Qatar, Egypt, US invite Israel, Hamas to resume Gaza ceasefire talks

Palestinian girl Maisa al-Ghandour, who was wounded in an Israeli attack along with her two siblings and mother, cries as she gets treatment in Khan Younis, Gaza [File: Mohammed Salem/Reuters]

Qatar, Egypt, US invite Israel, Hamas to resume Gaza ceasefire talks

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have called on Israel and Hamas to resume talks to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s continued bombardment of the territory has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and raised fears of further regional escalation.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the three countries urged Israel and Hamas “to resume urgent discussion” on August 15 in Doha or Cairo “to close all remaining gaps and commence implementation of the deal without further delay”.

“It is the time to conclude a ceasefire agreement and release hostages and prisoners,” they said.

“We have worked for months to reach framework agreement and it is now on the table, with only details of implementation missing.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office quickly responded to the call, saying in a statement that Israel would send a delegation to attend talks next week “in order to finalise the details and implement the framework agreement”.

Hamas, the Palestinian political faction that governs Gaza, has yet to respond.

The joint statement comes amid months of failed attempts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel’s military assault has killed at least 39,699 Palestinians and injured 91,722 others since early October.

The recent killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital of Tehran – widely believed to have been carried out by Israel – also spurred questions about the prospect of continued ceasefire negotiations.

The assassination of Haniyeh – who had been a key figure in the talks – was seen by many as an effort by Netanyahu’s government to scuttle efforts to negotiate an end to the war.

Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera correspondent Hamdah Salhut said the circumstances of Haniyeh’s death will add to the complexity of any future negotiations.

“There are a lot of moving parts here,” she said, pointing to the risk of a “retaliatory attack” from Iran or one of its proxies.

“Additionally, we have to remember that the Israelis are now going to be negotiating with Yahya Sinwar, who is the new political leader of Hamas,” Salhut added, referring to Haniyeh’s replacement.