US expresses 'cautious optimism' about Gaza cease-fire talks in Doha

​​​​​​​By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The State Department expressed "cautious optimism" Tuesday about negotiations in Doha to secure a cease-fire and prisoner swap deal in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.

"I think cautious optimism is a fair way to characterize it, though very much tempered by the realism of the past several months, where we have been close before," spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. "You have heard us describe this as being inside the 10-yard line."

Miller noted that while progress has been made, the final stages remain the most challenging. "The last 10 yards are the most difficult because, for various reasons, the two parties have not agreed to a final deal," he added.

The US, according to Miller, continues to engage with mediators who are facilitating the talks.

"Based on the remaining issues, we should be able to get to an agreement, we should be able to bridge the disagreements between the two parties. But that is not to say that we will," he said.

Miller made note of previous instances when the parties appeared close to a resolution but failed to finalize an agreement. "There have been times before, where we were close and we thought the differences were bridgeable, and ultimately we didn't get a deal," he said. "All the United States can do is push and try to come up with compromises, but we cannot dictate to either side what choice they make. They have to make decisions for themselves.”

Israel, which according to prisoners’ groups has more than 10,000 Palestinians in its prisons, estimates that there are around 100 Israeli captives in Gaza. Hamas has said that 33 captives had been killed in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt and Qatar to reach a cease-fire have so far failed due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

Israel has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 45,000 victims, most of them women and children, since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

​​​​​​​Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.