Hamas: Mediators Have Not Provided Any New Information on Ceasefire Negotiations

The militant group Hamas announced on Thursday, July 21, in a statement that mediators have not provided any new information regarding ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. This group, supported by the Islamic Republic, accused the Israeli government of what it termed 'evading to buy time and prevent progress in the current talks.' Last week, Hamas had stated that it accepted a significant part of the U.S. plan aimed at ending the nine-month war in Gaza and had dropped its demand that Israel commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing an agreement. Hamas's latest claim comes as the Israeli Prime Minister's Office account on the social media platform 'X' announced on Thursday that the Israeli negotiating team returned from a quadrilateral meeting with mediators in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Wednesday night, July 20. According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the agreement's clauses regarding the return of hostages were discussed alongside guarantees for achieving all war objectives. Benjamin Netanyahu also met with the negotiating team on Thursday morning, and a delegation led by the head of Israel's Security Agency (Shin Bet) and representatives of the Israeli army set off for Cairo in the afternoon to continue negotiations. The Israeli Prime Minister had previously stated that any ceasefire agreement in Gaza must allow for the resumption of hostilities until the military objectives declared by his country are achieved. He also noted that the terms of agreement welcomed by Joe Biden, the President of the United States, would allow the Israeli army to return hostages taken by Hamas without abandoning other military goals. Netanyahu emphasized that this plan must prevent the smuggling of weapons across the Egypt-Gaza border by Hamas and also stop the return of thousands of militants to northern Gaza. During the terrorist attack on October 7 last year, more than 1,200 people, including women, children, and the elderly, were massacred by Hamas, and over 250 others were taken hostage. Nine months after this terrorist attack, 109 hostages have been freed from Hamas captivity, and according to Israeli estimates, 116 other hostages are still in Gaza, of which 42 are likely to have lost their lives. Meanwhile, seven hostages have been rescued by the Israeli army, and the bodies of 19 other hostages have been identified and returned to Israel. Additionally, Hamas still holds two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015. The bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in the summer of 2014 are also in Hamas's possession. The Hamas group is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, Japan, and several other countries. Kirby: The U.S. is 'cautiously optimistic' about the Gaza ceasefire talks. An American official: The United States resumes sending heavy bombs to Israel. Nasrallah: If the ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel succeed, we will stop our operations. The temporary U.S. dock in Gaza will be permanently removed after the transfer of accumulated aid. Dialogue between the CIA chief and the President of Egypt; Gaza ceasefire negotiations will resume on 'Wednesday.' Israeli military operations intensified alongside diplomatic efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.