Ceasefire in Gaza: First day of Qatar talks inconclusive, second round today

International arbitrators Qatar in the capital city of Doha Gaza I made another attempt on Thursday for a ceasefire, but it did not yield any results, after which negotiations will resume today (Friday).

According to the Reuters news agency, Qatari and US officials said that this round of talks began on Thursday and the talks will resume on Friday.

The talks come at a time when broader international diplomatic efforts are underway to defuse tensions in Tehran following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

According to the French news agency AFP, the Israeli delegation participated in the Doha talks and the director of the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns was also included.

The Palestinian organization Hamas did not take any direct part in these negotiations. Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the group would indirectly join the talks if Israel makes new commitments.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington: ‘Today is a promising start’ but acknowledged that ‘there is still a lot of work to be done.’

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The Palestinian group Hamas demanded that the cease-fire plan agreed by US President Joe Biden on May 31 be implemented and the prisoner exchange be carried out.

Hamas official Hossam Badran said in a statement issued after the first day of talks that the cease-fire agreement should result in the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the devastated area.

Badran said that a complete ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the return of displaced persons are essential in any agreement.

Osama Hamdan told AFP that “nothing new has come out from Israel so far.”

The latest attempt at mediation follows the July 31 assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during a visit to Tehran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel for the killing and vowed to retaliate, while Israel has not commented on the claims.

Amid the cease-fire efforts between Hamas and Israel, Reuters reported that dozens of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian village near the occupied West Bank city of Qalqilya and set cars on fire, resulting in At least one person died.

Smoke rises after an Israeli bombardment in Nusirat, central Gaza, on August 11, 2024 (Ayad Baba/AFP)

The Ministry of Health of Palestine says that one Palestinian was killed and another was seriously injured when Israeli settlers opened fire in the village of Jit in the West Bank.

In the footage shared on social media, it can be seen that cars and houses were set on fire after the attacks.

The White House says settler attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are unacceptable and must stop.

A White House spokesman added that ‘Israeli authorities must take steps to protect all communities from harm, including intervening to stop such violence and holding all perpetrators of such violence accountable. .’

The Israeli military says police and army units intervened and arrested an Israeli. The army condemned the incident, saying it was investigating reports of the death of a Palestinian civilian.

In a statement issued by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, it is said that he is taking this incident very seriously. The statement said that those responsible for any crime will be caught and prosecuted.