1 month ago
The leaders of the US, Egypt and Qatar have called on Israel and Hamas to resume urgent negotiations in order to finalise a ceasefire and hostage release deal, saying there were no excuses “from any party for further delay”.
The three countries, which have been trying to mediate a deal, said in a joint statement the talks could take place in either Doha or Cairo on 15 August, adding that it was “time to bring immediate relief both to the longsuffering people of Gaza as well as the longsuffering hostages and their families”.
The leaders said a “framework agreement is now on the table with only the details of implementation left to conclude,” and offered to present “a final bridging proposal” resolving the remaining issues.
Moments after the release of the statement, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli negotiators would be there. The aim, he said, was “to finalise the details and implement the framework agreement”. Netanyahu’s administration has been accused of repeatedly sabotaging ceasefire talks.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas. The announcement of the talks came after Hamas named Yahya Sinwar – the alleged mastermind of the 7 October attack – as its new leader, sparking fears that negotiations have become even more difficult. Sinwar was appointed after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last month.
There was an increase in Israeli bombings on the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including strikes on a street in Bureij and Nuseirat camps as well as Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Younis, killing 60 people, medics said.
At least 15 people were killed in strikes on two schools functioning as shelters for people displaced from their homes in Gaza City, health officials in the Hamas-run territory said. The Israeli army said Hamas militants were using the schools as bases.
The Israeli military also renewed evacuation orders to Palestinian residents in several districts in eastern Khan Younis, saying it would act forcefully against militants who had unleashed rockets from those areas.
The army posted the evacuation order on X, and residents of the southern Gaza city said they had received text and audio messages.
Residents said dozens of families had begun to leave their homes and head west towards al-Mawasi, a humanitarian-designated area but one that is overcrowded by displaced families from around the enclave.
Although Israel has designated al-Mawasi as a humanitarian zone, it has continued to bomb targets there.
Gaza’s second largest city, Khan Younis, suffered widespread destruction during air and ground operations earlier this year.
Regional tensions have soared since Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed on 31 July in Iran, in an attack Tehran blames on Israel. Retaliation has been expected, raising fears of a possible broader conflict in the region.
A senior US official said the joint statement from US, Qatari and Egyptian leaders was not designed to influence Iran, but that any escalation would jeopardise hope of getting an Israel-Hamas deal done.
The official said there was no expectation that the ceasefire agreement would be signed by next week given serious issues that include the sequencing of the exchanges between Hamas and Israel. Movement was needed on both sides of the table, the person said.
A prospective cessation of hostilities has centred around a phased deal beginning with an initial truce. Recent discussions have focused on a framework outlined by the US president, Joe Biden, in late May, which he said had been proposed by Israel.
