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.
Foreign ministers from several Muslim-majority countries will convene in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the current Gaza ceasefire and potential next steps, including the establishment of a "stability force," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Friday during a press conference in Ankara.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised Germany over what he said was its ignorance of Israel's "genocide" and attacks in Gaza, at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday.
Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters streamed to Jerusalem on Thursday in a show of force against military conscription, a hot-button issue placing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition under increasing political strain.
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