias against the Zionist occupation…

The information was formalized by a statement from the African Union and Israeli diplomacy on Thursday, July 22. The new Israeli ambassador, currently stationed in Addis Ababa, handed over his duties to Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the African Union Commission. A photo of the two diplomats posing with the green African Union flag marks the event. "This corrects an anomaly that has been going on for almost two decades," said a statement from Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Israel thus regains its observer status,…