US expects Gaza talks to progress

By Nathan Morley

The United States said it expects Gaza peace talks to move forward as planned.

On Monday, the State Department said it believes a ceasefire deal remains possible even after Hamas cast doubt on whether it would participate in a meeting called by mediators for this Thursday.

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Sunday asked mediators to present a plan based upon previous talks instead of engaging in new negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, on the ground, warnings of an imminent polio outbreak in Gaza are growing.

During the last week, around 60,000 Gazans have moved toward western Khan Younis following the latest Israeli evacuation order which forced people take to the road to seek shelter elsewhere.

Many aid agencies, including the British Red Cross, say famine is looming and the healthcare system has all but collapsed.

Worse still, over the last month, the World Health Organization has expressed concerns about the possibility of an outbreak of the highly contagious polio virus in Gaza.

With traces recently found in wastewater, it is believed that the virus may be circulating.

Due to major problems with the fresh water supply, sewage disposal and the severely weakened health system, the risk of spread is very high. In emergency shelters, hundreds of people share one toilet, with each person having less than two liters of water per day at their disposal.