Gaza ceasefire talks extended by a day, death toll rises above 40,000
A U.S. official briefed on the Doha talks, who declined to be named, told Reuters Thursday’s talks were “constructive.” REUTERS
Negotiators are due to meet again on Friday in the Qatari capital Doha to try to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel continues to bombard targets in the Palestinian enclave.
Health officials in Gaza said separately on Thursday that the death toll there had passed 40,000 after more than 10 months of fighting.
This round of negotiations began on Thursday and talks will resume for a second day on Friday, with Qatar and the US
officials said.
A US official briefed on the Doha talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters Thursday’s talks were “constructive”.
“This is essential work. The remaining obstacles can be overcome and we must complete this process,” U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House.
Israel, meanwhile, continued its assault on Gaza. Gaza health officials reported that at least six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday night.
Israeli forces previously carried out strikes on targets in the southern towns of Rafah and Khan Younis.
In a statement issued late Thursday night on Telegram, Hamas politburo member Hossam Badran said Israel’s continued operations were an obstacle to progress on a ceasefire. Hamas officials did not participate in the talks Thursday.
Badran said the talks should lead to the implementation of a previously agreed framework agreement and to a complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops, return of displaced Palestinians and an agreement for the exchange of hostages.
“Hamas views the ongoing negotiations in Doha on a ceasefire and hostage exchange from a strategic perspective, with the aim of ending the aggression against Gaza,” he added.
The mediators planned to consult with Hamas’s negotiating team in Doha after the meeting, the US official told Reuters.
The Israeli delegation includes spy chief David Barnea, internal security chief Ronen Bar and army hostage commander Nitzan Alon, defense officials said.
The White House sent CIA Director Bill Burns and U.S. Middle East envoy Brett McGurk. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel also participated.
The negotiations, an attempt to end the bloodshed in Gaza and bring home 115 Israeli and foreign hostages, were set up as Iran was poised to take revenge on Israel for the July 31 killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Risk of escalation
With US warships, submarines and fighter jets being sent to the region to defend Israel and deter potential aggressors, Washington hopes a ceasefire in Gaza can reduce the risk of a broader regional war.
The White House said Thursday night that Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are “unacceptable and must stop,” after dozens of settlers attacked a village, killing at least one person.
With the US presidential election looming on November 5, Republican candidate Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration’s months-long calls for a ceasefire, saying it would “only give Hamas time to regroup.” Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for the lack of a deal, but neither side has ruled out a deal.
On Wednesday, a source within the Israeli negotiating team said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given significant leeway on a number of substantive issues.
The gaps include the presence of Israeli troops in Gaza, the order of hostage releases, and restrictions on the free movement of civilians from southern to northern Gaza.
According to Volker Turk, head of the UN human rights organization, the death toll in Gaza of more than 40,000, as reported by the Ministry of Health, is a “sad milestone for the world”.
“This unimaginable situation is due in large part to the repeated failure of the Israeli armed forces to abide by the rules of war,” he said in a statement from Geneva on Thursday.
Separately, the Israeli military reported that it had “eliminated” more than 17,000 Palestinian militants during the campaign in Gaza.
In devastated Gaza, where war has driven almost the entire population of 2.3 million from their homes, a desperate yearning for an end to the fighting has emerged.
“We are hopeful this time. It’s this time or never, I’m afraid,” Aya, 30, who is sheltering with her family in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, told Reuters via a chat app.
The war began after a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7. According to Israel, the militants killed some 1,200 people. In retaliation, Israel attacked Gaza.
First publication: Aug 16, 2024 | 09:08 AM IST