Politics Mediators forcefully demand agreement from Israel and Hamas

The mediators in the difficult negotiations over a ceasefire in the Gaza war have used strong words to urge Israel and the Islamist Hamas to reach an agreement.

Both sides have been urged to resume talks on August 15 in Doha or Cairo "to close all remaining gaps and begin implementing the agreement without further delay," according to a joint statement signed by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden.

It comes at a critical time as Iran and its allies such as Hamas have announced retaliatory strikes against Israel over the killing of two senior leaders of Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. There are concerns that the Gaza war is spreading into a conflagration. It is time to bring "immediate relief to the suffering population in Gaza as well as to the hostages and their families", the statement said.

The mediation teams had "worked tirelessly over many months to forge a framework agreement that is now on the table, with only the details of implementation remaining to be clarified", the statement continued. "There is no more time to lose and no excuses for further delays."

It is time to release the hostages, start the ceasefire and implement this agreement. They are ready to present a final bridging proposal, if necessary, to resolve the remaining implementation issues "in a way that meets the expectations of all parties", the statement said.

SDA