Three countries initiated urgent negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

The leaders of the USA, Egypt, and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas leadership to meet for talks on August 15 to reach a ceasefire agreement and free hostages in the Gaza Strip.

According to Reuters, the heads of the three countries, who were trying to mediate the agreement, stated in a joint statement that the talks could take place either in Doha (Qatar) or in Cairo (Egypt).

"The framework agreement is already on the table, only the details of its implementation need to be finalized. We cannot waste more time and justify further delays to any party. It's time to free the hostages, commence the ceasefire, and implement this agreement," the leaders noted.

They also proposed to present a "final interim proposal" to resolve the remaining issues.

This statement was part of the three leaders' efforts to start negotiations amidst concerns about a potential larger conflict in the region involving Iran following the killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups last week.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the presence of Israeli negotiators at the meeting. According to him, the goal is to "finalize the details and implement the framework agreement".

Meanwhile, a senior US administration official told the agency that an agreement signing should not be expected until next week due to serious exchange sequence issues between Hamas and Israel. According to the interlocutor, progress is needed from both sides of the negotiations.

The American official also said that the statement was not aimed at affecting Iran, but any escalation could jeopardize the hope of reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Source: RBC-Ukraine