Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry said in an interview that the US initiative for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was frustrated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to accept the proposal agreed upon with US envoy Amos Hochstein. Berry said that negotiations would resume after the US elections. He stressed that Hochstein had not provided any updates since his return from Israel, contrary to what he promised during his last visit to Beirut.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon have killed at least 24 people, Lebanese news agency Ani reported. Four strikes hit several villages in the Bekaa Valley. Israeli fighters also bombed buildings near the Imam Hussein compound in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, targeting other locations such as Arab Salim and Nabatieh.

A senior United Nations official has warned that Israeli airstrikes could seriously damage the historic Phoenician cities of Tyre and Baalbek, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert stressed the need to protect Lebanon’s cultural heritage from further damage during this conflict.

The United States has urged Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire with Israel to restart stalled talks between the two sides. However, this demand has been rejected by Lebanese officials and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who has denied that Washington has made such a proposal.

In Gaza, an Israeli attack killed at least ten Palestinians at the entrance to a school for displaced people. The night raids killed 47 people, including many children and women, according to the Palestinian agency Wafa. The situation is particularly serious in Nuseirat, where several buildings were hit.

Israel is in a state of heightened readiness in response to a possible retaliation from Iran after recent attacks on Iranian facilities. Israeli military sources say the attacks have complicated Iran’s ability to adequately respond.

Finally, Israel’s ban on UNRWA has been called a “death sentence” for millions of Palestinians living in desperate conditions in Gaza. United Nations officials have denounced the decision as a direct attack on the human rights and basic needs of the population.