Hamas part of Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel in Doha, meetings to resume tomorrow: White House

Hamas was part of the talks for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in Qatar’s capital Doha on Thursday as before, according to White House.

Previously, Hamas had said that it would not be part of the talks with Israel being mediated by Egypt and Qatar and facilitated by the United States . But the terrorist group had said that it was open to engaging with the mediators after their meeting with the Israeli delegation to discuss if Israel had any meaningful offer.

Now, the White House has said that Hamas’ participation in the talks was in line with the previous rounds. It further said the talks are expected to resume on Friday.

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“In the past, it has worked very similar[ly] to how it’s working in Doha today, where mediators will sit and discuss, work things out, and then those mediators will be in touch with Hamas, and then Hamas leaders in Doha communicate directly with Mr. Sinwar for final answers,” said White House National Security Council (NSC) Spokesperson John Kirby on Thursday.

Kirby further said, “The process that is playing out in Doha is very much keeping with the process that has played out in the past.”

Even as Israel had dubbed the ongoing talks as a ’now or never’ chance for a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages in captivity, new demands made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have complicated talks . There are, however, signs that some of those gaps may have been bridged. The White House said that the mediators had narrowed some gaps between the two parties.

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‘Gaza ceasefire off to a promising start’

White House NSC Spokesperson Kirby said that the talks in Doha were off to “a promising start”.

The Israeli delegation comprises external intelligence agency Mossad chief David Barnea, internal intelligence agency Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and military’s hostages chief Nitzan Alon. On part of the United States, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns will attend the meeting.

Barak Ravid of Axios has reported that the Israeli delegation is staying overnight in Doha as talks will resume tomorrow.

Kirby said at a briefing that talks are expected to continue on Friday as the complexity of the subject at hand made it unlikely for talks to conclude tonight.

“Given the complexity of the agreement, I do not anticipate coming out of these talks today with a deal…In fact, I’d expect the talks to continue into tomorrow. This is vital work. The remaining obstacles can be overcome, and we must bring this process to a close. Qatar and Egypt are, in turn mediating with Hamas,” said Kirby, as per The Jerusalem Post.

Kirby focussed that some of the gaps have already been narrowed and the talks on Thursday were focussed on the “details of the implementation of the agreement”.