A round of talks took place in Cairo earlier this week in yet another push by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. to reach a deal.
Talks aimed at reaching a captives release and Gaza ceasefire deal are reportedly resuming in Doha on Wednesday, as reports point to a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden’s Middle East adviser and Qatari officials.
Sources confirmed to the Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday that the talks are taking place on the “working-group level” and an Israeli delegation will be present.
A U.S. official also told AP that Biden’s advisor, Brett McGurk, met Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, in Doha on Tuesday. However, the Gulf state has not publicly commented on the reported meeting.
A round of talks took place in Cairo earlier this week in yet another push by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. to reach a deal.
The talks ended without a breakthrough, with Israel maintaining its insistence on continuing the war in the Gaza Strip while refusing to fully withdraw its forces.
In a statement on Sunday, top Hamas official Izzat Al-Rishq said the movement reiterated its demand that Israel commits to what was agreed upon in the July 2 proposal, which was based on a framework deal presented by Biden and supported by the United Nations Security Council.
Israel has also been refusing to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, Rafah Crossing and the Netzarim Corridor, which enables Israeli occupation forces to stop displaced Palestinians’ from returning to northern Gaza.
Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip is currently in its 11th month, with at least 40,534 people killed and 1.9 million people out of the 2.1 million population displaced under constant Israeli evacuation orders.
