The U.S. intended to send a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to a vote of the U.N. Security Council, thereby increasing pressure on its partner. Meanwhile, Israel’s senior spy was scheduled to travel to Qatar on Friday for peace negotiations.
On Thursday in Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated his belief in the potential success of negotiations. Facilitated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, these discussions could lead to a truce agreement between Israel and the militant Palestinian organization Hamas.
The focus of negotiations in Qatar was a six-week truce. This truce would allow the release of forty Israeli captives in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. This would allow more supplies to reach an enclave where hunger is imminent due to severe food shortages.
“Negotiators continue to work. The gaps are narrowing, and we’re continuing to push for an agreement in Doha. There’s still difficult work to get there. But I continue to believe it’s possible,” Blinken said.
The key point of contention has been that Israel claims it will only negotiate a short pause. Meanwhile, Hamas claims it will free hostages only as part of an agreement to stop the war.
My knowledge cut-off date is January 2022. At that time, Hamas was designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, Israel, and the European Union. The person stated that Israel “continues to stall because it doesn’t want to commit to ending the war on Gaza.”
Israel’s chief spy, David Barnea, will meet with mediators in Qatar on Friday, as stated by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel, meanwhile, declared that it anticipated to keep up its attacks on Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital for a few more days. According to the locals, on Thursday, gunfire, tanks, and fires targeted the sole partially operational medical center in the northern portion of the enclave. This institution was the target. It has been under attack for the past four days.
Israel claims that militants from Hamas are camped out in the medical complex; Hamas disputes this claim. In the past several days, Israel says it has killed 150 fighters and captured 358 militants in and near the hospital.
U.S. EXERTS MORE PRESSURE ON ISRAEL
Washington, which has historically supported Israel in the U.N., has gradually increased the pressure on its enduring ally. Furthermore, the draft resolution approved by the U.N. Security Council represented a further hardening.
As international condemnation of the five-month-old conflict has grown, the change has come. The deaths of Palestinian civilians have increased, along with domestic political resistance to U.S. President Joe Biden’s position. Additionally, there is the looming possibility of a man-made famine in Gaza.
According to a U.N. text obtained by Reuters, an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” would protect people and enable the delivery of humanitarian aid. This ceasefire lasted for around six weeks.
The United States opposed proposals that called for an early ceasefire earlier in the war because it disliked the name ceasefire.
The new resolution expresses support for the Qatari negotiations. Additionally, it advocates for the release of Israeli captives and the liberation of Palestinians held in Israeli detention facilities. A request for comment was not immediately answered by the Israeli embassy in Washington.
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