Israel to send negotiating team to Qatar for ceasefire talks as Gaza death toll mounts

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a delegation will head to Doha, Qatar, today to engage in talks over a proposed Gaza ceasefire.

The move follows instructions from Netanyahu to accept an invitation for “close talks,” amid continued Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip that has killed at least 78 Palestinians in the past 24 hours.

The announcement comes on the heels of a statement from Hamas on Friday, expressing a “positive spirit” in response to a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan involving a 60-day truce, according to Al-Jazeera news.

However, Netanyahu’s office said changes proposed by Hamas to the Qatari-mediated deal were “unacceptable to Israel,” without specifying the nature of the amendments.

Since the war began in October 2023, Israel’s assault has claimed the lives of at least 57,338 Palestinians and wounded more than 135,957.

Much of Gaza has been devastated, pushing the enclave into a deep humanitarian crisis and the verge of famine. Despite international efforts to broker a ceasefire, a final agreement remains elusive as deadly hostilities persist.