Amid ongoing Israeli escalation that has reached unprecedented levels since the beginning of the war in Gaza, and following a call from mediators, a new round of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire will take place today, Thursday, in Doha. Officials from Qatar, Israel, the United States, and Egypt will be present. The U.S. State Department stated that it expects all concerned parties to participate in the Doha talks today to finalize the deal, indicating that Israel has confirmed sending a negotiating delegation to Doha and is prepared to complete the proposed agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that an Israeli delegation will attend the ceasefire discussions, which includes the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet, as well as Nitzan Alon (hostage file coordinator) and Ofir Falk (political advisor). The United States expressed optimism that the indirect talks would proceed as planned in Doha, highlighting that reaching a ceasefire agreement remains possible. According to U.S. sources following the matter, CIA Director William Burns will head to Doha to participate in the negotiations.
On another front, senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri stated, "Hamas is committed to the mediators' paper presented to it on July 2, which is based on the UN Security Council resolution and (U.S. President) Biden's speech, and the movement is ready to immediately begin discussing mechanisms for its implementation." Another source from Hamas indicated that the movement "will monitor and follow the progress of this round of negotiations to determine whether the negotiation path is serious on the part of the occupation and viable for the proposed agreement or if it is just a continuation of the procrastination practiced by Netanyahu." Another source noted that "Hamas is interested in stopping the war and reaching a deal and agreement for a ceasefire based on the proposal presented last month," referring to a previous proposal that includes three stages: a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza, the introduction of aid, and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Axios reported that Hamas clarified that its representatives would not participate in Thursday's talks but would be ready to meet with mediators afterward to receive updates and determine if Israel would present a serious and practical proposal for the deal.
**Ceasefire Agreement**
The ceasefire agreement aims to end fighting in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages held in the enclave in exchange for numerous Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. However, differences remain between the parties regarding the sequencing of steps and other issues. Hamas wants an agreement that leads to the end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave as a condition for releasing hostages, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he will only agree to a suspension of fighting to allow the return of as many hostages as possible. He has repeatedly mentioned that the war can only end when Hamas is eliminated. Meanwhile, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that Hamas spokesperson Jihad Tahah stated that efforts and initiatives are still ongoing by mediators, and that the movement is keen to end the aggression and reach a ceasefire agreement, hoping that the efforts will succeed to ensure the implementation of the last proposal from July 2. American network NBC quoted U.S. and foreign officials stating that Netanyahu presented new conditions in May that would complicate negotiations. Among those conditions is Israel's continued control over the Gaza-Egypt border (Philadelphi Route).
