What is happening with ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas?
According to Barak Ravid of the news site Axios, the Israeli proposal is for a potential deal with Hamas for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages and talks over the "restoration of sustainable calm" in Gaza.
Hamas has also broadcast several proof-of-life videos of hostages who may be expected to be exchanged at some point during a deal, which could increase domestic political pressure on Israel where the hostages' return is a potent issue.
The language is instructive. "Sustainable calm" suggests a solution somewhat short of the "total victory" repeatedly touted by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to dismantle Hamas.
It also mirrors a suggestion for a truce from a senior Hamas official, Khalil al-Hayya, last week who floated the idea of a hudna, a word used in Islamic jurisprudence to describe a long-term truce or "calm".
However, the messaging coming out of the talks has been very contradictory. While the Qataris, who represent one mediation route, have talked publicly about their frustration over stalled talks, there has been more recent activity around Egyptian-Israeli talks - a forum that has delivered ceasefires in previous conflicts.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?
The Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for all citizens under 16.
'It's not drought - it's looting'
Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded - and one group is profiting from these extremes: the thirsty multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for water in bottles.
Life in the grey Zone
Neonatal care has advanced so far that babies born as early as 21 weeks have survived. But is this type of care always the right thing to do?
Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40
Forty years ago this month, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.
Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail
Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub. Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic tourist destination in the early 2000s.
Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet
Moflin can develop a personality and build a rapport with its owner - and doesn't need food or exercise. But is it comforting or alienating?
Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning
When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world's most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally.
Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back
In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till.
Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?
In the autumn of 2018, I moved to Lisbon for a month-long course at the Universidade .de Lisboa.
Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp
A year after anti-immigration riots, a site for asylum seekers faces hostility while some locals try to help new arrivals