US, Qatar and Egypt call on Israel and Hamas to resume urgent ceasefire talks

The leaders of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar have appealed to Israel and Hamas to return to the negotiating table and fast-track the agreement, a truce and hostage release. They argued that there is no justifiable basis for any delay by any concerned parties. These three countries, now active mediators, issued a statement suggesting that the talks could be held on August 15 in either Doha or Cairo. The statement called to bring humanitarian aid and release the hostages, the people of Gaza. 

 They said that what has been agreed now is a “framework agreement” with remaining implementation details. They proposed submitting a ‘final bridging proposal’ on the remaining contentious matters, including the length of the first phase of a cessation of hostilities and details of the places and modality of the Israeli pullout. 

 In response to the joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli negotiators would participate in the talks aimed at enforcing the agreement. There have been allegations that Netanyahu’s government has interfered with previous attempts to broker a ceasefire. 

 Hamas has not given its reaction to the said statement. Fears have arisen because in December last year, Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, who is credited for planning the attack on October 7, as the new leader after Ismail Haniyeh was killed by Mossad in Iran last month. 

 On Friday, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy was among the first to demand the parties resume negotiations. He said, “There should be no further excuse for the war: the war has to stop now; All prisoners held hostage by Hamas have to be released, and people of Gaza have to be permitted quick and unconditional aid. 

 This diplomatic effort has emerged at a time when the Israeli forces have increased their aggression on the Gaza strip; recent bombings only claimed at least sixty lives, as per medics. 

Strikes were in Bureij and Nuseirat camps, Gaza City, and Khan Younis, the southern city most affected by past operations. 

 In Gaza, the conditions are still horrible: it is exceptionally unclean, and many healthcare facilities are destroyed, which leads to the development of diseases, for instance, polio among the population. The World Health Organisation just declared to ship more than one million polio vaccines to the Gaza Strip, but delivery and the need for storage at below-freezing temperatures add to the complications. 

 The recent increase in fighting has contributed to a spike in Palestinians’ death rate, with the Gaza Ministry of Health recording around 40,000 dead. On the other hand, the deaths of about 1,200 Israelis in the attack by Hamas on October 7, coupled with 250 civilians kidnapped. 

 Things in the region have further worsened after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, which Iran claims Israel committed. As for the threats, there are reasons to expect an operation by Iran or its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon to be followed by a retaliatory attack, which would trigger large-scale fire. On Friday, the Israeli army targeted the southern Lebanese city of Sidon with a missile attack that was reported to have assassinated the senior Hamas leader. 

 Lebanon, as you may recall, is already Feeling the effects of the conflict, and now it is poised for a Humanitarian Disaster. Over ninety thousand Lebanon’s citizens are now refugees, and the primary food commodity has been predicted to last for 4-5 months in case of a protracted war. Lebanon’s contingency planning minister, Nasser Yassin, said that Beirut’s future still depends on delivering international aid as soon as possible to avoid a tragedy. 

 In trying times or if the conflict in the region escalates, Cyprus has volunteered to be a staging ground for European citizens and third-country nationals. Greek Cypriot authorities have stated that over ten nations have approached the Republic of Cyprus for help in the evacuation. 

 A higher-ranking U.S. diplomat further explained that the recent statement of coordination between the leaders of the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt was not aimed at Tehran but indicated that ‘any move in this regard would threaten the possibility of reaching a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas’. The official noted that much work lies ahead, but further action from both parties is required to advance the proposed framework.