Israeli negotiators due in Qatar for Gaza truce talks

Iraqi News

9 hours ago

Jerusalem – An Israeli delegation was expected in Doha on Sunday for talks on a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.
Netanyahu had earlier announced he was sending a team to Qatar, a key mediator in the conflict, though he said that Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire deal included some 'unacceptable' demands.
Faced with mounting calls to end the war that is nearing its 22nd month, Netanyahu is due to meet on Monday with US President Donald Trump, who has been making a renewed push to end the fighting.
On Saturday, protesters gathered in Israel's coastal hub of Tel Aviv for a weekly rally demanding the return of hostages still in the Gaza Strip since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war.
Macabit Mayer, the aunt of captives Gali and Ziv Berman, called for a deal 'that saves everyone'.
Hamas said Friday it was ready 'to engage immediately and seriously' in negotiations.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said that 'the changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal… are unacceptable to Israel', while also sending negotiators to discuss 'the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to'.
On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said 14 people were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates.
– 60-day truce –
Hamas has not publicly detailed its responses to the US-sponsored proposal, which was transmitted by mediators from Qatar and Egypt.
Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.
However, they said, 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.
Since the Hamas attack sparked a massive Israeli offensive with the aim of destroying the group, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in fighting, during which hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said Saturday that top diplomat Badr Abdelatty held a phone call with Washington's main representative in the truce talks, Steve Witkoff, to discuss 'preparations for holding indirect meetings between the two parties concerned to reach an agreement'.
But recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire.
The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip.
– 'Dying for flour' –
Karima al-Ras, from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, said 'we hope that a truce will be announced' to allow in more aid.
'People are dying for flour,' she said.
A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries.
UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said Friday that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points.
The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,338 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.