Hamas says it won't take part in truce talks

Decision dims hopes for agreement that could prevent an Iranian attack on Israel

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The Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Aug 14 it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks slated for Aug 15 in Qatar, dimming hopes for a negotiated truce that Iranian sources say could hold back an Iranian attack on Israel.

The US has said it expects indirect talks to go ahead as planned in Qatar's capital Doha on Aug 15, and that a ceasefire agreement was still possible.

However, Axios reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a trip to the Middle East that had been expected to begin on Aug 13.

Three senior Iranian officials have said that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil in July.

The Israeli government said it would send a delegation to the Aug 15 talks but Hamas, which controls Gaza, requested a workable plan to implement a proposal it has already accepted, instead of more talks.

"Hamas is committed to the proposal presented to it on July 2, which is based on the UN Security Council resolution and the Biden speech, and the movement is prepared to immediately begin discussion over a mechanism to implement it," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.