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Middle East conflict

Members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad leadership discuss Gaza agreement in Doha

The Hamas delegation at the meeting in Doha was headed by Muhammad Darwish

CAIRO, March 13. /TASS/. Members of the Hamas Political Bureau met with the leadership of the radical Islamic Jihad organization in Qatar’s Doha and discussed the ongoing situation regarding the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to a statement published on Hamas' Telegram channel.

"The participants in the meeting discussed the implementation of the ceasefire deal and the interim results of the consultations that took place over the past two days and were aimed at resuming negotiations on the future of the agreement," the statement said. Members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leadership announced that they remain "ready to uphold the agreement and implement all its stages." The Hamas delegation at the meeting in Doha was headed by Muhammad Darwish, head of the Palestinian movement’s advisory body, the Shura Council, while Islamic Jihad was represented by Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah and his deputy Muhammad al-Hindi.

Allies of Hamas arrived in Qatar earlier to - as the radicals themselves said - "hold talks on the current developments in Gaza." A new round of indirect negotiations continues between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar and attended by representatives of the US administration is currently underway in Doha.

On January 15, Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held in the enclave. The agreement, consisting of three stages, came into force on January 19. The first phase expired on March 1. All 33 Israeli hostages who were supposed to be freed within the agreement’s first stage, including the deceased, were returned home. In turn, Israel released over 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, with some of them sent outside of Palestinian territories.

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