Kuwait, Oman welcome US-Egypt-Qatar call for cease-fire in Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

Kuwait and Oman on Friday welcomed a cease-fire initiative put forward by Egypt, Qatar and the US concerning the onslaught in the Gaza Strip, according to separate statements.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry voiced support to all efforts made within the framework of reaching agreements that would stop aggression on Gaza.

The Omani Foreign Ministry also welcomed a statement by Qatar, Egypt and the US that urged a resumption and finalizing a cease-fire.

It reiterated the sultanate's call on all parties to resume urgent negotiations, referred to in the trilateral statement, "with the aim of achieving the desired results and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people."

On Thursday, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US urged Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas, to resume talks in Doha or Cairo next week.

For months, Egypt, Qatar and the US have been leading indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but no agreement has been reached because of Israel’s refusal to meet the demands of Hamas to end the assault, withdraw troops from Gaza and allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.

The region is currently on edge, with fears of escalating conflict, especially following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in Beirut last week and Israel’s anticipation of a possible Iranian response following the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,700 injured, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar