Efforts to Restart Israel–Hamas Cease-Fire Talks Stall

Hamas said it wants to implement an earlier proposal rather than have more talks.

A man pushes his food cart in front of a billboard depicting deceased Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh; Gen. Qasem Soleimani who served in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard; and Hezbollah top commander Fuad Shukr, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 6, 2024. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Efforts to reach a cease-fire accord between Israel and Hamas after 10 months of war in the Gaza Strip have stalled after Hamas said on Aug. 14 that it wouldn’t take part in a new round of cease-fire talks slated to start the next day in Qatar.

That, in turn, dimmed hopes for a cease-fire that could hold back an Iranian attack on Israel in retaliation for the assassination last month of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. World powers have been diplomatically striving to avoid a broader war that an Iranian strike could trigger.