There has been no breakthrough, but Egypt, Qatar and the USA report a positive atmosphere in the talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza war. Another summit is planned.
It is neither a success nor a failure: Negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza war are to be continued next week. The mediators Egypt, Qatar and the USA did not achieve a breakthrough with Israel and Hamas, but according to a joint statement, the two-day talks in the Qatari capital Doha were serious and constructive in a “positive atmosphere”. Another summit is to be held in Cairo before the end of next week. Until then, negotiators are to continue negotiations in order to close the “remaining gaps”.
Top representatives of the USA, Qatar and Egypt took part in the talks in Doha, as did the head of Israel’s foreign intelligence service, David Barnea. Hamas did not take part. As in previous rounds, it did not negotiate directly with Israel or the USA. However, Doha is home to Hamas’ political office and thus its most important foreign representation, where Egyptian and Qatari mediators have direct access. Negotiations have not progressed for months.
Mixed reactions
US President Joe Biden, however, is now optimistic. “We are closer than ever,” he told journalists on the sidelines of an event in the White House. “We are much, much closer than we were three days ago.” He did not want to tempt fate, Biden explained with qualification. “We may have something, but we are not there yet.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is travelling to Israel this weekend to continue “intensive diplomatic efforts” on the ground, a spokesman for his ministry said. The aim is to bring the agreement to a conclusion.
According to Israeli reports, Blinken will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there. Netanyahu thanked the mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and the USA. Israel hopes that their pressure will persuade Hamas to accept the proposals from the end of May so that the details of the agreement can be implemented.
A Hamas representative was cautious. The Hamas leadership had received the results of the negotiations and they were not based on all of the proposals made by US President Joe Biden to the group on July 2, senior Hamas official Mahmud Mardaui told the German Press Agency.
Report: Iran refrains from retaliation for now
According to Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, a ceasefire could prevent further escalation in the region. Iran and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon had vowed revenge after the killing of Hamas foreign chief Ismail Haniya in the Iranian capital Tehran and a Hezbollah military commander a good two weeks ago. An attack had been expected since then. Both are allied with Hamas and could refrain from a larger, possibly coordinated attack against Israel in the event of a ceasefire in Gaza.
As the New York Times reported, Iran is expected to refrain from retaliation for the time being. This should give the negotiators space to explore a ceasefire in Gaza. The New York Times cited representatives from the USA, Iran and Israel. Citing five Israeli representatives, it further said that Israeli intelligence had come to the conclusion that Hezbollah and Iran had reduced the readiness of their rocket units. However, this assessment could quickly change.
New proposal aims to “reduce gaps”
Expectations of a breakthrough were low before the meeting in Doha began because the positions of Israel and the Islamist Hamas are far apart. Now there is a proposal that is intended to “reduce the gap” that still exists, the mediator’s statement said. It also corresponds to the principles of the peace plan that Biden presented and whose details Hamas does not want to renegotiate. “Technical teams” are to work in the next few days on how the current proposals can be implemented.
In May, 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 would be released and the reconstruction of the largely destroyed Gaza Strip would begin.
The Islamist Hamas and other groups from the Gaza Strip invaded southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing more than 1,200 people and abducting another 250 as hostages. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive in Gaza. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, almost 40,000 people were killed. The number does not distinguish between civilians and fighters and cannot be independently verified. The number of deaths corresponds to just under two percent of the 2.2 million people who lived in Gaza before the war began.
There are still 115 people believed to be held captive by Hamas. Many of them are probably already dead. In Israel, thousands of people continue to protest for an agreement to release the hostages. Many demonstrators accuse 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.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
