The New York Times reported that Iran will postpone any retaliatory actions it had planned against Israel following the killing of Hamas's political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, on its territory, to give time to mediators in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. The newspaper cited American, Iranian, and Israeli officials indicating that Tehran would allow time for mediators striving to reach an agreement to cease hostilities in the sector.
American, Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials met in Qatar's capital, Doha, for the second day of discussions on Friday, aiming to bridge the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas. Upon concluding those talks, a joint statement from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar indicated that a "proposed convergence of views" had been offered to both parties. Senior officials from these three governments are expected to meet in Cairo before the end of next week.
It was not immediately clear whether this timeline would alter Iran’s assessments, according to the newspaper. An American official warned that Iran would face "catastrophic" consequences and could hinder the momentum towards a ceasefire agreement in Gaza if it attacked Israel in response to the killing of Hamas's political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. Israeli intelligence estimated that Hezbollah and Iran had lowered their alert levels, according to five Israeli officials. Israel now believes that Iran's delayed response, which has already been postponed several times, will occur later, according to officials. They cautioned that their assessments are changing rapidly due to the accelerating events, and intelligence information is scattered and frequently updated; it is known that Iran and Hezbollah continuously evaluate the situation.
Concerns about a wider regional conflict threaten to amplify the devastation caused by the Israeli assault on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of vast areas of the territory. Israel and Hamas have intermittently negotiated for months regarding a three-phase ceasefire agreement that would see the gradual release of living and deceased hostages in Gaza, totaling 115 hostages held in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel would withdraw its forces from Gaza, and both sides would eventually reach a permanent ceasefire. Many key points of contention between Israel and Hamas remain unresolved despite repeated rounds of talks.
Biden's Warning
For his part, U.S. President Joe Biden warned in a statement on Friday against any actions taken by anyone in the Middle East to undermine the process of reaching a ceasefire agreement and releasing hostages in Gaza. Biden stated in the announcement posted on the White House website that "earlier today, I received an update from my negotiation team on the ground in Doha, and I directed them to present the comprehensive linking proposal put forth today (Friday), which lays the groundwork for reaching a final agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages" in Gaza.
The U.S. President added that he spoke separately with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to "review the significant progress made in Doha over the past two days of talks." He noted that they "expressed Qatar and Egypt's strong support for the American proposal as participating mediators in this process."
Biden emphasized that "our teams will remain on the ground to continue technical work in the coming days, and senior officials will meet again in Cairo before the end of the week. They will provide me with regular updates." He indicated that he would send U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel “to affirm my strong support for Israel's security and to continue our intensive efforts to secure this agreement and assert that as we approach a comprehensive ceasefire and the release of hostages now, no one in the region should take actions to undermine this process."
Later on Friday, Biden told reporters that he feels optimistic about reaching an agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza, but he confirmed that it is still in the works. The U.S. President stated, "As of an hour ago, the situation is still being worked on. I feel optimistic, but the end is still far." He added, "There are a number of issues (to work on); I believe we have a chance." He mentioned that "it remains to be seen when the ceasefire can begin under the agreement."
