‘Truce talks ongoing’Mediators have met in Qatar, where Hamas’s political leadership is based, to revive a failed attempt to secure a ceasefire by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan last week.Israel’s spy chief David Barnea kicked off the talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Monday, but there was little indication of an imminent agreement.A source with knowledge of the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity because of their sensitivity, told AFP that “technical teams are still in Doha” and the “talks are ongoing”.The proposal being discussed would temporarily halt the fighting as hostages are exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of relief supplies is stepped up.The war has meanwhile ground on unabated, and Israeli troops were pressing their assault on Al-Shifa, Gaza’s biggest hospital, which they allege Hamas has used for military purposes.The army said that “over the past day, the troops have eliminated terrorists and located weapons in the hospital area, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams and medical equipment.”Thus far, the troops have killed approximately 90 terrorists in the area”, it said, adding that “160 suspects have been transferred to Israeli territory for further questioning”.Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel of seeking to “sabotage ongoing negotiations in Doha”.As the war has drawn greater global scrutiny, Canada will halt all arms shipments to Israel, a government official told AFP on Tuesday, a decision that angered Israel.Canada, which exported $15.5 million of military materiel to Israel in 2022, had already reduced its shipments to non-lethal equipment such as radios following the October 7 attack.”The situation on the ground makes it so that we can’t” export any kind of military equipment, a Canadian official told AFP on condition of anonymity.Israel slammed the decision, with Foreign Minister Israel Katz saying on social media platform X that it “undermines Israel’s right to self-defence against Hamas terrorists”.
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