The first session of indirect Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks in Qatar ended inconclusively, two Palestinian sources familiar with the matter said early on Monday, adding the Israeli delegation didn't have a sufficient mandate to reach an agreement with Hamas.
The talks resumed on Sunday, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's third visit to the White House since US President Donald Trump returned to power.
"After the first session of indirect negotiations in Doha, the Israeli delegation is not sufficiently authorised to reach an agreement with Hamas as it has no real powers," the sources told Reuters.
Before his departure to Washington Netanyahu said Israeli negotiators taking part in the ceasefire talks have clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions Israel has accepted.
On Saturday night crowds gathered at a public square in Tel Aviv near the defence ministry headquarters to call for a ceasefire deal and the return of around 50 hostages held in Gaza. The demonstrators waved Israeli flags, chanted and carried posters with photos of the hostages.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
About 20 of the remaining hostages are believed to be alive. Most of the original hostages have been freed through diplomatic negotiations, though the Israeli military has also recovered some.
Gaza's health ministry said Israel's retaliatory military assault on the enclave has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, displaced the population, mostly within Gaza, and left the territory in ruins.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.