Gaza mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt called on Israel and Hamas Saturday to finalise a truce and hostage release deal based on the framework set out by US President Joe Biden.
“As mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, Qatar, the United States and Egypt jointly call on both Hamas and Israel to finalise the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Joe Biden,” said a joint statement released by the Qatari foreign ministry.
The three governments have been engaged in months of talks aimed at securing a truce between Israel and Hamas.
But behind-the-scenes negotiations reached a stalemate in early May as Israel sent ground forces into Rafah.
The US president said on Friday that Israel was offering a new three-stage roadmap towards a full ceasefire, including the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
The joint statement from the three mediating countries said the principles in Biden’s speech “brought the demands of all the parties together in a deal that serves multiple interests”.
It said the framework “will bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families”.
“This deal offers a roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and ending the crisis,” it added.
The statement came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate calls with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
With AFP
