A step closer to the Israel-Iran conflict seems to be as of today Wednesday, as the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas made it clear that will not participate in the new round of talks for a ceasefire in Gaza. Thus expectations of a negotiated truce are significantly reduced, with Iranian sources pointing out that only such a development could prevent an Iranian attack on Israel.

The US has said it expects indirect talks to go ahead as planned in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday and that a ceasefire agreement is still possible. But US news website Axios reported that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had postponed a trip to the Middle East that was expected to start on Tuesday.

Three high-ranking Iranian officials explained that only a ceasefire agreement would hold Iran back from a direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya on its soil last month.

The Israeli government has said it will send a delegation to tomorrow’s talks, but Hamas, which controls Gaza, has demanded a feasible plan to implement a proposal it has already accepted in lieu of more talks.

“Hamas is committed to the proposal presented to it on July 2, which is based on the UN Security Council resolution and Biden’s speech, and the movement is ready to immediately begin discussions on a mechanism to implement it,” he told Reuters. senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zohri.

“Going into a new negotiation allows the occupying power to impose new terms and use the negotiation maze to commit more massacres,” he added.

A ceasefire deal would have aimed to end fighting in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages held in the enclave in exchange for the release of many Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, but the two sides remain divided over what comes next. and for other matters.

Hamas wants a deal to end the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as a key condition for the release of the hostages, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will agree to a ceasefire only to allow the return of as many as possible. number of hostages is possible. He has repeatedly said the war can only end with the elimination of Hamas.

Seeking to prevent a separate escalation between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel following the assassination of Hezbollah’s last senior commander in the southern suburbs of Beirut last month, Amos Hockstein, a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, arrived today in Beirut.

The American official stated that he believes that an all-out Israel-Hezbollah war can be avoidedbut Israel and Hamas must move toward a Gaza peace agreement without further delay.

Hezbollah launched cross-border attacks in Israel shortly after Israel launched its military offensive on Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7 in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage and taken to Gaza. , according to Israeli accounts, in the most powerful blow against Israel in its history.

Israeli fire, initially confined to the Lebanese border area, is now targeting senior Hezbollah, Hamas and others further north.

“We continue to believe that a diplomatic solution can be reached because we continue to believe that nobody really wants a full-scale war between Lebanon and Israel,” Hockstein said after talks with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a strong ally. of Hezbollah.

Hockstein said he had discussed with Berry the framework agreement on the table for a cease-fire in Gaza, adding that the agreement would also help to achieve a diplomatic solution in Lebanon that would prevent the outbreak of a wider war.

“(Berry) and I agreed that there is no more time to waste and (that) there are no longer valid excuses on either side for any further delay,” he told a news conference.
Hockstein is also expected to meet with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib.

Earlier today, Mikati said talks with Arab and Western leaders have intensified due to the seriousness of the situation in Lebanon and the region.

“We have before us uncertain opportunities for diplomacy which now moves to prevent war and stop Israeli aggression,” Mikati said in a speech before today’s cabinet meeting.

When asked by a reporter whether Israel and Hezbollah can avoid war, Hockstein said: “I hope so. I believe so.”