Israel to send delegation to continue Gaza truce talks in Qatar

Jerusalem: Israel’s war cabinet has decided to send a delegation next week to the Qatari capital Doha to continue the talks over a Gaza truce deal, an Israeli official told Xinhua.

The delegation, comprising non-senior officials, is mandated to discuss technical aspects of the humanitarian issues in the deal, said the official on Saturday.

The deal that is expected to be reached involves a pause in the four-and-a-half-month war, the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, as well as increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

A cabinet discussion was held over the telephone, and the ministers received an update about the talks in Paris. The talks, led by Qatari, Egyptian, and U.S. mediators, were held over the weekend.

Israeli officials said the talks held in Paris were constructive, and the general outline of an agreement was reached. However, Hamas later denied that significant progress had been achieved.