The United States, Qatar and Egypt on Friday said that cease-fire agreement talks, aimed at ending the war in Gaza, would continue in Cairo next week, with the mediators hoping to make progress toward a truce that could avert a wider regional conflagration. The announcement came after top officials of Israel, America, Qatar and Egypt ended their two days of talks-- aimed at bridging disagreements between Israel and Hamas-- in Doha. Hamas officials did not participate directly in the talks but have reportedly signalled a willingness to consider new proposals from the Israelis.
In a joint statement, the three countries said, “This proposal builds on areas of agreement over the past week and bridges remaining gaps in a manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal."
According to the statement, the United States-- with the support of Qatar and Egypt, the main mediators-- presented a proposal that "narrows the gaps" between them on reaching a cease-fire and "aligns with the principles set out by President Biden" on May 31, 2024, and UN Security Council Resolution 2735.
Details of the proposal were not immediately known. However, all three countries characterized the meetings as “serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere.”
“This proposal builds on areas of agreement over the past week and bridges remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal...Working teams will continue technical work over the coming days on the details of implementation,” the statement said
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden, while speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday morning, said, “We’re much, much closer than we were three days ago.”
“I don’t want to jinx anything .... we’re not there yet. [but] we’re close," the President was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
Later in the day, in a statement, Biden announced that Secretary of State Antony J Blinken was going back to the region in part “to underscore that with the comprehensive cease-fire and hostage release deal now in sight, no one in the region should take actions to undermine this process.”
What Did Israel and Hamas Say?
However, statements from Israeli and Hamas officials suggested that serious obstacles remained. As per the NYT report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel hoped mediators would pressure Hamas into accepting the country’s core principles, as outlined in a proposal in late May.
Meanwhile, Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, in a televised interview said that “none of the points of contention were resolved in the negotiations in Doha.”
“Israel either added new conditions or asked for new wordings or complicated matters...There was no advancement," Hamad told Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanese broadcaster.