Hamas’s participation in ceasefire talks still unclear

15-08-2024

It is still unclear at this hour whether Hamas is going to be represented in the ceasefire Talks due to start later today and in what fashion.

What we know so far is that there is going to be a US delegation led by Bill Burns, the CIA chief, and Brett McGurk, the US envoy to the Middle East.

The Israeli delegation has landed in Doha, led by the head of the Mossad, David Barnea. There’s also going to be Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief.

Hamas has said it’s not interested in entering new negotiations, but wants to get a final response from Israel to a framework deal announced by US President Joe Biden and agreed to by Hamas in early July.

This is a time of lowered expectations and it’s not clear what can be achieved. The mediators – the US, Qatar and Egypt – have worked to get Israel and Hamas back in the talks at this time of heightened tensions. It’s going to be crucial to see what happens in the hours ahead.