Washington: The U.S. is optimistic about advancing Gaza peace talks as scheduled, according to the State Department on Monday. Despite Hamas’ skepticism about attending a Thursday meeting proposed by mediators, the department believes a ceasefire agreement is still attainable.
On Sunday, Hamas requested that mediators base their proposal on previous negotiations rather than initiating new talks for a Gaza ceasefire.
Last week, leaders from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar urged Israel and Hamas to convene on August 15 in either Cairo or Doha to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel assured reporters that the U.S. expects the negotiations to proceed and will continue to collaborate with all parties involved. He emphasized that reaching an agreement remains possible.
“We fully expect the talks to move forward as planned. All negotiators should return to the table and finalize this deal,” Patel stated.
He did not specify whether the talks would proceed without Hamas or if the U.S. is working with regional partners to ensure their participation.
President Joe Biden outlined a three-phase ceasefire proposal in a speech on May 31. Since then, Washington and regional mediators have been attempting to broker a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal but have faced persistent challenges.
The conflict escalated when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports. Since then, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive on Gaza, according to the health ministry.
