White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on Friday that Washington is continuing its talks with Qatar, Egypt and Israel to reach a text for a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip that can be approved by all parties.
Kirby announced that all parties have been working throughout this week to find a way forward on a ceasefire agreement.
This comes as the meeting of the Contact Group formed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Madrid called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a mutual release of prisoners.
Turkish security sources also revealed that the head of Turkish intelligence, Ibrahim Kalin, discussed today in Ankara with officials from the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) the latest developments in the ceasefire negotiations.
The sources explained that the meeting discussed issues such as the final stage of the negotiations and the issue of prisoner exchange.
According to the sources, the two sides discussed during the meeting the concrete steps that could be taken to ensure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
It was also emphasized that Hamas’s “constructive and positive” position during the negotiations was confirmed, and that Israel’s imposition of new conditions on the text of the proposal, which is supported and accepted by the UN Security Council resolutions, increases the difficulty of reaching a ceasefire.
It is noteworthy that the rounds of indirect negotiations between Tel Aviv and Hamas have been faltering for about 10 months, due to the insistence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue the war on the Strip, and his adherence to the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes in the south and center of the Strip, while Hamas demands a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the return of the displaced without restrictions.
Despite Israeli obstacles, Egypt’s mediation continues alongside Qatar and the United States to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and conclude a prisoner exchange between the two parties.
