to the mediators Gaza WarCeasefire talks On Friday (August 16, 2024) the two-day talks were said to have ended and they aim to meet again in Cairo next week to seal an agreement to stop the fighting.
In a statement on Friday, the United States, Egypt and Qatar said the talks were constructive and held in a positive atmosphere. They presented a proposal to both sides and hoped to continue working on implementation details in the coming days.
Also read: Gaza’s health ministry says more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza.
The new round of talks began on Thursday (August 15, 2024) and is aimed at stopping the 10-month-long war and securing the release of hostages, with the potential agreement seen as the best hope to prevent an even bigger regional conflict. Hamas, which did not directly take part in the talks, accused Israel of adding new demands to the previous proposal, which had US and international support and which Hamas had agreed to in principle.
The two sides have agreed in principle to the plan announced by President Joe Biden on May 31. But Hamas has proposed amendments and Israel has suggested clarifications, leading both sides to accuse each other of trying to sabotage the deal.
Hamas defeated Israel’s demands rejectedThis includes a permanent military presence on the border with Egypt and a line dividing Gaza in two, where it would search Palestinians returning to their homes in a bid to root out militants.
On Friday, mediators said they had presented a bridging proposal to the two sides, in line with the plan laid out by Biden. The proposal builds on areas of agreement and bridges remaining gaps, allowing a deal to be implemented swiftly.
The new effort to end the Israel-Hamas war came when Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises The death toll has surpassed 40,000, according to Gaza health officials, and fears remain that Hezbollah militants in Iran and Lebanon may attack Israel in retaliation for the killing of top terrorist leaders.
International mediators believe the best hope for reducing tensions is a compromise between Israel and Hamas that would stop the fighting and ensure peace. Release of Israeli hostages,
International diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from spiraling into a wider regional conflict intensified on Friday when the British and French foreign ministers made a joint visit to Israel.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourné sounded optimistic after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Friday.
Mr. Lamy said Israeli officials told him they hoped they were on the verge of reaching a settlement.
“As we approach the 315th day of war, it is time to reach an agreement to return those hostages, deliver the necessary aid to Gaza and stop the fighting,” Lamy said.
Speaking alongside him, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said any action that destabilises the talks was unacceptable. He and Lamy had sent a very clear message to all sides that this was a crucial moment “because it could lead to peace or war,” he said.
Mr. Katz said in a statement that he told his British and French counterparts that if Iran attacks Israel, Israel expects its allies not only to help it defend itself but also to join it in retaliating against Iran.
He also warned Iran – which supports Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have attacked Israel since the Gaza war began – to stop attacks.
“Iran is the leader of the axis of evil, and the free world must stop it now, before it’s too late,” Katz said on X.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby described the talks as an important step. He said that given the complexity of the agreement, a lot of work remains to be done and negotiators are focusing on its implementation.
the war began when Hamas-led militants cross heavily guarded border The October 7 offensive killed around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw 250 kidnapped and taken to Gaza. More than 100 were released during a week-long ceasefire in November and about 110 are believed to still be inside Gaza, although Israeli officials believe about a third of them are dead.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Thursday that 40,005 Palestinians had been killed in Israel’s devastating counter-offensive, but did not say how many were militants. Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Thursday that Israel had killed more than 17,000 Hamas militants in Gaza during the war, but did not provide any evidence.
Diplomats hoped the ceasefire deal would prevent Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah from retaliating. A top Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut and in an explosion in Tehran that killed a top Hamas political leader, for which Israel was widely blamed.
Kirby said Iran has made preparations and could attack soon, without warning — and that its rhetoric should be taken seriously.
The mediators spent months drawing up a three-step plan under which Hamas would release the hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister said the ceasefire agreement is vital to reducing tensions across the region.
During a visit to Lebanon, Badr Abdelati said, “We will make every effort for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as this is the basis for preventing escalation of tensions.”
In a clear message to Israel, Hezbollah released a video with Hebrew and English subtitles showing underground tunnels where trucks were transporting long-range missiles.
A Hezbollah official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was speaking about military matters, said the missiles shown in the video had a range of about 140 kilometers (86 miles), capable of reaching deep inside Israel.
Hezbollah has thousands of rockets, missiles and drones, which the group says give it the ability to strike anywhere in Israel. Hezbollah began attacking Israel on October 8 and says it will stop only when the Gaza war is over.