The end of the war between Israel and Iran has given rise to new hopes for a quick second ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
During the NATO summit on Wednesday, the sentiment was echoed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said there is “great progress” in the talks between Hamas and Israel.
“I think that because of this attack that we made,” Trump said, “I think we’re going to have some very good news… Gaza is very close.”
In recent weeks, there has been no new progress in the talks over a ceasefire in Gaza, where fighting continued even amid Israeli strikes in Iran.
Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed Al Ansari confirmed Trump’s remarks, telling CNN that Qatar, which has been the main mediator in the talks, has been in touch with “all sides.”
“This is the time now for President Trump to push for it and we believe he is sincere about it… We are willing to help on that,” Ansari said.
“There was momentum created by the ceasefire in Iran and Israel,” he said, “but we’re not out of the woods yet. There are a lot of details that I can’t discuss right now about the deal in place but I can tell you it’s the same parameters that keeps going in and out of the talks.”
However, the two direct parties to the conflict were significantly more cautious in recent statements.
Hamas sources told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that the terror group continues to reject demands for disarmament and the exile of its leadership, while demanding a guaranteed and final end to the war as part of any agreement, which Israel has rejected.
Senior Hamas official Taher Nounou told the French news agency AFP: “Our contact with the Qatari and Egyptian mediators has never stopped, and the talks have even intensified in recent hours.”
However, speaking with the Qatari Al-Arabi channel the same day, he said there was “nothing new” in the negotiations.
“The United States has the ability to stop the war, and Trump can force Netanyahu to stop it. We welcome any initiative that will lead to an end to the aggression, the withdrawal of the occupation forces, and the reconstruction of the Strip,” Nounou said.
Israeli officials have not publicly commented on the new push for a deal yet.
Speaking with Ynet News, a senior security source estimated that the “change in the regional balance after the war in Iran,” could energize the talks and lead to an eventual breakthrough.
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