On Sunday, Qatar and Egypt revealed their intentions to intensify efforts aimed at negotiating a truce for Gaza. This announcement comes as the Palestinian militant group Hamas expressed its readiness to engage in a new round of discussions “immediately.”
In a joint statement, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States expressed their commitment to enhancing efforts to address the challenges hindering the negotiations.
The statement indicated that the two nations are working diligently to achieve a 60-day temporary truce, a crucial step towards establishing a permanent ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
In a continuing effort to mediate the ongoing conflict, Doha, Cairo, and Washington have spent months in discussions with both Israel and Hamas. However, the latest round of negotiations, which sought to bring an end to the 20-month war in Gaza, has once again wrapped up without achieving a significant breakthrough.
The two-month truce, during which Hamas released dozens of hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, came to an abrupt end in March. Following the breakdown of negotiations, Israel ramped up its military operations in Gaza.
In response to the statement issued by Arab mediators, Hamas announced its willingness to “immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention.”
Hamas announced on Saturday that it had responded positively, though with some requested amendments, to the latest truce proposal backed by the United States. This proposal includes the release of 10 living hostages from Gaza.
During the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, militants captured 251 hostages, with 57 still held in Gaza. The Israeli military reports that among these, 34 are confirmed dead.
Steve Witkoff, the United States envoy to the Middle East, expressed on X that Hamas’s reaction was “totally unacceptable and only takes us backward.”
The envoy stated, “Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week.”
“This is the sole method by which we can finalize a 60-day ceasefire agreement in the near future,” he stated.
On Monday, Netanyahu made a solemn promise to recover all captives in Gaza, stating his commitment to bring them back “living and dead” as uncertainty looms over the ongoing hostage negotiations.
In recent weeks, Israel has intensified its military operations in the Gaza Strip, prompting widespread international criticism as humanitarian aid slowly begins to arrive after a prolonged blockade that has led to critical shortages of food and medical supplies.
The health ministry in Gaza, governed by Hamas, reports that the death toll has reached at least 4,149 individuals since Israel renewed its offensive on March 18. This brings the total number of casualties in the conflict to 54,418, with the majority being civilians.
According to an AFP tally derived from official figures, Hamas’s attack on Israel in 2023 led to the deaths of 1,218 individuals, the majority of whom were civilians.
