A joint Egyptian-Qatari-American statement calling for Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations in Gaza has received international support.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said: “We affirm our full support for their mediation to put an end to the unbearable cycle of suffering.”
Israel has yielded to the demand of the three mediating parties and agreed to return to the negotiating table, scheduled to resume in mid-August, with the aim of a ceasefire in Gaza.
A joint statement on Thursday by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, his American counterpart, Joe Biden, and the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called for an immediate end to the ongoing suffering of the residents of Gaza Strip.
The statement stressed that it is time to conclude a ceasefire agreement and release all hostages and detainees, in addition to resuming urgent discussions on August 14-15 in Cairo or Doha.
It called for mediators to put forward a final proposal to overcome any gaps and remaining issues regarding settling a ceasefire deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that he intended to send negotiators to the meeting, while the US administration is intensifying its diplomatic and military movements in the Middle East, in anticipation of a simultaneous attack by Hezbollah and Iran against Tel Aviv, in response to the recent series of assassinations.
Lebanon announced its support for the joint statement and said it was ready to submit proposals to complete the implementation of the other items in a way that satisfies all parties concerned.
Commenting on the Egyptian-American-Qatari statement, Abdel-Aleem Mohamed, advisor to the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that Israel’s response is an attempt to avoid further tensions.
Emirati newspaper The National reported sources close to the ceasefire talks mediators on Friday saying that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar conveyed his message regarding the conditions under which a ceasefire agreement could be concluded.
These include a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of prominent Palestinian detainees.
