GAZA CITY: International mediators trying to broker a ceasefire to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have informed the Palestinian group that talks will resume on Sunday, a Palestinian official said.
“Mediators informed Hamas that a new round of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel will begin in Doha today, Sunday,“ the official, who is familiar with the talks and close to Hamas, told AFP.
The official said the Hamas delegation, led by its top negotiator Kahlil al-Hayya, was already in the Qatari capital.
The renewed talks are expected to focus on the conditions for a potential ceasefire agreement, with particular attention to the details of a possible hostage release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is also seeking increased humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip and assurances for a lasting end to the conflict.
Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions said the latest US-backed proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.
On Friday, Hamas said it was ready “to engage immediately and seriously” in negotiations, and that it had submitted its response to the proposal, without offering any details.
On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “the changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal... are unacceptable to Israel”.
Netanyahu however ordered negotiators to head to Doha to discuss “the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to”, the statement from his office said, later adding the delegation would travel on Sunday. – AFP
