US, Israeli negotiators to restart Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha; Egyptian delegation and Hamas leaders meet in Cairo

An Egyptian security delegation met with a delegation of Hamas leaders in Cairo as part of efforts to resume the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, said Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV on Thursday, citing an unnamed official source.

Israel’s military chief said there was a possibility for a “sharp conclusion” to the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, said the military on Thursday.

US, Israeli negotiators to discuss Gaza ceasefire deal in Doha

US and Israeli negotiators would gather in Doha in the coming days to try to restart talks toward a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, said officials on Thursday.

Qatar and Egypt have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas in months of talks that broke down in August without an agreement to end fighting that began when the Palestinian militant group launched attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, would travel to Doha on Sunday, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, adding that CIA director William Burns would be present for the talks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to the Middle East this week hoping to revive the talks following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who Washington says was the main obstacle to a deal.

“We talked about options to capitalise on this moment and next steps to move the process forward,” Blinken told reporters earlier, after talks with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. “I anticipate that our negotiators will be getting together in the coming days.”

Blinken said it had not yet been determined whether Hamas was prepared to engage in new negotiations, but urged the group to do so.

He declined to say who would be present at the Doha talks but said Washington was talking to both Qatari and Egyptian mediators about “different options” for restarting the talks.

“Going back to the negotiations on ceasefire and the hostages, one of the things we’re doing is looking at whether there are different options that we can pursue to get us to a conclusion, to get us to a result,” said Blinken.

Since killing Sinwar last week, Israel has pressed on with intensive operations in northern Gaza, in what Palestinians and UN agencies fear could be an attempt to seal off the north from the rest of the enclave.

Sheikh Mohammed said he expected negotiations to pick up on a proposal discussed in the last round of talks.

Qatari officials had also met with officials in Hamas’ political office in Doha in the last couple of days, he said.

“Until now, there is no clarity [on] what will be the way forward,” he said.

Hamas has not yet named a successor to Sinwar, who was appointed leader after Israel assassinated the former chief Ismail Haniyeh in July.

Egypt hosts Hamas talks in Cairo to revive Gaza ceasefire

An Egyptian security delegation met with a delegation of Hamas leaders in Cairo as part of efforts to resume the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, said Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV on Thursday, citing an unnamed official source.

Egypt and Qatar have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas in months of talks that broke down in August without an agreement to end the fighting.

Hamas-run Al Aqsa TV said later on Thursday that a Hamas delegation, headed by chief negotiator and deputy Hamas Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo to meet with the head of the general intelligence agency, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad.

Netanyahu said on Thursday that he welcomed Egypt’s willingness to advance a deal for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli army chief sees possibility of end to Hezbollah conflict

Israel’s military chief said there was a possibility for a “sharp conclusion” to the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, said the military on Thursday.

“In the north, there’s a possibility of reaching a sharp conclusion. We thoroughly dismantled Hezbollah’s senior chain of command,” said Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi in a video statement from a security assessment in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

Israeli strike kills three Lebanese soldiers

An Israeli strike killed three Lebanese soldiers as they tried to evacuate wounded people from the border village of Yater, said the Lebanese army said. There was no comment from the Israeli military.

The Lebanese army’s deployment into the south, where Hezbollah holds sway, is seen as vital to any diplomatic resolution to the war.

In Paris, a conference convened by France raised $200-million for the Lebanese military and $800-million in humanitarian aid.

“There needs to be a ceasefire in Lebanon. More damage, more victims, more strikes will not enable the end of terrorism or ensure security for everyone,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. He said the conference would support the recruitment of 6,000 Lebanese troops and provide the army with key supplies.

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said a ceasefire was in Israel’s hands. “The storm we are currently witnessing … carries the seeds of total destruction, not only for our country but for all human values,” he said.

Israeli attacks on Thursday included a strike on a vehicle on a highway from Beirut to the Bekaa Valley — one of Lebanon’s busiest roads. A security source said one person was killed.

The Israeli military said around 120 projectiles fired by Hezbollah had crossed into Israel.

In northern Israel, air raid sirens sounded in Nahariya and explosions could be heard as air defences fired to intercept rockets. Footage showed damage to a car, part of a projectile on the roadside, and a hole in the road where it struck.

The Alma Research and Education Center, an Israeli think tank, said 29 civilians had been killed in Israel so far as a result of Hezbollah attacks over the last year.

At least 25 Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon since the start of the ground operation three weeks ago. The Israeli military said on Thursday that five more of its soldiers were killed and six wounded there during combat.

Hezbollah opened fire on 8 October 2023, in solidarity with its Palestinian allies in Gaza. Israel’s Gaza offensive has killed nearly 43,000 people, according to Gaza authorities, and laid waste to the territory. The Hamas-led attack which sparked it killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 250 being abducted, according to Israeli tallies.

At least 16 Palestinians were killed, including children, and 32 wounded in an Israeli strike on a school in Gaza’s Nuseirat camp, its Al-Awda hospital said.

The Israeli military said it had hit a Hamas command and control centre housed in a compound formerly used as a school in the Nuseirat area. DM

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