Hamas won’t attend Doha talks unless discussing implementation: Hamdan

On Wednesday, Hamas announced that it would not participate in the upcoming round of Gaza ceasefire talks scheduled for Thursday in Qatar, stating that a proposal already exists on the table, and all it requires is implementation.

An official familiar with the discussions mentioned that mediators still plan to consult with the Palestinian Resistance movement afterward, Reuters reported.

Hamas said earlier this week that it had already accepted in June the ceasefire proposal put forward by US President Joe Biden, whose national security advisor later revealed that it was in fact an Israeli proposal. The group said it would only attend the talks if the discussions were regarding the implementation process.

Washington considered that a ceasefire agreement remains possible, and warned that swift progress is necessary to prevent the war from escalating further.

Meanwhile, Axios reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has delayed his trip to the Middle East, which was initially expected to start on Tuesday.

Reuters claimed that three Iranian officials said that Iran’s direct retaliation against “Israel” for assassinating Hamas’ politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran can only be held back if a ceasefire in Gaza is reached.