DOHA: Gaza mediator Qatar said Tuesday that it was “still waiting” for Israel’s response to a proposal for a truce and hostage release deal in the Palestinian territory after Hamas agreed to the framework more than a week ago.
Qatar and Egypt, along with the United States, have been mediating indirect ceasefire negotiations throughout the Gaza war, but despite sealing two temporary truces, the successive rounds of talks have repeatedly failed to bring a lasting end to the conflict.
The latest proposal put forward by mediators involves an initial 60-day truce and staggered exchanges of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, but Israel has appeared reluctant to budge from its demand that all the hostages being held at Gaza be freed at once.
“We are still waiting for an answer” from Israel, Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told a regular news conference on Tuesday, adding: “The statements that we are hearing right now do not fill us with confidence.”
Last week, Hamas said it had accepted the new ceasefire proposal following a round of talks in Cairo.
