Israel expressed cautious optimism about prospects for a ceasefire in Gaza after high-level talks with mediators on a new US proposalputting the onus on Hamas to withdraw its objections.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he spoke with his negotiators after his return from two days of meetings with senior Qatari and Egyptian delegates who have been serving as intermediaries with the Palestinian Islamist faction.
Also present at the Doha talks was CIA Director William Burns, representing a US administration keen to end the Gaza war, which has lasted more than ten months and has spread to other fronts in the Middle East.
Negotiators “expressed to the Prime Minister cautious optimism regarding the possibility of moving forward on the deal, in line with the updated US proposal.”the statement said.
U.S. officials have said efforts to reach a ceasefire are reaching their final stages following a new ceasefire proposal. It closely resembles an earlier three-phase plan unveiled by President Joe Biden in May, which called for a suspension of hostilities, an exchange of hostages for prisoners, some withdrawal of Israeli forces and the return of Palestinian civilians to the northern Gaza Strip.
Sticking points in the plan include Israel’s demand to maintain forces along two strategic corridorsthe question of how Hamas fighters could be prevented from returning to northern Gaza and how many living hostages could and should be released in the first phase.
“It is hoped that the strong pressure exerted by the United States and the mediators on Hamas will cause it to cease its opposition to the American proposal and lead to a breakthrough in the negotiations.”according to the Israeli statement. Representatives of Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, refused to participate in the recent negotiations.
Despite progress in the truce negotiations, tensions in the region remain high. Hezbollah militants fired a salvo of rockets into northern Israel on Saturday following one of the deadliest attacks on Lebanon since the two sides began exchanging fire more than a decade ago.
