An Israeli official said its delegation in Doha was heading home today and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday.
The latest round in months of on-off talks to end the war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, began between Israel and mediators on Thursday.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas was not directly involved in the talks but was kept briefed on progress.
Sticking points have included Israel’s insistence that peace will only be possible if Hamas is destroyed and Hamas saying it will only accept a permanent, rather than temporary, ceasefire.
Both sides have agreed in principle to a plan US President Joe Biden announced on May 31 but Hamas has proposed amendments and Israel has suggested clarifications, leading each side to accuse the other of trying to tank a deal.
Hamas has rejected Israel’s demands, which include a lasting military presence along the border with Egypt and a line bisecting the Gaza Strip where it would search Palestinians returning to their homes to root out militants.
On Friday, mediators said it presented a bridging proposal to both parties consistent with the plan laid out by Biden.
This proposal builds on areas of agreement and bridges remaining gaps.
Overnight, Israeli forces pounded targets across the crowded enclave of Gaza and issued new orders for people to leave areas it had previously designated as civilian safe zones, saying Hamas had used them to fire mortars and rockets at Israel.
The conflict began on October 7 last year when Hamas fighters rampaged into Israel, killing about 1200 people and seizing about 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s military campaign has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel says it has eliminated 17,000 Hamas fighters.
In a statement on Friday, Hamas politburo member Hossam Badran said Israel’s continuing operations were an obstacle to progress on a ceasefire.
The Israeli delegation included spy chief David Barnea, head of the domestic security service Ronen Bar and the military’s hostages chief Nitzan Alon, defence officials said.
The White House sent CIA director Bill Burns and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel were also taking part.
The White House meanwhile said attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank were “unacceptable and must stop” after dozens of settlers assaulted a village, killing at least one person.
with AP
