Israel-Hamas war day 317: What happened in Israel and West Bank?

IDF troops in the 603rd Balltallion and the Yahalom Unit destroyed a 1.5-kilometer-long tunnel in which a compound was discovered containing weapons, explosives, and equipment for a long-term stay.

Israel stood firm on its insistent that the IDF must retain a military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor after PM Netanyahu met with US Secretary Antony Blinken in Jerusalem to discuss how to advance the hostage negotiations.

Hezbollah reveals an advanced tunnel network, heightening tensions with Israel after a key commander’s assassination. The region braces for possible conflict.

This could be the last possible moment to return the remaining 115 hostages in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Israel on Monday morning as he urged both Israel and Hamas not to thwart a deal.

“This is a decisive moment,” Blinken said as he met with President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.

It’s “probably the best, maybe the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security. 

“I'm here as part of an intensive diplomatic effort on President Biden's instructions to try to get this agreement to the line, and ultimately over the line,” Blinken said in advance of an anticipated summit in Cairo to try to finalize a deal.

A senior US official described the Cairo meeting as “end game” talks.

Qatar and Egypt have been the main mediators for a deal, with the support of the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken speaks during a meeting with Israel's President Isaac Herzog (not pictured), in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 19, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/Pool)

CIA Director William Burns held high-level talks in Doha on Thursday and Friday, with the participation of a high-level Israeli delegation led by Mossad Chief David Barnea. 

Professional Israel teams are in Doha and Cairo this week for lower-level talks. 

Hamas response

Last week, the US put forward what it described as a “bridging proposal” in Doha, which said it closed the gaps between Israel and Hamas with regard to a May 31 deal US President Joe Biden unveiled at the White House.

Hamas and Israel both accepted that deal in principle but have argued about the details of how it would be executed.

On Sunday night Hamas rejected the bridging proposal and Prime Minister Benjamin continued to press for clarifications to the deal, which the terror group has also rejected. 

Blinken told Herzog on Monday morning, “It’s time for it [the hostage deal] to get done. It’s also time to make sure that no one takes any steps that could derail this process. 

“So we’re looking to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way could move us away from getting this deal over the line, or for that matter, escalating the conflict to other places and to greater intensity,” Blinken stated.

Herzog blamed the absence of a deal on “a refusal of Hamas to move forward.” He stressed that “we are simply still very hopeful that we can move forward in the negotiations that are held by the mediators. And I want to thank the United States, Egypt, and Qatar for their efforts on behalf of this noble cause. 

“There is no greater humanitarian objective, and there's no greater humanitarian cause than bringing back our hostages home as they should have returned long ago. 

“We want to see them back home as soon as possible. There's no greater prayer, and there's no greater hope and no greater effort to try everything possible to bring them back home,” he stated.

“So let's try our best, and all our efforts to bring them back home, alongside protecting Israeli security interests,” Herzog said.

In an interview with Al Jazeera over the weekend, Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan explained that it had accepted the deal, but that Israel has since made changes to the document, which it rejected.

At issue has been the question of a permanent versus a temporary ceasefire to the Gaza war and the Hamas demand for a full IDF withdrawal from the enclave.

Israel has insisted that the IDF must remain in two critical security corridors in Gaza, Philadelphi and Netzarim.

The German-owned airline Lufthansa has announced it is cancelling its flights to Israel until August 26, following security assessments, KAN reported on Monday.

The Home Front Command will test red alert sirens in the areas of Ilaniya, Kfar Zeitim, Arbel and Beit Rimon in the Lower Galilee on Monday, the IDF announced.

It is a "decisive moment" in the Gaza ceasefire talks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, describing the latest diplomatic push by Washington to strike a deal between Israel and Hamas to end the war as "probably the best, maybe the last opportunity" to also get the hostages home.

A 50-years-old man was killed when a truck exploded on Lehi Street in southern Tel Aviv on Sunday. On Monday, district police claimed it was most likely a terrorist attack, KAN reported.

Gadi Moses, who recently turned 80 in Hamas captivity in Gaza, is an internationally renowned agronomist with expertise in wastewater management and field crops. He is also a dedicated peace activist, a cherished father of three, and a beloved grandfather of 12.

On October 7, Gadi was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community where one in four residents were either brutally murdered or violently kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday its forces successfully destroyed one Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.