Israeli negotiators on their mission in Doha to close the gaps in Gaza

The delegation of Israeli negotiators returned to Doha, the capital of Qatarto start a new round of negotiations aimed at “reducing differences” on pending issues in order to reach a truce in the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli delegation will meet in Doha with representatives of the United States, Egypt and Qatar, who are continuing their mediation efforts between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, according to anonymous sources.

The aim is to bridge the gaps on outstanding issues for an agreement to exchange Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, they said.

Israeli negotiators arrive in Doha

The Israeli negotiating team that arrived in Doha included the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence services, as well as a representative of the Israeli army, suggesting that this is not just a technical working group.

Egyptian security sources reported that the latest round of negotiations in Cairo failed because Israel refused to withdraw from the Rafah corridor and the Netzarim Axis dividing the Gaza Strip.

Israel insisted that if it withdrew its troops from those two corridors, an Arab or international force would have to take over the management of those strategic points, something that both Egypt and Hamas flatly rejected.

The Israeli delegation arrived in Doha today after concluding its consultations in Israel following the Cairo talks, although no details were provided on the new round of negotiations or whether any progress is expected.

Egypt has told Israel that it will only accept a truce in Gaza if Israel withdraws completely from Philadelphia, although it could agree to this being done in two phases, conditional on the fulfillment of the exchange of hostages and prisoners between Israel and Hamas.

Since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023, Egypt has insisted that Israel cannot maintain a military presence on its border with Gaza, as this would only generate instability within its borders and could even lead to a breach of the Camp David Accords (1978) that established peace between the two countries.

(With information from EFE)

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