Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, July 6, 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.
Later Sunday, a Palestinian official familiar with the talks stated that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas towards a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip had started in Qatar. "Negotiations are about implementation mechanisms and hostage exchange, and positions are being exchanged through mediators," the official said.
Earlier Sunday, a Palestinian official said that Hamas would also seek the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing to evacuate the wounded; Hamas's top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya was leading the delegation in Doha.
Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions said that 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 had been killed by Israeli forces on Sunday. It said 10 had been 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.
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.
Since Hamas's October 2023 attack sparked the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in the fighting during which hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire.