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Israel-Gaza live updates: Israeli forces strike another school in Gaza, killing 2

Fifteen others were injured in a strike on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City.

Last Updated: August 23, 2024, 3:14 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, cease-fire discussions are occurring in the Middle East, with officials hoping to bring an end to the conflict.

The United States and its allies continue to plead for a cease-fire deal, with discussions set for this week.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
10 hours and 7 minutes ago

10-month-old paralyzed in Gaza due to polio

A 10-month-old baby in Gaza is now paralyzed in Gaza due to polio, in the first case in over 25 years, according to the World Health Organization.

"Delaying a humanitarian pause will increase the risk of spread among children," Philippe Lazzarini, the commisioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said in a statement on X Friday.

"To have an impact, vaccines must end up in the mouthes of every child under the age of 10," Lazzarini said.

4:26 AM EDT

UN agencies to begin vaccinating children against polio in Gaza in coming weeks

U.N. agencies announced Friday that they will soon begin vaccinating children against poliovirus in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

UNRWA, the largest humanitarian agency operating in Gaza, said in a social media post that it will vaccinate children in both its primary health care centers and mobile clinics “starting at the end of the month.”

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and UNICEF “are working to implement two rounds of polio vaccination in the coming weeks to halt transmission,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros said in a social media post.

This comes a week after Gaza confirmed its first case of polio in 25 years -- a 10-month-old unvaccinated baby in the central city of Deir al-Balah, who Tedros said has “developed paralysis in the lower left leg” and “is currently in a stable condition.”

“Genomic sequencing confirmed the virus is linked to the variant poliovirus type 2 detected in environmental samples collected in June from Gaza's wastewater,” the WHO chief added.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

Aug 22, 2024, 2:16 PM EDT

Netanyahu doubles down on cease-fire sticking point

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling down on his position demanding an Israeli presence at the Egypt-Gaza border, despite criticism from Israeli officials that it is not necessary. Hamas is demanding a total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Israel Defense Forces Chief Herzi Halevi and Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have both said IDF presence in the Philadelphi corridor is not necessary for security; they believe Hamas' capabilities have been destroyed.

"Netanyahu insists on the principle that Israel will control the Philadelphia axis, with the aim of preventing the rearming of Hamas, which would allow it the ability to repeat the atrocities of the Oct. 7," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Aug 22, 2024, 1:52 PM EDT

Cease-fire talks resume in Cairo

Cease-fire negotiations are expected to resume in Cairo on Thursday and Friday, without much hope for a breakthrough due to tensions over control of the Philadelphi corridor, which separates Gaza and Egypt, according to an Egyptian government source.

Negotiations are in preparation for a second summit currently planned for Sunday in Cairo, "if Hamas comes to the table," according to an Israeli official.

Hamas said Thursday it agreed to a deal and that Israel changed the parameters of that deal, according to in interview on Al Jazeera.

"The U.S. Secretary of State's statements aim to market illusions, while [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu deliberately obstructs efforts to reach an agreement to end the war, by setting conditions that contradict what was previously agreed upon," Hamas Political Bureau member Hossam Badran said in the interview.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy and Dana Savir