Hamas says it is ready for indirect Gaza truce talks to resolve 'points of contention' in US proposal

Egypt and Qatar say they will intensify efforts to resume negotiations

An Israeli air strike on Gaza city. Israel has been intensifying its military offensive in the enclave. AP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Hamas has said it is ready to begin indirect talks on “points of contention” in a US ceasefire and hostage deal proposal, as mediators vow to increase efforts to reach a truce in Gaza.

On Saturday, the group submitted its response to the Gaza truce plan presented by Washington's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. It neither accepted nor rejected the deal, but Mr Witkoff called the response “totally unacceptable”. He said it “only takes us backwards” and called on Hamas to accept the US proposal.

Hamas on Sunday said it was seeking to reach a deal that would ensure “relief” for the people of Gaza and “an end to the humanitarian catastrophe, ultimately leading to a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces”.

The latest proposal to pause the war comes after repeated attempts by mediators failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming military operations on March 18 after the end of a two-month truce brokered by mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar.

Sources told The National on Friday that Hamas was dissatisfied with the latest plan's lack of “genuine guarantees” that proposed negotiations with Israel would lead to an end to the war and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

In its latest statement, Hamas thanked the Arab mediators for their efforts to end the fighting.

From left, foreign ministers in Amman on Sunday at the ministerial committee of the Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Joint Summit on Gaza, including Badr Abdelatty of Egypt; Prince Faisal bin Farhan of Saudi Arabia; Ayman Safadi of Jordan and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani of Bahrain, in the company of Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. AP

Qatar and Egypt on Sunday said they were planning to step up efforts to reach a breakthrough in negotiations. “Qatar and Egypt, in co-ordination with the United States of America, affirm their intention to intensify efforts to overcome the obstacles facing the negotiations,” the two mediators said in a joint statement.

“The two countries are also striving to swiftly reach a 60-day temporary truce, which would pave the way for a permanent ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.”

On Friday, Israel announced that it would be blocking a visit by Arab foreign ministers to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. They had intended to discuss with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas moves regarding statehood.

Israel’s refusal to allow the visit embodies Israeli “extremism and arrogance”, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Sunday. His statement came during a joint press conference in Amman with counterparts from Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain, after they met as part of an Arab contact group that was planning to meet Mr Abbas in Ramallah.

The Israeli decision “embodies and affirms its extremism and rejection of any serious effort for peace and for a diplomatic path”, Prince Faisal said.

The ministers held an online meeting with Mr Abbas instead. The committee reaffirmed its support for the mediation efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to achieve a ceasefire, according to Saudi Arabia's news agency SPA.

It also briefed Mr Abbas on its efforts to ensure the success of the international conference at the UN scheduled for June 17 to 20 and co-led by Saudi Arabia and France.

Amid the deadlocked Gaza truce talks, Israel has been intensifying its military offensive in the territory. Army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir on Sunday ordered an “expansion” of the campaign into new areas in the north and south of the enclave.

Dozens of people were killed or injured in a shooting near a food bank in Gaza on Sunday, with witnesses saying Israeli troops opened fire on civilians collecting aid, an allegation Israel has denied.

The Red Cross reported a “mass casualty influx” of 179 people at a field hospital in nearby Rafah, of whom 21 were declared dead on arrival. It said most had gunshot or shrapnel wounds. Survivors said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site.

Over the past week, at least 39 Palestinians have been reported dead and more than 220 wounded while trying to collect food from new aid centres in Gaza, which are staffed by US private security guards. Officials and survivors say Israel has been drawing starving civilians into traps under the guise of humanitarian aid.