On August 26, Randa Slim, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said to Al Jazeera that the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah will 'in no way' affect the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. However, Slim stated, 'As long as the Gaza war continues and as long as the Iran-led axis of resistance supports the Palestinians and Hamas, the specter of regional war is always possible.' 'Regardless of whether the negotiations continue, Hezbollah will respond. Because, as they have repeatedly said after the assassination of Commander Shukair, retaliatory actions have nothing to do with what happens in Gaza.' Slim added that Hamas and Israel are still 'far apart' in the negotiations. 'Despite proposals from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to bridge the differences, there are still significant gaps between Hamas and Israel on key issues.'