Gaza's Armistice Negotiation In Doha Qatar Begins Without Hamas

Gaza/DOK condition via un.news.org

JAKARTA - A new round of negotiations on the Gaza ceasefire is underway in the Qatar capital, Doha.

Israel's intelligence chief joined his US and Egyptian counterparts and the Qatari prime minister for a closed meeting.

The negotiations are an attempt to end 10 months of fighting in Palestinian enclaves and repatriate 115 Israeli hostages and foreigners.

The meeting on Thursday, August 15 afternoon local time was held as Iran prepared to retaliate against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

With US warships, submarines and warplanes delivered to the region to defend Israel and prevent potential strikers, Washington hopes the ceasefire agreement in Gaza can ease wider regional war risks.

Reported by Reuters, Hamas officials, accusing Israel of buying time, did not participate in these negotiations.

But the mediator plans to consult with the Hamas negotiator team based in Doha following the meeting, officials familiar with the talks told Reuters.

Israel's delegation included intelligence chief David Barnea, head of the Ronen Bar interior security service, and military hostage chief Nitzan Alon.

CIA Director Bill Burns and US envoy to the Middle East Brett McGurk represented Washington in the negotiations, organized by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel is also in Doha.

Israel and Hamas blamed each other for failing to reach an agreement, but ahead of Thursday's meeting, no party ruled out the deal.

Sources in Israel's negotiating team said on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made significant concessions.

The easing includes the presence of Israeli troops in Gaza, the order of release of hostages, and restrictions on access to northern Gaza.

Ahead of Thursday's negotiations, Hamas, which rejected US or Israeli interventions, told mediators that if Israel made a "serious" proposal in line with Hamas' previous proposals, the group would continue to engage in negotiations.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Thursday the group was committed to a negotiation process and urged mediators to secure Israel's commitment to Hamas-approved proposals in early July, which he said would end the war and require a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Even as negotiators arrived in Qatar, fighting continued in Gaza, with Israeli forces attacking targets in the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.