General view of the Qatari capital, Doha. (Credit: AFP archive photo)
Discussions on a cease-fire and the release of hostages in Gaza are set to resume in Cairo next week, centered around a new U.S. proposal, according to a joint statement from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt released Friday.
The three countries consider the two days of negotiations held in Doha to have been “constructive” and conducted in a “positive atmosphere.”
On Friday, Washington submitted a new "bridging proposal," supported by Egypt and Qatar, to “address the remaining gaps” concerning the “implementation” of an agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to the statement from the White House.
“Senior officials from our governments are expected to meet in Cairo before the end of next week with the goal of reaching an agreement,” the statement said. “The path is now clear for such an outcome to save lives, relieve the people of Gaza, and reduce regional tensions,” the three countries believe.
Several Arab media outlets, including MTV and Al Jazeera, also reported this statement, mentioning “technical meetings” scheduled in the coming days.
Two Hamas officials told AFP that the movement has rejected “new conditions” from Israel in the proposal by the American, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators. The “new” Israeli conditions include maintaining forces in the Gaza Strip along the borders with Egypt, one a Hamas officials said on condition of anonymity. “We will accept nothing less than a complete cease-fire, a total withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced persons and prisoner exchange agreement,” he added.
Sami Abou Zohri, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters on Friday that the American administration was attempting to create a “falsely positive atmosphere,” that it had no intention of ending the war in Gaza, and that it was only trying to buy time.
Biden's reaction to Gaza truce talks
At the end of May, U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled a plan for a six-week truce accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
“We have never been closer” to an agreement on a cease-fire and the release of hostages in Gaza, Joe Biden said on Friday. “We’re not there yet,” the American president added on the sidelines of a ceremony in the Oval Office, noting that a compromise is “much closer than it was three days ago.”
Israel hopes that the pressures from international mediators and the United States will lead Hamas to accept the cease-fire and hostage release agreement proposed on May 27, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, relayed by Reuters.
“Israel appreciates the efforts of the U.S. and the mediators to dissuade Hamas from its refusal to accept a hostage release deal,” the statement read.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to travel to Israel on Saturday to continue diplomatic efforts to conclude a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Friday.