The Yemeni government on Friday welcomed a joint statement issued by the presidents of the United States and Egypt, and the Emir of Qatar, calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a resumption of negotiations.

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry, in a statement, expressed its "deep appreciation" for these efforts, emphasizing its full support for all endeavors aimed at ending the war on Gaza and the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people. The statement also called for a "just peace" that guarantees the Palestinian people their legitimate national rights, including the establishment of their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement comes after several Arab countries on Friday expressed their support for the initiative by the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, urging Israel and Hamas to resume ceasefire talks and prisoner exchanges next week. The countries called for a "positive" and "undelayed" response to the initiative.

On Thursday, the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States issued a joint statement, stating that "the time has come to reach a ceasefire and an agreement on the release of hostages and detainees."

The statement read, "The three of us, along with our teams, have worked tirelessly for months to reach a framework agreement, which is now on the table and only needs the completion of details regarding implementation."

According to the statement, this agreement is based on the principles outlined by President Biden on May 31st.

The statement emphasized that "no more time should be wasted, and there should be no excuses from any party to further delay." It further stated that they had "called on both sides (Israel and Hamas) to resume urgent discussions next Wednesday or Thursday in Doha or Cairo to close any remaining gaps and begin implementing the agreement without any further delays."

This statement comes after the assassination of Hamas' political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in the Iranian capital Tehran last week, casting a shadow over the possibility of resuming ceasefire negotiations and prisoner exchanges in Gaza.

In late May, Biden proposed a deal offered to him by Israel "to stop the fighting and release all hostages (Israeli prisoners in Gaza)," which Hamas accepted at the time, according to Israeli media.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added new conditions that both Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Mossad chief David Barnea considered detrimental to reaching a deal, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.

These conditions included preventing the return of what he called "Palestinian militants" from southern Gaza to the north by inspecting returnees at the Nitsanim axis, which the Israeli army established near Gaza City and separates the north of the Strip from the south, and maintaining the Israeli army's presence at the Philadelphi axis on the border between Gaza and Egypt, which it announced control over on May 29th.

Since October 7th, 2023, the Israeli occupation, with full American support, has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, resulting in over 131,000 casualties, most of whom are children and women, and more than 10,000 missing.

Israel continues this war, ignoring the UN Security Council resolution calling for its immediate cessation, and disregarding the orders of the International Court of Justice, which demands that it take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.