Israel demands release of all Gaza hostages, casting doubt on ceasefire proposal
Israel is demanding the release of all 50 hostages still held in Gaza, casting doubt on a ceasefire plan Hamas accepted on Monday. The proposal, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, calls for a 60-day truce and the staged release of around half the captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, BBC reported.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the country is “not interested in partial deals,” stressing that all hostages must be freed at once. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has echoed this stance, insisting that Israel will continue its military campaign until Hamas is defeated.
Hamas has described the proposal as a “partial deal leading to a comprehensive deal” and a step toward a permanent ceasefire. Israel has not formally responded, leaving the fate of negotiations uncertain, according to BBC.
Spain to declare emergency as wildfires spread
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday that Spain will declare a civil protection emergency as wildfires devastate regions including Caceres, Galicia and Castilla-Leon.
According to Xinhua, more than 382,000 hectares have burned this year, with 300,000 lost in the past two weeks. Authorities report four deaths and over 30,000 evacuations.
Sanchez pledged government support for victims and urged stronger climate action to prevent future disasters.
Twenty bodies found in Pakistan mountain village after cloudburst flooding
Rescue workers on Tuesday recovered more bodies from a mountain village in northwest Pakistan where flash floods triggered by a cloudburst brought down homes and buildings, bringing the death toll there to at least 20, the local district commissioner said, Reuters reported.
The toll contributed to a total of 358 deaths in the floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since Friday – more than 200 of them in the worst hit district of Buner.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority says 30 children are among the dead.
A cloudburst is a rare phenomenon where more than 100 mm (4 inches) of rain falls within an hour in a small area, officials say. Authorities have warned of more rains to come in two spells of monsoon until September 10, according to Reuters.
Russia bombards Ukrainian city hours after Washington summit
Russia struck the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk overnight, leaving a thick column of smoke hovering over the city in an attack that the local mayor called a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace, Reuters reported.
The bombardment on that city as well as other locations in Ukraine was Russia's largest so far in August, according to the Ukrainian air force. It followed Donald Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders in Washington on Monday as the U.S. president seeks an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.
Moscow launched 270 drones and 10 missiles, the Ukrainian air force said. Although it said it had downed 230 of the drones, it said 16 sites were struck.
"While hard work to advance peace was underway in Washington, D.C. ... Moscow continued to do the opposite of peace: more strikes and destruction," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X, according to Reuters.
