The Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas announced on Wednesday that it will not participate in the upcoming Gaza ceasefire discussions scheduled for Thursday in Qatar. This announcement has reduced expectations for a negotiated truce, which Iranian sources suggest could prevent an Iranian attack on Israel.
The U.S. has indicated that indirect talks are still expected to proceed in Doha as planned, and a ceasefire agreement remains a possibility. However, Axios reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his planned trip to the Middle East, which was set to start on Tuesday.
Three high-ranking Iranian officials have stated that only a ceasefire agreement in Gaza would prevent Iran from taking direct action against Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last month.
While the Israeli government plans to send a delegation to the talks on Thursday, Hamas has requested a feasible plan to implement a previously accepted proposal rather than engaging in more discussions. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri emphasized that Hamas is ready to start discussions on how to implement the proposal presented on July 2, which is based on a U.N. Security Council resolution and a speech by President Biden. He criticized further negotiations as potentially allowing Israel to impose new conditions and prolong the conflict.
Fighting in Gaza continues unabated. Residents of Khan Younis reported that Israeli forces have destroyed homes in the eastern part of the city and increased tank shelling in the eastern city center. Israel claims its actions are a response to Hamas rocket fire towards Tel Aviv on Tuesday and that it has targeted rocket launching sites and militants among 40 military targets over the past 24 hours, including in central Gaza, Khan Younis, and southern Rafah.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have reported attacks on Israeli forces, while Palestinian health officials have stated that Israeli strikes have killed at least 14 people on Wednesday, mostly in central and southern Gaza. Additionally, Hamas claimed its fighters are engaged in intense clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank, where Israel reported killing several militants.
A ceasefire deal aims to end the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for many Palestinians detained by Israel. However, the two sides are still divided over sequencing and other issues. Hamas demands a war-ending agreement and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as conditions for hostage release, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that a ceasefire would only be possible after the return of as many hostages as possible and the eradication of Hamas.
The conflict escalated on October 7 when Hamas-led attacks on Israeli communities near Gaza resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and over 250 people taken captive, marking one of Israel’s most severe blows in history. In retaliation, Israeli forces have devastated much of Gaza, causing significant casualties and displacement, with around 40,000 deaths reported by the Palestinian health ministry. Israel has also reported over 300 soldier fatalities, and Hamas rocket attacks have continued.
In an effort to prevent further escalation involving Iran-backed Hezbollah, following the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut last month, U.S. President Joe Biden’s senior adviser Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Wednesday. Hochstein is set to meet with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who leads the armed Amal movement allied with Hezbollah and has also launched rockets at Israel.
Mikati described the current situation as fraught with uncertainty and stressed the urgency of diplomatic efforts to prevent further conflict and halt Israeli aggression. He noted that talks with Arab and Western leaders have intensified due to the gravity of the situation in Lebanon and the broader region.