Hochstein halts mission as Gaza talks crumble

Amos Hochstein, a mediator from the United States, has halted his efforts and decided to return to the U.S., also withdrawing the assistant he had stationed in Beirut for extended discussions. This move follows the failure of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, as confirmed by official sources.

According to these sources, Hochstein will only consider returning once a ceasefire has been officially announced. His decision was influenced by the lack of clarity on whether Hezbollah would stop its actions if Israel were to announce a unilateral ceasefire or if there were to be a resolution from the U.N. Security Council concerning this matter, as reported by al-Akhbar newspaper.

The collapse of the Cairo negotiations signaled the failure of Hochstein’s peace initiative, which was primarily focused on facilitating the return of settlers to the northern regions of what is considered occupied Palestine. Additional aspects of the initiative, such as military deployment and other matters, were deemed secondary, the sources elaborated.

Since an October 7 incident where Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, launched an attack, Hezbollah has been frequently targeting Israeli positions. In retaliation, Israeli forces have conducted strikes against Hezbollah, including precision strikes on key figures.

The ongoing hostilities since October have resulted in the deaths of at least 303 individuals in Lebanon, predominantly members of Hezbollah but also including 50 civilians. On the Israeli side, the conflict has led to the deaths of 10 soldiers and seven civilians, as per reports from the Israeli military.