TEL AVIV: Israel and Hamas did not achieve a breakthrough in their latest round of indirect talks on Tuesday in Doha for a Gaza ceasefire, a Palestinian official said.
“No breakthrough has been achieved so far, and the negotiations are ongoing,” the source close to the negotiations told AFP on the third day of talks aiming to bring an end to more than 21 months of war in the Palestinian territory.
Qatar says ‘we will need time’ for Gaza ceasefire
Qatar said Tuesday more time was need for negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, after US President Donald Trump voiced optimism about a possible breakthrough.
“I don’t think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said as indirect negotiations continued into a third day in Doha.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington, meanwhile, on his third visit to the White House since Trump returned to power.
Trump, who is pushing for a ceasefire, expressed confidence that a deal could be reached, saying: “I don’t think there is a hold-up. I think things are going along very well.”
Qatar, a mediator along with the United States and Egypt, said the meetings in Doha were focused on a framework for the talks, while a Palestinian official close to the negotiations said no breakthrough had been achieved so far.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was set to join the talks in Doha this week.