Diplomats aim to restart ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas sometime next week, rekindling efforts to end the fighting in Gaza while Israel presses ahead with its campaign, according to three officials briefed on the talks. The hope is there.
Initial discussions were held in Paris this weekend with David Barnea, director of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency Mossad, according to officials; William J. Burns, director of the Central Intelligence Agency; and Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani is one of the main mediators between Israel and Hamas. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been trying for months to persuade Israel and Hamas to accept a truce and prisoner exchange that could help end the seven-month war.
But previous talks have broken down several times over the duration and nature of the truce: Hamas wants a permanent ceasefire that would allow it to maintain control of Gaza, while Israel wants to be able to continue fighting after the ceasefire so that it can seize power from Hamas. Another major point of contention in the last round centered on how to transition between the different stages of a three-stage deal.
Previous sticking points have included the extent to which Israeli forces should withdraw from Gaza during the truce and whether Israel will allow Gazans to move freely between northern and southern Gaza.
The two sides also disagree over how many hostages Hamas should release and how many Palestinian prisoners Israel should release. In the last round of talks, negotiators talked about the possible release of 33 hostages by Hamas, mostly women, the elderly and anyone in need of emergency medical care. According to Israel’s latest assessment, more than 120 hostages remain in Gaza, about a quarter of whom are dead.
During the talks, Egyptian and Qatari officials dealt directly with Hamas envoys and did not meet with their Israeli or U.S. counterparts. Egypt played a leading role in the last round of talks in Cairo, but Qatari officials were also present.
Diplomats say the hostage negotiations need to be completed in order for other related diplomatic measures to progress. Those efforts include a regional debate over who should run post-war Gaza; negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia on a normalization deal; and ceasefire talks between Israel and Hezbollah, which is fighting Israeli forces along the Israeli-Lebanese border. Lebanese militia organization.
Rawan Sheikh Ahmed Reporting from Haifa, Israel Julian E.Barnes Contribution from Washington.
