Talks held on Sunday initiated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt to broker a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas were "constructive" but meaningful gaps remain, the Israeli prime minister's office said.
The Hostages Square" in Tel Aviv © Mena Today
Talks held on Sunday initiated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt to broker a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas were "constructive" but meaningful gaps remain, the Israeli prime minister's office said.
"There are still significant gaps in which the parties will continue to discuss this week in additional mutual meetings," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns and the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, David Barnea, met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, along with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, the statement said.
It said the talks took place in Europe, without giving a specific venue.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has been trying to facilitate the release of the more than 100 hostages who remain captive after the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel by militant Islamist group Hamas, which rules Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Saturday that the war in Gaza will not come to a final end until Hamas is disarmed and the Palestinian territory is fully demilitarized , a key requirement of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement currently under discussion.
The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding its reopening will depend on Hamas handing over bodies of deceased hostages.
As world leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh for a "Peace Summit" aiming to declare an end to the Gaza war, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun made a landmark statement: negotiations with Israel are necessary as part of a broader effort to resolve regional crises.
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