Blinken engages with Qatari, Egyptian FMs ahead of Gaza ceasefire talks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks over the phone on Wednesday with his Qatari and Egyptian counterparts on the eve of a new round of Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap negotiations.

Discussions between Blinken and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman took up Palestinian developments, “joint mediation efforts to end the war in Gaza, the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, and the emphasis on the need for calm and de-escalation in the region,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The top US diplomat also discussed with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty “the key efforts being made to contain the ongoing escalation in the region and to work towards reaching a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Abdelatty emphasised “the necessity and urgency of reaching an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire in Gaza, ensuring full access to humanitarian aid, and positively engaging with the Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediation efforts.”

He stressed the importance of “serious and genuine political will in the cease-fire negotiations, as it is the only way to halt the escalation in the region and prevent attempts to expand the conflict.”

Hamas said on Wednesday it will join the upcoming Gaza cease-fire and hostage swap talks if it gets a clear commitment from Israel regarding the implementation of US President Joe Biden-backed proposal.

Last May, Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Speaking to Anadolu, Hamas leader Suhail Hindi said the resistance group has requested a “clear commitment from Israel regarding what was agreed upon on July 2 (based on US President Joe Biden-backed proposal).”

“If this happens, Hamas is ready to engage in the implementation mechanisms of the agreement,” he added.

Indirect talks mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt have failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire and a hostage-prisoner swap over Netanyahu’s refusal to accept Hamas’ demand to end the war on Gaza.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 92,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

More than ten months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide and ordered a halt to its military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge before the city was invaded on May 6.