DOHA, September 9. /TASS/. The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and supported Qatar, the United States, and Egypt’s mediatory efforts, according to a joint statement issues after the GCC ministerial meeting in Riyadh.
"The Ministerial Council condemned the continued Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, targeting Palestinian civilians and forcibly displacing them, stressing the GCC’s support for the brotherly Palestinian people during the current developments in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings, calling for an immediate and permanent cessation of fire and Israeli military operations, ending the siege imposed on the Strip, alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people, and ensuring the provision of all humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs to the residents of Gaza," the document reads.
The ministers welcomed the statement by the US, Egyptian and Qatari leaders "regarding the necessity of completing the ceasefire, releasing hostages and detainees in Gaza, and calling for the resumption of negotiations" and expressed "full support for the ongoing efforts to complete the ceasefire and urgently address the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza," the statement says.
Another round of Gaza ceasefire and hostage release consultations was held in Doha on August 15 and 16. The leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States said in their joint statement after the talks, which was released by Fahmy, that the talks had been held in a positive atmosphere.
The next round was held in Cairo on August 25. The Israeli delegation included Mossad intelligence service director David Barnea, Shabak (Israeli Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar, and the coordinator for the Israeli hostages in Gaza file, Nitzan Alon. Hamas refused to take part in the consultations but agreed to visit Cairo to learn about the results of this round. According to Hamas spokesman Izzat al-Risheq, Hamas once again demanded that Israel fulfill the terms Hamas had agreed upon on July 2. Working groups of mediators met in Doha again on August 28.
Last week, a US administration official told a special online briefing on the Gaza ceasefire talks that the United States’ new 18-paragraph plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip had been 90% agreed.