Blinken meets Qatari FM: ceasefire still possible
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Blinken states that there is a possibility of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza which will in turn pave the way for the delivery of more humanitarian aid.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani shake hands after their joint press conference at Diwan Annex, in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 (AP)
The Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, stressed that the current situation is "unprecedented" adding that chaos has taken over Gaza, Syria, and the Red Sea.
In a Washington meeting with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, the minister stated that Doha urges the release of all detainees in Gaza and the delivery of aid to its population.
From his end, Blinken stated that there is a possibility of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza which will in turn pave the way for the delivery of more humanitarian aid emphasizing that the current situation in Gaza is "unacceptable."
Resistance will not compromise any of its non-negotiables: Hamas official
The Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ahmad Abdel Hadi, affirmed on Tuesday that the suggestions put forward by Hamas in negotiations stem from two non-negotiables: stopping the aggression on Gaza, and effectuating the Resistance's conditions.
Abdel Hadi told Al Mayadeen that the Cairo negotiations were an extension of negotiations that took place in Doha a few days prior and discussions regarding what had been suggested during the Paris 2 talks. Hamas acknowledged that there are significant differences between the suggestions proposed and the conditions Hamas demanded, he added.
He proceeded to say that Hamas went to Cairo to allegorize its primary demands but highlighted its positive attitude and flexibility, adding that it would not compromise or dismiss any of them.
Regarding Hamas' non-negotiables, he clarified the first must be the end of the aggression on Gaza, the ethnic cleansing and massacring of Palestinians, and the starvation war imposed by "Israel". Second, the necessity of including Hamas' primary demands and conditions in any deal.
Abdel Hadi also updated Al Mayadeen on the path of negotiations, saying they were proceeding within the same climate but were simultaneously seeing obstacles imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also disengaging in the Paris 2 talks.
