Talks in Doha on hostage-ceasefire deal were most constructive: Report

Washington: The past two days of negotiations in Doha for a ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas were the most constructive that mediators had seen in months, a senior Biden administration official told reporters.  The official said on Friday that US President Joe Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, with all three leaders agreeing that “now is the end game” and discussing the “final bridging proposal” put forward by the US in the Qatari capital, The Times of Israel reported.

All three mediating countries believe the final bridging proposal submitted on Friday by the US closes just about all remaining gaps between the parties, the official added.

“We will be reconvening in Cairo at this level before the end of next week, with an aim to close out this process once and for all,” the official added during the phone briefing.

Biden later released a statement, saying the proposal “offers the basis for coming to a final agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release deal,” adding that his calls with the Qatari and Egyptian leaders were “to review the significant progress” in the negotiations.

“Our teams will remain on the ground to continue technical work over the coming days, and senior officials will convene again in Cairo before the end of the week. They will report to me regularly,” he added.

US President Joe Biden also noted Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s scheduled visit to Israel on Sunday, saying he was dispatching his top diplomat “to reaffirm my iron-clad support for Israel’s security, continue our intensive efforts to conclude this agreement and to underscore that with the comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal now in sight, no one in the region should take actions to undermine this process”.

The statement did not name Iran, but came as Iranian leaders have been threatening to attack Israel for the recent assassination of Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which Israel has neither confirmed or denied carrying out, The Times of Israel reported. Asked if Iran will continue to hold off on retaliating against Israel now that the Gaza ceasefire-hostage talks have been extended, Iran’s mission to the UN in New York, says: “We hope so.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri meanwhile said he was updated by his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani about negotiations in Doha.

In a statement posted to X, Bagheri said he told al-Thani that Israel can’t be trusted, while calling “to use all means” to force an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas.

A statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry said the two “stressed the need for calm and de-escalation in the region” and that al-Thani “reiterated Qatar’s commitment to supporting all regional and international efforts aimed at achieving regional and international security and stability”.

In addition to Iran’s threatened retaliation, its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah has pledged to attack Israel for killing the terror group’s top military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last month after a Hezbollah missile killed 12 children in the Golan Heights, raising fears that the cross-border skirmishes could escalate into a full-scale war. (IANS)

Also Read: Holding ‘around-the-clock’ talks to prevent war in Middle east: US President Joe Biden (sentinelassam.com)

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