In the West Bank, Israeli settlers abduct 2 Palestinians after incapacitating their vehicle near al-‘Awja. Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Nablus. Israeli forces also violently disperse Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, causing tear-gas related injuries. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Bayt Lahiya, and Jabalia refugee camp. There is no update from the Gaza Ministry of Health on the number of casualties. Israeli forces also issue new evacuation orders for northern Gaza. One Israeli soldier is killed and 12 injured in Gaza City. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Shebaa Farms, Tayr Harfa, Ayta al-Jabal, Khiam, Meiss Ej Jabel, and Aitaroun, killing 8 people, including a child. Hezbollah forces target 15 locations across the Blue Line. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb Homs and Hama, killing 3 people and injuring 10 others. (AJ, AP, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/23; AP, HA 8/24; UNOCHA 8/26)
More than 40,265 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,456 children and 11,088 women, and around 93,144 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble. 630 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 142 children. More than 5,420 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 334 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,232 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 79,000 housing units have been destroyed and 370,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023. The UN says that the 10-month-old baby who contracted the polio virus has been paralyzed. (AJ, AP, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 8/23)
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says ceasefire talks in Cairo on 8/22 and today were “constructive.” CIA director Bill Burns and National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk will stay in Cairo over the weekend for continued talks. President Joe Biden speaks with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, discussing the negotiations. Axios reports that Biden asked Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw from a 1-2 kilometers part of the Philadelphi Corridor in a phone call on 8/21. Hamas official Osama Badran says the Israeli insistence on keeping troops along the Philadelphi Corridor shows that Israel is not interested in a ceasefire deal. (AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU 8/23; HA 8/24)
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan files a brief urging the pre-trial judges to “urgently render its decision” on his request for arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Khan says in the brief that “[i]t is settled law that the Court has jurisdiction in this situation,” addressing filings by third parties claiming the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Netanyahu and Gallant. Khan also sought arrest warrants for Ismail Haniyeh, who Israel since assassinated in Tehran, and Mohammed Deif, who Israel claims to have assassinated in Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 8/23; AJ, HA, HA, WAFA 8/24)
Dutch Moroccan soccer player Anwar El Ghazi says he will donate $558,500 to fund projects for children in Gaza after he won a wrongful termination lawsuit against his former club Mainz. El Ghazi was fired after he shared a post on Instagram containing the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” (REU 8/24)