International efforts to broker a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza conflict remain underway despite multiple rounds of talks failing to produce a breakthrough. Mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States continue to engage with both Hamas and Israel, but both sides remain entrenched in their positions, signaling a potential stalemate. The situation has become even more complicated with Israel expanding its war aims to target Hezbollah along its northern border with Lebanon.
Despite US President Joe Biden’s claims of progress towards a Gaza truce, Hamas dismisses them as an illusion. Clashes continue in Gaza and Lebanon as negotiations for a ceasefire remain complex and fraught with challenges.
In a significant concession, Hamas political official Khalil al-Hayya suggests the Islamic terror group could agree to a five-year or longer truce with Israel and disarm if an independent Palestinian state is established within pre-1967 borders. Hamas would also join the Palestine Liberation Organization and establish a unified government with the rival Fatah faction.
