Middle East, truce in Gaza to avoid escalation but Hamas backs out –

Visiting Beirut, US special envoy Amos Hochstein warned that “time is running out for a ceasefire in Gaza and a deal to release the hostages.” The deal, he said, could also help end 10 months of cross-border fighting between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah. Meeting with reporters, the Washington representative explained that he and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, discussed “the framework agreement on the table for a ceasefire in Gaza, agreeing that there is no more time to waste and that there are no more valid excuses on either side for further delays.”

“The deal would also help to enable a diplomatic resolution here in Lebanon, and that would prevent a wider war from erupting,” Hochstein said. “We need to use this window for diplomatic action and diplomatic solutions. That time is now.” Asked if Israel and Hezbollah could avoid a war, Hochstein said, “I hope so, I think so.” Hochstein’s visit comes a day before Hamas and Israel resume ceasefire talks, with top diplomats pledging to avert all-out war after Iran and Hezbollah vowed revenge for recent high-profile assassinations.

Meanwhile, a Hamas spokesman said the Palestinian organization would not take part in the new round of ceasefire talks in Gaza scheduled for August 15 in Qatar, dampening hopes for a negotiated truce that, according to both U.S. representative Amos Hochstein and some Iranian sources, could prevent an attack by Tehran on the Jewish state. “Hamas is committed to the proposal presented on July 2, which is based on the UN Security Council resolution and Biden’s speech, and the movement is ready to immediately begin discussions on a mechanism to implement it,” said a senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri. “Moving to new negotiations allows the occupation to impose new conditions and use the labyrinth of negotiations to carry out further massacres,” he added.