Gaza ceasefire may take more time, says Israeli

Perth Now

7 hours ago

Israeli officials say that gaps can be bridged between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas at peace talks in Qatar, though it may take more than a few days to reach a deal to free hostages and halt fighting.
Delegations from Israel and Hamas have been in Qatar since Sunday in a renewed push for an agreement, after US President Donald Trump said last week he had hope that a new US-backed proposal could lead to a deal.
Trump met on Monday evening with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who floated plans - vehemently opposed by all major Palestinian groups - for some of Gaza's residents to be relocated abroad. The Israeli leader also presented Trump with a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
A Qatari spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, said on Tuesday that Qatari and Egyptian mediators were not yet discussing a final ceasefire deal, but still seeking agreement on a framework of principles that would lead to more detailed talks.
"Talks have not begun as of yet, but we are talking to both sides over that framework," Al Ansari said.
"Both parties are still in Doha. So that's always a good sign."
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who played a major role in crafting the latest ceasefire proposal, will travel to Doha this week to join discussions there, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
The proposal envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the war entirely.
There was no immediate fresh readout on the talks from Hamas or Palestinian sources on Tuesday. Palestinian sources had said on Monday that progress had been held up by Israel's limits on allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Israeli minister Zeev Elkin, who sits in Netanyahu's security cabinet, said that there was "a substantial chance" a ceasefire would be agreed.
"Hamas wants to change a few central matters, it's not simple, but there is progress," he told Israel's public broadcaster Kan on Tuesday.
Senior Israeli officials briefing journalists in Washington said it may take more than a few days to finalise agreements in Doha. Another Israeli official said progress had been made.
In Gaza City, children walked through debris, where residents said an Israeli airstrike had hit overnight, with children among the casualties. The Israeli military did not immediately provide details on the target of the strike.
"We hope that a ceasefire will be reached and that the massacres against the Palestinian people will stop," said Mohammed Joundiya, standing in the rubble left in the aftermath of the attack.
At Israel's parliament in Jerusalem, former hostage Keith Siegel, who was released in February in a previous ceasefire, described the anguish of those held incommunicado for hundreds of days in Hamas captivity.
"We have a window of opportunity to save lives," he said, "every minute is critical."
Hamas has long demanded an end to the war before it would free remaining hostages; Israel has insisted it would not agree to end the fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas dismantled. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to still be alive.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing around 1200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza.
Israel's subsequent campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, displaced almost the entire population of more than two million people, sparked a humanitarian crisis in the enclave and left much of the territory in ruins.