British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday welcomed the call by Qatar, Egypt and US for an immediate resumption of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
“The UK welcomes the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States, and fully endorses their joint statement calling for the immediate resumption of ceasefire negotiations and a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas,” Lammy said in a statement.
“This government has prioritized working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages, in coordination with international partners, since day one,” he added.
“We agree with our partners: there can be no more delays, the fighting must stop now, and all hostages still cruelly detained by Hamas must be released. We also need to see the urgent delivery of unfettered aid into Gaza,” said Lammy.
“A deal is on the table, and it is in the long-term interests of the Israelis, Palestinians and all relevant parties to agree to it urgently and bring this devastating conflict to an end,” the British Foreign Secretary continued.
On the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Lammy warned against an escalation and added, “UN Security Council Resolution 1701 must be implemented in full.”
The United Arab Emirates also urged Israel Hamas to accept the invitation from Qatar, Egypt and the US to resume Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
Kuwait's Foreign Ministry mirrored similar sentiments, saying in a statement, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait's appreciation for what was expressed in the contents of the joint statement issued by His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Excellency the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and His Excellency the President of the United States of America, regarding the necessity of putting an end to the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
"While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms the position of the State of Kuwait in support of all efforts made within the framework of reaching agreements that would stop the aggression on the Gaza Strip, it renews the State of Kuwait's appreciation for the ongoing efforts made by the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the United States of America to reduce escalation and achieve security and stability in the region," it added.
Thursday’s statement by the US, Qatar and Egypt urged Israel and Hamas to hold a summit next week in Cairo or Doha, to bridge all remaining gaps in the proposed hostage release and ceasefire agreement and start implementing it without any delay.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in response, “Pursuant to the proposal by the US and the mediators, Israel will – on 15 August – send the negotiations team to a place to be determined in order to finalize the details of the implementation of the framework agreement.”
The US has been pushing a three-phase proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal which President Joe Biden outlined in late May.
Biden recently indicated that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the outline and reiterated his determination to implement the proposal, even though Hamas rejected the Biden outline shortly after he presented it.
Recently, a US official said that the negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are in their "closing stages".
On Sunday, Netanyahu commented on the negotiations for a hostage release deal, telling a Cabinet meeting, "I am willing to go a very long way for the release of all our hostages while ensuring Israel's security. Our commitment stands in stark contrast to the leaks and false briefings on the issue of releasing our hostages. These briefings harm the negotiations, and unfortunately - they also mislead the dear families of the hostages. They create a false impression as if Hamas has agreed to the deal, and the Israeli government is the one opposing it."
"The exact opposite is true - the simple truth is, that until this moment Hamas has not agreed to the most basic conditions of the outline. While we have not added any demands to the outline, Hamas is the one that demanded to introduce dozens of changes to it. It has not withdrawn its demand that Israel cannot return to war, it demands that we withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing - its lifelines, that will allow it to rearm and strengthen again. It is important to establish the principle - we are not leaving those areas," he added.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)