In a critical turn in the midst of months of indirect negotiations, the United States announced on Thursday the withdrawal of its Doha negotiator team and accused the Islamic resistance movement Hamas of “lack of will” to reach a truce in Gaza.
The decision, communicated by the special envoy Steve Witkoff, arrives after the formal delivery by the Palestinian group of a new counteroffie that maintains open the way of dialogue and proposes the staggered release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
“We have decided to bring our team back from Doha for consultations after the last response of Hamas, which clearly demonstrates its lack of will to reach a high fire in Gaza,” Witkoff said through social networks.
The United States argues that Hamas “does not seem to be coordinated or act in good faith”, which is why the White House will consider “alternatives” for the liberation of Israeli hostages and the search for a “permanent peace in gaza.”
The American departure followed the previous announcement of Israel, whose prime minister, Benjamín Netanyahu, ordered the return to consultations of his own negotiating delegation from Doha “in the light of the response that Hamas gave this morning.”
Although both parties confirmed that the conversations have not collapsed, the diplomatic impulse suffers a hard setback, just when the strip enters what the UN describes as a “state of humanitarian catastrophe.”
Hamas keeps the negotiating route open
Despite the disagreement, Hamas transmitted to the mediators of Catar, Egypt and the United States a counterproposal that continues to bet on dialogue and exchange: the delivery of 10 living Israeli hostages and the remains of at least 14 deceased, in phases, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, including an increase in figures with respect to the previous scenarios.
The new proposal includes demands that seek clear guarantees, including that at the end of the 60 -day hostilities – the central component of the offer on the table – the fighting is not resumed if no definitive agreement is not achieved, and that the negotiations continue until consolidating a high permanent fire. It also raises the withdrawal of Israeli forces of much of the strip and the fluid entry of humanitarian aid.
A Palestinian source explained that the document delivered by Hamas incorporates reviewed maps for Israeli military replication, and maintains “the door open to the agreement”, although it conditions the total delivery of all living hostages at the final end of the war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me4fwniwety
Axes of the Atasco: Military presence, number of prisoners and progress guarantees
The number of prisoners to redeem is problematizing the treatment. If the proposal originally facilitated by Qatar contemplated the release of 125 sentenced to perpetual and 1,200 prisoners arrested after the attack of October 7, 2023, Hamas has raised its demands to 150 inmates with life imprisonment and up to 2,000 prisoners in total.
However, the deepest differences between the parties continue to revolve around the demand of Hamas that Israel militarily abandons the strip as an integral part of any high fire; on the presence of international actors in the distribution of aid and the extension of key figures in the exchange of prisoners.
Netanyahu has repeatedly declared that Israel will not accept the end of the war without the “total dissolution” of Hamas and has threatened to resume the offensive if the negotiation does not produce decisive advances during the 60 days of eventual truce.
The Hebrew government describes the demands as “unacceptable” and has reiterated that “efforts will continue to bring hostages and defeat Hamas.”
Hamas, on the other hand, denounces that Israel constantly adds new conditions, particularly in relation to the deployment of its forces in Gaza, and emphasizes that only a definitive cessation agreement will allow the return of all captives.
Humanitarian catastrophe is installed
While shipwrecked diplomacy, the situation on the ground is degraded at an alarming pace. International organizations and UN agencies have warned that Gaza faces a massive famine, with more than 100,000 women and children in a state of severe malnutrition and tens of thousands of civilians dead since October 2023.
The blockade and the Israeli bombings, as well as the collapse of public order, hinder the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid. Israel claims to allow enough supplies and attributes the bad situation to the management of Hamas, while help groups insist that there are restrictions and chaos in each step of the process.
Meanwhile, international pressure grows. Governments such as that of the United Kingdom describe the suffering in Gaza as “indescribable and indefensible” and call Tel Aviv to allow urgent access to food and medicines.
In parallel, more than a hundred non -governmental organizations have elevated to public opinion an open letter warning the severity of the crisis.
The figure of Palestinians dead in the war that began a year and nine months ago amounts to more than 59 220 and the injured exceed 143,000.
After a truce between January and March, Israel stopped supplying electricity to the desalination plant in Gaza and closed access to the entrance of humanitarian aid trucks to the enclave.
According to the Gazatí Ministry of Health, at least 113 people have died from malnutrition since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on October 7, 2023.
Although Israel partially reopened the crosses at the end of May, the help flow remains very limited and its distribution within Gaza remains under high risk.
While, more than a thousand gazatis have died from gunfire of the Israeli army near cast points or distribution routes, according to medical sources of the enclave.
Paris for a Palestinian state
France will recognize the Palestinian State during the UN General Assembly held in September in New York, French president Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday, which stressed the need for fair and lasting peace in the Middle East.
“Faithful to the historical commitment with a fair and lasting peace in the Middle East, I decided that France will recognize the state of Palestine. I will announce it solemnly during the UN General Assembly next September,” Macron wrote in X and Instagram.
France and Saudi Arabia are going to co -face an international summit at the level of heads of state and government with the aim of relaunching the so -called “two states” solution, one Palestinian and another Israeli, sent an office of the French press agency AFP
