DOHA: Pressure built for a Gaza ceasefire to be agreed at talks that resumed on Thursday in Qatar, aiming to stop the spread of a war that the territory’s health ministry said has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
A source with knowledge of the talks confirmed that they had begun in the Qatari capital Doha, AFP reported. The source did not disclose whether the Palestinian group Hamas had dispatched its delegation to the talks which Israel representatives and CIA director William Burns planned to attend.
The talks are aimed at halting the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign that has seen severe humanitarian impacts in Gaza.
In a veiled warning to Iran, Hamas and Israel ahead of the meetings, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said “No party in the region should take actions that would undermine efforts to reach a deal”, the US State Department said. Both leaders emphasized the importance of avoiding actions that could undermine efforts to achieve a ceasefire.
During a telephone call, Blinken and Al-Thani discussed strategies to de-escalate the situation and emphasized the urgency of finalizing a ceasefire agreement. US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators invited Israel and Hamas for negotiations focused on halting the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign that the health ministry in Gaza on Thursday said has killed 40,005 Palestinians in the coastal territory. At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes and shelling in the previous 24 hours alone.
The conflict has drawn in Iran-aligned groups from across the region, including Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. In Beirut, US envoy Amos Hochstein met with Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri and stressed the need for immediate diplomatic action to prevent the conflict from widening.
Hochstein also suggested that a ceasefire in Gaza could help facilitate a broader diplomatic resolution in Lebanon, potentially averting a larger regional conflict. This sentiment was echoed by France, Germany, and Britain, who have jointly called for an end to delays and urged Iran and its allies to refrain from escalating regional tensions.
The current round of mediation follows a brief truce in November, which ended with the release of hostages by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Recent developments, including the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s military commander, have heightened fears of a wider regional war.
Hamas officials, some analysts and critics in Israel have said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to prolong the war for political gain.
Israeli media this week quoted Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as privately telling a parliamentary committee that a hostage release deal “is stalling… in part because of Israel”.
Netanyahu’s office accused Gallant of adopting an “anti-Israel narrative” and said Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is “the only obstacle to a hostage deal”.
Ahead of the talks, a Hamas official said the Palestinian group was “continuing its consultations” with mediators. Instead of more talks, Hamas had demanded implementation of a deal US President Joe Biden laid out on May 31.
US news website Axios, citing US officials, said former president Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election, spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday and discussed the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
The latest mediation push follows the July 31 killing of Hamas political leader and truce negotiator Ismail Haniyeh during a visit to Tehran. His killing sent fears of a wider conflagration soaring.
Iran and its regional allies blamed Israel and vowed retaliation. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
Western leaders have urged Tehran to avoid attacking Israel over Haniyeh’s killing, which came hours after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Hezbollah’s military commander.
Qatar was “working to ensure that there is Hamas representation as well”, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.
In the Gaza Strip, the situation remains dire, with widespread destruction and displacement reported. On Thursday, Israeli air strikes resulted in additional casualties, including five deaths in Gaza City.
In Lebanon’s south, the health ministry reported two people killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday. Hezbollah said two of its fighters were killed, and the Israeli military said its air force had hit “Hezbollah military structures”.
In Gaza, where almost the entire population is displaced and much of the territory’s housing and other infrastructure is destroyed, relatively few incidents were reported on Thursday.
In the most deadly bombing, rescuers said air strikes killed five people in Gaza City. On Wednesday, dead and wounded including bloodied children arrived at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis after an Israeli strike.
