End of Doha round of negotiations and a statement by mediators on the next steps | News

Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the current round of ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip, which was held over the past two days in the Qatari capital, Doha, has ended.

A joint statement by Qatar, America and Egypt, at the conclusion of the Doha negotiations, said that the talks that took place over the past 48 hours in Doha “were serious and constructive and were conducted in a positive atmosphere.”

The mediators' statement revealed that the United States of America, with the support of the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt, today presented to both parties a proposal that narrows the gaps between them and is consistent with the principles set by President Biden on May 31, and Security Council Resolution No. 2735, and that this proposal builds on the points of agreement achieved during the past week, and bridges the remaining gaps in a way that allows for the rapid implementation of the agreement.

The mediators said that the technical teams will continue to work in the coming days on the implementation details, including arrangements for implementing the comprehensive humanitarian aspects of the agreement, in addition to the aspects related to hostages and detainees.

“Senior officials from our governments will meet again in Cairo before the end of next week, hoping to reach an agreement on the terms set out today,” he added.

Joint Statement between the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America #Qatari_Foreign_Ministry pic.twitter.com/moTgDHXJWb

— Qatari Foreign Ministry (@MofaQatar_AR) August 16, 2024

The joint statement noted that “as the leaders of the three countries stated last week, 'there is no more time to waste and no excuses that can be accepted by any party to justify further delay. It is time to release the hostages and detainees, begin the ceasefire, and implement this agreement.'”

The statement stressed that the way is now “paved to achieve this result, save lives, provide relief to the people of Gaza, and calm regional tensions.”

In the first reaction, a leading source in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) told Al Jazeera, “What we were informed about the results of the Doha meetings does not include commitment to what was agreed upon on July 2.”

Earlier today, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati said that his country is seeking, with Qatar and the United States, to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that would prevent a large-scale war.

He added that we are making efforts with Qatar and the United States to reach an urgent deal that must lead to a ceasefire.

Blinken in Israel

In the same context, an Axios correspondent said today, Friday, quoting Israeli officials, that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will arrive in Israel on Sunday.

The reporter said that Blinken will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next Monday, and that he may visit Cairo and Doha.

On the other hand, Israeli media reported that the Israeli negotiating delegation will return from Doha to Tel Aviv this evening after concluding the round of negotiations that took place in Doha on Thursday and Friday.

In turn, Israeli Channel 13 quoted an Israeli official as saying that there were gaps because the American proposal did not address the Netzarim and Philadelphi axes.