Qatar, Egypt, US urge Israel, Hamas to resume Gaza truce talks

Qatar, Egypt and the US have issued a joint statement on Thursday, calling on Israel and Hamas to resume talks over a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

The statement, signed by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, and US President Joe Biden, urged both sides to resume "urgent discussion" on 15 August in Doha or Cairo and to "close all remaining gaps and commence implementation of the deal without further delay".

The statement added that a framework agreement was ready based on the principles outlined by Biden on 31 May and endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2735.

"There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay. It is time to release the hostages, begin the ceasefire, and implement this agreement," the statement said.

"As mediators, if necessary, we are prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties," the statement added.

The statement comes just days after the assassination of Hamas's political bureau chief and key negotiator Ismail Haniyeh, for which Israel has been blamed.

Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar - believed to be the mastermind behind the 7 October attack on Israel - as the head of its political bureau following Haniyeh's death.

Reports on Thursday suggested that Khalil al-Hayya, a Qatar-based member of the group's political bureau, will continue to lead indirect negotiations with Israel under the leadership of Sinwar.

Israel to send team to finalise deal framework

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that it will send a team on 15 August to finalise the framework of a Gaza truce deal.

In a post on X, which came after the statement by the Qatari, Egyptian and American leaders, it said: "Following the proposal of the United States and the mediators, Israel will send on 15 August a negotiating team to a place to be determined, to finalise the details for the implementation of the framework agreement."

According to a source cited by CNN, a meeting was being planned for 15 August, which will be attended by officials from the three mediating countries, including CIA Director William Burns who is expected to head the US delegation.

The US news site Axios reported that a resumption of negotiations was pushed for by the United States in recent days.

The outlet cited an Israeli official as saying that Israel was made aware of the joint statement that was issued by Qatar, Egypt and the US.

The Israeli official told the outlet that Israel will "Israel will go anywhere and cooperate with any initiative that can promote a deal for the release of the hostages".

The New Arab's Arabic language edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Thursday that Western officials are pushing regional parties to deescalate tension and reach a "comprehensive" settlement that would prevent Iran and Hezbollah from responding to the assassinations of Haniyeh and Hezbollah military leader Fouad Shukr, as well as ending the war on Gaza.

Reuters quoted a senior US administration official as saying that Biden does not expect a deal to be announced on 15 August but that the meeting would be "preparatory" in nature.

The official said that an Iranian retaliation for Haniyeh's assassination on its soil would "undermine any hopes for ceasefire", warning that the "consequences" of an Iranian attack on Israel would be "very significant".

Israel's brutal onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip has killed over 40,000 people and left at least 91,700 injured.