Hamas will not attend ceasefire talks as war appears inevitable
Contrary to U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s words, a full-fledged war in the Middle East appears inevitable as the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas stated on August 14th that it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks set for August 15th, reported Reuters and agencies.
The news dims hope for a negotiated truce that would hold back a retaliatory Iranian attack on Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to three senior officials in Iran.
Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Qatar’s capital, Doha, are expected to go ahead, stated the U.S. government, who reaffirmed that a ceasefire agreement was still possible. The news comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had postponed a trip to the Middle East, expected to start on August 13th, reported Axios.
The Israeli government has committed a delegation to attend peace talks in Doha; however, Hamas has requested a workable plan to implement a proposal it has already accepted rather than pursue more talks.
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Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zahri told Reuters, “Hamas is committed to the proposal presented to it on July 2nd, which is based on the U.N. Security Council resolution and the Biden speech and the movement is prepared to immediately begin discussion over a mechanism to implement it,”
“Going to new negotiation allows the occupation to impose new conditions and employ the maze of negotiation to conduct more massacres,” added Zuhri.
Fierce fighting in Gaza continues as residents of the southern city of Khan Younis have seen their homes obliterated by Israeli forces with intensified tank shelling in the eastern areas of the city centre.
Last week, Israel launched a deadly attack on a Gaza City school, which resulted in nearly 100 casualties, an event that Hamas leadership noted as a ‘turning point’ in negotiations for a ceasefire.
Israel stated that such actions were required to respond to Hamas missiles launched at Tel Aviv on August 13th. Over 40 military targets containing rocket launching pads and militants have been hit by IDF forces over 24 hours, including areas in central Gaza, Khan Younis and western Rafah in the south.
The Israeli-occupied West Bank has also seen fierce clashes between Hamas and Israeli forces, which have resulted in the deaths of multiple militants.
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A ceasefire deal would aim for the cessation of fighting in Gaza along with the ensured exchange of Israeli hostages held in the enclave for Palestinians jailed in Israel. However, the two sides are deadlocked in disagreement.
Hamas insists that the release of all hostages is contingent on a permanent ceasefire along with the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. On the other hand, Netanyahu seeks to destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities entirely.
The U.S. has sent Amos Hochstein, a senior advisor to President Joe Biden, to Lebanon on August 14th to prevent a separate escalation between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel following the killing of senior commander Fuad Shukr.
Hochstein is expected to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the armed Amal movement, which is allied to Hezbollah and has been firing missiles at Israel,
We are facing uncertain opportunities for diplomacy, which is now moving to prevent war and stop Israeli aggression,” Mikati said in a speech ahead of a cabinet meeting.
Reuters and agencies
