From Gaza (archives - Agence France-Presse)
A second day of Gaza truce negotiations.. These are the most prominent outstanding points
Israel
Dubai - infomitch.com
Published on: August 16, 2024: 06:42 AM GST
Last updated: August 16, 2024: 07:44 AM GST
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After a first session of discussions described as constructive, it is expected that a second session will resume today, Friday, in Doha, including international mediators, Qatari, Egyptian and American negotiators, as well as the Israeli delegation, in order to complete the discussion of some of the outstanding points of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners with the Hamas movement. .
After 7 hours of discussions yesterday, Thursday, during which all parties expressed a real desire to reach a consensus, discussions are continuing today on the mechanism for implementing the agreement on the table, according to what a senior Egyptian source confirmed.
The Philadelphia Axis and the Prisoners
The most prominent sticking points still revolve around the “permanent” ceasefire mechanism and ending the war, as well as Israel’s insistence on maintaining its control over the Salah al-Din (Philadelphia) axis, through which it believes Hamas smuggles weapons and fighters, and its security presence in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli side also requires examining those returning to northern Gaza, which Hamas rejects.
The Israeli side also continues to impose a veto on Hamas's request to release Israeli prisoners who are serving long prison sentences (life) or who have been sentenced on "terrorist" charges.
In addition, Tel Aviv is committed to knowing the names of all Israeli prisoners who are still detained in the besieged Palestinian Strip, a condition that Hamas sources previously declared impossible to implement because some of the prisoners are held by several armed Palestinian factions.
While Hamas adheres to the condition that any ceasefire agreement in Gaza includes a “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from the Strip, which is witnessing a bloody war.
It is noteworthy that movement officials did not participate in yesterday’s session, but an official familiar with the talks confirmed that the mediators consulted with the Hamas negotiating team in Doha after the meeting.
The Israeli delegation included Intelligence Chief David Barnea and the head of the General Security Agency (Shin Bet) Ronen Bar, in addition to the coordinator of the hostage file in the Israeli army, Nitzan Alon.
While CIA Director Bill Burns and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk represented Washington in the talks called for by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.
As for the Egyptian side, it was headed by Abbas Kamel, head of the General Intelligence Service.