Israeli foreign minister says 'progress' achieved in Qatar talks on Gaza truce

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Monday that "progress" has been achieved in the talks held in Qatar on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that will secure the release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group.

"There is progress in the negotiations to release the hostages," Sa'ar said during joint remarks alongside Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who is on a trip to the region. "Israel very much wants to release the hostages and is working hard to reach a deal."

One sticking point in the indirect negotiations has been the nature of the ceasefire. Hamas is demanding a permanent truce, while Israel seeks a temporary pause, maintaining the option to resume military operations if necessary for security reasons. The talks in Doha aim to end the more than 15 months of deadly war between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli delegation, led by Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet domestic security agency head Ronen Bar, arrived in Doha on Saturday for discussions with US President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Qatari prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Xinhua news agency reported.

Another Israeli official also indicated on Monday that the negotiators have made "substantial progress" in talks in Qatar on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, though no agreement has been achieved yet.

"It seems the direction is positive," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that Israel had made "concessions" in pursuit of an agreement and was awaiting Hamas' response. Should both sides agree, the details of the deal could be finalised "within days," the official said.

Meanwhile, an Israeli government official denied media reports which claim Qatar has submitted "a final draft agreement" to both Israel and Hamas, Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported. The proposed deal reportedly includes three stages, during which Hamas will release the hostages in return for a ceasefire, and the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage along the southern Israeli border on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage. The Gaza-based health authorities reported Sunday that Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least 46,565 people.

Earlier, the Palestinian presidency urged the international community to step up efforts to end the bloody conflict in Gaza, accusing Israel of massive "killings, destruction, and displacement". Under President Mahmoud Abbas' leadership, the Palestinian Authority has been working since day one to end the conflict and spare Palestinians the devastation, presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement to WAFA news agency.

The Israeli offensive has caused the death, injury, detention and disappearance of over 200,000 people, Rudeineh said. President Abbas is engaging in intensive talks with Arab and international parties to expedite a ceasefire and enforce UN Security Council Resolution 2735, the spokesperson said.

The Palestinian leadership believes it is time to compel the occupying state to accept an end to its comprehensive conflict against people in Gaza as well as to halt ongoing Israeli violations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, he said, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

The presidential spokesperson stressed that achieving security and stability in the region depends on respecting "Arab and international legitimacy", urging major countries to act immediately to enforce compliance with UN resolutions and end what he called Israel's "impunity".

Also on Monday, Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said it has killed more than 10 Israeli soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip during the past 72 hours. After more than 100 days of the "comprehensive destruction and genocide carried out by the Israeli army, our members are still dealing it harsh blows", Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the Brigades, said on the social media platform Telegram.

He stressed that the Israeli army, which "has hidden the true extent of its losses, will withdraw from the northern Gaza Strip", and its "only achievement is destruction, devastation and massacres against innocent people".