CAIRO: Leaders of Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. on Thursday invited Israel and Hamas to resume Gaza ceasefire talks on Aug 15 to close all remaining gaps in a proposed agreement and start implementing it without further delay.
The three countries, which have continued to mediate between both sides to end the war in Gaza, said in a joint statement that the talks could take place in either Doha or Cairo.
“A framework agreement is now on the table with only the details of implementation left to conclude,“ they said, adding that they are “prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties.”
There was no immediate comment from either Israeli officials or Hamas.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
At least 39,699 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
Hamas wants a ceasefire agreement to end the war, while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the conflict will stop only once Hamas is defeated.
