Israel and Hamas signal openness to talks on Gaza war

JERUSALEM, undefined — Israel said Thursday its spy chief will attend Gaza ceasefire talks and Hamas vowed to stop fighting if a truce is reached, as long-stalled efforts to end the war appeared to gain momentum.

Previous bids to stop the year-long war have failed, though the United States has voiced hope the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week could serve as an opening for a deal.

A senior Hamas official told AFP that a delegation from the group's Doha-based leadership discussed "ideas and proposals" related to a Gaza truce with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Thursday.

"Hamas has expressed readiness to stop the fighting, but Israel must commit to a ceasefire, withdraw from the Gaza Strip, allow the return of displaced people, agree to a serious prisoner exchange deal and allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza," the official said.

The talks in Cairo were part of Egypt's ongoing efforts to resume ceasefire negotiations, he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he welcomed Egypt's readiness to reach a deal "for the release of the hostages" still held by militants in Gaza.

After the Cairo meeting, Netanyahu directed the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency to leave for key mediator Qatar on Sunday to "advance a series of initiatives that are on the agenda," the prime minister's office said.

Earlier on Thursday, the United States and Qatar said Gaza ceasefire talks would resume in the Qatari capital.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Qatar's leaders in Doha on Thursday on his 11th trip to the region since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war.

During the trip, which comes less than two weeks before US elections, Blinken said that mediators would explore new options.

He said they were seeking a plan "so that Israel can withdraw, so that Hamas cannot reconstitute, and so that the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives and rebuild their futures".

Qatar said that US and Israeli teams would fly to Doha, with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani adding that Qatari mediators had "re-engaged" with Hamas since Sinwar's death.

Israeli and US officials as well as some analysts said