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Israel to send delegation to Qatar for renewed Gaza ceasefire and hostage talks
People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war and immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo)
Israel will send a delegation to Qatar on Sunday to revive stalled negotiations on a potential Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, an Israeli official told Reuters, raising hopes for a possible breakthrough in the 21-month-long conflict.
The move comes shortly after Hamas said it had responded in a 'positive spirit' to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, days after President Donald Trump announced that Israel had agreed 'to the necessary conditions to finalise' a 60-day truce.
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While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not commented on Trump's announcement, an unnamed Israeli official confirmed the delegation's imminent travel to Doha, highlighting the sensitivity of the talks.
Despite renewed momentum, major gaps remain. A senior Palestinian official from a group allied with Hamas cited unresolved concerns, including the delivery of humanitarian aid, access through the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, and clarity on the timeline for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump's announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the militant group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas' response to the ceasefire proposal.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's retaliatory military assault on the enclave has killed over 57,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, displaced Gaza's entire population internally and prompted accusations of genocide and war crimes. Israel denies the accusations.
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