Gaza ceasefire talks: Israel enters negotiations in Doha as Hamas representatives steer clear

Israel began talks with international mediators about a proposed pause to the more than 10-month-old war in Gaza in an effort to douse spiralling tensions between the Jewish state and Iran.

An Israeli delegation led by David Barnea, director of the Mossad spy service, arrived in Qatar to meet with its Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, the intermediaries between the warring sides. CIA director William Burns is there representing the US.

Although Hamas representatives are not due to be present at the discussions in the Qatari capital of Doha, two officials say mediators will brief the Iran-backed group shortly after the gathering.

Diplomats in Doha, who requested anonymity, said the meeting was underway.

The various parties are working on a three-stage proposal presented by US President Joe Biden at the end of May, which aims to suspend hostilities, free more than 100 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and transfer more aid to the ravaged Gaza Strip.

In the past mediators have struggled to resolve a key rift between Israel and Hamas. Israel insists that it will eventually fight on until Hamas is totally destroyed, while the Islamist group is demanding that any cease-fire be permanent and all Israeli troops withdraw.

Iran and Lebanon-based Hezbollah are threatening to retaliate against Israel, which they blame for the back-to-back assassinations of top militants in Beirut and Tehran two weeks ago. That has deepened the impasse, though a Gaza truce could help ease tensions.

Israeli officials have described the Doha meeting as a chance to close ranks with the US and to ask Qatar and Egypt to persuade Hamas to give ground on truce terms.

Taking Days

White House spokesman John Kirby said he expected the talks in Qatar to continue into Friday, and they could take days.

That timeframe that may point to problems in conferring with Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. He replaced Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in the Iranian capital on July 31. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied a role in Haniyeh’s death.

Sticking points in past truce talks have included a clause that provides for further negotiations after the first phase of a cease-fire comes into effect. Another is what concessions the two sides would agree to during a second phase.

Under Biden’s proposal, negotiations could continue if they run past the six-week initial truce, and the pause in fighting could be extended as needed. Israel has opposed this, worrying that Hamas could draw out the talks indefinitely. Hamas, for its part, has balked at certain elements of the proposed second-phase discussions including the group’s demilitarization, officials say.

Other points of contention include the number of hostages Hamas should or could free in the first phase of the truce, and a lack of clarity over how to enforce Biden’s call for civilians, and not fighters, to be allowed back into northern Gaza.

Hossam Badran, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, issued a statement repeating the group’s longstanding position that “any agreement must achieve a comprehensive cease-fire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, the return of displaced people, reconstruction, and a prisoner exchange deal.”

The war erupted after Hamas fighters swarmed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people. Israel responded with an air and ground assault and about 40,000 people have died, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz will meet Friday with counterparts from the UK and France who are coming to Israel for a quick visit to discuss efforts to prevent regional escalation, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

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