International

Separate negotiators and last-minute details, this is how the ceasefire in Gaza was negotiated

After eight months of negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, discussions to reach a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in Gaza continued until a few hours before the announcement, with intermediaries walking through corridors and resolving the last fringes of a crucial truce for the hostages captured in the Strip and for the Palestinian civilian population, affected by an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

Senior US officials revealed on Wednesday details of negotiations that had not been resolved for months due to suspicions and positions that were difficult to reconcile between Israel and representatives of the Palestinian group in Hamas.

“The fact that we have such a detailed agreement is that, for example, we were working last night until three in the morning, solving every last detail, leaving little to improvisation and making sure that expectations were very clear for both parties,” said in a call to the press one of the officials of the Joe Biden Administration present in these months of intense talks in Doha (Qatar).

According to officials present in the last great diplomatic achievement of the only presidential mandate of an outgoing Biden, these weeks work was done on what they define as “proximity conversations,” with representatives of Israel and Hamas, declared mortal enemies, dialoguing through Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries who acted as messengers between rooms on different floors of the same building.

Another element that has led one of the participants to define this ceasefire agreement in Gaza as “unprecedented” and “with much at stake for everyone”, is the “historic” collaboration between Biden’s teams and President-elect Donald Trump, whose impetus and pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nentanyahu, without forcing a total change in the initial White House plan, was key.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Trump’s envoy in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, worked side by side in recent days with CIA director Bill Burns, or Brett McGurk, Biden’s envoy for Middle East issues, while the team of Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed bin Abderrahmán, approached positions just five days after the change of tenant at the White House.

“They exchanged roles. While McGurk was negotiating in Doha, we thought that Steve could have a conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu and he went to do it himself in person (this weekend),” said the senior Washington official.

The Qatari foreign minister finally announced this afternoon, Washington time, the agreement from Doha, something that according to US sources was not entirely clear until “after noon.”

That transition between Biden and Trump, which will take place on January 20, created, according to the mediators, a deadline that has served to force the parties to give in in positions that were entrenceded in the summer and that lived a before and after with the death at the hands of Israeli soldiers and unexpectedly of the leader of Hamas, Yahya al Sinwar.

The agreement, which consists of three phases, will reach its central part with the exchange of a number of Palestinian prisoners for each Hamas hostage released and delivered to the Israelis, while establishing the conditions for a permanent ceasefire, after 1,200 dead in the attack of October 7, 2023 of the Islamist militia in Israel and more than 46,000 dead in Gaza, according to health sources in the Strip.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Biden had a marathon of calls last week with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Israel. “Qatar and Egypt have had their teams working hard for months. In the end, we have come to know each other very well,” said an American mediator.

According to the same source, the death of Sinwar and the leader of Hezbulah, Hassan Nasralá, at the end of September – something to which Washington attributes to Israel’s indisputable military power in the region – were key to getting Hamas to accept the terms of the agreement that must now be implemented for six weeks in a first phase that must address the ceasefire, withdrawal of troops from Gaza and release of hostages and prisoners.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”