Middle-East countries urge ceasefire talks in Gaza
The USA, Egypt, and Qatar are making concerted efforts to bring Israel and Hamas to the negotiating table as early as next week. A ceasefire in Gaza could ease the explosive situation in the Middle East.
The heads of state and government of the USA, Egypt, and Qatar have called on Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations on August 15. The three countries, which are acting as mediators for a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, proposed in a joint statement that the talks could take place either in Doha or Cairo.
"There is now a framework agreement on the table, and only the details of implementation need to be clarified," they wrote: "There is no more time to lose and no more excuses from any side for further delays. It's time to release the hostages, start the ceasefire, and implement this agreement." The heads of state and government also offered to submit a final bridging proposal to resolve the remaining issues that have previously prevented either Israel or Hamas from agreeing to the agreement.
The statement comes at a critical time, as Iran and its allies such as Hamas have threatened retaliatory strikes against Israel following the killing of two leading figures of Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. There is concern that the Gaza war could escalate into a regional conflagration. It is time, the statement says, to "provide immediate relief to the suffering population in Gaza and the hostages and their families."
Israel confirms participation
Shortly thereafter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he would send representatives to the meeting on August 15. "Following the offer of the USA and the mediators, Israel will send a delegation of negotiators to a yet-to-be-determined location on August 15 to clarify the details and implement the framework agreement," Netanyahu's office said. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had spoken with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by phone about the measures the USA is taking in the Middle East to defend Israel and about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. "I also emphasized the importance of reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip to secure the release of the hostages," Austin wrote on X.
The renewed efforts to conclude a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip are also an attempt by the mediating countries to restart the talks. Since the assassination of high-ranking members of Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, there has been growing concern that a broader conflict could erupt in the region, involving Iran as well. The Iranian mission to the United Nations stated that Iran is pursuing two priorities simultaneously: "First, a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of the occupiers from this area," as well as punishment for the assassination of former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Iran.
From US government circles, it is said that it is not expected that an agreement between Hamas and Israel will be signed by next week. As an insider explained, the problem apparently lies in the sequence of the exchange of hostages. Both sides would therefore have to move towards each other, the insider said.
The Commission, consisting of the USA, Egypt, and Qatar, is overseeing the proposed negotiations between Israel and Hamas to implement the framework agreement. The Commission has offered to present a final bridging proposal to resolve any remaining issues preventing the agreement's implementation.
