Israeli Delegation To Attend Ceasefire Talks; Iraq Urges To Halt Attacks Against Palestine, Lebanon

Jerusalem, July 22: The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that an Israeli delegation will visit Qatar later this week to resume negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal.

In another development, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has stressed the urgent need to halt the attacks against Lebanon and Palestine and called for concerted efforts to prevent the escalation of regional conflict.

Netanyahu held a lengthy discussion Sunday with members of the negotiation team and senior security officials regarding the Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, according to his office.

The delegation, headed by Mossad Chief David Barnea, will arrive in Doha Thursday and engage in indirect negotiations brokered by Qatar and Egypt and supported by the US, Xinhua news agency reported.

The new round of negotiations had been delayed for about a week after Hamas halted the talks in protest over an Israeli attack on Khan Younis July 13, which killed at least 90 Palestinians.

Previous rounds of talks in Qatar have so far failed to produce an agreement to end the more than nine months of conflict in Gaza, with both sides blaming each other for the deadlock.

Iraqi PM Urges To Halt Attacks Against Palestine, Lebanon

Al-Sudani made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Baghdad, according to a statement from al-Sudani's media office released Sunday.

The two leaders also discussed a bilateral agreement on the supply of Iraqi oil to Lebanon and explored the current political and security developments in the region, the statement said.

Al-Sudani emphasised that Iraq's stance on Lebanon is rooted in the commitment and brotherhood that bind the two nations, as well as Iraq's responsible regional and international role regarding regional developments, the statement noted.

Mikati expressed appreciation for the Iraqi government's efforts to support economic relations with Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported.

He also outlined his government's efforts to enhance security cooperation with Iraq in combating terrorism and drug trafficking.

The Lebanese Prime Minister, who arrived in Iraq Sunday, also met with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid. They reviewed bilateral relations and developments in the Arab and international arenas, stressing the importance of concerted efforts to stop the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and address the tragic humanitarian situation, according to a statement from the presidency media office.

(IANS)