Hamas new political leader Yahya Sinwar is keen for a ceasefire deal for Gaza, according to reports, as Israeli commitment to the talks remains unclear.
Qatari and Egyptian negotiators told CNN that Sinwar is serious about talks to end the 10-month war which has cost nearly 40,000 Palestinian dead.
A conference on ending the war and releasing captives held by Hamas in Gaza and Israel will take place at the end of August, but there are questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s willingness to take the ceasefire talks seriously despite mounting domestic and international pressure to end the war.
This has seen mass protests in Israel pressuring Netanyahu to sign a deal that would secure the release of the captives held in Gaza, while the far-right oppose any agreement with Hamas.
The Israeli security establishment, which has been a key player in the negotiations, doubts Netanyahu’s seriousness in the talks.
“Nobody knows what Bibi wants,” one Israeli source told CNN.
Israel meanwhile has made a series of provocations that some say appear aimed at forcing Hamas from the negotiating table, including the assassination of the movement’s moderate political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the killing of senior Hezbollah figures, and the bombing of a school in Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 93 civilians.
Hamas, meanwhile has said it remains committed to the truce conference and ending the war on Gaza.
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“Out of concern and responsibility towards our people and their interests, the movement demands the mediators to present a plan to implement what they presented to the movement and agreed upon on July 2, 2024, based on Biden’s vision and the UN Security Council resolution, and to compel the occupation to do so, instead of going for further negotiation rounds or new proposals,” a Hamas statement read.
US President Joe Biden believes a ceasefire deal can happen before his term in office ends in January, and will likely apply pressure on Israel to end the war.
“Yes, it’s still possible… the plan I put together, endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the UN Security Council, etc., is still viable,” he told CBS.
“And I’m working, literally, every single day – and my whole team – to see to it that it doesn’t escalate into a regional war. But it easily can,” he added.
Sinwar took over the position of Hamas’s political head last week, following Haniyeh’s assassination, and appears keen to show the world that he remains committed to the former leader’s policy of pursuing a peace deal with Israel.
He has not been seen since 7 October and has become Israel’s enemy number 1, directly blamed for the assault in southern Israel which killed around 1,200 people.
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