Hamas said talks in Qatar aimed at a truce and hostage-prisoner exchange in Gaza were “serious and positive”, a day after an Israeli delegation arrived in Doha to meet with mediators.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on his way to Cairo for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, with a deal expected to be signed in the coming days, sources briefed on the meetings said.
Egypt and Qatar resumed ceasefire talks in recent weeks, after efforts to reach a truce brokered by the United States had stalled.
“Hamas affirms that, in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place today in Doha under the auspices of our Qatari and Egyptian brothers, reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation ceases to impose new conditions,” the Palestinian Islamist group said in a statement.
Egypt’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera news said there were “extensive” Egyptian-Qatari efforts with all parties to reach a deal.
A ceasefire and hostage deal was possible if Israel stopped setting new conditions, Hamas said in a statement.
Yesterday, an official with knowledge of the talks told Reuters an Israeli technical team was in Doha for working-level talks with Qatari mediators on “remaining issues”.
The talks were focused on bridging gaps on a deal that US President Joe Biden outlined more than six months ago, the official said.
Israeli airstrikes kill two families in Gaza
The diplomatic progress came as huge Israeli airstrikes killed extended families in homes in two parts of northern Gaza, while tanks in the south pushed towards a humanitarian zone on the Mediterranean coast, forcing displaced families to take flight again.
Medics said at least ten people were confirmed killed in an airstrike on a house in the Daraj suburb of Gaza City that destroyed the building and damaged nearby houses.
In the town of Beit Lahiya, which has been under Israeli siege since early October, at least 15 people were believed to be dead or missing under the rubble of a house hit by an airstrike around dawn, said medics. Rescuers were unable to reach the site to confirm the toll.
At least ten other Palestinians were killed in separate strikes elsewhere in Gaza City and Beit Lahiya, medics said.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports of airstrikes. Israel says it targets militants and blames any harm to civilians on fighters for operating among them, which the fighters deny.
In Beit Lahiya, Israel has been operating what it called an offensive to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping; Palestinians say the army aims to depopulate a buffer zone on the enclave’s northern edge, which Israel denies.
In the southern part of the enclave, in Rafah near the border with Egypt, Israeli tanks pushed deeper towards the western area of Mawasi, forcing dozens of families to flee northwards towards Khan Younis, residents said.
Hours later, residents said the army blew up several houses in the area and set several tents ablaze.
Israel has previously designated Mawasi, along the Mediterranean coast, as a humanitarian area.
Thousands of Palestinians have lived there in tents for months, having obeyed Israeli orders to move there from other areas for safety.
Footage circulating on social media showed lines of thick black and grey smoke rising from the area beside the tent encampment. Reuters could not immediately verify the time or exact location of the images.
Contacted by Reuters, the Israeli military said it had no information corresponding to the reports of tanks advancing towards Mawasi.
The war began when the Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed into Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel then launched an air and land offensive that has killed more than 45,000 people, mostly civilians, according to authorities in Gaza.
The campaign has displaced nearly the entire population and left much of the enclave in ruins.