Iran is expected to postpone its planned retaliation against Israel for the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran to give mediators time to make a significant breakthrough in the negotiations on a ceasefire and end the war in Gaza, UNN reports citing The New York Times.
On Friday, senior officials from the United States, Israel, Egypt and Qatar met in Doha for the second day of talks in an effort to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas. After the talks, a joint statement was issued by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, which stated that a "compromise proposal" was presented to both sides. Senior officials from these countries are expected to meet in Cairo by the end of next week.
For more than two weeks now, the region has been anxiously awaiting Iran's possible response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas's political wing, and Fouad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander. Iran and Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate, raising concerns about the possibility of a broader conflict in the region.
After the first day of talks on Thursday, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Qani, urging Iran to refrain from any escalation given the Doha talks, according to Iranian officials and three other sources familiar with the conversation.
By Friday, Israeli intelligence reported that Hezbollah and Iran had lowered the combat readiness of their missile units, and Israeli officials believe that Iran's response, which has been postponed several times, may come later. However, they caution that the situation remains fluid and intelligence is constantly changing.
On Friday, the Qatari Prime Minister spoke again with his Iranian counterpart, emphasizing the need for "calm and de-escalation in the region," according to a statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
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The threat of a broader conflict in the region could deepen the destruction caused by Israel's offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed large swaths of land. Israel launched the war after a large-scale Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250 into Gaza.
For several months now, Israel and Hamas have been negotiating a three-phase ceasefire agreement that includes the gradual release of the remaining 115 hostages, alive and dead, held in Gaza. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel will withdraw its troops from Gaza, and the two sides will eventually reach a permanent truce.
However, several key issues remain at odds between Israel and Hamas. Hamas refused to participate in the latest round of negotiations, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of delaying the process. However, Hamas representatives expressed their readiness to return to the talks if significant progress is made at the summit.
In recent weeks, Netanyahu has tightened Israel's demands for an agreement, including calling for Israeli troops to remain on the border with Egypt to prevent Hamas from rearming.
In recent days, Western diplomats have repeatedly visited the region in an attempt to prevent the expected escalation between Israel and Iran.
On Friday, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and France arrived in Israel to discuss ceasefire talks and prevent a possible full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatti, who met with Lebanese officials in Beirut, said that a ceasefire in Gaza is "key to stopping escalation" in the region.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also announced that he will be making his ninth visit to the region since the war in Gaza began more than 10 months ago. The Israeli Prime Minister's office said that Blinken will meet with Netanyahu on Monday.
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Hamas will not participate in Gaza talks due to US approval of $20 billion in arms sales to Israel. Biden hopes for a ceasefire agreement that will deter Iran from attacking Israel.