Hamas refuses to participate.. "last chance" negotiations for prisoner exchange and ceasefire in Gaza to start tomorrow in Doha

Statements and positions are coming in a few hours before the expected new round of ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip, scheduled to be held tomorrow, Thursday, in the Qatari capital, Doha. Israeli media described this round as "the last chance meeting to return the prisoners alive."

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said on Wednesday that it will not participate in a new round of ceasefire talks, confirming its declared position of refusing to enter into new negotiations and its adherence to the paper presented by the mediators.

Reuters quoted Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri as saying, "Hamas is committed to the mediators' paper that was presented to it on July 2, which is based on the Security Council resolution and the speech of (US President) Joe Biden, and the movement is ready to immediately begin looking into the mechanisms for its implementation."

He added, "Going to new negotiations allows the occupation to impose new conditions and exploit the maze of negotiations to commit more massacres."

Axios quoted sources as saying that Hamas made it clear that its representatives will not participate in Thursday's talks, but that they will be willing to meet with the mediators after that, to get an update, and to find out if Israel will present a serious and practical proposal for the deal.

The American website stated that the Director of the American Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, is leaving for Doha today, to participate in a four-way meeting tomorrow in Doha with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar and the heads of Mossad and Egyptian intelligence.

The Israeli government said it would send a delegation to Thursday's talks, amid continuing accusations and leaks that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to obstruct a ceasefire agreement.

US envoy to Lebanon

In an effort to curb the escalation between the Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel after the assassination of the party's military commander, Fouad Shukr, in the southern suburbs of Beirut last month, and the party's vow to respond, the US envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, arrived in the Lebanese capital today, Wednesday.

Hochstein will meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the armed Amal Movement allied with Hezbollah, which also fires rockets into Israel.

"We are facing anxious opportunities for diplomacy to move to prevent war and stop Israeli aggression," Mikati said in a speech before a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Mikati's office quoted Hochstein as saying that what he described as a diplomatic solution will be discussed in the Doha meetings, which will begin tomorrow and continue for several days.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies