Mediators call on all parties to implement Gaza cease-fire deal without further delay

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators urged Israel and Hamas on Thursday to conclude a cease-fire and hostage release deal with no further delays or excuses.

A trilateral joint statement published by the Qatari Amiri Diwan said “there is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay.”

“The time has come to conclude the cease-fire and hostages and detainees release deal and implement this agreement.”

The statement noted that the mediators “have worked tirelessly over many months to forge a framework agreement that is now on the table, with only the details of its implementation left to conclude.”

“The agreement is based on the principles as outlined by (US) President (Joe) Biden on May 31, 2024 and endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2735,” it said.

Biden said on May 31 that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange and the reconstruction of Gaza.

The mediators expressed readiness “to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties.”

They also called on Israel and Hamas “to resume urgent discussions on Aug. 15 in Doha or Cairo to close all remaining gaps and commence implementation of the deal without further delay.”

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt have failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire that allows a prisoner swap between Israelis and Palestinians.

The efforts have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas's call to halt hostilities.

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 last year following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

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

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

Israel stands 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 over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.