Is a 'final' ceasefire agreement for the Gaza Strip imminent?

President Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar said on August 8 that they were prepared to present a “final” ceasefire proposal to end the war in the Gaza Strip and called on Israel and Hamas to return to the negotiating table next week to resolve the conflict.

In a joint statement, Mr. Biden, along with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said that “the time has come” to finalize the ceasefire and release the hostages kidnapped since October 7 last year as well as Palestinians held by Israel.

The three leaders stressed that negotiators will meet in Cairo (Egypt) or Doha (Qatar) next Thursday, August 15.

“There is no time to waste or reason for further delay,” the three leaders said in a joint statement. “It is time to release the hostages, initiate a ceasefire and implement this agreement. As mediators, if necessary, we are ready to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a way that meets the expectations of all parties.”

Ceasefire talks were postponed after a meeting last weekend in Cairo failed to produce any breakthrough, and the process was further complicated by the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who had been leading the talks through intermediaries.

Just minutes after the joint statement by Mr Biden and the above leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to "send a negotiating delegation to any location decided on August 15, to agree on the details of the implementation of the framework agreement", Mr Netanyahu's office said.

But it is unclear how ready Israel and Hamas are to reach a deal. Hamas did not immediately respond to the joint statement from the leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera's Hamdah Salhut said any future negotiations would be complicated because "there are a lot of dynamic factors here", particularly the risk of a retaliatory strike from Iran or one of its proxies, or both.

Additionally, reporter Hamdah Salhut noted that the Israelis will now negotiate with Yahya Sinwar, the new political leader of Hamas, who replaced Haniyeh.

"Mr. Sinwar is seen as a hardliner. Mr. Netanyahu is also seen as a hardliner. This could make the list of non-negotiables in the negotiations longer for both sides."

F-22 Raptor "Raptor" has arrived in the Middle East

US Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jets are currently in the Middle East "to address threats posed by Iran and Iran-backed groups" to Israel and US troops in the region, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on August 8.

The Pentagon has sent additional forces to the region after Iran vowed to avenge Haniyeh's assassination. Tehran and Hamas have said Israel was responsible, while Tel Aviv has remained silent about the assassination.

Tehran’s stated retaliation could include direct strikes from Iranian territory and indirect attacks through its proxies. Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon and Lebanon’s border with Israel, could also launch attacks.

In recent weeks, US forces in Iraq and Syria have come under rocket attack from proxy forces there.

A rocket attack on Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on August 5 injured four US service members and one US contractor, the Pentagon said on August 8, blaming the attack on Al Asad on a Shia militia group affiliated with Iran.

According to the Pentagon, since October, when the conflict between Israel and Hamas flared up again in the Gaza Strip, there have been 180 attacks on US troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan.

As for the F-22 Raptor, it is the most advanced fighter among the new forces that the US is rapidly deploying to the region, including warships capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. The US may also strengthen its land-based ballistic missile defenses in the region.

About a dozen F-22s have arrived at a base in the Middle East from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, US officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine on August 8.

Traveling more than 5,600 nautical miles (over 10,300 km), the "Raptors" made a journey across North America and the Atlantic, stopping at the UK's Lakenheath Air Base, then moving across the Mediterranean Sea. They reached their temporary base in the region on August 8 with the help of tanker aircraft.

A spokesman for Air Forces Central (AFCENT) declined to say where the F-22s or any other US fighter jets in the region were based, citing security reasons.

Minh Duc (According to NY Times, GZero Media, Air & Space Forces, Al Jazeera)