Hamas resumes indirect negotiations with Israel in Doha
A new round of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at ending the war in Gaza began on Saturday in Doha "without any preconditions," according to a senior Hamas official.
The negotiations follow a sharp escalation of Israeli attacks on Gaza that have killed over 150 people in the past 24 hours. On Friday, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the attacks as "tantamount to ethnic cleansing."
"This round of negotiations began without any preconditions from either side, and the negotiations are open to discussing all issues," said Hamas official Taher al-Nunu on Saturday. He added that Hamas would present its viewpoint on all issues, especially ending the war, Israel's withdrawal, and a prisoner exchange.
150 killed in 24 hours
Earlier this week, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was sending a delegation to Doha for new negotiations. On Saturday, Israeli Defense minister Israel Katz claimed that the intensification of Israel's military campaign had pushed Hamas back to the negotiating table.
In the past 24 hours, more than 150 people have been killed during the new large-scale Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory's ministry of Health said on Saturday. Since the start of the war in October 2023, more than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the ministry.
'Ethnic cleansing'
On Friday, UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk condemned the sharp escalation of attacks in Gaza this week, including Israeli strikes on hospitals. Türk described the situation as "compounding the already desperate humanitarian situation amid signs of even worse to come."
“This latest barrage of bombs, forcing people to move amid the threat of intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighborhoods, and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is in defiance of international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing,” he said.
Palestinians crowd around a charity kitchen handing out food in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, 17 May 2025 © PHOTO BASHAR TALEB / AFP
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