Gaza ceasefire brokers conclude two-day talks

2024-08-16 20:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ceasefire mediators in Gaza announced the end of two days of talks on Friday and said they intend to meet again next week to finalize an agreement to end the fighting.

In a statement released on Friday, the United States, Egypt and Qatar said the talks were constructive and conducted in a friendly environment. They presented both parties with a new proposal and hope to work on the details of its implementation in the coming days.

The new round of talks began on Thursday and is aimed at ending the 10-month war and releasing hostages, through a possible deal seen as the best way to prevent a wider escalation of the conflict in the region.

Hamas, which did not directly participate in the talks, accused Israel of adding more demands to an earlier proposal backed by the United States and other international actors and to which Hamas had agreed in principle.

Both sides have agreed in principle on the plan announced on May 31 by President Joe Biden. But Hamas has proposed changes and Israel has suggested some clarifications, leading both sides to accuse each other of trying to derail the possibility of a deal.

Hamas has rejected Israel's demands, which include a permanent military presence along the border with Egypt and the establishment of a series of checkpoints along a line down the middle of Gaza to check on Palestinians returning to their homes, with the aim of eradicating militants.

On Friday, negotiators presented a proposal consistent with the plan presented by President Biden. This proposal details the areas of the agreement, fills in the missing elements and enables the rapid implementation of the agreement.

The new effort to end the Israel-Hamas war comes as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza soars to more than 40,000, according to Gaza health authorities, and amid heightened concern that Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon will were attacking Israel in retaliation for the killings of senior militant leaders.

International mediators believe that the best way to reduce tensions would be an agreement between Israel and Hamas to stop fighting and release Israeli hostages.

The efforts of international diplomacy to avoid the escalation of the conflict intensified on Friday, with the joint visit to Israel of the British and French foreign ministers, David Lammy and Stéphane Séjourné.

They seemed optimistic after the meeting with Israeli counterpart Israel Katz.

The British Foreign Secretary said Israeli officials had told them they hoped they were on the verge of signing a deal.

"After 315 days of fighting, it's time for an agreement," said Mr. Lammy. French Minister Sejourne called the attempts to damage the talks unacceptable.

He said that together with the British Secretary, they had conveyed to all parties the clear message that this is a vital moment as "it can lead to war or peace".

Minister Katz said he had told his counterparts that if Iran attacks Israel, Israel expects allies not only to help defend it, but to join it in retaliating against Tehran.

He also warned Iran, which backs Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, which have attacked Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, to stop the attacks.

White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby described the talks as a very important step. He said that there is still a lot of work to be done, it seems, considering the difficulties for the agreement and the fact that the mediators were focusing on its implementation.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, in which authorities say 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage. 110 are still being held in Gaza, although according to Israeli authorities a third of them have died.

Israel's counteroffensive has killed 40,005 people, according to health authorities in Gaza, who did not release figures on how many of them were militants.

The Israeli army spokesman said on Thursday that Israel has killed 17,000 Hamas militants during the war in Gaza, but gave no evidence.

In a clear message to Israel, the Hezbollah group released a video with English and Hebrew subtitles on Friday showing underground tunnels in which trucks transport long-range missiles.

A Hezbollah official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the missiles in the video have a range of about 140 kilometers, capable of striking deep into Israel.

Hezbollah has tens of thousands of rockets and drones that the militant group says enable it to strike anywhere in Israel. Hezbollah began attacking Israel on October 8 and says it will stop only when the war in Gaza ends./ VOA