Hamas has reiterated that it will not participate in tomorrow’s talks in Qatar, but mediators expect further consultations after August 15. The Times of Israel quoted a Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, as saying that the resumption of new negotiations “allows Israel to impose new conditions and use them to carry out massacres.” Given that chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya lives in Doha and that the group has always maintained open channels with Qatar and Egypt, Hamas’ absence should not eliminate the possibility of progress. A senior Hamas official who spoke to the AP criticized the United States, explaining that the group is losing faith in Washington’s ability to broker a cease-fire in Gaza ahead of new talks.
A request for an armistice from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany
A day before the start of a summit to negotiate a deal in Qatar, the US, UK and German ambassadors to Israel called in a joint statement to agree a deal to release the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. As Haaretz explains, diplomats representing Israel’s most important allies spoke at a press conference held at the headquarters of the hostages’ families in Tel Aviv, with family members of Hamas prisoners by their side.
Hopes for a deal
Despite the differences between Israel and Hamas, diplomats said they believed a deal could be reached. For their respective countries, the summit’s top priorities are reaching an agreement to return hostages and prevent further escalation between Israel, Iran and Hezbollah, they stressed. US Ambassador Jack Lowe said that as far as the Biden administration is concerned, the hostage agreement must be implemented now and the goal is to reach an agreement in Qatar.
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