Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he hoped an upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump could "help advance" a Gaza ceasefire deal, after sending negotiators to Doha for indirect talks with Hamas.
Under mounting pressure to end the war, now approaching its 22nd month, the Israeli premier is scheduled to sit down on Monday with Trump, who has recently made a renewed push to end the fighting.
Speaking before boarding Israel's state jet bound for Washington, Netanyahu said: "We are working to achieve this deal that we have discussed, under the conditions that we have agreed to."
He added he had dispatched the team to Doha "with clear instructions", and thought the meeting with Trump "can definitely help advance this (deal), which we are all hoping for".
Netanyahu had previously said Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal contained "unacceptable" demands.
A Palestinian official familiar with the talks and close to Hamas said international mediators had informed the group that "a new round of indirect negotiations... will begin in Doha today". The talks started later on, on Sunday.
The talks would focus on conditions for a possible ceasefire, including hostage and prisoner releases, and Hamas would also seek the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing to evacuate the wounded, the official told AFP.
Hamas's delegation, is led by its top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, the official told AFP.
“Enough blood”
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 UN-led aid distribution system.
On the ground, Gaza's civil defense agency reported 26 people were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday.
It said 10 were killed in a pre-dawn strike on Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, where AFP images showed Palestinians searching through the debris for survivors with their bare hands.
"The rest of the family is still under the rubble," Sheikh Radwan resident Osama al-Hanawi told AFP. "We are losing young people, families and children every day, and this must stop now. Enough blood has been shed."
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.
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