The decisive moment may be approaching in the effort to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza war. Can a conflagration in the Middle East still be averted?
Doha – Before the start of the potentially decisive round of negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the mediators have made a final appeal to all parties to the conflict in the Middle East. “No party in the region should take actions that would undermine efforts to reach a deal,” the US State Department said after a telephone call between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. A breakthrough in today’s negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha could prevent a retaliatory strike by Iran and its partners against Israel – and thus an expansion of the war well beyond the Gaza Strip.
“Tomorrow will be an important day. We want to reach a ceasefire,” said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on the eve of the talks. “We want this war to end. We want the hostages to come home, including the American hostages. We want more humanitarian aid to flow to the Gaza Strip. And we believe that this agreement is the way to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.” Since Israel and Hamas are not talking directly to each other, the US, Qatar and Egypt are acting as mediators.
The US is pushing for an agreement
The talks in Doha are considered crucial in the effort to achieve a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages held by Hamas against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons after more than ten months of war. Former US President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the day before about the agreement to be negotiated on a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, reported the US news portal “Axios” citing two informed US sources. No information was given about the content of the phone call.
According to Israeli media reports, officials from US President Joe Biden’s administration also spoke on the phone the evening before with several Israeli representatives, including Defense Minister Joav Galant. They stressed the importance of reaching a deal. An agreement could also prevent an escalation of the conflict with Iran and its ally Hezbollah.
Since the killing of an important representative of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and the foreign chief of Hamas in the Iranian capital Tehran a good two weeks ago, there have been fears of an attack by Iran and its allies against Israel.
Another air raid warning on Israel’s northern border
Meanwhile, mutual shelling between Israel and Hezbollah continues in the border region between the two countries. The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that three people had been killed in Israeli attacks on locations near the border. The Israeli army announced that it had attacked the militia’s military structures in southern Lebanon following attacks by Hezbollah. Two Hezbollah terrorists had been “eliminated”. None of the information could be independently verified. Even hours before the start of the Gaza negotiations, sirens were again blaring in northern Israel on the border with Lebanon, the Israeli army announced overnight.
The Hezbollah militia says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. Both are allies of Iran.
US President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, were briefed by their national security team on developments in the Middle East. They were informed about the US military measures to support the defense of Israel as well as about the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation and conclude a deal in the Gaza war, the White House said.
While Israel’s army has been on high alert for days, its allies, the USA, have significantly increased their military presence in the region. In Iran, the USA and Israel are considered arch enemies.
According to the US State Department, Blinken also spoke on the phone with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty and thanked the country for its “decisive efforts” to reach a Gaza agreement. Hamas does not want to take part in the new round of talks and says it will be informed about the points discussed afterwards. Hamas representatives would not have been in the same room with the Israeli delegation anyway, an Arab official told the “Times of Israel”. The format is “basically the same” as in previous rounds of negotiations, the official was quoted as saying.
According to dpa information, CIA chief William Burns, Qatar’s Prime Minister Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel are expected in Doha. Israel’s delegation is again expected to be led by the head of the foreign intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, and the head of the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet, Ronen Bar. Prime Minister Netanyahu has approved the departure of the Israeli delegation to Doha and the mandate for conducting the negotiations, his office announced without giving any further details.
Hope for breakthrough
What the talks in Doha will bring is completely uncertain. In recent months, hopes for a breakthrough have been raised several times, but these have not been fulfilled. Recently, the talks have made little progress. Netanyahu rejected the accusation that he had set new conditions and thus blocked a deal. Conversely, he accused Hamas of making new demands. Netanyahu wants to militarily crush Hamas in the Gaza Strip and ensure that it is no longer able to govern the coastal area that has been sealed off by Israel for many years.
Hamas and other groups from the Gaza Strip invaded southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing more than 1,200 people and abducting another 250 as hostages. The massacre triggered the war. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive in Gaza. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, almost 40,000 people have been killed since then. The number does not differentiate between civilians and fighters and cannot be independently verified. In view of the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel is increasingly being criticized internationally.
During a brief ceasefire, more than 100 of the Israeli hostages were released, mostly women and elderly people. According to Israeli figures, Hamas currently has 115 hostages in its power. However, many of the abducted people are probably no longer alive. dpa
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