Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed.

Hamas said on Wednesday it would not participate in the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks held on Thursday in Qatar, but an official with knowledge of the talks said mediators were expected to confer with the group after the talks.

The US has said it expects talks to go ahead as scheduled in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday and a ceasefire could still be reached, while continuing to warn that progress on that front must be made soon to avoid war spreading across the region.

Axios reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a visit to the Middle East that was originally scheduled to begin this past Tuesday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said CIA director Bill Burns and US envoy to the Middle East Brett McGurk will represent Washington at the talks on Thursday in Qatar.

Three senior Iranian officials have said that only a ceasefire in Gaza could prevent Iran from retaliating directly against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its territory last month.

"Israel will dispatch a negotiating delegation on August 15 as previously agreed, to finalize the details of how to implement the framework agreement," said US government spokesman David Mencer.

The delegation included Israel's Mossad intelligence agency director David Barnea, internal security chief Ronen Bar and the head of the Israeli military's hostage-releasing committee Nitzan Alon.

Hamas has cast doubt on the talks, accusing Israel of stalling. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is the biggest obstacle to a deal.

"Entering this new round of negotiations allows the occupation to impose new conditions and take advantage of the complexity of the negotiations to continue its repression," said senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri.

Hamas' absence from the talks will not eliminate the chance of progress toward a ceasefire, as its new leader Khalil al-Hayya is based in Doha and the group has open lines of communication with Egypt and Qatar.

"Hamas agrees with the proposal received on July 2, based on the UN Security Council resolution and Biden's statement, and the movement is ready to immediately start discussions on how to implement this proposal," Abu Zuhri said.

A source with inside information said Hamas wanted negotiators to bring a "serious response" from Israel.

The organization said that if it receives that response, it will meet with mediators after Thursday's talks. An official with knowledge of the talks said the mediators are expected to discuss it with Hamas.

In a statement issued late Wednesday along with several other smaller groups, Hamas reaffirmed the demands it wants to see in a deal.

The organization asserted that the negotiations "need to outline the method of implementing the agreed terms of the framework agreement set by the mediators to move towards a comprehensive ceasefire, requiring the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, the removal of the blockade, the return of border checkpoints and the reconstruction of Gaza as well as reaching an agreement on the exchange of prisoners and hostages."

The statement denies the US and Israel any involvement in post-war planning for Gaza.

Lebanon

Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, has been in Lebanon to prevent an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, after a Hezbollah commander was killed in a southern suburb of Beirut last month.

Hochstein met with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, leader of the Amal armed movement, an ally of Hezbollah, and will meet Lebanon's interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

The US envoy told reporters: "There is no reason from either side for further delay."

In Gaza, residents of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis said Israeli forces destroyed many houses in the east of the city and stepped up the use of tank artillery against eastern and central areas.

Israel said it responded to rockets fired from Hamas and destroyed launchers and killed militants. Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they attacked Israeli forces.

Hamas also said its forces clashed with Israeli forces in the West Bank, where Israel said it killed several militants.

The ceasefire would secure the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, but the two sides remain at odds over implementation steps and other issues.

Netanyahu has demanded that Israel maintain control of the border between Gaza and Egypt to prevent arms smuggling, but Israeli army chief of staff Herzi Halevi said the force could control the area remotely if necessary.

There are still many disagreements about the right of people to move between areas in Gaza after the agreement was signed.

Nguyen Quang Minh (According to Reuters)