August 15, 2024
Hamas will skip truce talks in Gaza but may meet with mediators later.
CAIRO: Hamas said on Wednesday it would not participate in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks scheduled for Thursday in Qatar, but an official briefed on the talks said mediators were expected to consult with the Palestinian group afterward. The US said it expected indirect talks to continue as planned in the Qatari capital on Thursday and that a ceasefire agreement was still possible, while warning that progress was urgently needed to avoid a wider war. Axios reported that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken postponed a trip to the Middle East that was expected to begin on Tuesday.


