Gaza mediators head to 'last chance' deal talks in Doha

Gaza mediators will meet in Doha on Thursday for talks aimed at ending the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has raged for over 10 months and killed close to 40,000 people.

The talks, hosted by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, will involve an Israeli delegation headed by Mossad chief David Barnea, and an Egyptian team led by intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.

Hamas will not take part in the talks, stating that it wants a return to the Biden-backed ceasefire proposal and the amendments it submitted to that plan on 2 July. The Palestinian Islamist group has accused Israel of using the negotiations as a smokescreen to continue its war.

"Going to new negotiations allows the occupation to impose new conditions and employ the maze of negotiation to conduct more massacres," Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Ahead of the talks, Lebanon-based Hamas official Osama Hamdan told the Associated Press that his group “does not believe that the United States is able or willing to put pressure on Israel to conclude an agreement”.

Despite Hamas' absence from this round of negotiations, chances for progress remain with the presence of Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Doha and channels between the group and mediators Egypt and Qatar.

A source with knowledge on the matter told Reuters that the two Arab states are expected to consult with Hamas, whose leaders have said they will resume talks if a "serious response" from Israel is delivered.

Biden's May peace proposal was touted by the US president as having the backing of Israel, however, reports have continued to emerge of a rift between Netanyahu and the Israeli security establishment, as well as infighting between government coalition partners.

Contradictory reports have emerged in the Israeli media about the mandate with which the Israeli delegation has been sent to Doha. Yedioth Ahronoth said the delegation had not been given a mandate to discuss core issues, while Haaretz said that Netanyahu had given Barnea's team the power to advance the negotiations.

Netanyahu's far-right allies have threatened to leave his coalition in the event of any deal, while Netanyahu himself has insisted that a ceasefire would only be a temporary measure to ensure the return of captives. Hamas, meanwhile, has demanded a truce that would see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as a basic pre-condition for releasing captives.

The Biden administration is said to be keen to wrap up peace talks soon, with the Democratic National Convention set to take place next week and the presidential election on the horizon.

Washington has blamed Hamas for the stall in progress, despite the group submitting its amendments to the May proposal. In recent days, however, the US has become increasingly critical of Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. In recent days, Smotrich has drawn Washington's ire over his objections to the negotiations, while Ben-Gvir was slammed over his most recent storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

On Thursday, Haaretz reported that a failure of talks on Thursday may lead the Biden administration to finally lay blame on Netanyahu.

Reports emerged that former US president Donald Trump also weighed in to tell Netanyahu to accept a deal, which was denied by the Israeli leader on Thursday.

The talks have also become linked to Iran's expected retaliation against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July.

Iranian sources told Reuters on Wednesday that Tehran would hold off its attack in the event of an agreement, while Hamas sources told The New Arab that Iran indicated it could attack within 48 hours of the talks concluding.

The Biden administration also appears to have made this link between Iran's retaliation and the Doha talks, possibly in a bid to pressure Israel to accept a deal.

The State Department on Thursday said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed said in a telephone call that “no party in the region should take actions that would undermine efforts to reach a deal”.