Mediators hold new Gaza ceasefire talks and hope to head off a wider war

The US, Qatar and Egypt met with an Israeli delegation in Qatar as the Palestinian death toll from the 10-month-old war climbed past 40,000

Three-month-old baby Rim is the sole survivor after an Israeli military attack on the home of the Abu Hiyye family in Khan Yunis, Gaza on August 15, 2024. Picture: Mahmoud Bassam/Anadolu via Getty Images

International mediators are holding a new round of talks aimed at halting the Israel-Hamas war and securing the release of scores of hostages, with a potential deal seen as the best hope of heading off an even larger regional conflict.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt met with an Israeli delegation in Qatar as the Palestinian death toll from the 10-month-old war climbed past 40,000, according to Gaza health authorities.

Hamas, which did not participate directly, accuses Israel of adding new demands to a previous proposal that had US and international support and to which Hamas had agreed in principle.

Workers carry a body to a cemetery in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby called the talks an important step and said they are expected to run into Friday.

He said a lot of work remains given the complexity of the agreement.

A ceasefire in Gaza would likely calm tensions across the region. Diplomats hope it would persuade Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to hold off on retaliating for the killing of a top Hezbollah commander in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut and of Hamas’ top political leader in an explosion in Tehran.

The mediators have spent months trying to hammer out a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release scores of hostages captured in the October 7 attack that triggered the war in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza hold photos of their loved ones (Ariel Schalit/AP)

Both sides have agreed in principle to the plan, which US President Joe Biden announced on May 31.

But Hamas has proposed “amendments” and Israel has suggested “clarifications”, leading each side to accuse the other of making new demands it cannot accept.

'Grim milestone'

The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk has said that today marks “a grim milestone” with the news that the death toll from Gaza has surpassed 40,000.

His statement said: “This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war.

“On average, about 130 people have been killed every day in Gaza over the past 10 months. The scale of the Israeli military’s destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship is deeply shocking.

“International humanitarian law (IHL) is very clear on the paramount importance on the protection of civilians, and civilian property and infrastructure. Our Office has documented serious violations of IHL by both the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups, including the armed wing of Hamas.

“As the world reflects on and considers its inability to prevent this carnage, I urge all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, lay down their arms and stop the killing once and for all. The hostages must be released. Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be freed. Israel’s illegal occupation must end and the internationally agreed two-State solution must become a reality.”