Cairo- Qatar will host new mediation talks between Hamas and Israel and an agreement could be finalized as early as this week, Egyptian security sources said.
Egyptian media reported on Sunday that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have resumed in Doha. The discussion is between experts from Egypt, Qatar, America and Israel and representatives of Hamas. The possibility of a new ceasefire and the release of Hamas hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel were discussed in Paris yesterday.
An Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnia attended the talks in Paris on Friday.
During the October 7 attack by Hamas, Palestinian fighters took 250 hostages, Israel says, 130 of whom remain in Gaza. 30 of them are believed to have died.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States are trying to broker a deal similar to the one that freed more than 100 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners last November.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll from Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Palestinian territories is approaching 30,000. International pressure for a ceasefire is not bearing fruit.
A new ceasefire agreement and hostage exchange is expected before March 10, when Ramadan begins.
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2024-02-25 14:32:32
