The latest round of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel has not yet achieved any major breakthrough, with stalemates in the discussion remaining unbroken, said officials from the parties involved.
This round of talks resumed Sunday in Doha amid international efforts to end the conflict that has devastated Gaza since October 2023.
As the talks were held behind closed doors, the parties involved have not released much official information about the discussion progress.
Meanwhile, according to information disclosed by relevant officials, as of Wednesday, the fourth day of this round of talks, Israel and Hamas had made only slight progress on issues regarding humanitarian assistance and Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian official told the media that the Israeli delegation had not been adequately authorized to make decisions on matters discussed during the talks.
Noting that the Israeli delegation "just listen but do not negotiate," the Palestinian official accused Israel of attempting to obstruct the conclusion of an agreement in this way.
According to analysis, the current negotiations are primarily stalled on three major issues. The first is on humanitarian aid, where Hamas demands that international organizations and institutions such as the United Nations handle the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. However, Israel insists that the aid distribution should be led by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is operated by U.S. contractors and approved by the Israeli government.
The second divergence is the issue on the Israeli army's withdraw. Hamas insists that the Israeli forces must completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip, demanding that the ceasefire plan should clarify the timeline for this withdrawal. However, Israel wants to retain troops in areas including the Morag Corridor (an area between Rafah and southern Gaza's Khan Younis), the Philadelphi Corridor (an area along the Egypt-Gaza border) and Rafah.
As its previous proposal on redeploying troops in Gaza was strongly opposed by Hamas, Israel has submitted a new proposal to Qatari mediators for a partial withdrawal of its forces from Gaza during the proposed 60-day temporary truce.
Furthermore, Hamas demands that the mediators make a commitment that if the parties concerned fail to reach a ceasefire agreement within the proposed 60-day truce, the mediators must guarantee the extension of the truce and the continuation of talks.
But, The Times of Israel reported that the United States is reluctant to make such a commitment. The United States has informed Qatar that while it opposes Israel resuming military actions after the proposed 60-day truce, it has no intention of imposing any constraints on Israel in the ceasefire agreement text, in order to pressure Hamas.
Though the talks have stalled, the parties involved made relatively positive statements on Wednesday.
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said that Hamas has shown great flexibility in the talks and is actively cooperating with the mediators.
He mentioned that Hamas has agreed to release 10 Israeli detainees during the proposed truce, hoping to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip while ensuring the smooth entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Wednesday that Israel would be willing to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza if a temporary truce with Hamas is reached.
According to a statement from Sa'ar's office, the minister made the remarks during a joint press conference with Slovakia's Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia.
"Israel is serious in its bid to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza," the minister said.
Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha achieve no breakthrough yet
