Various - Recent dates during 2024

The latest round of ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel concluded Friday in the Qatari capital of Doha without a breakthrough, but a new date next week has been set for further negotiations aimed at ending the 10-month-old war in Gaza.

A joint statement from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar on Friday said the talks to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas were constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere. Yet, as in the previous rounds, no agreement was reached.

The talks began on Thursday after the death toll since October in Gaza exceeded 40,000, a bleak figure that underscores 10 months of suffering, malnutrition and despair in the enclave. A successful agreement is seen as crucial to preventing further regional conflicts.

Hamas, which did not participate directly, accused Israel of adding new conditions to a previously supported proposal. The militant group claimed Israel demanded the retention of troops along Gaza's border with Egypt and imposed restrictions on prisoner exchanges.

Hamas seeks a full ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops, the return of displaced persons, and an unrestricted prisoner swap while Israel wants to keep its troops on the Gaza border with Egypt and continue its war until it defeats Hamas.

"It's a wrong decision for Hamas not to participate in today's talks. Netanyahu wants the war to continue by any means. That's why we urged Hamas not to miss any opportunity to reach a ceasefire. Netanyahu being the leader of the enemy's (Israeli) government is the main obstacle to these talks. He doesn't want the negotiations to succeed, that's why we should not give him the chance to succeed," said Mohammed Abu Samra, head of the Palestinian Independence Movement.

The fear of a possible Iranian attack on Israel poses a serious threat to any hopes of a ceasefire that have already appeared tenuous in recent weeks, after Israeli strikes killed senior figures in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated.

"When the Israeli delegates that attended held all the possible job titles, we always found they were not authorized to make decisions. They come to Doha, attend the talks, and then return to Israel to ask for approval from the Israeli prime minister. On the other hand, when Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated, it left a managerial gap within Hamas," said Saleh Ghalib, a political analyst of the Al Qimat Center for Studies, Qatar.

Technical teams from the U.S., Egypt, Qatar and Israel will continue working toward an agreement, before another round of talks convenes in Cairo next week.

Anonymous Egyptian officials told local media that the gaps in the negotiations remained wide. Fears are growing in the region that if the Gaza ceasefire talks fail, it could spark a wider war that would include Lebanon and Iran.

Shotlist

FILE: Doha, Qatar - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. National flag of Qatar;
2. Various of traffic;

FILE: Israel - Nov 1, 2022 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of Israeli Parliament Knesset, national flag of Israel;

FILE: Tel Aviv, Israel - April 7-8, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of buildings, traffic;

Cairo, Egypt - Aug 15, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Abu Samra, head, Palestinian Independence Movement (starting with shot 4/partially overlaid with shot 6):
"It's a wrong decision for Hamas not to participate in today's talks. Netanyahu wants the war to continue by any means. That's why we urged Hamas not to miss any opportunity to reach a ceasefire. Netanyahu being the leader of the enemy's (Israeli) government is the main obstacle to these talks. He doesn't want the negotiations to succeed, that's why we should not give him the chance to succeed.";
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]

FILE: Northern Israel - Oct 15, 2023 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of Israeli tanks, national flag on tank;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]

Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip - July 28, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of damaged school buildings after Israeli air strike;

Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip - July 27, 2024 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Various of residents, debris;

Khan Younis, Gaza Strip - July 22, 2024 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of smoke rising from damaged building, residents fleeing;

Qatar - Aug 15, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Saleh Ghalib, political analyst, Al Qimat Center for Studies, Qatar (partially overlaid with shot 11):
"When the Israeli delegates that attended held all the possible job titles, we always found they were not authorized to make decisions. They come to Doha, attend the talks, and then return to Israel to ask for approval from the Israeli prime minister. On the other hand, when Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated, it left a managerial gap within Hamas.";

[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
Tehran, Iran - Aug 1, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
11. Various of people attending funeral procession of assassinated Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]

FILE: Cairo, Egypt - July 24, 2022 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Egyptian national flag, building;

FILE: Cairo, Egypt - April 6, 2019 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
13. Egyptian national flag;