Qatar and Egypt to ramp up efforts to revive Gaza ceasefire talks

Qatar and Egypt said on Sunday they would step up efforts to restart indirect talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In a joint statement, the two mediators said they were working to bridge differences between the two sides and resolve key sticking points, based on a proposal put forward by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Hopes for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas had recently dimmed after Hamas responded to the latest US-backed proposal by agreeing to a ceasefire and the release of some hostages, but attaching additional conditions. Saying he had received Hamas’ response, Witkoff said in a post on X: “It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward”. He added that Hamas should accept the proposed 60-day ceasefire before further talks on a permanent end to the war can take place. In a statement, Hamas welcomed the mediation push by Qatar and Egypt and said it was ready to immediately resume indirect talks to resolve the remaining issues. The group reiterated its demand for a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. “The movement affirms its readiness to immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention,” Hamas said in a statement. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s military campaign has killed over 54,000 people in Hamas-run Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas, displaced around 90 per cent of the population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid. Also on Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Israel’s blocking of a visit by Arab diplomats to the occupied West Bank showed its “rejection of … a diplomatic path to peace”. Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, along with the Arab League chief, had planned a trip to the Palestinian territory, but Israel said Friday that it would not cooperate, effectively blocking the trip as it controls the area’s borders and airspace. Speaking at a joint press conference in Amman with his Jordanian, Egyptian and Bahraini counterparts, Prince Faisal said Israel’s move “illustrates and confirms its extremism and its rejection of any serious attempt to engage in a diplomatic path toward peace … it is clear that they only want violence”. The minister said the Arab states would, however, continue to advocate for a two-state solution. “If the war in Gaza has shown one thing, it is that military solutions are futile and will not bring security to either side. A political and definitive solution is needed,” he said. The delegation was expected to meet with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority exercises limited control over parts of the West Bank. Had the visit gone ahead, the delegation’s head, Prince Faisal, would have become the first Saudi foreign minister to visit the West Bank. “In Gaza, it’s a war of extermination. And in the West Bank, successive measures are clearly aimed at weakening the Palestinian Authority and, consequently, compromising the creation of a Palestinian state,” he added. Saudi Arabia was said to have been close to recognising Israel before the start of the Gaza war, and US President Donald Trump, during a recent visit to Riyadh, called normalisation between the countries “my fervent hope and wish”. But de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly said Saudi Arabia will not recognise Israel without an independent Palestinian state. The Israeli army, meanwhile, said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen on Sunday after air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem and other cities. Yemen’s Houthi rebels later claimed to have fired a “ballistic missile” at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport. The group’s military spokesman Yehya Saree said three drones were also launched at Israel. The Iran-backed group has repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023 with Hamas’ attack on Israel. Almost all of the projectiles have been intercepted. Sunday’s interception followed another reported attack on Thursday claimed by the Yemeni rebels. dpa, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters

Qatar and Egypt to ramp up efforts to revive Gaza ceasefire talks

Hamas says it is ready to ‘immediately’ hold round of Gaza truce talks after recent negotiations appeared to hit a dead end