Gaza cease-fire talks resume with 'bridging proposal'

After two days of discussions in Doha about a cease-fire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, negotiators presented a bridging proposal to Israel and Hamas on Friday to address their remaining disagreements, News.Az reports citing Al-Monitor.

A joint statement from the United States and mediators Qatar and Egypt described the new proposal as one that “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.”

Leading the negotiations in the Qatari capital were CIA Director William Burns, Mossad Director David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Abbas Kamel, director of Egypt's General Intelligence Service. Hamas refused to attend the talks.

Senior US, Qatari and Egyptian officials will resume negotiations in Cairo before the end of next week, the statement read. Over the coming days, technical teams will hash out implementation details of the bridging proposal, “including arrangements to implement the agreement’s extensive humanitarian provisions, as well as specifics relating to hostages and detainees.”

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Friday that Israel “appreciates the efforts of the US and the mediators to dissuade Hamas from its rejection to the hostage deal.”

“Israel's fundamental principles are well known to the mediators and the US, and Israel hopes that their pressure will lead Hamas to accept the principles of May 27, so that the details of the agreement can be implemented," the statement read.

Hanging over the latest round of negotiations, which got underway Thursday, was Iran’s promised retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has also vowed to avenge the Israeli-claimed strike that killed one of its commanders, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut on July 30.

The Biden administration believes that Iran and its allies might rethink or at least scale back their planned retaliation if Israel were to reach a cease-fire with Hamas.

Sheikh Mohammed spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri Kani, on Thursday, according to a statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry. The Washington Post reports that he urged Iran’s leaders to delay their assault on Israel to avoid scuppering the cease-fire talks.

Negotiators are pushing for a deal more than two months after President Joe Biden unveiled what he described as a three-stage Israeli proposal to end the war and free the remaining 115 living and dead captives. Included in the framework for a “full and complete cease-fire” was the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and a surge in much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

Netanyahu was accused of jeopardizing the talks by inserting new conditions last month, including a demand that the Israel’s military retain control of a strategic area near the Egypt-Gaza border. Netanyahu’s office denies he hardened Israel’s position in the talks, saying he was merely clarifying ambiguities in its original offer.

As negotiators met for a second day Friday, Hezbollah released a video showing an apparent underground facility used by the group to store and launch missiles. For the past 10 months, the Iran-backed militant group has traded near-daily fire with Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas.

In a bid to prevent wider war, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty traveled Friday to Beirut, where he met with Lebanese officials including parliament speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri.

News.Az