Israel New hope for breakthrough in Gaza negotiations

Before the start of the potentially decisive round of negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, the mediators have made a final appeal to all parties to the conflict in the Middle East. "No party in the region should take actions that would undermine efforts to reach a deal," the US State Department announced after a telephone conversation between department head Antony Blinken and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. A breakthrough in today's negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha could prevent a retaliatory strike by Iran and its partners against Israel - and thus an expansion of the war well beyond the Gaza Strip.

"Tomorrow will be an important day. We want to achieve a ceasefire," said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on the eve of the talks. "We want this war to end. We want the hostages to come home, including the American hostages. We want more humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip. And we believe that this agreement is the way to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East." As Israel and Hamas are not talking directly to each other, the USA, Qatar and Egypt are acting as mediators.

The USA is pushing for an agreement

The talks in Doha are seen as crucial in the effort to achieve a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails after more than ten months of war. Former US President Donald Trump had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous day about the agreement to be negotiated on a ceasefire and the release of hostages, the US news portal "Axios" reported, citing two informed US sources. The content of the phone call was not disclosed.

According to Israeli media reports, officials from the government of US President Joe Biden also spoke on the phone with several Israeli representatives the previous evening, including Defense Minister Joav Galant. They emphasized the importance of reaching a deal. An agreement could also prevent an escalation of the conflict with Iran and its ally Hezbollah.

Since the killing of an important representative of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and the foreign head of Hamas in the Iranian capital Tehran a good two weeks ago, there have been fears of an attack by Iran and its allies against Israel.

Renewed air alert on Israel's northern border

Meanwhile, the mutual shelling between Israel and Hezbollah continues in the border area between the two countries. The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that three people had been killed in Israeli attacks on locations near the border. The Israeli army stated that it had attacked the militia's military structures in the south of Lebanon following attacks by Hezbollah. Two Hezbollah terrorists had been "eliminated". None of the claims could be independently verified. Hours before the start of the Gaza negotiations, sirens were once again wailing in northern Israel on the border with Lebanon, as the Israeli army announced during the night.

According to its own statements, the Hezbollah militia is acting in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. Both are allies of Iran.

Meanwhile, US President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team on developments in the Middle East. They were briefed on US military measures to support Israel's defense as well as diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation and conclude a deal in the Gaza war, the White House announced.

While Israel's army has been on high alert for days, the allied USA has greatly expanded its military presence in the region. Both the USA and Israel are considered arch-enemies in Iran.

According to the US State Department, Blinken also spoke on the phone with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty and thanked the country for its "decisive efforts" to reach an agreement on Gaza. Hamas does not want to take part in the new round of talks and, according to its own statements, will be informed about the points discussed afterwards. Hamas representatives would not have been in the same room as the Israeli delegation anyway, an Arab official told the Times of Israel. The format was "basically the same" as in previous rounds of negotiations, the official was quoted as saying.

According to dpa information, CIA chief William Burns, Qatar's Prime Minister Al Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel are expected in Doha. Israel's delegation is again expected to be led by the head of the foreign intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, and the head of the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet, Ronen Bar. Prime Minister Netanyahu has approved the departure of the Israeli delegation to Doha as well as the mandate to lead the negotiations, his office announced without giving further details.

Hope for a breakthrough

What the talks in Doha will bring is completely uncertain. Hopes for a breakthrough have arisen several times in recent months, but have not materialized. Most recently, the talks made hardly any progress. Netanyahu rejected the accusation that he had set new conditions and thus blocked a deal. Conversely, he accused Hamas of making new demands. Netanyahu wants to militarily crush Hamas in the Gaza Strip and ensure that it is no longer able to govern the coastal region, which has been sealed off by Israel for many years.

Hamas and other groups from the Gaza Strip attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing more than 1,200 people and taking a further 250 hostage. The massacre triggered the war. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive in Gaza. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, almost 40,000 people have been killed since then. The figure does not distinguish between civilians and fighters and cannot be independently verified. In view of the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel is coming under increasing international criticism.

During a brief ceasefire, more than 100 of the Israeli hostages were released, most of them women and elderly people. According to an Israeli count, Hamas still holds 115 hostages. However, many of those kidnapped are probably no longer alive.