Gaza ceasefire talks to resume in coming days

Negotiations complete a imaginable Gaza ceasefire and hostage merchandise woody are group to resume successful Doha successful nan coming days, officials from nan US, Israel and Qatar person said.

A spokesperson for Israeli premier curate Benjamin Netanyahu said an Israeli delegation will recreation to Qatar connected Sunday.

It is not yet clear whether Hamas has agreed to participate successful nan talks.

The US believes nan decease of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar past week - seen arsenic 1 of nan group's astir utmost figures - whitethorn unfastened nan doorway to an agreement, though Hamas has accused Israel of being nan superior artifact to immoderate deal.

“With Sinwar gone,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told journalists, “there is simply a existent opportunity to bring location [the hostages] and to execute nan objective.”

Mr Blinken said that nonsubjective was to scope a woody "so that Israel tin withdraw, truthful that Hamas cannot reconstitute, and truthful that nan Palestinian group tin rebuild their lives and rebuild their futures".

A elder Palestinian charismatic told nan BBC that a Hamas delegation was gathering pinch Egyptian intelligence officials connected Thursday evening arsenic portion of discussions connected nan existent business successful Gaza and ways to flooded obstacles to extremity nan escalation.

An charismatic successful Egypt confirmed to nan BBC that high-level Egyptian information leaders would beryllium gathering a delegation from Hamas successful Cairo.

Qatar’s overseas curate Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatari mediators had "re-engaged" pinch Hamas since Sinwar's death, but location was “no clarity” complete nan groups existent plans pinch regards to ceasefire talks.

"There has been an engagement pinch nan representatives from nan governmental agency successful Doha. We had immoderate meetings pinch them successful nan past mates of days," he said, adding that Egypt was besides successful "ongoing" discussions pinch Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said successful a station connected X that he welcomes Egypt's "readiness to beforehand a woody for nan merchandise of nan hostages".

Previous discussions complete specified a woody person focused connected a connection from US President Joe Biden successful May, which was “positively” received by Hamas.

That connection laid retired a three-step scheme that would statesman pinch a six-week ceasefire, successful which nan Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would retreat from populated areas of Gaza.

There would besides beryllium a "surge" of humanitarian aid, arsenic good arsenic an speech of immoderate hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

It would yet lead to a imperishable "cessation of hostilities" and a awesome reconstruction scheme for Gaza.

But talks faltered, pinch a cardinal sticking-point being Netanyahu's insistence connected an Israeli unit beingness connected nan Gaza-Egypt border, known arsenic nan Philadelphi corridor.

Blinken is connected his 11th sojourn to nan Middle East since nan commencement of nan existent warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas much than a twelvemonth ago, and is group to extremity his travel connected Friday.

During nan visit, he announced an further $135 cardinal of assistance “in humanitarian assistance, water, sanitation, maternal wellness for Palestinians successful Gaza, successful nan West Bank, arsenic good arsenic successful nan region”, taking nan full magnitude of US assistance since nan commencement of nan warfare to immoderate $1.2 billion.

Additional reporting by Rushdi Abu Alouf