KEY POINTS
- Qatari officials say Gaza ceasefire talks are still in the framework phase
- Trump expressed optimism about a potential Gaza truce deal
- US envoy Steve Witkoff will participate in Doha negotiations
- US proposal includes a temporary ceasefire, hostage release, and conditions on Israeli withdrawal
- Israeli strikes killed 29 Palestinians, including children
DOHA, Qatar: Indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas resumed on Tuesday in the Qatari capital, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington. Trump expressed optimism about a potential breakthrough to end the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza.
Qatar, a mediator along with the United States and Egypt, said the meetings were focused on a “framework” for the talks.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza will “need time”.
“I don’t think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this,” Majed Al-Ansari told a Doha news conference.
“What is happening right now is that both delegations are in Doha. We are speaking with them separately on the framework for the talks. So talks have not begun, as of yet, but we are talking to both sides over that framework,” Majed Al-Ansari said.
“Indirect negotiations are continuing this morning in Doha, with a fourth meeting being held… the discussions are still focused on the mechanisms for implementation, particularly the clauses related to withdrawal and humanitarian aid,” a Palestinian official close to the talks said as quoted by AFP.
“No breakthrough has been achieved so far, and the negotiations are ongoing,” another Palestinian official said.
Five Israeli soldiers killed
On the ground, five Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza — one of the deadliest days this year for Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory.
Israel and Hamas began the latest round of negotiations on Sunday, with representatives seated in separate rooms within the same building.
Netanyahu’s trip to Washington is his third visit since Trump’s return to office. On Monday, Trump expressed confidence a deal could be reached.
“I don’t think there is a hold-up. I think things are going along very well,” Trump told reporters when asked what was preventing an agreement.
Sitting across from Netanyahu at the White House, Trump said Hamas was willing to end the Gaza conflict, now entering its 22nd month.
US envoy to join Doha talks
“They want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire,” Trump said when asked if ongoing clashes would derail talks.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was set to join the talks in Doha this week.
An Israeli official accompanying Netanyahu to Washington said the proposal under discussion was “80-90 percent of what Israel wanted.”
“I believe that with military and political pressure, all the hostages can be returned,” the official told Israeli media.
According to Ariel Kahana of Israel Hayom daily, “President Trump and his advisers are currently exerting considerable effort to reach an agreement that would lead to the release of the hostages and could even end the war in Gaza.”
However, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir opposed negotiations with Hamas, saying that “there is no need to negotiate with those who murder our fighters; they must be torn to shreds.”
According to the Israeli military, 450 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza military campaign since the start of the ground offensive on October 27, 2023.
Israeli strikes kill 29 in Gaza
Gaza’s civil defence agency reported 29 people killed in Israeli strikes across the territory, including three children.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the agency, said nine people were killed in a drone strike on a camp for displaced people in southern Gaza, AFP reported.
“I was in front of my tent preparing breakfast for my four children — beans and a bit of dry bread. Suddenly, there was an explosion,” said Shaimaa Al-Shaer, 30, who lives in the camp.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, AFP reported.
The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for Gaza’s more than two million people.
While Israel has the full backing of the Trump administration, the US leader has increasingly pushed for an end to what he called the “hell” in Gaza and said on Sunday he believes there is a “good chance” of an agreement this coming week.
“The utmost priority for the president right now in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
60-day ceasefire proposal
The US proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel, two Palestinian sources close to the discussions had earlier told AFP.
The group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel’s withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system, they said.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Since October 2023, the ongoing relentless Israeli bombardment campaign has killed at least 57,523 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.
