Hamas announced on Wednesday that it will not join the upcoming Gaza ceasefire talks scheduled for Thursday in Qatar. However, a source informed about the negotiations mentioned that mediators still plan to consult with the Palestinian group after the talks.
The U.S. has indicated that the indirect discussions in Doha are expected to proceed as planned, and a ceasefire agreement remains possible, though time is of the essence to prevent the conflict from escalating further. It was reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has delayed his trip to the Middle East, which was initially scheduled to start on Tuesday. Instead, CIA Director Bill Burns and U.S. representation at the talks will be led by Middle East envoy Brett McGurk in the Qatar talks.
Three high-ranking Iranian officials have stated that Iran might retaliate directly against Israel for the recent assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh unless a ceasefire agreement in Gaza is reached.
An Israeli government spokesperson, David Mencer, confirmed that Israel would send its negotiation team to Qatar on Thursday, August 15th, to finalize the framework agreement details. The delegation will include Israel’s spy chief David Barnea, head of the domestic security service Ronen Bar, and the military’s hostages chief Nitzan Alon.
Despite Hamas’ doubt about the talks, accusing Israel of delaying progress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pointed to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as the main barrier to reaching a deal. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri criticized the negotiations, claiming they allow Israel to impose new conditions and conduct more attacks.
Although Hamas will not attend the talks, the group’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, is based in Doha, maintaining open communication channels with Egypt and Qatar, which leaves some hope for progress.
