Welcome to the news hour. Israel continued its assault in southern Gaza today. It struck

Han Yunus claiming that Hamas fighters still operate there. Israeli airstrikes

killed at least 21 Palestinians according to medics at the city's Nasr Hospital.

One airstrike killed a Palestine TV journalist, his wife, and three daughters.

Another strike smashed into tents housing displaced people in Alma Wasi.

That's an area Israel had designated as a humanitarian zone.

Israel also confirmed it killed a senior Hamas commander in a drone strike in Lebanon.

Meantime diplomatic efforts intensified to head off an Iranian retaliation against Israel

for the killing last week in Tehran of Hamas political leader and negotiator Ismail Hania. and settle remaining disagreements over a ceasefire and hostage deal.

For some perspective on all this, we turn to Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab

Gulf States Institute in Washington.

Thanks so much for being with us.

It's great to be with you.

So the US cutter in Egypt are calling for a new round of ceasefire talks on August 15th.

These three countries have been trying to mediate a deal for months now.

Might this time yield a different result in your view?

It is possible, even though Prime Minister Danyahu

authorizing a hit on Isma Laniy, who is the main Hamas negotiator,

and at least in the first sort of wave of efforts,

you have to go through to get to Hamas in Gaza.

You have to begin with Hanier and then go through that.

Killing him was not conducive to making a deal,

...