Above photo: Children sit in the back of a small vehicle as Palestinians flee with their belongings from Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on August 16, 2024. AFP.
‘Israel’ Clinging To Its Stance.
A trilateral statement by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt says talks regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal “were serious and constructive.”
The Doha negotiations did not yield any developments as “Israel” is clinging to its positions, a senior Palestinian Resistance official told Al Mayadeen.
Moreover, a senior Hamas source pointed out that what the movement’s leadership was informed of Friday regarding the results of the Doha ceasefire meetings does not include a commitment to what was agreed upon on July 2.
This follows a statement that senior officials from the governments of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt will reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week with an aim to conclude a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and “Israel”.
Commenting on the talks, officials told AFP that Hamas will not accept “new conditions” from “Israel” in the proposal put forward during the talks in Doha.
An informed source highlighted that as part of the Israeli obstruction maneuver, “Israel” introduced “new” conditions, which include keeping troops inside Gaza along its border with Egypt, while Hamas, according to the source, demands “a complete ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Strip, a normal return of the displaced and a (prisoner) exchange deal” without restrictions.
“Israel” also demanded veto rights on the prisoners and detainees to be exchanged, as well as the ability to deport some of them rather than send them back to Gaza, the source said.
Meanwhile, the trilateral statement on Friday confirmed that over the last 48 hours in Doha, senior American, Qatari, and Egyptian officials engaged in intensive talks as mediators aiming to conclude an agreement.
“These talks were serious and constructive and were conducted in a positive atmosphere,” the statement indicated.
Joint Statement from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/A7myXPKsh3
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) August 16, 2024
It highlighted that the US, supported by Egypt and Qatar, presented to Hamas and “Israel” “a bridging proposal that is consistent with the principles laid out by President Biden on May 31, 2024, and Security Council Resolution No. 2735.”
“This proposal builds on areas of agreement over the past week, and bridges remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal,” the three countries pointed out.
According to the statement, technical teams will continue working in the coming days on the implementation details, including arrangements for executing the agreement’s extensive humanitarian provisions and specific aspects concerning “hostages and detainees.”
Elsewhere, the trilateral statement recalled what US President Joe Biden, Qatar’s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stated last week: “There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay. It is time to release the hostages and detainees, begin the ceasefire, and implement this agreement.”
Earlier on Friday, Iran’s acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, said that Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman described the results of this stage of negotiations as “sensitive”.
It is noteworthy that Hamas did not take part in the Doha talks and insists that the mediators compel the Israeli occupation entity to comply with the ceasefire agreement the movement approved on July 2 instead of engaging in new rounds of negotiations.
‘Positive and constructive’: Israeli media
On their part, Israeli media described the recent Doha talks as “positive and constructive,” noting that they had made progress.
The media highlighted that the US administration presented a proposal containing the terms agreed upon by the parties over the past few weeks, indicating that there are still some contentious points.
A political commentator on the Israeli Channel 12 suggested that the mediators are “attempting to create a sense of success and progress,” pointing out that this is likely an effort to maintain regional calm.
She added that if an agreement could be reached now, the mediators wouldn’t wait a few more days.
Gaza ceasefire ‘key’ to preventing regional escalation: Egyptian FM
In a related context, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stated in Beirut on Friday that securing a Gaza ceasefire is the “key” to preventing the region from descending into full-scale war.
His visit comes in parallel with the Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha and after similar trips to Beirut by US envoy Amos Hochstein and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejourne.
Abdelatty, after meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib, emphasized that Cairo, Doha, and Washington are doing everything possible to swiftly achieve a Gaza agreement “that leads to an immediate ceasefire, an end to the killing of civilians, and a prisoner and hostage exchange.”
He stressed that “this is the key to the start of the solution in this region and the start of de-escalation.”
The top Egyptian diplomat expressed optimism for “good intentions and the political will” to achieve this urgent deal in Gaza, which he indicated would lead to “reducing the level of tension in the region, and de-escalation.”
Touching on the situation in Lebanon, Abdelatty affirmed that his country would “make every possible effort to spare Lebanon and its brotherly people the woes of any uncalculated escalation.”
Mediators’ role to oblige ‘Israel’ comply with July 2 paper: Hamas
On Thursday, Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Mayadeen that the group’s delegation would participate in the negotiations only if the mediators informed it that the Israeli occupation agreed on the July 2 paper regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange.
Hamdan confirmed that the July 2 paper fully addressed the issue of a ceasefire and the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, adding that the Palestinian movement issued a clear statement regarding the Doha talks based on the ongoing negotiation process.
The Palestinian official affirmed that Hamas agreed to all positive points in the mediators’ proposal, while the Israeli occupation persisted in perpetrating massacres.
He made it clear that the core message is that Hamas is not willing to give the Israeli occupation more time to commit further massacres, adding that the movement’s primary goal is to halt the ongoing aggression on Gaza.
Elsewhere, Hamdan stressed that it is the mediators’ role to oblige the party committing the aggression to the terms of the paper that the Americans pledged.