Blitz Bureau
THE leaders of the US, Egypt and Qatar have called on Israel and Hamas to resume urgent negotiations 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, such as the length of the first stage of a ceasefire and how and where Israeli troops would withdraw, according to a report by The Guardian.
Netanyahu on board
Moments after the release of the joint statement, Israel’s 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.
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, joined the international calls for talks to resume, saying on Friday: “There can be no more delays, the fighting must stop now … all hostages still cruelly detained by Hamas must be released. We also need to see the urgent delivery of unfettered aid into Gaza.”
The flurry of diplomacy came at the same time as an increase in Israeli bombings on the Gaza Strip, including strikes on a street in Bureij and Nuseirat camps as well as Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Younis that killed 60 people, medics said.
Schools as bases
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.
