UK, France set to join Middle East peace efforts

Britain and France are preparing to send their foreign ministers to the Middle East to explore solutions for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly concerning the Gaza Strip. 

The British Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the specific plans for the visit while the French foreign minister is still working out the details of the trip, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

In addition to European diplomatic efforts, the White House has called on all parties involved in the Gaza conflict to participate in negotiations currently underway in Doha. National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby emphasized the necessity of negotiations to achieve a ceasefire and work towards ending the conflict, stating, “We call for all parties to the conflict to sit down at the negotiating table, to agree on all the details of this deal, to conclude it to achieve a ceasefire and to work towards ending this conflict. That would be the best outcome for the people of Gaza.”

Kirby reported that the talks, which include U.S. officials, have begun “promisingly,” but he cautioned that there is still considerable work to be done. He stated that while progress has been made, the complexity of reaching a comprehensive agreement means that a resolution is not expected to be finalized immediately. “There is still a lot of work to be done. Given the complexity of reaching an agreement, we do not expect the talks to conclude today with a deal,” Kirby noted.

Kirby elaborated on the structure of the Doha talks, comparing them to past negotiations. He explained that mediators will discuss potential terms for a Gaza truce and then reach out to Hamas for a final response. “In the past, work similar to what is taking place in Doha today has been carried out. The mediators will discuss the issues, work out ideas and then they will contact Hamas. After that, Hamas leaders in Doha will contact directly the head of the Hamas politburo, Yahya Sinwar, for a final response,” he said.

On the ground, U.S. officials believe that Israel has achieved the maximum military objectives possible in the Gaza Strip. They argue that continued Israeli strikes are likely to increase civilian casualties and have diminishing returns in weakening Hamas. According to a US media outlet, "the Israeli military has inflicted significant damage on Hamas, but it will never be able to completely destroy the group.” The publication also noted that the ongoing Israeli military operation has caused more damage to Hamas than U.S. officials had initially predicted when the conflict began last October.