Egypt, along with the United States and Qatar, called on Israel and Hamas on Thursday to meet for negotiations on August 15 to finalise a Gaza ceasefire and a hostage release deal.
In a joint statement, Egypt, the U.S., and Qatar, who have been working to mediate a deal, announced that negotiations between Israel and Hamas could be held in either Doha or Cairo.
The statement emphasised that a framework agreement is already in place, with only the implementation details remaining.
“There is no more time to waste, nor any excuses for delay from any party. It’s time to release the hostages, start the ceasefire, and put this agreement into action,” the statement declared.
The leaders also proposed offering a “final bridging proposal” to resolve the remaining issues.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israeli negotiators would attend, with the goal of “finalising the details and implementing the framework agreement”. Hamas did not immediately respond.
The joint statement by the three leaders aimed to revive negotiations amid rising concerns of a broader regional conflict involving Iran, following the recent killings of senior members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
A senior U.S. administration official indicated that the agreement is unlikely to be signed by next week due to critical issues, including the timing of exchanges between Hamas and Israel.
Progress is needed from both parties. The official noted that while the statement was not intended to affect Iran, any escalation could threaten the chances of finalising the Israel-Hamas deal.
On Thursday, Iran’s mission to the United Nations outlined two key objectives: securing a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring the withdrawal of occupying forces, as well as seeking accountability for the assassination of former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran on July 31.
The conflict in Gaza began with Hamas’s October 7 assault on southern Israel, which led to 1,200 fatalities and 250 hostages being taken to Gaza, according to Israeli sources.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 39,699 Palestinians have died in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, without distinguishing between combatants and civilians.
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