A senior Hamas official said a new round of indirect negotiations with Israel aimed at ending the war in Gaza started in Doha "without any preconditions" on Saturday, May 17. The announcement came as Israel's military launched a new Gaza offensive, saying it was part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip" aimed at defeating the Palestinian militant group. "This round of negotiations began without any preconditions from either side, and the negotiations are open to discussing all issues," Taher al-Nunu said. "Hamas will present its viewpoint on all issues, especially ending the war, [Israel's] withdrawal and prisoner exchange."
The Israeli military said it had launched "extensive strikes" earlier on Saturday as part of the "initial stages" of a fresh offensive, more than 19 months into the war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. The renewed fighting came after Israel imposed a total aid blockade on the territory that UN agencies warn has created critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz credited the intensified campaign with bringing Hamas back to the table. "With the opening of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots' in Gaza, which is being led by the [Israeli army] command with great force, the Hamas delegation in Doha announced a return to negotiations on a hostage deal – in contrast to the recalcitrant position they had taken up until that moment," he said.
Hours after the start of the offensive, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaking at an Arab League summit, called for increased pressure "to halt the massacre in Gaza." Sanchez, who has sharply criticised the Israeli offensive, said world leaders should "intensify our pressure on Israel to halt the massacre in Gaza, particularly through the channels afforded to us by international law." He said his government planned a UN resolution demanding an International Court of Justice ruling on Israel's war methods. The "unacceptable number" of war victims in Gaza violates the "principle of humanity," he said.
Also at the summit, UN chief Antonio Guterres said "we need a permanent ceasefire, now," and added that "we reject the repeated displacement of the Gaza population, along with any question of forced displacement outside of Gaza." The UN secretary-general also said he was "alarmed by reported plans by Israel to expand ground operations and more."
Meanwhile, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged his US counterpart Donald Trump to "apply all necessary efforts (...) for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip."
The summit comes straight after a Gulf tour by Trump, who sparked uproar earlier this year by declaring that the United States could take over Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East." The scheme that included the proposed displacement of Palestinians prompted Arab leaders to come up with an alternative plan to rebuild the territory at a March summit in Cairo.
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told the summit that his country backs the creation of an "Arab fund to support reconstruction efforts" after crises in the region. He pledged $20 million to the reconstruction of Gaza and a similar amount for Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said the Baghdad meeting would endorse previous Arab League decisions on Gaza's reconstruction countering Trump's widely condemned proposal.
Italy's government also upped its exhortations on Saturday, urging Israel to stop deadly military strikes in Gaza, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani saying: "Enough with the attacks." "We no longer want to see the Palestinian people suffer," Tajani said during a trip to Sicily, in remarks relayed by his spokesman. "Let's come to a ceasefire, let's free the hostages, but let's leave people who are victims of Hamas alone," he was cited as saying.