US Welcomes Israel's Decision To Send Delegations To Doha Discuss Gaza's Armistice

Gaza/DOCUMENTATION/DOKUMENTATION Refugee UNICEF/Hassan Islyeh

JAKARTA - The White House declared Israel's decision to send delegations to Doha, Qatar, to discuss the potential ceasefire in the trapped Gaza Strip, was something "exciting."

"We think this is a good step, and of course it does not reduce our hope that an agreement can be reached. We believe that this new deal is very urgent and may be reached, and once again, we welcome Israel's decision to send another team to Doha," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. Antara from Anadolu, Saturday, January 4.

"The president has confirmed that his national security team will continue to engage until the end, and we will do everything we can to see if we can broker a new ceasefire agreement that will repatriate the hostages," he said.

"So, I don't have any updates yet or announcements about direct participation, but I can say that we will definitely stay focused on this," he added.

"And once again, we welcome Israel's decision to send another team to Doha. We see this as an encouraging step," he added.

On Friday, January 3 morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he agreed to send a team to the Qatari capital to discuss the release of Israeli hostages who are still being held in Gaza.

The delegation included senior military officials, Mossad intelligence agencies, and the interior security agency, Shabak, according to the statement, without disclosing the identities of the delegation members.

In recent months,Hamas has repeatedly expressed its willingness to negotiate prisoner exchanges and a ceasefire agreement with Israel. In May, the group agreed on a proposal from US President Joe Biden.

A number of opposition leaders and hostages have accused Netanyahu of blocking the deal to maintain his political position.

Meanwhile, a number of extremist-leaning ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to overthrow the government if the ceasefire in Gaza was agreed.

More than 45,650 people in Gaza have been killed since Israel began its war in the trapped coastal enclave following a cross-border Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The attack killed about 1,200 Israelis and took about 250 others to Gaza as hostages. Nearly 100 hostages are still detained in Gaza.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing genocide cases at the International Court over its war in the enclave.