A boy plays with a tire near the rubble of buildings destroyed by an Israeli airstrike near the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Jan. 11, 2025, as the war between Israel and Hamas militants continues. (Credit: Eyad Baba/ AFP Photo)
The special envoy for the Middle East of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump held talks in Doha with Qatar’s prime minister on mediation efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to a statement from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.
Friday’s discussions between Steve Witkoff and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani "focused on the latest developments in the region, particularly efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza," the statement said, without providing further details.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed last weekend in Qatar, focusing initially on securing the release of hostages taken during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on Oct. 7, 2023.
As Donald Trump’s inauguration approaches, outgoing President Joe Biden said Thursday that "real progress" had been made in talks over the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Paris on Wednesday that a cease-fire agreement and hostage release deal was "very close." For his part, Trump recently vowed to bring "hell" to the region if hostages are not released before his return to power on Jan. 20.
Despite intense diplomatic efforts led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, no truce has been reached in Gaza since a week-long cease-fire in late November 2023, which saw 105 hostages freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
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