‘Final round’ of Gaza talks to start in Qatar

Kathmandu: A “final round” of Gaza truce talks is due to start in Qatar, said a source briefed on the negotiations aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war after more than 15 months.

‘A final round of talks is expected to take place today in Doha,’ the source told AFP.  Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations, the source said that Tuesday’s meetings are aimed at finalising the remaining details of the deal.

Source said, the heads of Israel’s intelligence agencies, the Middle East envoys for the incoming and outgoing US administrations and Qatar’s prime minister are due at the talks. ‘Mediators will hold separate talks with Hamas’  the source added.

Mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been engaged in months of talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the Gaza war and releasing hostages held in the Palestinian territory. Since early January, indirect negotiations have resumed in Doha.

On Monday a source with knowledge of the talks said there had been “significant progress on the remaining sticking points” in the negotiations in Qatar, leading to a new “concrete” proposal being presented to the parties.

The source added that there had been a “positive” initial response from both sides. The proposal, according to the source, would see more than 30 Israeli hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in an initial swap.

RSS/AFP