Gaza peace talks: Mediators act as deaths rise

Gaza peace talks: Mediators act as deaths rise

International mediators are stepping up efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after Israel made a major... offensive started in the area. According to the Ministry of Health there, more than 100 people have been killed in fierce nighttime air strikes.

Indirect negotiations in Doha

On Saturday, Hamas and Israel began indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha to reach a ceasefire and a kidnapping agreement. A senior Hamas official, Taher Al-Nunu, confirmed the resumption of talks in Doha, saying: "We agreed to the current round of negotiations without any preconditions," Hamas-run Al-Aqsa broadcaster reported.

Israel's offensive and the role of the USA

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday that the new military operation had forced Hamas to the negotiating table. "With the launch of Operation Gideon's Chariot in Gaza... the Hamas delegation in Doha announced their return to negotiations on a kidnapping agreement - in contrast to the denial they had maintained up to that point," Katz said.

Another possibility could be that Hamas after a visit from US President Donald Trump in the Middle East has agreed to resume talks. An official familiar with the negotiations told CNN: "Following talks between Qatar and the US during President Trump's visit to Doha, there is renewed pressure from mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt to see if a new ceasefire agreement can be reached."

Netanyahu and the negotiations in Doha

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained close contact with the negotiating team in Doha, as well as Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, to advance the deal. An Israeli official told CNN on Saturday that Netanyahu had instructed his negotiating team to remain in Doha "to make every effort to secure the release of our hostages."

Last week, Netanyahu ordered the Israeli negotiating team to travel to Qatar but made clear he was only willing to negotiate a proposal from Witkoff that would include the release of half the hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire. However, the proposal does not guarantee an end to the war.

Trump's stay in Doha and his statements

Trump was in Doha on Wednesday as part of a Middle East trip that skipped Israel. Last week, Trump said he wanted an end to the “brutal war” in Gaza. He also bypassed Israel twice this month to reach bilateral deals with regional militant groups. Hamas announced the release of an Israeli-American hostage last week known, and the Houthis agreed to cease fire on American ships in the Red Sea while pledging to continue fighting Israel.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating

Meanwhile, the UN and major aid organizations are sounding the alarm about Israel's new offensive in Gaza, reporting that civilians are bearing the brunt of the attack. The Israeli military leadership said the aim of the operation was “to achieve all the objectives of the war in Gaza, including the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”

More than 100 people, including entire families, were killed in renewed airstrikes overnight, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

An infant, his two younger siblings and their parents, all living in a refugee camp, were killed in the Al-Mawasi area of ​​southern Gaza on Saturday, Dr. Munir al-Barsh, the director of the Ministry of Health, CNN.

Growing concern about the humanitarian crisis

As the bombardment continues and the number of victims rises, Gaza's health system is being pushed further to the limits of what it can bear. On Sunday, the Ministry of Health announced that “all public hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip are currently out of service.”

The UN now warns that over 2.1 million people - the entire population of the enclave - are at risk of starvation after 19 months of conflict and massive displacement, now exacerbated by Israel's 11-week blockade of aid supplies.

On Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement that the renewed bombing campaign was tantamount to ethnic cleansing. “This latest bombing ... and the denial of humanitarian assistance underscores what appears to be a move toward permanent demographic change in Gaza, which violates international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing,” Turk said.

Despite the resumption of talks in Qatar, Omar Qandil, whose brother, sister-in-law and 4-month-old niece were killed in an overnight airstrike in central Gaza, said he feels the world has turned a blind eye to their suffering. "They were all sleeping...were targeted in their bedroom," he said.

"I don't know what else to say. We talked a lot. Nobody looks at us: neither Arabs nor Muslims, nobody."

Reporting was supported by CNN's Eyad Kourdi, Abeer Salman and Eugenia Yosef.