“P“We urge both sides to resume urgent discussions on Thursday, 15 August, in Doha or Cairo, to bridge all remaining gaps and begin implementation of the agreement without further delay,” the three mediators stressed in a joint statement.
The statement, signed by US President Joe Biden, his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al Sissi and the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, stressed that “it is time to provide immediate relief to both the suffering people of Gaza and the suffering hostages and their families.”
“The time has come to conclude the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages and detainees,” it reads.
The three countries stressed that “there is no longer any time to waste nor any excuses on the part of either party to continue delaying the process.”
The mediators also assured that they are prepared to “present a final proposal that resolves the remaining implementation problems in a way that meets the expectations of all parties”, without detailing any points.
In the text, the three mediators stated that they had worked “tirelessly for many months to forge a framework agreement that is now on the table”.
“Only the details of its implementation remain to be finalized. This agreement is based on the principles outlined by the President, [Joe] Biden, on May 31, 2024 and supported by UN Security Council Resolution 2735,” they further reiterated.
In response to the statement, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that an Israeli delegation will travel next Thursday to meet with mediators, with the aim of reaching an agreement on the final details of the ceasefire agreement.
The proposal presented in May defined a first phase that would consist of six weeks of complete ceasefire, Israeli troops would be withdrawn from all populated areas of the Gaza Strip and the release of several hostages, including women, elderly people and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
During these six weeks, Israel and Hamas were supposed to negotiate the details of the second phase, which would involve “a permanent cessation of hostilities,” the release of the remaining hostages, including soldiers, and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the enclave.
The third and final phase would include a “major reconstruction plan” for the Palestinian enclave and the return of the bodies of the murdered hostages.
The three mediators are issuing this ultimatum at a time when negotiations are at a standstill and tensions are at their highest in the Middle East, with tensions rising over a possible attack by Iran against Israel, which is blamed for the assassination of the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran in the last week of July.
Read Also: US says Israel-Hamas ceasefire ‘closer than ever’
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2612649/cessar-fogo-mediadores-pressionam-israel-e-hamas-reuniao-a-15-de-agosto
