 "Gaza ceasefire: Hamas says talks with Israel for 'withdrawal of occupation forces' to start today")
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza are set to resume Friday (January 3) in Doha, the Palestinian group has announced.
The talks, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, seek to achieve a complete cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Hamas announced the resumption of talks, stating that the discussions would “focus on ensuring the agreement leads to a complete cessation of hostilities (and) the withdrawal of occupation forces.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said that he had authorised a delegation from the Mossad intelligence agency, the Shin Bet internal security agency and the military to continue negotiations in Qatar.
Rough road towards Gaza ceasefire
Previous attempts at brokering a ceasefire have faced significant challenges.
In November 2024, Qatar suspended its mediation efforts, citing a lack of genuine commitment from both Israel and Hamas. Doha indicated it would reassess its role unless both parties demonstrated a willingness to negotiate in good faith.
The suspension followed a series of stalled negotiations in the 15-month-long war, with each side blaming the other for the impasse. Hamas accused Israel of setting “new conditions”, while Israel claimed the Palestinian group was creating “new obstacles” to a deal.
The heavy toll of the Israel-Hamas war
The war was sparked by Hamas-led militants’ attack into Israel on October 7, 2023. They killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250.
Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza. At least a third of them are believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive in retaliation has killed more than 45,500 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half of the dead people.
Impact Shorts
View AllThe Israeli army says it has killed 17,000 militants. It has not provided any evidence of this.
With inputs from agencies
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