Israel sends delegation to Qatar for Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas

Israel has said it is sending a delegation to Qatar for ceasefire talks with Hamas about the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday.

“In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages – on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to – be continued,” Netanyahu’s office said in a thread on the social platform X Saturday.

“The negotiating team will leave tomorrow (Sunday) for the talks in Qatar,” the office added.

President Trump and Netanyahu are expected to meet at the White House on Monday. 

On Friday, Hamas officials said that they had responded to a 60-day ceasefire proposal from Trump favorably but indicated that more talks were needed. Trump told reporters the day before that he expected a response from Hamas within “24 hours” about the agreement to temporarily halt fighting with Israel in Gaza. 

Trump announced earlier in the week that Israel had agreed to “necessary conditions” for finalizing a ceasefire lasting two months with Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist group.

“My Representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War,” the president said on his Truth Social platform Tuesday.

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza started on Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant group carried out a deadly attack in Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis, with 250 also being taken hostage. Over 56,000 Palestinians have been killed due to Israel’s military operation in response, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has said.