Qatari, American, Egyptian efforts to start a round of negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza

The office of the Prime Minister of the occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced today, Thursday, that the head of Mossad, David Barnea, will leave next Sunday to meet in Doha with the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, Bill Burns, and the Prime Minister of the State of Qatar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to discuss the various options for starting negotiations in light of the recent developments.

Immediately after the announcement, the families of the Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip demanded that the prime minister “give the negotiating team full powers to reach a deal,” as Netanyahu had foiled several rounds of negotiations to conclude a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

Today, Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the negotiation process is moving forward, and that a negotiation session on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas will be held within days.

He pointed out that Israel had achieved the goals of the war, dismantled the military structure of Hamas, and that "this is the moment to act to end the war, return the hostages to their homes, and build a better future for the people of Gaza."

"The negotiations will be held in the coming days and we will know if Hamas is serious about them," Blinken added during a press conference with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Qatar.

"We reject the generals' plan to starve and kill people," he added. "It is necessary to have a plan that allows Israel to leave the Gaza Strip and prevents the return of Hamas."

"We are focused on returning the hostages, stopping the war, and alleviating the suffering. The obstacle was that Sinwar (Yahya, head of Hamas) is no longer here. We are working to prevent the conflict from expanding," Blinken continued, adding, "We do not want to see a vicious cycle of escalation, and we support Israel's right to defend itself against Iran."

"But we have not achieved all the goals yet," he added. Netanyahu had set his goals for the Gaza war as ending Hamas rule, eliminating it, and freeing the Israelis currently held by the movement in the Strip.

Netanyahu continued: "I will not hesitate and I will not give in. We will continue the battle until we achieve absolute victory." Netanyahu did not set a time frame for ending the war that began more than a year ago.

On Thursday, Blinken arrived in Doha, as part of his 11th tour of the region since Israel, with American support, began its ongoing genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Source: Agencies