Israeli security official warns time is running out for captives held in Gaza

A senior Israeli security official has warned that time is running out for captives held in Gaza, urging for a truce deal to be agreed, according to Israeli media.

The senior official told Israel’s Channel 12 that the captives are believed to be in serious condition and may not be able to survive much longer.

"We know that some of the hostages will not survive much longer in the conditions in which they are being held, and in light of their physical and mental health," the official said.

"This is not an assessment or a guess, but rather a matter about which Israel has clear information."

The Israeli army confirmed that 29 of the 111 prisoners still being held in Gaza have been killed.

"The belief that they are being held in relatively good conditions, like Noah Argamani and the hostages who were released in the operation is incorrect…the argument that they suffer but do not die does not stand up to scrutiny," the official continued.

The comments came after an Israeli air strike targeted a school in Gaza City at dawn on Saturday, killing over 100 Palestinians and wounding many others. Palestinian officials expect the death toll to rise as emergency services struggled to get to the school amidst bombardment.

The Israeli military said its air force on Saturday had struck a "command and control centre" that "served as a hideout for Hamas terrorists and commanders" at the al-Tabin school, where thousands, including many children were sheltering.

Following the attack, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, called for an end to the "horrors unfolding under our watch".

"We cannot let the unbearable become a new norm, the more recurrent, the more we lose our humanity," he wrote on social media platform X, demanding a ceasefire.

Earlier this week, the US, Egypt and Qatar issued a statement calling for ceasefire talks to resume as quickly as possible, calling on Israel and Hamas to begin negotiations again in Cairo or Doha on 15 August.

The mediators said that if an agreement is not reached, they will present a proposal.

"As mediators, if necessary, we stand ready to present a final proposal to resolve the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties," the joint statement read.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later issued a statement saying: "At the suggestion of the US and the mediators, Israel will send a negotiating delegation on August 15 to the agreed-upon location in order to finalise the details of implementing the framework agreement."

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 39,790 Palestinians since the start of the war on 7 October and wounded over 92,000 others.

The war on the besieged enclave has devastated its infrastructure and plunged it into a deep humanitarian crisis.