JERUSALEM (AP) — International diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from escalating into a wider regional conflict intensified Friday, with British and French foreign ministers traveling together to Israel as internationally brokered ceasefire talks in Qatar are expected to enter their second day.
The new push for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas came as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza rose to over 40,000, according to Gaza health authorities, and fears remained high that Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon could attack Israel in retaliation for the killing of senior militant leaders.
“This is a dangerous moment for the Middle East,” said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. “The risk of the situation spiraling out of control is increasing. Any Iranian attack would have devastating consequences for the region.”
REGARD: Gaza: Number of war dead exceeds 40,000
Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné were scheduled to hold a joint meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
“It is never too late for peace,” said Séjourné. “We must avoid at all costs a regional war that would have terrible consequences.”
International mediators are convinced that the best chance for detente lies in an agreement between Israel and Hamas on a halt to fighting and the release of Israeli hostages.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt began a new round of talks on Thursday and met with an Israeli delegation in Qatar.
Hamas, which did not participate directly in Thursday’s talks, accuses Israel of adding new demands to an earlier proposal that was supported by the United States and the rest of the world and to which Hamas had agreed in principle. Israel accuses Hamas of adding its own new demands.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the talks an important step. He said much work remains given the complexity of the agreement and negotiators are focused on its implementation.
A U.S. official briefed on Thursday’s talks described the discussion as “constructive.” The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Qatar said talks would continue on Friday.
REGARD: US official: Gaza ceasefire talks to continue, agreement crucial to preventing wider war
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed the heavily guarded border on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 250 into Gaza. More than 100 were released during a week-long ceasefire in November, and around 110 are believed to still be in Gaza, although Israeli authorities believe about a third of them are dead.
The Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday that 40,005 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s devastating retaliatory offensive. It did not say how many of them were militants. Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said on Thursday that Israel had killed more than 17,000 Hamas fighters in the war in Gaza, but did not provide any evidence.
Diplomats hoped that a ceasefire agreement would persuade Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to hold off on retaliating for the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut and of Hamas’s top political leader in an explosion in Tehran for which Israel was widely blamed.
Kirby said Iran has made preparations and could attack soon and without warning. His rhetoric should be taken seriously.
Negotiators have been trying for months to hammer out a three-phase plan that would see Hamas release its hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians held captive by Israel.
Both sides have agreed in principle to the plan, which President Joe Biden announced on May 31, but Hamas has proposed changes and Israel has sought clarifications, prompting both sides to accuse each other of trying to derail a deal.
Hamas has rejected Israel’s demands, which include a permanent military presence along the border with Egypt and a line dividing the Gaza Strip where Palestinians returning to their homes would be searched and insurgent fighters would be tracked down.
READ MORE: As the death toll in Gaza exceeds 40,000, bodies are being buried in courtyards, streets and row graves
In a reminder of how violence has spread from Gaza, masked Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank stormed the village of Jit on Thursday, setting fire to houses and cars, Israeli and Palestinian media reported. One Palestinian was shot dead by the settlers and another seriously wounded, Palestinian health officials said.
It was the latest in a series of settler attacks since the war began. In the West Bank, 633 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire – most in Israeli attacks on Palestinian towns and villages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and said it was the army’s responsibility to protect the country. Those responsible would be arrested and prosecuted. The Israeli military said it had arrested a civilian involved in the violence and had launched an investigation.
Associated Press writers Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Aamer Madhani in Washington, Brian Melley in London and David Klepper in Chicago contributed to this report.
