Qatar says Hamas response to truce proposal is positive

Hamas sent on Monday to mediators its response to a truce proposal which could be described as positive, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry said early on Tuesday.

A Qatari delegation will head to Cairo on Tuesday to resume indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas through the mediators, Majed Al-Ansari added in a statement.

Qatar, which alongside Egypt and the United States has played a mediation role in the talks, said it hoped the negotiations would culminate in an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas on Monday agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands and pressed ahead with strikes in Rafah while planning to continue negotiations.

Qatar hosts the political bureau of Hamas and has been funding the movement for many years. As such, Doha's position cannot be balanced.