Talks have stalled since last December’s week-long truce, which led to the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners and 109 of the 240 Israeli captives taken by Hamas.
Delegations from the United States and Israel are scheduled to return to Doha on Sunday for a new round of negotiations aimed at securing an end to Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of captives held by Hamas.
On Thursday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the director of Israeli intelligence (Mossad), David Barnea, had travelled to Cairo for discussions with Egyptian officials.
Netanyahu’s office then announced that a delegation will travel to Doha, with CIA director William Burns expected to participate in the talks, Reuters reported.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes Egypt’s readiness to advance a deal for the release of the hostages,” the statement said.
This comes after Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that a new round of negotiations will be taking place in the Gulf state.
“A negotiating team from the United States will visit Doha alongside a negotiating team from the Israeli side and ways to reach a breakthrough in the negotiations will be discussed,” Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, told the press in Doha on Thursday alongside Blinken.
The talks have stalled since the expiration of last year’s week-long truce in December, which had resulted in the release of 109 captives held by Hamas out of some 240 taken during the surprise October 7 attack—widely known as Al-Aqsa Flood.
Around 97 captives are still in Gaza, including 34 who are believed to be dead, according to AFP.
Israel has escalated its offensive in the Gaza Strip, fully besieging the 400,000 Palestinian residents in the northern region. The ongoing bombardment has targeted school shelters, homes, civil defence crews and hospitals, further devastating the heath sector.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 42,847 Palestinians, mainly women and children, although the actual death toll is believed to be an undercount as thousands remain missing or buried under the rubble.
Israel has also expanded its brutal aggression to neighbouring Lebanon since September, where it has relentlessly bombarded different areas including the south and the capital, Beirut.
In Lebanon, Israel has killed at least 2,653 people while injuring more than 12,360 others since October 8, 2023, according to the latest figures by Lebanese authorities.
Israel and its U.S. ally have repeatedly accused Hamas of hindering efforts aimed at reaching a deal, despite the series of escalatory measures carried out by the Israeli side over the past year.
On October 16, Israel killed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip, more than two months after assassinating his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Speaking to the press in Doha on Thursday, Blinken echoed past U.S. claims of Sinwar obstructing negotiations, saying that his death can now pave the way for a breakthrough.
When asked about the same claims, Qatar’s Prime Minister urged the press to examine the negotiation process to identify which side is obstructing a potential agreement.
Last May, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed a truce which Hamas received positively. Despite U.S. officials saying Israel had also agreed to the proposal, Netanyahu and other government ministers did not accept the terms.
The proposal outlined a three-step plan that begins with a six-week ceasefire, during which Israeli occupation forces would withdraw from populated areas in Gaza.
It also included a significant increase in humanitarian aid and the exchange of some Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners, with the ultimate goal for a permanent cessation of hostilities and a comprehensive reconstruction effort for Gaza.
