Description: US Special envoy to the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, has announced that his delegation is withdrawing from the ceasefire negotiations on the Israel – Hamas war in Gaza. Witkoff directly accused Hamas of dragging the negotiations and not showing real and constructive willingness to end the war. The Israeli delegation has also withdrawn its negotiators from Doha in what was perceived as a coordinated move by Israel and the US to persuade Hamas into agreeing towards the initially proposed conditions outlined in the US 60 – day ceasefire proposal. Hamas has stated that its negotiators were extremely surprised by the US and Israeli reaction considering that negotiations were moving in a productive way towards reaching a potential agreement. Hamas also stated that their delegation delivered the response to the latest ceasefire proposal which outlined amendments in several disputable points, such as the positioning of the Israeli military during and after the ceasefire, guarantees of consistent aid distribution in Gaza and guarantees of further negotiations for terminating the war.
Impact: The US and Israel’s withdrawal from the ceasefire negotiations aside from being speculatively discussed as a negotiation strategy, undermines the entire peace process and hampers any future endeavors of ending the war in Gaza. The enclave is facing dehumanizing conditions on the ground as an estimated population of 100 thousand people is facing severe famine, and its being indiscriminately targeted by Israel’s weaponization of humanitarian aid, facilitated by the closure of borders and humanitarian corridors from neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan and the consistent military interventions by Israel’s military. Without the implementation of the amendments presented in Hamas’ response, the organization would refuse to accept the initially proposed ceasefire agreement. Israel and the US in spite of enhanced international pressure are enforcing demands which wouldn’t in any case guarantee the end of the war. The ceasefire initiative has effectively collapsed, and no significant breakthroughs are currently expected. The international response, aside from public criticism, has been meager as no concrete steps have been pursued to exact effective pressure on the warring sides and preserve the civilian population in the enclave.