Gaza truce talks to resume in Doha

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are set to resume Sunday in Doha for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal

The Hamas delegation, led by its top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, had already arrived in the Qatari capital, the official told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

On Friday, Hamas had said it was ready “to engage immediately and seriously” in negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who confirmed Israeli negotiators were also en route, said that “the changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal... are unacceptable to Israel.”

Hamas has not publicly disclosed its response to the US-backed proposal, relayed 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 United Nations-led aid distribution system.

In Tel Aviv on Saturday, protesters gathered for a weekly rally demanding the return of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas 7 October 2023 attack, which triggered the war.

Macabit Mayer, the aunt of captives Gali and Ziv Berman, called for a deal “that saves everyone.”

On the ground, Gaza’s civil defense agency said 14 people were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday.

The agency said 10 were killed in a pre-dawn strike on Gaza City’s Sheikh Radawn neighborhood, where AFP images showed Palestinians searching through the rubble for survivors with their bare hands.

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 defense agency.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates.

Sheikh Radawn resident Osama al-Hanawi told AFP: “The rest of the family is still under the rubble.”

“We are losing young people, families and children every day, and this must stop now. Enough blood has been shed.”

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.

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.