This will clarify the previously unresolved differences and enable the agreement to be implemented quickly, according to a statement by Egypt, Qatar and the USA. The content is in line with the framework conditions set out by Joe Biden, which the US President formulated at the end of May. In the coming days, the differences between Israel and Hamas are to be overcome. The latter, however, has reacted cautiously for the time being.
The aim is to close the “remaining gaps” between Israel and the Islamist terrorist organization. This was announced by the mediating countries Qatar, Egypt and the USA after the two-day negotiations in Doha. Another meeting is planned in Cairo before the end of next week in order to reach an agreement under these conditions. Until then, negotiators are to continue to negotiate in order to close the “remaining gaps.”
“The talks so far have been serious, constructive and have taken place in a positive atmosphere,” the three countries said in a statement. “Technical teams” are to work on outstanding implementation details in the coming days, including humanitarian issues and the release of hostages held by Hamas and prisoners from Israeli prisons.
Biden identified progress
US President Joe Biden has identified progress. Biden said in the White House that things are not quite there yet. However, they are closer to a solution than they were three days ago. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire to vaccinate the children living there against polio. It is impossible to carry out a polio vaccination campaign while there is war everywhere. The radical Islamic Hamas says it supports the UN proposal for a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire to immunize 640,000 Palestinian children against polio.
According to insiders, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected in Israel on Monday after his recently postponed Middle East trip. He will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there, a government official said. In addition, the Israeli delegation is expected to return from the ceasefire talks in the Qatari capital Doha on Friday.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, is relying on the pressure of the mediators to bring the Gaza talks with Hamas to a conclusion. In a statement, the head of government thanked Egypt, Qatar and the USA for their efforts to dissuade the Islamists from their rejection of a hostage deal. Israel hopes that their pressure will persuade Hamas to accept the proposals made at the end of May so that the details of the agreement can be implemented.
A representative of the Islamist Hamas expressed caution about the conclusion of the latest round of talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza war. The Hamas leadership had received the results of the negotiations in Doha and they were not based on all of the proposals made by US President Joe Biden, which were communicated to the group on July 2, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told the German Press Agency.
From Hamas’ point of view, the talks should be based on ending the war, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced to their homes, reconstruction and the end of the Israeli blockade of the coastal area. He did not comment further. There was initially no official statement from Israel on the round of negotiations.
“Prevent wildfire in the Middle East”
According to Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict could prevent a conflagration in the Middle East. During a visit to the Lebanese capital Beirut, he said, according to the state news agency NNA: “We will spare no effort to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as this is the basis for stopping the escalation and reducing tensions.” He had previously met with the Lebanese parliamentary speaker and close ally of Hezbollah, Nabi Berri. According to NNA, the parliamentary speaker said that a positive outcome of the negotiations would be the “gateway to stability” in the region.
Meanwhile, the Hezbollah-affiliated TV station Al-Manar broadcast a propaganda video from the militia that apparently shows an underground tunnel complex through which trucks transport rockets drive. Hezbollah is now stronger than ever because of its weapons, says a voice in the video that observers attribute to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The voice also threatens Israel, saying that the country will face a reality it had not expected if it starts a war against Lebanon. Hezbollah and Israel have been shooting at each other for months, and dozens of civilians have been killed on both sides of the border.
In May, US President Biden presented a proposal to end the Gaza war in three phases. In a first phase, a certain group of hostages would be released during a six-week ceasefire. In return, Palestinians imprisoned in Israel would be released. In two further phases, the fighting would be permanently stopped, the remaining hostages released and the reconstruction of the largely destroyed Gaza Strip would begin.
The fact that Yahya Sinwar became head of Hamas after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran makes an agreement in the negotiations less likely, Jon Alterman of the US think tank CSIS had previously explained. “Hanyeh was a willing mediator, Sinwar is a fighter.” With Sinwar at the helm, it is now less likely that Hamas will agree to an end to the fighting within the framework of a ceasefire.
The talks, including a ceasefire in the Gaza war, are to continue next week. 115 people are believed to be held captive by Hamas, many of whom are probably already dead. In Israel, thousands of people continue to protest for an agreement to release the hostages. Many demonstrators accuse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging a deal and bowing to the demands of his ultra-religious and right-wing extremist coalition partners, on whom Netanyahu depends for his political survival. They are against concessions to Hamas.
