The United States decided to withdraw their negotiating team from Dauha, Qatar, where they acted as intermediaries of negotiations on the ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas Palestinian militant movement, said the US President Steve Witkoff on Thursday. According to him, the US decision led that Hamas does not act in good faith and his attitude testifies to the lack of efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. According to AP and AFP reports, TASR reports this.
The draft agreement, which was discussed in the past few weeks, counted on the conclusion of a 60-day ceasefire, during which Hamas would gradually release ten living hostages and hand over Israel to the remains of 18 other in exchange for the Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. In addition, according to the proposal, the supply of humanitarian aid would be intensified to the Gaza Strip and both parties would continue to negotiate a permanent end of the war.
Disagreements in negotiations
Hamas confirmed on Wednesday evening that he gave his reply to the intermediaries, but did not disclose its content. In response, Israel first stated that the response of the movement can be worked, but on Thursday afternoon – a few hours before the US – he announced that he was withdrawing his negotiators from Doha.
“We decided to take our team back home for consultations after the latest Hamas response, which clearly shows a lack of willingness to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. We will now consider alternative ways to get hostages home,” Witkoff said on X.
Depth dispute over the conditions
According to AP, negotiations in Doha have been stuck on contradictory requirements. Hamas claims that he will only release all hostages in exchange for the complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the end of the war. On the contrary, Israel said he disagrees with the end of the war unless Hamas does not pass power and does not armor himself. This condition is rejected by a militant movement. Both sides blame each other for unwillingness to retreat from their requirements.
The United States, together with Egypt and Katar, act as intermediaries of interviews between Israel and Hamas, are, according to Witkoff, decisively determined to reach the end of the conflict in the Gaza Strip. “It is a pity that Hamas did this selfish,” he wrote. He added that Hamas looked uncoordinated in Doha and did not act in good faith.
