Amidst the continuous conflict in the Palestinian area, a fresh round of discussions regarding a Gaza ceasefire deal resumed on Friday in Doha, the Qatari capital. This follows as Israeli forces maintain their strikes on the region. Palestinian health authorities indicated on Thursday that the fatal count crossed 40,000, ensuing more than 10 months of relentless clash.
The recently initiated negotiations were found to be “constructive” as per a US official, who preferred anonymity, involved in the Doha dialogues. As Israel carries on with its attack on Gaza, six Palestinians lost their lives On Thursday night in an Israeli air strike in the Jabilia area of northern Gaza Strip. Prior to this, Israeli soldiers attacked targets in the southern city of Rafah and Khan Younis.
Following the dialogue on Thursday, Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas politburo, expressed his views on the Israeli operations. He considers them as hindrances to progress towards a ceasefire. The cease-fire discussions need to transition towards the implementation of a previously accepted framework agreement, as per Badran. He envisions achieving a full cease-fire, the return of the displaced Palestinians, withdrawal of the Israeli troops, and swap deal for hostages. “Hamas perceives the ongoing discussions in Doha on a ceasefire and hostage exchange with a strategic view aiming to quash the brutality on Gaza,” he expressed.
Officials from the United States intend to address the negotiating team from Hamas based in Doha, post the meeting. Furthermore, high-profile Israeli delegates like David Barnea, the spy head, Ronen Bar, the head of the domestic security service, and Nitzan Alon, the military hostages head were included, as per the defence officials.
The American Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, Bill Burns, and the US representative for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, were deployed by the White House to participate in discussions alongside Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s espionage head Abbas Kamel. These talks were designed to cease violence in Gaza and ensure the safe return of 115 hostages from Israel and other nations. This came at a time when there were indications that Iran was preparing to take action against Israel following the killing of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on the 31st of July.
The US has deployed its naval and aerial forces to the region in order to protect Israel and discourage any probable assailants. The objective of the US capital is to lower the possibility of a larger, regional war through a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
On the previous Thursday, the White House strongly condemned the assaults by Israeli settlers on Palestinian inhabitants in the West Bank, describing the incidents as unacceptable and insisting they must cease. This was in reaction to attacks upon a village by numerous settlers, which resulted in at least one fatality.
Ahead of the US Presidential elections set for the 5th of November, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, expressed his displeasure at the Biden administration’s repeated requests for a ceasefire, arguing that it would only present Hamas with an opportunity to reorganise.
Neither Israel nor Hamas has admitted responsibility for their inability to strike an agreement, though neither side has dismissed the possibility of eventually reaching a deal.
On the previous Wednesday, an inside source from the Israeli delegation revealed that prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu was being flexible on certain pivotal conflict areas. Areas of contention include the deployment of Israeli soldiers in Gaza, the terms of a hostage liberation, and the unfettered movement of civilians across northern and southern Gaza.
The UN’s human rights spokesperson, Volker Turk, referred to the reported death toll in Gaza of over 40,000 as a “sobering milestone for the world.” He attributed the dire circumstances largely to the consistent failure by the Israeli Defence Forces to adhere to war conventions, in a statement released from Geneva last Thursday.
In a separate statement, Israel’s armed forces claimed to have “neutralised” in excess of 17,000 Palestinian combatants in its operational campaign in Gaza.
In war-torn Gaza, where violence has displaced almost the entire population of 2.3 million, there is a profound yearning for the fighting to cease. “We are hopeful this time. Either it’s this time or never I am afraid,” Aya (30), a resident seeking refuge with her family in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, conveyed to Reuters via a messaging app.
According to Israel, a Hamas incursion into southern regions of their territory on 7th October sparked off a conflict. Israel asserts that approximately 1,200 individuals were slain by the militants during this event. Consequently, Israel responded with a counter-offensive on Gaza. This information is courtesy of Reuters and the copyright is held by Thomson Reuters 2024.