The United States remains confident that peace talks aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in Gaza will proceed as planned, despite recent concerns raised by Hamas. The State Department asserted on Monday that it believes a ceasefire deal is still attainable, even after Hamas expressed doubts about participating in a Thursday meeting called by mediators.
Last week, leaders from the US, Egypt, and Qatar urged both Israel and Hamas to engage in negotiations on August 15th, either in Cairo or Doha. The purpose of these talks is to finalize a ceasefire agreement for Gaza and secure the release of hostages.
In a press briefing, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel confirmed that the US fully expects the talks to move forward and will continue working with all parties involved to reach an agreement. Patel emphasized the importance of all negotiators returning to the table to finalize the deal. “We fully expect talks to move forward, as they should. All negotiators should return to the table and bring this deal to conclusion,” Patel stated.
While Patel declined to comment on whether the talks would proceed without Hamas or if Washington was actively working to secure their participation, he stressed the US’s commitment to seeing the negotiations through.
The current situation stems from Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which began after Hamas fighters infiltrated southern Israel on October 7th, resulting in the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis, primarily civilians, and the capture of over 250 hostages. Since then, the Israeli offensive has claimed the lives of nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
President Joe Biden initially proposed a three-phase ceasefire plan on May 31st. Since then, Washington and regional mediators have been working to facilitate a ceasefire-for-hostages deal but have encountered repeated obstacles. The upcoming Thursday meeting represents a crucial step in these efforts, with the US remaining hopeful for a successful outcome despite the challenges.
