Netanyahu says Trump meeting could 'advance' Gaza deal ahead of Doha talks

TDT | Manama

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he hoped an upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump could "help advance" a Gaza ceasefire deal, after sending negotiators to Doha for indirect talks with Hamas.

Under mounting pressure to end the war, now approaching its 22nd month, the Israeli premier is scheduled to sit down on Monday with Trump, who has recently made a renewed push to end the fighting.

Speaking before boarding Israel's state jet bound for Washington, Netanyahu said: "We are working to achieve this deal that we have discussed, under the conditions that we have agreed to."

He added he had dispatched the team to Doha "with clear instructions", and thought the meeting with Trump "can definitely help advance this (deal), which we are all hoping for".

Netanyahu had previously said Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal contained "unacceptable" demands.

A Palestinian official familiar with the talks and close to Hamas said international mediators had informed the group that "a new round of indirect negotiations... will begin in Doha today".

The talks would focus on conditions for a possible ceasefire, including hostage and prisoner releases, and Hamas would also seek the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing to evacuate the wounded, the official told AFP.

Hamas's delegation, led by its top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, was in Doha, the official told AFP. Israel's public broadcaster said the country's delegation had left for the Qatari capital in the early afternoon.

Qatar's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the indirect negotiations had begun.