SpaceWar.com reports: “The United States, Egypt and Qatar are calling on Israel and Hamas to return to the negotiating table on a cease-fire agreement that U.S. officials have been saying is near completion.

The trio of countries is brokering talks on a cease-fire and hostage-release deal in the more than 300-day war between Israel and the Iran-backed militia. Urgency is mounting for it to get done as fears of an expanding war in the Middle East rise over Iranian threats to attack Israel for the assassinations of Tehran proxy leaders in Lebanon and Iran.

‘There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay,’ the three countries said in a statement distributed by the White House. ‘It is time to release the hostages, begin the ceasefire and implement this agreement.’

They said a framework agreement they ‘worked tirelessly over many months to forge’ has been tabled with only implementation details left to conclude, and they will present a final bridging proposal to resolve differences if necessary.

They are calling on both sides to resume ‘urgent discussion’ on Aug. 15 in either Doha or Cairo in order to ‘close all remaining gaps and commence implementation of the deal without further delay.’

‘It is time to bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families. The time has come to conclude the ceasefire and hostages and detainees release deal,’ they said…”