&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Terms have been agreed to, but...’: Rubio says Gaza ceasefire ‘closer’ than before")
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday (Jul 10) said that negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza were “closer” than they had been, adding that he was “hopeful” about an agreement. Rubio made the remarks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathering in Malaysia. This comes as talks between Israel and Hamas enter their fifth day in Qatar. The current negotiations, which began on Sunday (Jul 6), are taking place after 21 months of fighting and failed attempts to reach a breakthrough in the previous rounds of talks.
“We’re hopeful... It appears that generally the terms have been agreed to, but obviously now you need to have talks about how you implement those terms,” Rubio said. “I think perhaps we’re closer than we’ve been in quite a while, and we’re hopeful, but we also recognise there are still some challenges in the way.”
Rubio also acknowledged that the previous round of talks to reach a ceasefire in Gaza had failed at similar stages. “One of the fundamental challenges is Hamas’ unwillingness to disarm, which would end this conflict immediately,” he said, adding that “the Israelis have shown some flexibility”.
On Thursday, the recent indirect negotiations, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, entered a fifth day in Doha. “Hamas and Israel remain in Qatar,” an official told AFP, adding that mediators were “shuttling between the two sides to exchange ideas with the aim of closing the remaining gaps and maintaining momentum towards a deal.”
The talks coincide with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US. The official confirmed that a meeting between Israeli, US and Qatari representatives took place in Washington on Tuesday, adding that the discussions were “aimed to progress the negotiations and support the ongoing talks in Doha.”
Despite a week-long truce in November 2023, a two-month halt that started in January this year, along with several rounds of talks held in Doha and Cairo, the hostilities between Israel and Hamas have failed to end.
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