Progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza has been slower than hoped, according to Qatari officials, diminishing expectations of a swift resolution to the conflict in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed indirectly on Sunday after both sides agreed to a broad framework, proposed by the U.S., for an initial 60-day truce that could pave the way for a lasting end to the 21-month war.
“Right now, I cannot provide a specific timeframe, but it is clear that more time will be needed,” Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, said on Tuesday as talks in Doha entered their third day.
An official familiar with the discussions stated that no significant progress had been made.
The acknowledgment that a deal is not imminent suggests Donald Trump may be unable to announce an agreement during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington, contrary to earlier expectations.
On Monday, Trump had expressed optimism, telling reporters that negotiations were advancing well and that Hamas appeared willing to agree to a truce.
However, Ansari indicated that discussions were still in preliminary stages. “Both delegations are currently in Doha. We are engaging with each side separately to establish a structure for the talks. Formal negotiations have not yet started,” he said.
Meanwhile, casualties in Gaza continued to rise. The Israeli military reported that five soldiers were killed and 14 wounded in a Hamas attack near Beit Hanoun late Monday. Gaza authorities, in turn, stated that 29 people, including three children, died in Israeli airstrikes across the enclave.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense agency, said nine people were killed in a drone strike on a displaced persons’ camp in southern Gaza.
Shaimaa al-Shaer, a resident of the camp, recounted: “I was making breakfast for my children—beans and a little bread—when an explosion suddenly shook the area.”
Health officials at Nasser Hospital, where many casualties were taken, reported that one strike in Khan Younis targeted tents housing displaced families, killing four. Another attack in the city claimed the lives of four more—a mother, father, and their two children.
In central Gaza, strikes in Nuseirat killed 10 and wounded 72, according to Awda Hospital.
The Israeli military accuses Hamas of using civilians as shields, an allegation the group denies.
As new evacuation orders were issued for parts of Khan Younis, thousands were forced to flee ahead of further Israeli operations.
Under the proposed ceasefire, 28 hostages would be released in phases, Israeli troops would withdraw from certain Gaza areas, and humanitarian aid shipments would increase.
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