Qatar says ‘progress to an extent’ in truce talks with Hamas

Negotiations based on plan for Israeli withdrawal from ‘major population centres’ in Gaza, initial six-week ceasefire.

Qatar says some progress in negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza has been made and it is continuing mediation to “bridge the gap” between Israel and Hamas.

The Gulf state, Egypt and the United States have been engaged in months of truce talks involving a captive-prisoner exchange and getting desperately needed humanitarian assistance into war-battered Gaza.

“There was progress to an extent in the situation. We have continued our efforts without interruption over the last few days,” Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said at a news conference in Madrid with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

“We continue our endeavours, and there have been successive meetings with the Hamas movement in a bid to bridge the gap between the two sides and reach an agreement to achieve a ceasefire and exchange hostages and prisoners.”

Except for a seven-day pause in November, which led to the release of more than 100 Israeli captives and 240 Palestinian prisoners, there has been no break in the fighting since the war began in early October.