Gaza ceasefire talks to resume this week, but prospect of peace remains distant

The threat of the Gaza war sparking a wider regional conflict still hangs over the middle east despite peace talks taking place in Qatar. Emma Murphy and Robert Moore reports

International mediators are hoping to start yet another round of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with the hope of finally clinching a deal between the two after 10 months of deadly fighting in Gaza.

But the chance of a breakthrough after so many stalled discussions seems slim.

The new talks between international mediators - including the United States, Egypt and Qatar - are set to begin on Thursday.

In a rare joint statement last week, the countries stressed "only the details" of the deal remained before it would be possible to arrange a ceasefire and release hostages.

“There is no further time to waste, nor excuses from any party for further delay,” it said.

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

So where exactly are the ceasefire talks now, and why hasn't a deal been made?

What does the new proposal look like?

US President Joe Biden laid out his "road map" to a lasting truce and freedom for hostages on May 31.

The proposal was made up of three parts.

The first phase, lasting six weeks, would be a "full and complete" ceasefire, including the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from densely populated parts of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded.

This would be in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Palestinian civilians would then be able to return to their homes and receive additional humanitarian aid.

During the first phase, the second phase would be negotiated. According to the president's plan, it would involve the release of all remaining living hostages and Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza, making the temporary ceasefire permanent.

Phase three would be a major reconstruction of Gaza, which will need decades of restoration efforts.

UN officials estimated in May that had there been a ceasefire that month, it would take until 2040 to rebuild the homes in Gaza.

Why hasn't a deal already been made?

The US president threw his weight behind the proposal but it did not lead to a breakthrough in negotiations. In fact, Israel and Hamas appear to have grown further apart in recent weeks.

Israel has been wary of the idea that the initial ceasefire would be extended as long as negotiations continued over the second phase. The country's officials seem concerned that Hamas would prolong the process endlessly with fruitless negotiations.

Hamas meanwhile appeared concerned that Israel would resume the war once its most vulnerable hostages were returned, a scenario reflected in some of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent comments.

The group has said Israel could also make demands during this stage of negotiations that were not part of the initial deal and would be unacceptable to Hamas - and then resume the war when Hamas refuses them.

Israel has added additional demands to the initial proposal recently, according to Egyptian officials, but Mr Netanyahu's office denied that was the case.

Israel also wants a list of the hostages who are still alive, which Hamas has refused to provide according to the officials. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to discuss the sensitive talks with the media.

Do Israel and Hamas actually want a ceasefire?

A top Hamas official said on Tuesday that the Palestinian militant group is losing faith in the United States’ ability to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza.

Osama Hamdan said Hamas will only participate if the talks focus on implementing the proposal put forward by Joe Biden "rather than negotiating something new".

“Otherwise, Hamas finds no reason to participate,” he added.

Mr Hamdan accused Israel of not engaging in good faith and said the group does not believe the US can or will apply pressure on Israel to seal a deal.

Late on Wednesday it was still unclear whether Hamas would actually attend said talks.

On the Israeli side Benjamin Netanyahu hasn't confirmed whether or not he wants to secure a ceasefire.

One Israeli source told CNN: “Nobody knows what Bibi wants,” using the leader's nickname.

Mr Netanyahu has previously said he will only accept a partial ceasefire deal that would not end the war in Gaza, casting doubt on the viability of a US-backed proposal.

Israel has denied sabotaging talks and accuses Hamas of doing so.

In a statement on Tuesday Mr Netanyahu's office said some changes it has asked for were merely “clarifications”.

They said they were seeking extra details, such as on how Palestinians will return to northern Gaza, how many hostages will be released during specific phases and whether Israel can veto which Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for Israeli hostages. It accused Hamas of asking for 29 changes to the proposal.

Is the UK involved?

Keir Starmer reinforced the previous government's calls for a ceasefire when he took over as prime minister in July.

He spoke with Mr Netanyahu, President of the State of Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, and other regional leaders to "underscore the UK’s commitment to play its full diplomatic role in securing a ceasefire deal".

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…

Former Foreign Secretary David Secretary said in January that a permanent ceasefire can be achieved in Gaza and a two-state solution is possible.

He insisted "there is a route to having a Palestinian state" at the time, contradicting the Israeli prime minister, who has rejected demands for a two-state solution.

Sir Keir also made a direct phone call to the president of Iran urging him not to launch an attack on Israel, along with other Western leaders stepping up efforts to avoid a further escalation of widespread violence in the Middle East.

Why is a ceasefire needed?

International governments and global organisations have repeatedly called for a ceasefire since October 7, when Hamas-led groups stormed into southern Israel and killed more than a thousand people and took another 251 hostage.

Authorities say it is becoming more and more desperate as the number of people killed in Gaza has now almost reached 40,000.

There are new updates about civilians in Gaza suffering every day - one of the most recent is a father who returned from registering the birth of his twins to find that they and their mother had died in an airstrike.

The UN human rights office described a "systematic attacks on schools" in recent weeks, with at least 90 people being killed at the most recent reported school-turned-shelter attack on Saturday.

Meanwhile there have been countless attacks in supposed safe zones, famine has swept through Gaza and around 1.9 million people - of Gaza's 2.1 million population - are living in impossible conditions after being displaced from their homes.

The United Nations has repeatedly referred to the "unspeakable toll on civilians".

“This terrible war must end,” Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General said at a UN conference on July 17.

Want an expert briefing on US politics and the presidential race? Listen to our latest podcast Talking Politics USA