Blitz Bureau
THE United Arab Emirates has joined the call issued by Qatar, Egypt and the US to resume talks to reach an agreement for a Gaza ceasefire as well as release of hostages. According to a statement issued by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the UAE has urged the parties concerned to respond to the call to resume urgent consultation on August 15.
(Reports from Jerusalem quoting Netanyahu’s office said Israel has agreed to resume the talks at the demand of the three mediators.) As outlined by His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt, and President Joe Biden of the United States, the agreement currently on the table would end the suffering of the people of Gaza and the hostages and their families.
The UAE hopes that the parties will not delay this any further, WAM reported. “The UAE reiterates its deep appreciation and complete support for the tireless mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to reach an agreement to end the misery in Gaza,” it said.
Mediation efforts
In a joint statement on August 8, the three leaders had called on Israel and Hamas to meet and finalise a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip amid fears of further regional escalation after the killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah. The three countries, which have been trying to mediate a deal, invited the two parties to Doha or Cairo on August 15.
According to Netanyahu’s office, Israel would send a negotiating team on August 15 “to the agreed place to conclude the details of implementing a deal”.
A prospective cessation of hostilities also involving the release of hostages held in Gaza and scaled-up aid deliveries has centred around a phased deal beginning with an initial truce. Recent discussions have focused on a framework outlined by US President Joe Biden in late May which he said had been proposed by Israel.
“There’s still a significant amount of work to do,” a senior Biden administration official said of the talks. Israel had been “very receptive” to the idea of the talks, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
