CAIRO. Hopes for a negotiated ceasefire in Gaza have been dimmed as the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas announced on Wednesday that it will not participate in a new round of truce talks scheduled for Thursday in Qatar. The decision comes amid rising tensions in the region, with Iranian sources indicating that a ceasefire deal could prevent Iran from launching a direct attack on Israel.
Despite Hamas’ withdrawal, the United States remains optimistic that the indirect talks in Doha will proceed as planned. A ceasefire agreement is still considered possible, although U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reportedly postponed a trip to the Middle East that was expected to begin on Tuesday, according to Axios.
Three senior Iranian officials have stated that only a ceasefire in Gaza would prevent Iran from retaliating directly against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil last month. The Israeli government has confirmed that it will send a delegation to Thursday’s talks, but Hamas has made it clear that it wants a concrete plan for implementing a proposal it accepted on July 2, rather than engaging in further negotiations.
“Hamas is committed to the proposal presented to it on July 2, 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,” said Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri in an interview with Reuters. He added, “Going to new negotiation allows the occupation to impose new conditions and employ the maze of negotiation to conduct more massacres.”
Meanwhile, the conflict in Gaza shows no signs of abating. Residents of Khan Younis in the southern part of the strip reported that Israeli forces had blown up homes and intensified tank shelling in the eastern areas of the city center. Israel stated that it was responding to Hamas rocket fire towards Tel Aviv and had struck 40 military targets over 24 hours, including rocket launching pads and militants in central Gaza, Khan Younis, and western Rafah in the south.
Hamas and the Islamic Jihad have claimed responsibility for attacks on Israeli forces in several areas, while Palestinian health officials report that at least 14 people have been killed by Israeli strikes so far on Wednesday, mostly in the central and southern regions.
Fighting has also intensified in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israel said it had killed several militants. Hamas reported that its fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces in the area.
The potential ceasefire agreement is aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in Gaza and securing the release of Israeli hostages held in the enclave in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. However, significant disagreements remain between the two sides. Hamas insists on ending the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as a precondition for releasing hostages, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he will only agree to a pause in fighting to facilitate the return of hostages. Netanyahu has reiterated that the war will only end when Hamas is eradicated.
The conflict escalated dramatically after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip on October 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the capture of over 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources. In response, Israeli forces have devastated much of Gaza, displacing the majority of the population and causing around 40,000 deaths, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israel reports that it has lost more than 300 soldiers, while Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli territory have continued.
In an effort to prevent further escalation between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, following the assassination of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut’s southern suburbs last month, Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, arrived in Beirut on Wednesday. Hochstein is scheduled to meet with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who leads the armed Amal movement, a Hezbollah ally that has also fired rockets 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 on Wednesday. He emphasized that discussions with Arab and Western leaders had intensified due to the gravity of the situation in Lebanon and the broader region.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
